SCRANTON – Father Richard Burke, C.P., Rector of Saint Ann‘s Passionist Monastery and Director of Saint Ann’s Shrine Basilica, announces that the 100th Anniversary of the Solemn Novena to Saint Ann will take place July 17-26, 2024.
The novena is a period of nine days of special Eucharists, devotions, and preaching of the Word of God in West Scranton. These nine days build toward the celebration of the Feast of Saint Ann and Saint Joachim on the tenth day, July 26. Our special Passionist preachers this year will be Father Justin Nelson Alphonse, C.P., Pastor of Saint Agnes Passionist Parish in Louisville, KY, and Father Luis Daniel Guivas Gerena, C.P., Administrator of Saint Gemma Passionist Parish in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Father Richard said the centenary of the Novena has inspired special outreach to the growing Hispanic Catholic community in the Diocese of Scranton and surrounding dioceses. The Novena will have a Eucharist and Novena service in Spanish at 7:30 p.m. each evening from July 17-25. The faithful will celebrate the Feast of Saint Ann in Spanish on Thursday, July 25, at 7:30 p.m. with Passionist Bishop Neil Tiedemann, C.P., D.D. as celebrant.
The Solemn Closing of Saint Ann’s Novena will be on Friday, July 26, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. with the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, serving as preacher and homilist.
All are welcome and encouraged to attend their year’s milestone Novena celebration in West Scranton from July 17-26!