SCRANTON – The month of November will once again begin with a gathering of the young church in the Diocese of Scranton.
The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, will celebrate the annual Leave a Mark Mass which is celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2020. The idea for the Mass came after Pope Francis spoke to pilgrims at World Youth Day 2016 in Poland.
“Dear young people, we didn’t come into this world to ‘vegetate,’ to take it easy, to make our lives a comfortable sofa to fall asleep on,” the Holy Father said in 2016. “No, we came for another reason: to leave a mark. It is very sad to pass through life without leaving a mark.”
For the past few years, hundreds of young people have gathered in the Cathedral of Saint Peter with Bishop Bambera to kickoff National Vocation Awareness Week in the Diocese of Scranton.
Bishop Bambera is inviting the young church of the Diocese of Scranton to gather once again this year in the Cathedral of Saint Peter on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020, for a special Mass at 7:00 p.m. Due to the current pandemic, there will not be a reception following the Mass.
Young adults (age 18-40) will be required to make a reservation in order to attend. Masks and social distancing will be enforced. The Mass will be broadcast live by CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton. It will also be livestreamed on diocesan social media platforms for those who are unable to attend in person.
“This is my first Leave a Mark event as vocation director,” Father Alex Roche said. “I look forward to seeing young adults from throughout the diocese gather as we kickoff this special week in the life of vocation ministry. In addition to those who will gather in the Cathedral, I also hope many will join us in prayer through diocesan media.”
For more information about this event and/or to register, please contact the Diocesan Vocation Office at (570) 207-1452 or visit vocations.dioceseofscranton.org.