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:
|
| Parishes
Preparing for Corpus Christi Feast |
| Marriage
Protection Amendment Moves To Senate |
| Sacred
Heart Enthronement Guild Mass June 22 |
| Americans
Oppose Destructive Embryo Research |
Parishes Preparing for Corpus Christi Feast |
On
Sunday, June 18, the Universal Church and
parishes in the Diocese of Scranton will
celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of
Christ. The feast is one occasion to emphasize
the recognition of Jesus Christ’s real
presence in the Eucharist.
Pope Benedict XVI
stressed this recognition in a homily during the
Italian Eucharistic Conference last year. The
Holy Father said:
“Christ is truly
present among us in the Eucharist. His presence
is not static. It is a dynamic presence that
grasps us, to make us His own, to make us
assimilate Him. Christ draws us to Him, He makes
us come out of ourselves to make us all one with
Him. In this way He also integrates us in the
communities of brothers and sisters, and
communion with the Lord is always also communion
with our brothers and sisters. And we see the
beauty of this communion that the Blessed
Eucharist gives us.”
Originating in the
13th century, Corpus Christi is traditionally
marked by an outdoor procession venerating the
Blessed Sacrament. The procession as an integral
part of the Corpus Christi celebration first
appeared in Cologne, Germany, in the 14th
century.
Today, parishes
and dioceses throughout the world celebrate the
feast of Corpus Christi. To date, parishes in
the Diocese of Scranton that have reported
special celebrations include:
* Parish Community of Immaculate Conception,
Scranton, and Christ the King, Dunmore, will
host a joint All-Night Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament following the Saturday 4:30 p.m. Mass
at Christ the King. Exposition will commence at
the end of Mass, and adoration will continue all
night. A procession from Christ the King to
Immaculate Conception will take place following
the 9 a.m. Mass on Sunday. Adoration will
continue in the Immaculate Conception chapel all
day. A Holy Hour with Benediction will begin at
2 p.m. Light refreshments will follow in the
church hall.
* Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish,
Dickson City, will conduct the traditional
Corpus Christi procession after the 11 a.m. Mass
on Sunday.
* Resurrection Church, Muncy, will celebrate
Mass with a Procession and Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament, 8:30 a.m.
* St. Stanislaus Church, Hazleton, will
celebrate Mass with a Procession and Exposition
of the Blessed Sacrament, 10:15 a.m.
(A list of special
Corpus Christi celebrations will be published in
the June 15 issue of The Catholic Light.) |
Marriage Protection Amendment Moves To Senate |
The
Pennsylvania House of Representatives on June 6
passed the Marriage Protection Amendment by a
vote of 136-61. This is the first step toward
getting the amendment enacted. It must pass two
consecutive sessions of the legislature (House
and Senate) before being put before the voters
in a referendum.
Now the bill moves
to the State Senate, where it might be
considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee as
early as this Tuesday, June 13. The Catholic
Bishops of Pennsylvania strongly support this
amendment because it would protect “the
divinely ordained institution of marriage, as
reflected in the natural order of creation” by
defining marriage as the exclusive union of one
man and one woman.
Catholics are
encouraged to voice their support as soon as
possible by contacting members of the Senate
Judiciary Committee. Members of the committee
whose districts encompass parts of the Diocese
of Scranton are:
Sen. Charles D. Lemmond (R)
22 Dallas Shopping Center
Memorial Highway
Dallas, PA 18612
570-675-3931
Sen. John R. Gordner (R)
603 W. Main St.
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
570-784-3464
Sen. Lisa M. Boscola (D)
559 Main St., Suite 270
Bethlehem, PA 18018
610-868-8667
In addition to
letters and phone calls, legislators can also be
e-mailed through the website of the Pennsylvania
Catholic Conference (www.pacatholic.org). |
Sacred Heart Enthronement Guild Mass June 22 |
The
Diocese of Scranton’s Enthronement Guild
Annual Mass in celebration of the Feast of the
Sacred Heart will be held on June 22 at 4 p.m.
in the IHM Center at Marywood University.
Bishop Joseph F.
Martino will be the principal celebrant.
Concelebrants include Father Daniel A. Toomey,
spiritual moderator of the Enthronement Guild;
Msgr. John A. Esseff, former moderator; and
Father David Reid, SS.CC., provincial of the
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and
Mary.
Father Reid will
be the featured speaker at the dinner following
Mass, which will also take place in the IHM
Center.
Father Reid’s talk will be a reflection on the
symbol of the pierced side of Christ in the
thought and spirituality of Pope Benedict XVI.
He will look at the central image of the
pope’s encyclical, Deus Caritas Est
(God Is Love), and relate that understanding of
love to the ministry of the Enthronement of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus in the home, where love as
gift and love as striving come together.
The Enthronement
of the Sacred Heart Apostolate enables
individuals or families to consecrate their
homes to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the
Immaculate Heart of Mary. Homes may then become
an extension of the liturgy whereby members of
enthroned households may follow up on their
Eucharistic devotion in Church with further
prayerful devotion at home.
For further
information on Enthronement or to make
reservations for the June 22 dinner, please call
Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Celesta Sinisi
at 346-5415. |
Americans Oppose Destructive Embryo Research |
On
Tuesday, Harvard University scientists said they
are trying to clone human embryos to create stem
cells in the hopes that they can one day be used
to cure disease. So the march toward procedures
that will destroy embryos rolls on – despite
the fact that there is no evidence that
embryonic stem cells will work. In addition,
Americans are not in favor of this morally
unacceptable approach.
A new poll shows
that 48% of Americans oppose federal funding of
stem cell research that requires destroying
human embryos, while only 39% support such
funding. The poll, conducted by International
Communications Research (ICR), surveyed over one
thousand adults by telephone May 19-23. It was
commissioned by the Secretariat for Pro-Life
Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops (USCCB).
Legislation to
fund such embryonic stem cell research (H.R.
810), approved by the U.S. House of
Representatives a year ago, may soon be
considered in the Senate.
When survey
respondents were informed that scientists
disagree on whether stem cells from embryos, or
from adult tissues and other alternative
sources, may end up being most successful in
treating diseases, 57% favored funding only the
research avenues that do not harm the donor;
only 24% favored funding all stem cell research,
including the type that involves destroying
embryos.
“Congress should
not be misled on this important issue,” said
Richard M. Doerflinger, Deputy Director of the
USCCB’s Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities.
“Most Americans do not support federally
funded research that requires destroying human
embryos. Our opponents also know this. No doubt
this is why their public statements – and many
of their own opinion polls – either ignore or
misrepresent what this research involves, while
irresponsibly hyping its potential for miracle
cures.”
The new poll also
shows overwhelming opposition to human cloning,
whether to provide children for infertile
couples (83% against) or to produce embryos that
would be destroyed in medical research (81%
against).
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