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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Briefing |
This Issue:
|
| Welcoming
Christ In The Migrant |
| Charter
Compliance 2007 |
| Week
of Prayer for Christian Unity Begins January 18 |
| Diocese
Expanding Pre Cana Format |
| CTV
Program on Diocesan Finances |
Welcoming Christ In The Migrant |
As the political
debate over immigration reform and border
security heightens around the country, the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will
highlight the need for solidarity with migrants,
immigrants, refugees, human trafficking victims
and other displaced individuals during National
Migration Week, Jan. 7-13.
The theme for this
year’s migration week, which marks the 26th
year of the annual observance, is “Welcoming
Christ in the Migrant.”
“Our nation’s
legitimate security concerns have been distorted
by some who would foment anxiety, fear, and a
distrust of migrants,” said Bishop Gerald R.
Barnes, chairman of the USCCB Migration
Committee. “The present immigration reform
debate has lost much of its reason and is often
being fueled by raw emotions. The Scriptures and
Catholic Social Teaching call upon all of us to
examine the issues and respond to the strangers
among us as we would to Jesus Himself. The Holy
Family found safety and new lives in Egypt
during their time of great need. Many migrants
today follow similar paths as they embark on
their journey of hope.”
A wide variety of
resources for parishes, schools, and service
providers are available on the USCCB/MRS
National Migration Week web site at
www.usccb.org/mrs/nmw.shtml. Bishop Barnes also
encouraged citizens to participate in the
bishops’ immigration reform initiative, Justice
for Immigrants: A Journey of Hope.
Information about this campaign can be found at
www.justiceforimmigrants.org.
Five principles
for migration from Catholic Social Teaching are
foundational to the message of National
Migration Week: 1) Persons have the right to
find opportunities in their homeland. 2) Persons
have the right to migrate to support themselves
and their families. 3) Sovereign nations have
the right to control their borders. 4) Refugees
and asylum seekers should be afforded
protection. 5) The human dignity and human
rights of undocumented migrants should be
respected.
“When we reach
out to aid and comfort the newcomers to our land
we are indeed offering ourselves and our gifts
in service to the Lord,” Bishop Barnes added.
“This is not only our Christian duty but a
privilege, knowing that we too have been adopted
into God’s family.” |
Charter Compliance 2007 |
Gail Fromm,
Diocesan compliance officer, reminds all
parishes, schools and institutions about their
responsibilities regarding 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. Representatives from the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops will be
scheduling the Diocese’s annual compliance
audit for sometime after Jan. 23.
Mrs. Fromm asks
pastors and others to review their VIRTUS
Compliance Binder and make sure that it is
current. The contents should include a
Pennsylvania Criminal Background Check (Act 34)
and a Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance
(Act 151) for all employees in parishes and
schools, as well as volunteers who spend 20 or
more hours per year with children. The
Pennsylvania clearances are good for three
years, so some individuals may need to be
updated. Copies of applications with attached
money orders from 2005 need to be replaced with
a copy of the clearance.
For detailed
instructions and to download forms, please go to
www.dioceseofscranton.org, click on Departments
and Resources, then click on Compliance Officer.
Mrs. Fromm is
making appointments to visit all the parishes to
assist with this process and to answer
questions. She can also be contacted at
877-5965. |
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Begins
January 18 |
The search for
deeper unity and the need for a united Christian
response to human suffering will be important
themes during the annual Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity, which will be observed locally
during the third week of January, according to
Father Philip A. Altavilla, Diocesan director of
Ecumenism and Interfaith Affairs. This year’s
theme is “Open our ears and loosen our
tongues.” (Mark 7:31-37)
The observance
begins Thursday, Jan. 18, when Bishop Joseph F.
Martino will host a luncheon in the St. Peter
Cathedral Rectory for local Orthodox, Eastern
Catholic and Latin Rite Catholic clergy.
On Thursday, Jan.
25, representatives from the various Christian
faith traditions will gather for an Ecumenical
Celebration of God’s Word at 10:30 a.m. in the
Cathedral. The public is invited to participate.
The regularly scheduled 12:10 Mass will follow.
CTV: Catholic Television will air live
broadcasts of both the prayer service and Mass.
The homilist for
the prayer service will be the Right Rev.
Anthony A. Mikovsky, Ph.D., newly consecrated
bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church.
Bishop Mikovsky was also recently appointed
Ordinary of the Central Diocese of the Polish
National Catholic Church and serves as pastor of
St. Stanislaus Polish National Catholic
Cathedral, Scranton.
The local
observance will conclude on Thursday, Feb. 15,
with a luncheon in the Cathedral Rectory with
Polish National Catholic and Roman Catholic
hierarchy and clergy. (The February date was
chosen because of scheduling issues.) |
Diocese Expanding Pre Cana Format |
The Diocese of
Scranton is expanding its Pre Cana format to
prepare couples for the Sacrament of Marriage.
Bishop Joseph F.
Martino has approved the expanded offerings to
ensure that couples are ready to enter a
faithful and permanent union, to become an
intimate partnership that reflects the love of
God to their children and to the world.
The new Pre Cana
format was developed by the Family Life Office,
a component of the Office for Parish Life. It is
based on God’s Plan For A Joy-Filled Marriage,
a supplemental marriage preparation program
published by Ascension Press. It includes
instruction on the theology of the body and
sexuality according to Catholic moral
principles.
The expanded
format will combine lessons from the God’s
Plan program with key elements of the current
Pre Cana program. They include the FOCCUS
premarital assessment instrument, communication
skills work, information on Natural Family
Planning, and exercises that illustrate the
significance of the Rite of Marriage and the
spirituality of the home.
One of the Family
Life Office goals is to make the expanded format
easily accessible to all engaged couples in the
Diocese by training a team for each of the 12
Deaneries. In 2007 there will be at least 12
Diocesan Pre Cana Conferences using the expanded
format. The remaining conferences will use the
condensed version until there enough people
trained to offer the full day. While the new
format is longer (8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.) and
includes lunch, the same fee ($75) is charged
for either program.
In addition, the
Family Life Office has been working with Engaged
Encounter volunteers to expand the team that can
offer more Encounter weekends. These intense
weekends of marriage preparation are designed to
help couples deepen their relationship with each
other and God. They are held at Fatima Renewal
Center in Dalton, a quiet rural setting that
allows participants to concentrate without the
distractions of day-to-day concerns.
A schedule of
Engaged Encounter weekends and Pre Cana
conferences is on the Diocesan web site:
www.dioceseofscranton.org. Couples can register
online provided they mail the fee to the Office
for Parish Life. The schedule and a registration
form are also printed in the Marriage
Preparation Calendar brochure sent this month to
parish priests and deacons.
Couples
contemplating marriage are urged to contact
their parish priest as soon as possible. They
should complete a Pre Cana conference or Engaged
Encounter weekend at least six to nine months
before their anticipated wedding.
Following the
program they will need time for FOCCUS follow-up
in the parish and for Natural Family Planning
instruction.
Further
information about marriage preparation is
available at www.dioceseofscranton.org. Phone
inquiries may be made to the Office for Parish
Life, 570-207-2213. |
CTV Program on Diocesan Finances |
CTV: Catholic
Television has produced a special edition of
“Our Faith, Our Diocese” on the finances of
the Diocese. Show host Dan Gallagher will speak
with James M. Quinn, Diocesan Secretary for
Financial Services/Chief Financial Officer, and
Monsignor Joseph C. Bambera, V.E., Episcopal
Vicar for the Central Pastoral Region. Monsignor
Bambera holds both a licentiate and a master’s
degree in canon law.
This special
program will air on the following dates and
times: Jan. 9 at 9:00 p.m., Jan. 11 at 11:30
a.m., Jan. 12 at 2:00 p.m., Jan. 14 at 5:30
p.m., Jan. 16 at 4:00 p.m.
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