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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Confession Reveals the Infinite Love of God |
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World Youth Day on Palm Sunday |
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Parish Mission Statement Workshop |
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Divine Mercy Services in Diocese |
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Pilgrimage to Czestochowa Shrine |
Confession Reveals the Infinite Love of God |
Pope Benedict XVI recently considered
the importance of the Sacrament of Penance and
the need for priests to prepare themselves to
administer it with devotion and faithfulness to
God, for the sanctification of Christian people.
“We all,” said the Holy Father, “need to
draw from the inexhaustible spring of divine
love, which was made totally manifest to us in
the mystery of the Cross, in order to find true
peace with God, with ourselves and with our
fellow man. Only from this spiritual spring is
it possible to draw the interior energy
indispensable for defeating evil and sin in the
ceaseless struggle that marks our earthly
pilgrimage towards the heavenly homeland.”
The pope highlighted how in the modern
world "we see a humanity that wishes for self
sufficiency, where no small number of people
almost feel they can do without God to live
well; and yet, how many seem sadly condemned to
face ... empty lives, how much violence there
still is on the earth, how much solitude weighs
upon the soul of man in the era of
communication! In a word, it seems today that we
have lost a ‘sense of sin’ ... but have
increased our ‘complex of guilt’.
“May priests, ministers of the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, always feel that their task is
to make known the merciful love of God, both
through words and in their approach to
penitents. Like the father in the parable of the
prodigal son, welcome penitent sinners, help
them to arise from their sin and encourage them
to make amends, never compromising with evil but
resuming the journey towards evangelical
perfection.” |
World Youth Day on Palm Sunday |
Bishop Joseph F. Martino has invited
young people from all the regions of the Diocese
to celebrate the observance of World Youth Day
on Palm Sunday, April 1.
The observance will be held at Bishop Hoban
High School, Wilkes-Barre, and all young people
in the Diocese are welcome to attend.
The day will begin with awards ceremonies
at 1:30 p.m., in which students in grades 8 and
12 from Catholic schools and parishes throughout
the Diocese will be recognized for their
Christian service. Following the awards
ceremonies, at 3 p.m., young people from parish
youth groups, ecclesial movements and school
communities will celebrate the entrance into
Holy Week with an outdoor procession, Pontifical
Liturgy and Holy Hour, with Bishop Martino as
principal celebrant. |
Parish Mission Statement Workshop |
All priests, deacons and members of
Parish Pastoral Councils will attend an April
workshop on the development and evaluation of a
Parish Mission Statement.
Each parish is to adopt a concise statement
of purpose based on the mission given by Jesus
to the Church, guided by the story of how it was
lived in the early Church as described by the
Acts of the Apostles 2: 42-47. This passage
inspired our Diocesan Mission statement.
In the reading from Acts, we see how the
early Church put into practice the mission
entrusted to the Church: the proclamation of the
Gospel, turning away from sin, witnessing to the
Gospel by attempting to fulfill the hope of
Jesus “that all may be one,” and the practice of
Christian charity. Each parish is to study,
reflect, pray and focus its efforts to
evangelize people and culture.
Because the Parish Mission Statement is the
first phase of parish pastoral planning, it is
important that a deeper understanding of the
mission of the Church and parish be shared with
all parishioners.
All meetings will be at 7 p.m. on the
following dates and locations.
Monday, April 16 Ascension Church,
Williamsport
Monday, April 16 St. Joseph, (Minooka)
Scranton
Tuesday, April 17 St. Maria Goretti, Laflin
Wednesday, April 18 St. Maria Goretti,
Laflin
Wednesday, April 18 SS. Peter & Paul,
Towanda
Monday, April 23 St. John Bosco, Conyngham
Tuesday, April 24 St. Luke, Stroudsburg
Wednesday, April 25 St. John, Honesdale |
Divine Mercy Services in Diocese |
Several parishes throughout the Diocese
of Scranton will be hosting special services to
celebrate the Feast of the Divine Mercy of Jesus
on the Sunday after Easter, April 15.
The parish community of St. Anthony of
Padua and St. Rocco churches in Dunmore will
offer a Divine Mercy Sunday celebration from 1
to 3 p.m. in St. Anthony Church, 208 Smith St.
Dedicated to area military personnel and their
families, the service will begin at 1 p.m. with
prayers and confessions. Mass will be celebrated
at 2 p.m., followed by benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament and the Chaplet of the Divine
Mercy at 3 p.m. An anointing and blessing with
the relic of St. Faustina will close the
celebration. For more information, contact
Deacon Carmine Mendicino at 341-2252.
At the Basilica of the National Shrine of
St. Ann in Scranton, the Divine Mercy
celebration begins at 1:45 with confessions, at
which time Joseph Grady will give a history of
the Divine Mercy devotion. Confessions will be
heard until 3 p.m., when the Divine Mercy
Chaplet prayers will be recited. Mass will be
celebrated at 3:15, followed by a blessing with
the St. Faustina relic. Refreshments will be
available at 4:15 p.m. to close the celebration.
St. Joseph Church, 14 Martin St., Hudson,
will observe the Divine Mercy feast day,
beginning at 3 p.m. in the church. The
celebration includes Eucharistic liturgy, Holy
Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, blessing of the
Divine Mercy image of Jesus,
adoration/benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
and blessing with the relic of St. Faustina.
Priests will be available for confessions from
1:45 to 2:45 p.m.
Also in the Wilkes-Barre area, St. Therese
Church, 25 Old River Road, will host a Divine
Mercy Sunday observance beginning at 3 p.m., led
by Msgr. Francis Callahan, host pastor.
In the Poconos, the Lay Carmelites of Our
Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament will host
their Divine Mercy Sunday celebration at 5:30
p.m. at St. Matthew Church, 200 Brodhead St.,
East Stroudsburg. Service includes an hour of
Eucharistic Adoration, recitation of the Divine
Mercy Chaplet, and benediction of the Blessed
Sacrament.
In the Greater Pittston area, Very Rev.
Paul A. McDonnell, OSJ, provincial superior and
seminary rector, will serve as celebrant for the
Divine Mercy Sunday services to be held in the
chapel of the Oblates of St. Joseph Seminary,
located on Highway 315. Services begin with the
blessing of the Divine Mercy image, followed by
celebration of Mass at 2 p.m. Exposition of the
Most Blessed Sacrament will follow, with the
Divine Mercy Chaplet (sung), Marian devotions,
Holy Rosary, benediction, and blessing with the
relic of St. Faustina.
Annunciation Parish in Williamsport will
host a Divine Mercy celebration, beginning with
a welcome and opening prayer at 1 p.m.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will follow,
during which time there will opportunity for
private adoration/prayer and the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, available from 1:10 to 3:50 p.m.
The Rosary will be recited at 1:30 p.m.,
followed by Prayer for Healing and the Divine
Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m. and the Divine Mercy
Praises. A reflection will be offered at 3:30
p.m., concluding with benediction and closing
prayer at 3:50.
On Sunday, April 15, Catholic Television
(CTV) of the Diocese of Scranton will air an
EWTN Divine Mercy preview at noon and 8 p.m. The
program will precede the live broadcast of the
Solemn Mass and Celebration of Divine Mercy from
Stockbridge, Mass., at 1 p.m., and its encore
presentation at 9 p.m.
Any churches in the Diocese that wish to
have their Divine Mercy Sunday celebrations
added to the list of observances that will
appear in the April 5 edition of The Catholic
Light may send the information to the
Light office via e-mail: Kevin-McDonnell@dioceseofscranton.org;
or fax: (207-2271) by Monday, April 2. |
Pilgrimage to Czestochowa Shrine |
Bishop Joseph F. Martino invites the
people of the Diocese to join him for the
bi-annual pilgrimage to the National Shrine of
Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown on
Saturday, May 19.
The schedule for the day includes a brief
presentation about the Shrine, praying the
Rosary, confessions and Mass. The cost per
person for the pilgrimage is $45, and includes a
hot lunch.
The theme for this year’s pilgrimage is “A
Gift of a Day of Prayer.” This theme reflects
our response to God’s invitation as we offer our
prayers of thanksgiving and praise for the many
blessings that have been bestowed on our family
and friends, and especially on the Diocese of
Scranton.
For more information about the pilgrimage
and to make reservations, please contact the
Office for Parish Life and Evangelization at
570-207-2213, ext. 1130.
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