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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News Briefing |
This Issue:
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Bishop Cautions Groups on Choice of St.
Patrick’s Day Honorees |
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People Preparing To Receive Sacraments of
Initiation |
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Disabilities Awareness Sunday Set For March 8 |
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Alert Regarding Internet Fundraising Scheme |
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Mark Your Calendar |
Bishop Cautions Groups on Choice of St.
Patrick’s Day Honorees |
Bishop Martino has advised several
local groups that they should avoid honoring
pro-abortion individuals at St. Patrick’s Day
celebrations.
The Bishop is specifically concerned
because doing so in conjunction with the feast
day of a Catholic saint would be cause for
scandal in view of the Church’s clear teaching
that abortion is an intrinsic evil.
The Bishop’s position was communicated by
Auxiliary Bishop John M. Dougherty in a Feb. 6
letter to Michael H. Harrity, president of the
St. Patrick’s Parade Association of Lackawanna
County; John Keeler, president of the Friendly
Sons of St. Patrick of Lackawanna County; and
Linda Munley, president of the Society of Irish
Women based in Scranton.
The letter notes that St. Peter’s Cathedral
in Scranton plays no small role in the local
annual observance of St. Patrick’s Day, as it
has been the practice to offer holy Mass there
prior to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and on the
feast day itself.
Another feature of the local celebration of
the patron saint of Ireland is the honoring of
elected public officials, which happens when
they are given parade positions or dais
opportunities either to be recognized or to
speak to the assembled participants.
“While some of the officials have merited
the pride our local people take in them, others
have positions and voting records that have
contributed to the daily killing of the unborn
by abortion,” the letter says.
While Bishop Martino understands and
blesses the ethnic pride of all men and women in
the Diocese, he is also determined to prevent
scandal, the letter says. This scandal arises
when or if (the aforementioned groups) in any
way should honor pro-abortion officials and the
Catholic Church is seen to be involved in this
honoring.
The letter points out that Bishop Martino
has already publicly disclosed that, in accord
with the law of the Catholic Church, elected
officials who vote so as to further the killing
of the unborn are to be denied Holy Communion if
they present themselves for the sacrament in the
Diocese of Scranton.
“The Bishop wants you to know, however,
that if the prevention of scandal requires it,
he may take the further step of closing St.
Peter’s Cathedral or any Catholic Church in the
Diocese for Masses which are in any way
associated with the St. Patrick’s Day
celebration and which include the honoring of
pro-abortion elected officials,” the letter
states.
“It is certainly the Bishop’s hope that
judicious choices of elected public officials to
be honored by your organization will make
unnecessary any such action on his part. He
asks, however, that I communicate with you now
so as to avoid any surprise should he be
required to take action in this most serious
matter.” |
People Preparing To Receive Sacraments of
Initiation |
More than 160 men, women and children
from the 11 counties comprising the Diocese of
Scranton are preparing to receive the sacraments
of initiation at the Easter Vigil this year.
The Rite of Election and the Call to
Continuing Conversion, the ritual at which these
persons acknowledge their intention to receive
the sacraments at the coming Easter Vigil, will
take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 1, at St.
Peter’s Cathedral, Scranton. Bishop Joseph F.
Martino will preside.
In the early Church, the preparation for
receiving the sacraments of initiation (Baptism,
Confirmation and Holy Communion) was extensive.
This period of time including catechesis,
rituals and enlightenment of faith was restored
at the Second Vatican Council, and is called the
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.
Those who will be received into the Church
through Baptism at the Easter Vigil have been
participants in the RCIA for many months. They
have already undergone a period of
evangelization and the precatechumenate, a
period of inquiry regarding the Christian faith
and introduction to the Gospel, as well as the
period of the catechumenate, a period of
catechesis, listening to the Word of God and
prayers.
At the Rite of Election, the second
official step of the RCIA, the Church ratifies
the catechumens’ readiness for the sacraments of
initiation, and after inscribing their names in
the Book of the Elect, the catechumens, now
called “the elect,” manifest their desire to
receive these sacraments before the Bishop.
Before these elect will be able to undergo the
third step, the celebration of the sacraments of
initiation, they will undergo a period of
Purification and Enlightenment, during which,
aided by certain rituals, they will more
intensely reflect on the conversion from sin
necessary before receiving the sacraments at the
Easter Vigil.
During the Celebration of the Call to
Continuing Conversion, which will immediately
follow the Rite of Election, those already
baptized in the Christian faith through various
ecclesial communities and now seeking full
communion with the Church will present
themselves to the Bishop, and, after having
their readiness for the sacraments of
Confirmation and Holy Communion affirmed by
their sponsors, will be invited by the Bishop to
join with the Church during Lent in a spirit of
repentance and renewed fidelity to their
baptismal covenant, so that they will be
prepared for the joyous reception of the holy
sacraments.
During the Rite of Election and the Call to
Continuing Conversion, Bishop Martino will ask
those Godparents and sponsors assembled to
affirm that the catechumens and candidates have
been faithful to prayer, study and living the
tenets of the Catholic faith during the past
year. The ceremony will be witnessed by
families, sponsors, pastors and parishioners who
have been supporting the catechumens and
candidates throughout their period of
preparation.
The process will reach its culmination when
catechumens and candidates receive the
sacraments of initiation, but will continue,
especially for the newly baptized, through a
period during the Easter season when the newly
initiated continue catechetical instruction, and
are warmly encouraged by members of the
community to participate fully in the
sacramental life of the Church.
At the ceremony, 67 catechumens and 97
candidates, including 17 children, will present
themselves to the Bishop. Fifty-two parishes are
participating in the process. Thousands of
persons have entered the Church through the Rite
of Christian Initiation of Adults and Children
since the Rite began in the Diocese of Scranton
over 20 years ago.
All of the faithful are invited to attend
the Rite of Election. Catholic Television (CTV)
will also broadcast the ceremony live. |
Disabilities Awareness Sunday Set For March 8 |
“Developmental and Intellectual
Disabilities Awareness Sunday” will be observed
in the Diocese of Scranton on Sunday, March 8.
Bishop Joseph F. Martino will be the principal
celebrant of a special Mass at 10 a.m. in St.
Peter’s Cathedral.
This is a time for everyone to gather
prayerfully with our brothers and sisters who
have intellectual and developmental
disabilities, and to recognize the gifts they
have to offer to the Church and to the
community.
Our friends who have developmental
disabilities will actively participate in the
Mass as lectors, greeters, altar servers, and
gift and banner bearers.
Following the Mass, the ARC of Northeastern
Pennsylvania will host a continental breakfast
in the former Holy Cross High School building,
across the street from the Cathedral Prayer
Garden on Wyoming Avenue.
All are invited to attend the Mass and
breakfast. For more information, please contact:
Sister Mary Beth Makuch, SS.C.M. at (570)
207-2213 ext. 1013. |
Alert Regarding Internet Fundraising Scheme |
The Apostolic Nunciature has forwarded
an alert from the Holy See’s Secretariat of
State regarding an internet fundraising scheme
that is of particular importance because of a
purported relationship to the Holy See.
This concerns the internet website
delivermyprayer.org, which asks for a “donation”
of 3 euros and promises that one’s prayer
intention will be publicly announced in the
Basilica of St. Peter. The website is said to
claim that part of that amount goes to the Holy
See. This website also links to two other
related sites, delivermyprayer.com and
vaticanreading.com.
The Apostolic Nunciature states
unequivocally that none of these websites or
assertions have the approval of the Holy See. |
Mark Your Calendar |
Northeastern Pennsylvania Catholic Deaf
Association Interpreted Mass, March 8 –– at
St. Joseph’s Oblate Seminary, 1880 Highway 315,
Laflin. Bible study 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.
Support Group for Separated, Divorced &
Widowed Persons, March 20 –– 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 offers support to cope with
sorrow, doubt, anxiety and loneliness after
losing a spouse. For more
information/registration, call 489-7769.
Day of Reflection: “Our Call to Holiness and
Service with St. Paul,” Sunday, March 22 ––
1:30 to 5:30 p.m. at St. John Church, East
Stroudsburg. Guest presenter: Father John C.
Lambert. This Reflection Day will help
participants to recognize and appreciate how all
are called through conversion to lead
faith-filled lives following the example of St.
Paul. Program includes celebration of Mass and
the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Fee: $30,
includes light dinner. To register, call the
Diocesan Office for Parish Life at 207-2213 ext.
1107.
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