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:
|
| Pope
Affirms Respect For Muslims |
| Diocesan
Annual Appeal Begins |
| Registrations
Due for Catechists’ Convocation |
| Day
of Reflection October 7 at Fatima Renewal Center |
Pope Affirms Respect For Muslims |
As he announced
in last Sunday’s Angelus, Benedict XVI
dedicated his general audience yesterday to
commenting upon his recent apostolic trip to
Bavaria. The audience, held in St. Peter’s
Square, was attended by more than 40,000 people.
After recalling
his stay in Munich, where he used to be
archbishop, and his visit to the Marian shrine
of Altotting, the Holy Father went on to refer
to his meeting with students and professors of
the University of Regensburg.
“I chose the
theme,” he said, “of the relationship
between faith and reason. In order to introduce
my audience to the dramatic nature and current
importance of the subject, I quoted some words
from a Christian-Muslim dialogue from the 14th
century in which the Christian – the Byzantine
Emperor Manuel II Paleologus – presented to
his Muslim interlocutor, in a manner we find
incomprehensibly brusque, the problem of the
relationship between faith and violence.
“This quotation,
unfortunately, has lent itself to
misunderstandings. However, to an attentive
reader of my text it is clear that in no way did
I wish to make my own the negative words
pronounced by the medieval emperor, and that
their polemical content does not express my
personal convictions. My intentions were quite
otherwise: on the basis of what Manuel II
subsequently said in a positive sense ...
concerning the reason that must guide us in
transmitting the faith, I wished to explain that
not religion and violence, but religion and
reason, go together.
“The theme of my
talk was, then, the relationship between faith
and reason,” he added. “I wished to call for
a dialogue of the Christian faith with the
modern world and for dialogue between all
cultures and religions. I hope that at various
moments of my visit – when, for example, in
Munich I underlined how it important it is to
respect what is sacred for others – what
emerged was my deep respect for all the great
religions, and in particular for Muslims who
‘worship the one God,’ and with whom we are
committed to promoting ‘peace, liberty, social
justice and moral values for the benefit of all
humanity.’
“I trust,
therefore, that following the initial reactions,
my words at the University of Regensburg may
constitute an impulse and encouragement towards
positive, even self-critical, dialogue both
among religions and between modern reason and
Christian faith.” |
Diocesan Annual Appeal Begins |
The 2006
Diocesan Annual Appeal officially kicks off this
weekend with a challenging goal and new
initiatives to support. This year’s theme is
“Fulfilling God’s Plan…Doing Good for
Others.”
The 2006 campaign
will attempt to raise $5,250,000, which is
$850,000 more than last year’s goal. One
reason for the higher goal is increased demands
on the Diocesan budget. In addition, there are
new initiatives that will depend on the
Appeal’s ability to provide funding.
For example, extra
help for parishes is being offered in the form
of grants for Regional Religious Education
Directors, Catechists and Business Managers who
will serve a group of parishes to share
resources. In addition, the Appeal will make
scholarship grants available to parish
catechetical leaders, teachers and adult faith
formation instructors.
For parishes
experiencing financial difficulty, the Appeal
will provide a limited number of grants to help
parishes that have a plan in place to return to
financial stability.
Another new item
funded by the Appeal will help support the
operation of the Fatima Retreat Center.
More details on
how the Appeal will help a variety of other key
ministries will appear in the Sept. 28 issue of The
Catholic Light. |
Registrations Due for Catechists’ Convocation |
Registrations
are due by Sept. 28 for the Catechists’
Convocation being conducted by the Office for
Parish Life and Evangelization on Saturday, Oct.
14, in Wilkes-Barre.
“God is Love,”
the topic of Pope Benedict XVI’s first
encyclical, is the theme for this year’s
conference. The event will be held at Bishop
Hoban High School.
The day will begin
at 9 a.m. with Mass in St. Mary of the
Immaculate Conception Church. Bishop Joseph F.
Martino will be the principal celebrant and
homilist.
Following the
Mass, the participants will gather in Bishop
Hoban High School to hear Atty. Frances X. Hogan
deliver the keynote address: “God Is Love: An
Encyclical for Our Time.” Atty. Hogan, a
catechist in the Boston Archdiocese, is a member
of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’
Pro-Life Committee.
The convocation
will include afternoon workshops on areas such
as youth ministry, liturgical planning, adult
faith formation, special religious education,
morality and other topics. Lunch will also be
served.
Parishes are
invited to bring their Confirmation candidates
to a special session at 1 p.m. in the Bishop
Hoban High School Auditorium. This presentation
on “The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: The Heart of
Confirmation Catechesis,” will be given by
Scott M. Anthony, director for youth ministries
at St. Joseph Parish in York.
For information
and to register, contact the Office for Parish
Life at 207-2213 (ext. 1105) or visit
www.dioceseofscranton.org. |
Day of Reflection October 7 at Fatima Renewal
Center |
The Diocese of
Scranton’s Pastoral Formation Institute will
conduct a Day of Reflection at Fatima Renewal
Center, Dalton, on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 9:30
a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The topic, “Francis and
Clare: Saints for Our Times,” will be
presented by Sister Theresa May, C.N.
Her presentation
will focus on these two 12th century saints as
examples of prayer, simplicity and peace for men
and women of today who seek a sense of purpose
and mission in their own path to holiness.
Liturgy will be
celebrated and the Sacrament of Reconciliation
will be available. The fee is $25, which
includes lunch. To register, contact Fatima
Renewal Center at 570-563-8500.
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