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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Bishop To Announce Final Decisions on Parish
Restructurings |
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World Marriage Day Is February 8 |
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Pastoral Formation Institute Offers Religion
Courses |
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Get the Word Out About Adult Faith Formation |
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Offerings for Spiritual Renewal and Personal
Enrichment |
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Mark Your Calendar |
Bishop To Announce Final Decisions on Parish
Restructurings |
Bishop Joseph F. Martino is ready to
announce his final decisions on parish
restructurings that will be implemented
beginning in July.
The announcements will be made via a
recorded message from the Bishop that will be
played at all Masses this weekend, January
31-February 1. The message will include
introductory remarks followed by the
restructuring plan for the cluster to which that
particular church belongs.
The plan for all 50 clusters will be posted
on the Diocesan website at
www.dioceseofscranton.org at 7 p.m. on Sunday.
The plan will also be published in the Feb. 5
edition of The Catholic Light.
The announcement is the next step of
Called to Holiness and Mission: Pastoral
Planning in the Diocese of Scranton, the
project designed to foster the spiritual and
pastoral renewal of the Diocese, starting with
the Diocese’s most basic unit, the parish. It
also intends to respond to demographic changes,
diminishing financial resources, and the need to
assign priests in a more effective way to serve
the faithful.
When the process began in January 2008,
Bishop Martino directed that it involve broad
consultation beginning at the parish level.
Pastors were asked to form Parish Core Teams to
perform self-assessments of their parishes. It
was the responsibility of the pastors and the
Parish Core Teams to ensure that the necessary
work was done in each parish and that
communication and consultation involved the
already established Parish Pastoral Council and
Parish Finance Council, and all members of the
parish.
The conversation then widened to include
Cluster Core Teams, comprised of the Parish Core
Teams in a given geographic area, the Pastoral
and Finance Councils for each parish in those
areas, facilitators who were available to help
parishes with the process, parish staff and all
parishioners.
In addition, information on the pastoral
planning project appeared on a regular basis in
The Catholic Light, on CTV: Catholic
Television, on the diocesan website at
www.dioceseofscranton.org, and through inserts
that were sent to all pastors for inclusion in
their church bulletins.
After months of evaluation and discussion
in the parishes and the clusters, suggestions
were made to the Diocesan Planning Commission,
an advisory group comprised of priests, deacons,
religious and laypersons from the various
regions of the Diocese.
The Planning Commission came together for a
two-day retreat and made preliminary
recommendations that were sent back to the
clusters for more discussion and a response. The
Planning Commission gathered again to study and
reflect on those responses before making its
final recommendations to Bishop Martino in
October.
The Bishop then entered into a period of
study, reflection and prayer and he reviewed the
recommendations with his Episcopal Council.
Afterward, in meetings over the course of two
days, Jan. 19-20, he consulted with the Council
of Priests regarding all recommendations he
received from the Diocesan Planning Commission.
This was in accordance with canon 515 §2 of the
Code of Canon Law.
Resources and directives will be provided
to parishes as they prepare for the
implementation of the restructuring.
Bishop Martino has continuously asked that
all faithful in the Diocese pray for the success
of Called to Holiness and Mission. |
World Marriage Day Is February 8 |
World Marriage Day, sponsored by the
Worldwide Marriage Encounter, will take place
this year on Sunday, Feb. 8. This is an
opportunity for all of us to give thanks to God
for the Sacrament of Matrimony and to offer
prayers for those who have undertaken this
vocation. We should especially pray for spouses
as they work to raise families devoted to Christ
and His Church.
Regarding this aspect of married life, the
Catechism of the Catholic Church says,
“In our own time, in a world often alien and
even hostile to faith, believing families are of
primary importance as centers of living, radiant
faith. For this reason the Second Vatican
Council, using an ancient expression, calls the
family the Ecclesia domestica [Domestic
Church]. It is in the bosom of the family that
parents are ‘by word and example . . . the first
heralds of the faith with regard to their
children. They should encourage them in the
vocation which is proper to each child,
fostering with special care any religious
vocation.’”
Remembering that Jesus Himself willed to be
raised in a human family, let us all take a
moment on Feb. 8 to pray for healthy families
and marriages in our Church and world. |
Pastoral Formation Institute Offers Religion
Courses |
The Pastoral Formation Institute is taking
enrollment for its upcoming Level III courses.
These courses are for Catholic school teachers,
catechists, coordinators, or for those seeking
personal enrichment. The schedule is:
201 Fundamental Teachings of the Church
Sacred Heart Church, Peckville
February 17 – April 21 (Tuesdays) 6:00¬-9:00
p.m.
Mr. Brendan Murphy
201 Fundamental Teachings of the Church
Wyoming Area Catholic School, Exeter
February 23 – April 27 (Mondays) 3:30-6:30 p.m.
Rev. Gregory T. Finn, OSJ
301 Sacraments in General
Diocesan Center, Scranton
February 26 – April 30 (Thursdays) 3:15- 6:15
p.m.
Msgr. Dale R. Rupert
301 Sacraments in General
Holy Redeemer High School, Wilkes-Barre
February 17 – April 21 (Tuesdays) 3:15-6:15 p.m.
Rev. Brian J. T. Clarke
301 Sacraments in General
St. John Neumann High School, Williamsport
February 24 – April 28 (Tuesdays) 3:00-6:00 p.m.
Mr. Paul Ward
301 Sacraments in General
Epiphany School, Sayre
February 25 – April 29 (Wednesdays) 3:30-6:30
p.m.
Mr. Paul Ward
501 The Catholic Church through the Centuries
Notre Dame High School, E. Stroudsburg.
February 24 – April 28 (Tuesdays) 3:00-6:00 p.m.
Mrs. Helen Findlay
To register, call 570-207-2213, Ext. 1107 or
e-mail
sister-leonita-duhoski@dioceseofscranton.org
The fee to take a course for credit is $150. To
audit a course, the fee is $65.
Catholic Distance University and St. Charles
Borromeo Seminary will offer online courses that
will be accepted by the Pastoral Formation
Institute. Please check their websites and call
the PFI Office for confirmation.
Catholic Distance University: www.cdu.edu
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary:
www.scs.edu/religious-studies |
Get the Word Out About Adult Faith Formation |
If your parish has an active Bible
study, men’s and/or women’s faith sharing group,
or any other form of ongoing adult faith
formation, consider getting the word out to the
Diocesan community at large. The Adult Faith
Formation page on the Diocesan website is
looking to publicize adult faith formation
opportunities across the Diocese.
If you would like to publicize your events,
please e-mail a brief description of the faith
formation opportunity – including dates, times,
and meeting place – to Brendan Murphy, director
of family life, marriage preparation, and adult
faith formation, at
Brendan-Murphy@dioceseofscranton.org. |
Offerings for Spiritual Renewal and Personal
Enrichment |
The Diocesan Office for Parish
Life/Pastoral Formation Institute in the Diocese
of Scranton announces the following scheduled
offerings for spiritual renewal and personal
enrichment:
Weekend Retreat on St. Paul
A weekend spiritual retreat, titled “St.
Paul and Our Call to Conversion,” will be
presented by Father Richard J. Loch, V.E.,
Episcopal Vicar for Priests, Feb. 20-22 at
Fatima Renewal Center in Dalton. The weekend
begins with dinner on Friday at 6 p.m. and
concludes with lunch on Sunday.
In celebration of the “Year of St. Paul,”
this weekend retreat will lead participants into
personal conversion through reflection on the
life and writings of St. Paul.
The retreat will include the celebration of
Mass and the opportunity for the Sacrament of
Reconciliation.
Cost is $115 per person, or $95 per person
for couples. For more information and
registration, call Fatima Center at 563-1131.
Ash Wednesday Day of Reflection
“Lent: Responding to God through
Reconciliation” is the theme for an Ash
Wednesday Day of Reflection to be presented on
Feb. 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Fatima
Renewal Center, Dalton, by Father Richard J.
Loch, V.E., Episcopal Vicar for Priests.
The reflection day will focus on the Lenten
season as an opportunity to be attentive to St.
Paul’s invitation “to be reconciled to God.”
During the day, participants will be invited to
draw nearer to God and to respond to His grace
in repentance and reconciliation.
The program includes celebration of Mass,
with distribution of ashes, and the opportunity
for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Cost is $30 per person and includes lunch.
To register, call Fatima Center at 563-1131.
Continuing Education Course
The Diocese will offer a continuing
education course, “How to Build Parish Social
Concerns and Pro-Life Committees,” on five
consecutive Tuesdays, Feb. 17, 24; March 3, 10 &
17, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Diocesan Center,
Scranton. Course instructor will be David
Clarke, Diocesan Director of Social
Concerns/Pro-Life.
Throughout the course of the five weekly
sessions, participants will learn how to build
parish Social Concerns and Pro-Life committees
by utilizing practical, effective strategies for
parishioners to carry out the social mission of
the Catholic Church. Participants will learn the
necessary skills for managing and coordinating
committees in order to keep them up and running.
Cost is $45 per person. For more
information and registration, call the Parish
Life Office at 207-2213 ext. 1107.
Extraordinary Minister Training
A training course for Extraordinary
Ministers of Holy Communion will be offered on
Tuesdays, March 10, 24 & 31, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
at the Diocesan Center, Scranton. Course
instructor will be Deacon Gerard L. Carpenter.
The Extraordinary Minister of Holy
Communion serves God’s people, sharing the Body
and Blood of Christ with worshipers in the
assembly, those confined to their homes and
those in health care facilities.
Participants enrolling in the seven-hour
training course are required to attend all three
sessions. A certificate will be given to each
participant upon completing the training.
Cost is $30 per person. To register, call
the Parish Life Office at 207-2213 ext. 1107. |
Mark Your Calendar |
Northeastern Pennsylvania Catholic Deaf
Association Interpreted Mass, Feb. 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, Feb. 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 Fatima
Center at 563-1131.
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