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:
|
| Special
Collection For New Orleans, Biloxi |
| New
Program To Air On Catholic Television |
| Recent
Polls Promising For Pro-Life Cause |
| Establishing
Parish Pastoral Councils |
Special Collection For New Orleans, Biloxi |
The bishops of
the United States have been asked to authorize
in their dioceses a special collection to aid
the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Diocese
of Biloxi, which both experienced substantial
devastation after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
last year at this time.
These two dioceses
are still in a state of unimaginable need.
Collections in 2005 right after the hurricanes
focused on immediate humanitarian relief, and
only scratched the surface of the needs
involved.
This special
collection focuses on rebuilding churches,
schools and other essential parts of the
parishes’ infrastructure. Rebuilding the
Church and her structures is critically
important now, as many civil jurisdictions
declare that they are no longer able to assist
those who were displaced by the 2005 hurricanes,
and will be unable to do so in the future.
The theme of the
national collection, “Rebuild Church, Rebuild
Hope,” is inspired by Bishop Thomas Rodi of
Biloxi, who proclaimed that to “rebuild the
Church is to rebuild hope itself.”
Bishop Joseph F.
Martino is requesting that pastors support this
worthy charitable endeavor if they believe their
parishioners are able to respond. If this is the
case, pastors are asked to take up the
collection this weekend (Sept. 2-3). The
proceeds should be forwarded to the Finance
Office by Sept. 22. |
New Program To Air On Catholic Television |
CTV: Catholic
Television is producing a new program that will
provide viewers with a wealth of information
about the faith and the Diocese of Scranton.
“Our Faith, Our
Diocese” is a monthly one-hour program that
will follow a news magazine format. It will
include interviews, coverage of Diocesan events
and ministries, previews of upcoming activities,
catechesis on the faith, and other segments.
Each program will
feature a conversation between the host, Dan
Gallagher, and Bishop Joseph F. Martino
discussing a variety of topics from the
perspective of the Church and the circumstances
of our own Diocese.
“Our Faith, Our
Diocese” debuts on Sunday, Sept. 10, at 8 p.m.
It will be rebroadcast several times over the
succeeding weeks, on different days and times,
to give viewers an opportunity to see the
program. A new edition will debut the second
Sunday of each month.
In addition to the
conversation with Bishop Martino, the September
edition will include reports on the dedication
of the St. John Neumann statue and subsequent
devotions at St. Peter’s Cathedral, the Rite
of Candidacy for seminarians, the renewed
Diocesan Annual Appeal, the strategic planning
process for Catholic schools, and a segment on
the history of the Diocese with Father Charles
P. Connor, Ph.D., Diocesan historian. |
Recent Polls Promising For Pro-Life Cause |
A poll by the
Pew Research Center shows that a majority of
Americans want more restrictions on abortion.
Some 64 percent of those surveyed believe
abortions should be banned or restricted. In
fact, nearly half of respondents said abortion
should be illegal in all or most cases. Those
most opposed to abortion were Americans under
the age of 29 and those over the age of 60.
Evangelicals – both black and white – and
Catholics were more likely to be pro-life than
members of mainline Protestant churches and
non-Christians.
Also, a new study
refutes the claim that teenagers are better able
to handle abortions than they are able to cope
with unexpected pregnancies. The study,
published in the Journal of Youth and
Adolescence, found that teen girls who have
abortions are five times more likely to seek
help for psychological and emotional problems
than those who give their children life. In
addition, post-abortive teens were nine times
more likely to use marijuana than teens who had
given birth to their babies.
For more on these
results, visit www.LifeNews.com. |
Establishing Parish Pastoral Councils |
| Pastors are
reminded that, according to the Directives
for Parish Pastoral Councils, all parishes
of the Diocese are either to renew or establish
their Parish Pastoral Council no later than
Sunday, February 4, 2007. Once this has been
accomplished, pastors are asked to send the
name, address, e-mail and telephone number of
each member of the council to the Parish Life
Office, 300 Wyoming Avenue, Scranton 18503.
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