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:
|
| Bishop
Blesses New Notre Dame High School |
| Plenary
Indulgence for Immaculate Conception Solemnity |
| Most
Americans See More Promise in Adult Stem Cells |
| Retirement
Fund for Religious |
Bishop Blesses New Notre Dame High School |
Bishop Joseph F.
Martino presided this morning (Dec. 1) at the
blessing and dedication ceremony for the new
Notre Dame High School in East Stroudsburg. He
was joined by the school’s Board of Pastors,
staff, students and members of the Monroe County
Catholic community.
The new facility,
which will respond to the educational needs of
the growing population in the Pocono region,
houses students in grades 9 - 12 and includes 10
new classrooms, two state-of-the-art science
labs, a computer lab, wireless internet service,
a library, and an arts center that features a
750-seat theater.
The former high
school building now serves as a middle school
for grades 5 - 8. The $10 million expansion
project is being funded by a regional capital
campaign.
Notre Dame Jr./Sr.
High School is supported by 11 parishes in
Monroe County: Christ the King, Blakeslee; Our
Lady of the Lake, Pocono Pines; Our Lady of
Victory, Tannersville; Our Lady Queen of Peace,
Brodheadsville; St. Ann, Tobyhanna; St.
Bernadette, Canadensis; St. John and St.
Matthew, East Stroudsburg; St. Luke,
Stroudsburg; St. Mary of the Mount, Mount
Pocono; and St. Rita, Gouldsboro.
Look for more
coverage of today’s event in the Dec. 8 issue
of The Catholic Light and on the Diocesan
website at www.dioceseofscranton.org. |
Plenary Indulgence for Immaculate Conception
Solemnity |
Pope Benedict
XVI will grant the faithful a Plenary Indulgence
for the forthcoming Solemnity of the Immaculate
Conception on Dec. 8.
As reported by
Vatican Information Service, the pope has issued
a decree expressing his “heartfelt desire that
the entire Church should join with him, so that
all the faithful, united in the name of the
common Mother, become ever stronger in the
faith, adhere with greater devotion to Christ,
and love their brothers with more fervent
charity.”
The gift of
Plenary Indulgence may be obtained under the
usual conditions (sacramental Confession,
Eucharistic communion and prayer in keeping with
the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff), with the
soul completely removed from attachment to any
form of sin. The faithful must participate in a
sacred function in honor of the Virgin, or at
least offer open testimony of Marian devotion
before an image of Mary Immaculate exposed for
public veneration, adding the recitation of the
Our Father and of the Creed, and some invocation
to the Virgin.
During the month
of December, Pope Benedict XVI will pray
especially “that the dignity of men and women
may be ever more deeply understood, according to
the Creator’s plan.” The missionary prayer
intention for December is “That, on earth, the
search for God and the thirst for truth may lead
every human being to meet the Lord.”
The papal document
concludes by recalling that faithful who
“through illness or other just cause,” are
unable to participate in a public ceremony or to
venerate an image of the Virgin, “may obtain a
Plenary Indulgence in their own homes, or
wherever they may be, if, with the soul
completely removed from any form of sin, and
with the intention of observing the aforesaid
conditions as soon as possible, they unite
themselves in spirit and in desire to the
Supreme Pontiff’s intentions in prayer to Mary
Immaculate, and recite the Our Father and the
Creed.”
A Plenary
Indulgence is the complete remission of all
temporal punishment due to sin. A further
explanation of indulgences can be found in the
Catholic Encyclopedia, accessible through
www.newadvent.org/cathen/07783a.htm |
Most Americans See More Promise in Adult Stem
Cells |
According to a
new poll, many Americans now realize that adult
stem cell research is producing healing
treatment for numerous diseases, whereas
embryonic stem cell research has yet to cure or
treat a single patient.
As reported by the
National Right to Life Committee, the poll
conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University
Life Sciences found that 44% of adults polled
thought adult stem cell research offered the
greatest promise for discovering new treatments
for disease, while only 14% said embryonic stem
cell research held the greatest promise. The
poll also found that 81% are opposed to human
cloning.
Meanwhile, the
media and a host of celebrity spokespersons
continue to push the “potential” benefits of
embryonic stem cells, while virtually ignoring
the proven benefits of adult stem cells – even
in the face of new research that embryonic stem
cells may develop genetic mutations that are
cancerous. Why?
A recent article
in PA Pro-Life Online News proposes a reason:
scientists may be hyping embryonic stem cells so
they can convince politicians to introduce less
restrictive laws, which would enable scientists
to get more embryos for their research. The
biotech lobby has been pressuring Congress and
state legislatures for taxpayer dollars to do
research on human embryos, since private
industry is mostly putting its money into adult
stem cells that have been used to treat over 65
human conditions. Embryonic stem cells have not
been used to successfully treat one person. |
Retirement Fund for Religious |
The annual
collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious
will be taken up at Masses in the Diocese of
Scranton the weekend of Dec. 10-11.
This national
campaign supports the retirement needs of
sisters, brothers and religious order priests
who spent their lives in church ministries such
as education, health care and social services.
The collection also aids the pension plan for
retired Diocesan priests.
The Retirement
Fund for Religious was started in 1988 to help
religious institutes provide health care and
other services to their retired members. There
are an estimated 38,000 women and men religious
in the U.S. past the age of 70, many of whom do
not have adequate Social Security benefits or
other pension plans.
For each of the 17
years of this collection, support has been
received from all parishes in the Diocese of
Scranton. The local appeal has collected a total
of $4,061,748 during that period, including
$259,220 last year.
That amount and
more was returned to the Diocese in the form of
$351,043 in grants to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary Sisters in Scranton, the Sisters of Mercy
in Dallas, and the Passionist Nuns in Clarks
Summit.
The IHM and Mercy
sisters have motherhouses and retirement care
facilities located here. |
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