MISSION STATEMENT
We the Catholic faithful of the Diocese of Scranton,
in union with our Holy Father, the Pope, are called
through baptism to share in the mission which Jesus
Christ has entrusted to the One, Holy, Catholic and
Apostolic Church. Priests, deacons, religious and laity,
under the leadership of our Bishop, cooperate to
proclaim the Gospel in accordance with the teaching of
the Church, to celebrate the sacraments, especially the
Eucharist, for the salvation of all, and to witness by
grace to the Kingdom of God so as to promote a culture
of life, justice and peace.
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This Issue:
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Cardinal Welcomes Decision On Partial-Birth
Abortion Ban |
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Catholic Home Missions Appeal |
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Diocese Observing World Day of Prayer for
Vocations |
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Parish Finance Council Workshops |
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Reservations Due for Diocesan Pilgrimage |
Cardinal Welcomes Decision On Partial-Birth
Abortion Ban |
Cardinal Justin Rigali welcomed the
Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision upholding the
federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003
in Gonzales v. Carhart.
Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop of
Philadelphia, is chairman of the Committee for
Pro-Life Activities, United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The full text of his
statement follows:
“Today (April 18), after a decade of
struggle in legislatures and courts, the U.S.
Supreme Court finally upheld a federal law
prohibiting the brutal and inhumane
partial-birth abortion procedure. This is the
first time in 34 years that the Court has upheld
a ban of any type of abortion.
“The Court’s decision does not affect the
legal status of the great majority of abortions,
and does not reverse past decisions claiming to
find a right to abortion in the Constitution.
However, it provides reasons for renewed hope
and renewed effort on the part of pro-life
Americans. The Court is taking a clearer and
more unobstructed look at the tragic reality of
abortion, and speaking about that reality more
candidly, than it has in many years.
“Especially welcome is the Court’s explicit
recognition of certain key facts: that abortion
is the taking of a human life, and that
government has a legitimate interest in
protecting and preserving this life at every
stage; that ‘respect for human life finds an
ultimate expression in the bond of love the
mother has for her child;’ that abortion may
also cause grief and sorrow for women, which is
only made worse when the reality of the
procedure has been withheld from them until it
is too late; and that the ethical integrity of
the medical profession, as well as the fabric of
our society, is threatened by the acceptance of
practices that are difficult to distinguish from
infanticide.
“The Court also acknowledges that in some
past decisions, the usual rules for
constitutional review were distorted by an
unwarranted hostility to legislative efforts to
respect unborn human life. We hope today’s
decision marks the beginning of a new dialogue
on abortion, in which fair-minded consideration
will be given to the genuine interests of unborn
children and their mothers, to the need for an
ethically sound medical profession, and to
society’s desperate need for a foundation of
respect for all human life.” |
Catholic Home Missions Appeal |
The 2007 Catholic Home Missions Appeal
is scheduled nationally for the weekend of April
28-29. Once again, parishioners across the
United States and in the Diocese of Scranton
will have the opportunity to help their fellow
Catholics in rural America live out their faith
under difficult circumstances.
“Home missions” are located in many places
in America – Appalachia, the Deep South, the
Southwest, the Rocky Mountain states – where the
Catholic Church struggles just to keep parishes
open and to educate children in the faith.
Last year, Home Missions gave more than $3
million to the dioceses along the Gulf Coast
devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
“We all pray there will be no repetition of
these disasters,” said Bishop Joseph F. Martino.
“But Catholic parishes in rural America still
struggle to offer Mass, the sacraments and
religious education. Some dioceses are terribly
short of priests, sisters, and the money needed
to run parishes.
“The Home Missions Appeal allows more
prosperous Catholic communities to offer poorer
ones practical support. It’s as simple as that.
God will surely bless you for your generous
support of our brothers and sisters in the
faith.”
The Catholic Home Missions Appeal,
dedicated to strengthening the Church at home,
is administered by the Committee on the Home
Missions, a division of the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops. For more
information, contact the Secretariat for the
Home Missions at (202) 541-5400 or visit the
website at www.usccb.org/hm. |
Diocese Observing World Day of Prayer for
Vocations |
Monsignor Vincent J. Grimalia, V.G.,
Diocesan Secretary for Clergy Formation, has
announced that Bishop Joseph F. Martino will be
the principal celebrant at a Pontifical Mass at
St. Peter’s Cathedral on Sunday, April 29, at 5
p.m. as part of the observance of the World Day
of Prayer for Vocations.
Bishop Martino will lead the faithful in
prayer and preach on the need for more young
people to answer the call to the Diocesan
priesthood and religious life. People of the
Diocese are invited to join the Bishop and pray
for a deeper understanding of the importance of
everyone encouraging vocations.
The Bishop has directed everyone to pray
one decade of the Rosary before Mass each Sunday
and Holy Day of Obligation with the intention of
an increase of vocations. Several parishes have
established Eucharistic Adoration with the
intention of praying for vocations. Prayer for
vocations is something everyone can do,
Monsignor Grimalia noted.
He cited Pope Benedict’s recent
Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist, in
which the Holy Father said: “The pastoral care
of vocations needs to involve the entire
Christian community in every area of its life.
Obviously, this pastoral work on all levels also
includes exploring the matter with families,
which are often indifferent or even opposed to
the idea of a priestly vocation.
“Families should generously embrace the
gift of life and bring up their children to be
open to doing God’s will. In a word, they must
have the courage to set before young people the
radical decision to follow Christ, showing them
how deeply rewarding it is.”
The Diocese of Scranton’s Pastoral Plan
for Vocations is available on the Diocesan
website. It is meant to help parishes and
schools promote a culture that encourages
vocations and to motivate Catholics to invite
young men and women to prayerfully consider
their possible vocation to the priesthood or
religious life.
The pastoral plan is based on five basic
themes: To pray, to evangelize, to experience,
to mentor and to invite. Copies are also
available from the Office for Clergy Formation.
Father Thomas M. Muldowney is assistant director
for vocations. |
Parish Finance Council Workshops |
A workshop has been designed by the
Diocesan Finance Office for pastors and members
of Parish Finance Councils to help them in their
work. The themes of the workshop are: “Diocesan
Directives and the Parish Business Manager,” and
the “Diocesan Directives on Parish Finance
Councils,” with special attention to both the
process of council meetings and parish budgeting
process.
All workshops begin at 7 p.m. They are
scheduled for: May 7, St. Joseph Parish,
Scranton; May 8, Bishop Hafey Jr./Sr. High
School, Hazleton; May 9, St. Maria Goretti
Parish, Laflin; May 10, St. John the Evangelist
Parish (Holy Family Hall), Honesdale; May 21,
St. Maria Goretti Parish, Laflin; May 22, SS.
Peter & Paul Parish, Towanda; May 23, Ascension
Parish, Williamsport; May 24, St. Luke Parish,
(The Father Barrett Center), Stroudsburg. |
Reservations Due for Diocesan Pilgrimage |
Bishop Joseph F. Martino invites the
people of the Diocese to join him for the
bi-annual pilgrimage to the National Shrine of
Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown on
Saturday, May 19. The schedule for the day
includes a brief presentation about the Shrine,
praying the Rosary, confessions and Mass. The
cost per person for the pilgrimage is $45, and
includes a hot lunch.
The theme for this year’s pilgrimage is “A
Gift of a Day of Prayer.” This theme reflects
our response to God’s invitation as we offer our
prayers of thanksgiving and praise for the many
blessings that have been bestowed on our family
and friends, and especially on the Diocese of
Scranton.
The Diocese must finalize arrangements for
bus transportation, so individuals and groups
are asked to make reservations as soon as
possible by contacting the Office for Parish
Life and Evangelization at 570-207-2213, ext.
1130.
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