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:
|
| Pope
Benedict XVI Issues First Encyclical |
| Diocese
Complies With Charter To Protect Children |
| World
Day for Consecrated Life |
| Pilgrimage
To Immaculate Conception Shrine |
| Campaign
Seeks To Support Immigrants |
| Office
of Vicar General and Diocesan Secretary for
Priests |
| Priests’
Convocation Set For May 15-19 |
| Church
Organ For Sale |
Pope Benedict XVI Issues First Encyclical |
“God Is
Love” is the theme of Pope Benedict XVI's
first encyclical, which was issued at the
Vatican on Jan. 25.
Participants in
the press conference included Cardinal Renato
Raffaele Martino, president of the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace, and Archbishop
William Joseph Levada, prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Considering the
relationship between justice and charity, the
Pope points out that "the Church is
duty-bound to offer, through the purification of
reason and through ethical formation, her own
specific contribution towards understanding the
requirements of justice and achieving them
politically."
The Holy Father,
Cardinal Martino went on, "affirms that, in
building a just social order, the duty of the
Church with her social doctrine is that of
reawakening spiritual and moral forces." In
this context, he continued, "lay people, as
citizens of the State, are called to participate
directly in public life." Their mission
"is to mould social life appropriately,
respecting its legitimate autonomy and
cooperating with other citizens, according to
their respective areas of jurisdiction, each
under their own responsibility."
For his part,
Archbishop Levada affirmed that the encyclical,
is "a powerful text on the 'nucleus of
Christian faith,' understood as the Christian
image of God and the image of man that derives
from it. A powerful text that seeks to counter
the erroneous use of the name of God, and the
ambiguity concerning the word 'love' that is so
evident in the world today."
The prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith then
went on to point out how "in the
indissoluble marriage between man and woman this
human love takes a form that is rooted in
creation itself."
"Love for
others, rooted in the love of God, is the duty,
not only of each individual faithful, but also
– and here we come to the second part of the
encyclical – of the entire community of
believers, in other words the Church. From the
historical development of the ecclesial aspect
of love, which dates back to the very origins of
the Church, we may draw two conclusions: firstly
that the service of charity is part of the
essence of the Church, secondly that no one must
lack what they need, either within or outside
the Church."
In summing up the
encyclical, Archbishop Levada pointed out how it
"offers us a vision of love for others, and
of the ecclesial duty to practice charity, as
being a way to implement the commandment of
love, one that finds its roots in the essence of
God Himself, Who is Love."
The full text of
the encyclical can be found on the Diocesan
website at www.dioceseofscranton.org. |
Diocese Complies With Charter To Protect
Children |
The Diocese of
Scranton has again been found to be in
compliance with the Charter for the
Protection of Children and Young People,
enacted in 2002 by the United States bishops to
address the issue of sexual abuse of minors by
clergy.
The compliance was
confirmed following a visit to the Diocese by
representatives of The Gavin Group, Inc., which
has been commissioned by the National Review
Board to conduct yearly audits of all dioceses
to ensure they are adhering to the provisions of
the charter. The U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops formed the National Review Board to
oversee the implementation of the charter.
Each of the annual
audits has confirmed the Diocese of Scranton’s
compliance with the charter.
Scranton
established a policy to deal with sexual abuse
of minors by clergy in 1993, well before the
issue received widespread public attention.
After the national charter was promulgated in
2002, the Diocese refined its policy
accordingly.
The Diocese hired
a Victim Assistance Coordinator to provide
outreach and confidential services to victims,
and revised the membership of its Review Board
that assesses allegations and advises the
Bishop.
The Diocesan
policy requires reporting of all allegations of
sexual abuse of a minor to civil authorities, no
matter the current age of the victim; and the
Diocese has a clear policy that addresses the
process of dealing with complaints, including a
prompt preliminary investigation and placing the
accused priest on administrative leave. The
Diocese requires that, when sexual abuse is
admitted or established, the offending priest is
permanently removed from ministry.
The Diocese also
established a Code of Pastoral Conduct to
ensure that proper behavior is fostered whenever
children and all members of the faithful gather
for spiritual, educational or social activities
conducted under the auspices of the Church. It
also provides guidelines for the conduct of
pastoral counselors and spiritual directors.
The national
charter also mandates that all employees and
volunteers receive training on how to create
safe environments for children and young people.
The Diocese has been using the VIRTUS sexual
abuse awareness and prevention program,
“Protecting God’s Children,” to fulfill
this requirement.
The program was
introduced in the spring of 2003. To date, 360
training sessions have been held and
approximately 13,000 individuals – including
the Diocesan clergy, staff, teachers, coaches,
parents and volunteers – across the 11-county
Diocese have been trained in ways to recognize
and report child sexual abuse.
The Diocese is
also implementing a safe environment program for
students in grades K-10 to teach them how to
recognize and avoid situations that could lead
to sexual abuse. It also encourages
communication between children and their parents
so that dangerous situations and incidents are
reported promptly.
Another provision
of the national charter is that all employees in
parishes and schools, as well as volunteers who
spend 20 or more hours per year with children,
must obtain a Pennsylvania Criminal Background
Check (Act 34) and a Pennsylvania Child Abuse
History Clearance (Act 151). Every parish in the
Diocese is to maintain a binder listing all
employees and volunteers, along with their
clearances, background checks and verification
of their participation in the VIRTUS safe
environment program. Parishes and schools are
completing the process to satisfy this
requirement.
“Protecting God’s Children”
Upcoming VIRTUS Sessions in the Diocese of
Scranton
Feb. 11 - Resurrection Parish, Muncy, 10 a.m.
Feb. 16 - King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, 6 p.m.
Feb. 16 - Our Lady of Snows, Clarks Summit, 6
p.m.
Feb. 17 - King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, 9 a.m.
Feb. 18 - Marywood University, Dunmore, 10 a.m.
For more information about VIRTUS training,
contact Sarah Mountain, Diocesan VIRTUS
coordinator, in the Office for Parish Life at
570-207-2213.
Notice Regarding Sexual Abuse of a Person
Under Eighteen Years of Age by Ordained or Lay
Personnel of the Diocese of Scranton
Such an act should
be reported to the Diocese by calling the Victim
Assistance Coordinator (570-344-5216) or the
Chancellor (570-207-2216) or the Vicar for
Priests (570-207-2269).
Upon receiving a
report of this kind, the Diocese of Scranton is
committed to assisting victims or survivors of
sexual abuse in their pursuit of emotional and
spiritual well-being. |
World Day for Consecrated Life |
The annual World
Day for Consecrated Life will be celebrated in
the Diocese of Scranton this Sunday, Feb. 5,
with a 10 a.m. Pontifical Mass in St. Peter's
Cathedral.
Bishop Joseph F.
Martino will serve as the principal celebrant
and homilist. The theme for the celebration is:
“Proclaim the Good News!” Music ministry for
the liturgy will be provided by the Cathedral
choir.
All women and men
religious and members of various forms of
consecrated life have been invited to this
special event, at which professed religious
sisters and priests who are celebrating jubilees
will be honored. A reception will be held in
Bishop Hannan High School following the Mass.
The annual
celebration, designated by the Vatican and
celebrated in Rome each year on the Feast of the
Presentation of the Lord (Feb. 2), is an effort
to highlight the role of consecrated life in the
Catholic Church.
The Diocese of
Scranton, as well as other dioceses throughout
the world, views the occasion as an opportunity
to educate Catholics about the consecrated life,
and to note the many contributions to the Church
by men and women religious and members of
secular institutes.
“The women and
men who are living out their vocations in the
consecrated life are extremely important to the
Church and this Diocese,” said Msgr. William
J. Feldcamp, V.E., Episcopal Vicar for
Consecrated Life. “They deserve our
recognition, gratitude and prayers for their
continued faithful service.” |
Pilgrimage To Immaculate Conception Shrine |
| The bi-annual
Diocesan pilgrimage to the Basilica of the
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in
Washington, D.C., is scheduled for Saturday,
April 29. The day will include Mass with Bishop
Joseph F. Martino. For details please contact
your pastor or parish pilgrimage director, or
call the Office for Parish Life at 570-207-2213,
ext. 1017. |
Campaign Seeks To Support Immigrants |
The Diocese of
Scranton is experiencing an influx of immigrants
not seen since the late 19th and early 20th
century. Latino people, who comprise the
majority of the immigrant population, are
arriving in our Diocese in ever increasing
numbers.
This year, funds
from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development
(CCHD) will be used to support: training of
immigration law counselors who assist eligible,
low-income immigrants with the naturalization
process; family reunification; and educational
efforts regarding voting rights, employment,
ownership of property, and self-sufficiency.
For more
information on the local campaign, contact David
Clarke in the Office for Parish Life at
570-207-2213.
Established by the
Catholic Bishops of the United States in 1970,
CCHD provides funds for anti-poverty programs
which enable poor and low-income people to
attain a more sufficient standard of life. The
mission of CCHD is to take on the causes of
poverty by empowering people and is rooted in
the basic principles of Catholic social
teaching. |
Office of Vicar General and Diocesan Secretary
for Priests |
Since we now
have e-mail addresses for most priests, we are
using the e-mail system to send Death Notices.
The notice will come from either Jane Ludka’s
computer or Donna Davis’s in the Communication
Office. If you see messages from either of these
secretaries please open them, as they are from
the Diocese.
Any priest wishing
to update his emergency information form should
call Jane at 207-2269 for a copy of what is
currently in the file. All priests should have a
form on file with their wishes in case of an
emergency. We need to know who to contact and
how to reach them. You should have an updated
copy of your will on file also. These forms also
include your wishes in case of death. If you
have not addressed these matters, please do so
as soon as possible in this New Year. |
Priests’ Convocation Set For May 15-19 |
| The Office of
Continuing Education for Priests has announced
that the Convocation of Priests will be held May
15–19, 2006. Priests will receive a mailing
and registration form for this event shortly. |
Church Organ For Sale |
| A 1928 Moeller
pipe organ from the closed St. Stanislaus Church
in North Scranton is available for sale. The
organ is in very good condition and must be sold
before the church building is acquired by a
buyer. For more information, contact Father
Cyril Edwards at Holy Rosary Parish,
570-342-4881.
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