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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Rediscover the Beauty and Profundity of
Christian Hope |
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Diocese Launching Project for Spiritual and
Pastoral Renewal |
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Catholic Social Services in Scranton Moving to
New Location |
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Collection for Retired Religious and Priests |
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Plan Ahead for March for Life |
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Mark Your Calendar |
Rediscover the Beauty and Profundity of
Christian Hope |
As he presided at the celebration of
the first Vespers of the first Sunday of Advent,
Pope Benedict XVI recalled how “Advent is the
time of hope par excellence” and how Christians,
“as they prepare to celebrate the great feast of
the birth of Christ the Savior, revitalize their
expectation of His glorious return at the end of
time.”
“It was to the subject of hope,” he said,
“that I dedicated my second Encyclical … I am
happy to present it ideally to the entire Church
on this first Sunday of Advent so that, while
preparing for Christmas, the community and the
individual faithful may read and meditate upon
it, and so rediscover the beauty and profundity
of Christian hope.”
After underlining how “true and certain
hope is founded on faith in God-Love, the
merciful Father,” Benedict XVI made it clear
that Advent is a “propitious time for the
rediscovery of hope, a hope that is not vague
and illusory but sure and trustworthy because it
is ‘anchored’ in Christ, God-made-man and rock
of our salvation.”
The Holy Father highlighted how “God loves
us and for this reason expects us to return to
Him, to open our hearts to His love, to put our
hand in His and remember that we are His
children. This expectation of God's always
precedes our own hope, just as His love always
reaches us first.”
“All human beings are called to hope, thus
responding to God’s expectation in them,” the
pope concluded. “Hope is indelibly written in
man’s heart because God our Father is life, and
we were made for eternal and blessed life.” |
Diocese Launching Project for Spiritual and
Pastoral Renewal |
Bishop Joseph F. Martino has announced
a comprehensive planning project that will focus
on the spiritual and pastoral renewal of the
Diocese of Scranton.
Entitled Called to Holiness and Mission:
Pastoral Planning in the Diocese of Scranton,
the project will involve every parish in the 11
counties of the Diocese. The process will begin
in January.
Bishop Martino introduced the project to
priests and deacons at a meeting on Dec. 3 at
St. Maria Goretti Parish Center in Laflin. He
will outline the initiative and its goals in a
pastoral letter to be published in the Dec. 13
issue of The Catholic Light, the diocesan
newspaper. The Bishop will also discuss the
project on the next edition of “Our Faith, Our
Diocese,” which debuts this Sunday, Dec. 9, at 8
p.m. on CTV: Catholic Television and will be
rebroadcast Dec. 11, 9 a.m.; Dec. 13, 9 p.m.;
Dec. 17, 2 p.m.; Dec. 19, 4 p.m.; Dec. 23, 5
p.m.; and Dec. 27, 10:30 a.m.
In announcing the project, Bishop Martino
referred to a pastoral letter he issued in July
2004, in which he said: “The spiritual and
pastoral renewal of the Diocese of Scranton will
mean that we need to look at every one of our
structures, i.e., our parishes, schools,
institutions, buildings and programs. Are these
entities the right ones for the 21st century?
Are these entities currently prepared to
announce the Good News of Jesus Christ as Jesus
intends them to do?”
The Bishop stressed that prayer must be the
foundation for this “arduous but necessary
endeavor as we progress further into the new
century and new millennium.”
Called to Holiness and Mission is
intended to help parishes evaluate their current
ministries, plan for ways to enhance them, and
collaborate in order both to share and conserve
resources so that ministries can be more
fruitful.
In the process, parishes may be
restructured to witness most effectively to the
presence of the risen Christ in all parts of the
Diocese and better serve the entire faith
community and the larger Church.
Called to Holiness and Mission is
inspired by the following goals:
1. To foster the personal and communal holiness
of Catholics and support them to deepen their
commitment in living out the mission of the
Church.
2. To enhance quality parish life throughout the
Diocese of Scranton.
3. To strengthen the presence and ministry of
the Church in the urban, suburban and rural
areas of the four regions and eleven counties.
4. To increase collaboration between and among
leaders, parishes and the whole Diocese of
Scranton.
5. To act as good stewards of all human,
financial and facility resources.
6. To support increased understanding of and
action for the assumptions and criteria related
to vibrant parish life.
7. To build a greater sense of unity within the
rich ethnic, cultural and generational diversity
present within the local Church.
8. To work on the deanery, vicariate and
diocesan wide revitalization.
The process will feature broad consultation
involving clergy, religious and lay faithful in
every parish, according to Monsignor Vincent J.
Grimalia, V.G., Vicar General of the Diocese and
the planning coordinator for the project.
“Nothing has been pre-determined,”
Monsignor Grimalia said. “The only thing we know
at this point is that we have to move beyond the
status quo. The insight we receive at the parish
level will guide our journey. The positive and
enthusiastic response of our priests and deacons
to Bishop Martino’s address at the December 3
meeting in Laflin has been most gratifying.”
The process will involve a Diocesan
Planning Commission composed of clergy,
religious and lay representatives; Parish Core
Teams consisting of the pastor and four parish
leaders; Cluster Core Teams comprised of the
Parish Core Teams in a given geographic area;
the already established Pastoral and Finance
Councils for each parish; parish staff and the
parishioners. The Presbyteral Council and other
diocesan advisory groups will also participate.
These groups will evaluate key factors
including demographics of the parishes and the
Diocese as a whole, the number of priests
available for active service, and the status of
parish ministries and programs.
The Diocese has commissioned The Reid Group
to facilitate the process. The company, based in
Bellevue, Wash., has extensive experience in
planning within a wide variety of organizations
at the diocesan, parish and school levels.
Conversation and consultation will continue
through most of 2008. Final decisions will be
announced in January of 2009, with
implementation beginning on July 1 of that year.
In the meantime, several parishes have
recently undertaken evaluation processes and
reached conclusions about the status of
particular churches and other properties. Those
conclusions have been or will be implemented,
but those parishes will also participate in the
forthcoming pastoral planning project because it
concerns the future direction of all parishes in
the Diocese.
Detailed information about Called to
Holiness and Mission: Pastoral Planning in the
Diocese of Scranton will be provided in
The Catholic Light, on CTV: Catholic
Television, on the diocesan website at
www.dioceseofscranton.org, and through public
announcements as the process unfolds. |
Catholic Social Services in Scranton Moving to
New Location |
The Lackawanna County office of
Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of
Scranton is moving to a new location in
Scranton.
The office is relocating from the Guild
building at 400 Wyoming Avenue to the former St.
John the Evangelist Church rectory at 516 Fig
Street in South Scranton.
The office closed as of today, Dec. 6, to
accommodate the move and it will re-open on
Tuesday, Dec. 11. Clients have been informed.
Anyone requiring immediate service in the
interim period should call the Free Information
Referral System (FIRST) at 961-1234.
The Lackawanna County office had been in
the Guild building since 1985. The new location
provides more space for an increasing number of
clients, according to Monsignor Joseph P. Kelly,
Diocesan Secretary for Human Services and
Executive Director of Catholic Social Services.
“We simply need a more functional and
suitable location to provide services,” he said.
“The new space will offer a more effective,
comfortable and welcoming atmosphere for all
those we serve.”
The building in South Scranton has three
floors, and it will contain three conference
room areas, and larger individual offices. The
property also has off-street parking.
“Confidential interaction is important with
many of the cases we handle. Our new space
allows us to configure the offices accordingly,”
said Stephen R. Nocilla, executive director of
the Lackawanna County office.
Catholic Social Services also operates
several programs that are based at 600 Wyoming
Avenue, and they will remain there. Other
diocesan offices currently located in the Guild
building include CTV: Catholic Television and
some departments of the Office for Parish Life
and Evangelization. |
Collection for Retired Religious and Priests |
The annual collection for the
Retirement Fund for Religious will be taken up
at Masses this weekend, Dec. 8-9.
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.
Bishop Joseph F. Martino said our Diocese
has been extremely well served by its priests
and by women and men religious.
“They continue to serve us through their
example of committed faith, hope, and charity
which they offer to all whom they meet,” he said
as he urged everyone to support this campaign.
Last year, the Diocese of Scranton
collected $256,975 during this appeal, according
to Monsignor William J. Feldcamp, Episcopal
Vicar for Consecrated Life and coordinator of
the local campaign.
He noted that the people in our Diocese
have always been very generous in helping our
retired religious and priests face the
challenges of growing older, and he said: “Be
assured that those who benefit from these funds
pray daily for their benefactors.” |
Plan Ahead for March for Life |
The annual March for Life in Washington,
D.C., will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008.
The following is a schedule of events to be held
in conjunction with the march. Parishioners,
particularly the youth and young adults, are
encouraged to participate in these events.
Vigil Mass – Basilica of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception
The Vigil for Life Mass will take place on
Monday, Jan. 21, 2008 at 7 p.m. at the Basilica
of the National Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception, Washington, D.C. Please note that
this Mass begins one hour earlier this year.
Seating for this liturgy is always at capacity
so please make arrangements to arrive as early
as possible.
Rally for Life and Youth Mass
The Rally for Life and Youth Mass will be held
on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008 at the Verizon Center,
601 “F” Street NW, Washington, D.C. Doors open 7
a.m., Confessions begin 8 a.m., Rally for Life
starts 8:45 a.m., and the Youth Mass begins at
10 a.m. Be sure to get there early. Seating on a
first-come, first-served basis. Following the
Mass, 150,000 friends will join together on the
National Mall for the noon National Rally for
Life.
March for Life
Participants will walk to the U.S. Capitol and
visit legislators. Information regarding
transportation to the March for Life will be
available in December.
Contact the Office of Social Concerns/Pro-Life
for further information at 570-207-2213, ext.
1130. |
Mark Your Calendar |
Support Group for Separated, Divorced &
Widowed Persons, Dec. 21 – 7 to 9 p.m. at
St. Ann Basilica Parish Center, 1200 St. Ann
St., Scranton. Sponsored by the Diocesan Office
for Parish Life, this “Beginning Experience”
monthly session held every third Friday offers
support to cope with sorrow, doubt, anxiety and
loneliness after losing a spouse. For more
information/registration, call 342-5166.
Northeastern Pennsylvania Catholic Deaf
Association Interpreted Mass, Jan. 13 – at
St. Joseph’s Oblate Seminary, 1880 Highway 315,
Laflin. Religious information and Sacrament of
Reconciliation begin at 2 p.m., followed by Mass
signed and interpreted, celebrated at 3 p.m.
Refreshments follow. For more information,
contact Sister Mary Beth Makuch, SSCM, at
207-2213 ext. 1013 – voice/tdd.
Ministry of Consolation Training, March 1-2
– at Fatima Renewal Center, Dalton. Sponsored by
the Diocesan Office for Parish Life, training
program of the National Catholic Ministry to the
Bereaved includes Order of Christian Funerals,
grief process, listening skills, grief support
groups, and development of parish programs.
Begins Saturday at 8:30 a.m. and concludes
Sunday at 4 p.m. Registration fee one-night
lodging, five weekend meals, manual and
additional materials: $225/person; $440/couple;
or $205/commuter. Registration deadline: Feb.
13. Early registration fee reduction available.
For more information and to register, call
207-2213 or e-mail Parish Life Office at:
mary-ann-paulukonis@dioceseofscranton.org.
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