Global status of religious liberty ‘dire,’ House lawmakers warn

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – U.S. House lawmakers called the global status of religious liberty “dire” during a hearing July 18, citing concerns across the globe from China to Nicaragua.

At a hearing of the Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations titled, “The Dire State of Religious Freedom Around the World,” lawmakers identified several countries where religious freedom is “under serious assault,” subcommittee chairman Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said.

Father Liam McDonald, pastor of St. Therese of Lisieux Church in Montauk, N.Y., holds a monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament as he leads a Eucharistic procession in Montauk in observance of Religious Freedom Day Jan. 16, 2022. (OSV News photo/CNS file, Gregory A. Shemitz)

“Tragically, billions of people around the world – half of the world’s population – are not able to practice their faith freely,” Smith said at the hearing. “Many are persecuted by oppressive governments or extremist groups – brutally attacked, tortured, jailed, and even slaughtered for their beliefs.”

Some of the countries identified by lawmakers on the panel include China, where Smith said the “Chinese Communist Party is committing horrific crimes against believers, including genocide against Uyghur Muslims,” and Nigeria, where Smith said he has “seen firsthand the aftermath of Boko Haram’s destruction of churches and mosques.”

“While on paper Nigeria has robust protections for all religions, violations of religious freedom are escalating,” he said. “Extremist groups like Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa commit indiscriminate violence against those they consider to be infidels. In the Middle Belt, Fulani Muslim extremists target and kill predominantly Christian farmers in brutal raids.”

Smith also took aim at “the Ortega regime’s brutal persecution of the church in Nicaragua,” referencing the committee’s earlier examination of what it called Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s anti-Catholic persecution.

“I remain deeply concerned for Bishop Álvarez, who was recently released only to be rearrested for bravely refusing to leave his country,” Smith said in reference to Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who was sentenced in February to 26 years in prison the day after he refused to be deported to the U.S. with more than 200 other Nicaraguan political prisoners.

“The Ortega regime is attempting to silence the Catholic Church as the single most important independent institution remaining in Nicaragua, but it will not succeed,” Smith continued. “I am committed to doing everything possible to urge the release of all Nicaraguans imprisoned for their faith.”

“The challenge we face today is clear: to protect and expand freedom of conscience, the ability to freely believe or not to believe, in the face of the forces of authoritarianism and exclusion,” Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., said during remarks at the hearing. She noted these forces “have gained momentum in far too many corners of the world, including right here at home.”

“I am convinced that people of all faiths and backgrounds can find common ground in our most precious common resource, our democracy,” Wild said.

“When authoritarian forces attempt to use religion as a weapon to target specific groups of people, or to target our multiracial, multicultural democracy itself,” she said, “let us reject those forces with one voice across religious, political and social lines.”

When Smith told the witnesses that their testimony was important and he did not want to limit them to the five-minute opening statements that had each been allotted, Wild quipped the subcommittee’s hearings often run long because of “the courtesies of our chair,” prompting laughter in the room.

Witnesses included Rabbi Abraham Cooper, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; Eric Patterson, president of the Religious Freedom Institute; the Rev. Susan Hayward, associate director of the Religious Literacy and the Professions Initiative at Harvard Divinity School’s Religion and Public Life Program; and Rashad Hussain, U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

The witnesses described challenges to religious liberty across the globe, with Rabbi Cooper describing the U.S. international religious freedom commission’s recent annual report on “governments (that) engage in or tolerate, systematic, ongoing and egregious, violations of religious freedom.” He said Nigeria remains of concern to the group as “religious freedom conditions have remained abysmal with state and non-state actors committing particularly severe violations against both Christians and Muslims.”

Smith, who is Catholic, said religious liberty is “one of America’s founding ideals — a cornerstone of our democracy — and it is an internationally recognized human right.”

“It is the right to practice one’s religion according to the dictates of one’s own conscience,” he said. “This God-given right — like all fundamental human rights — flows from the innate dignity and value of every human being, and it deserves to be protected everywhere — without exception.”

Promoting religious freedom, he said, is a “pillar of U.S. foreign policy.”

“Assaults on religious freedom are a major threat to U.S. national security, and they are intensifying. The worst violators of religious freedom globally are often the biggest threats to our nation — and that is no coincidence,” he said. “Authoritarianism is on the rise, with oppressive governments cracking down on religious minorities that are seen as a challenge to power.”

Smith also expressed particular concern about “the rising tide of antisemitism worldwide,” calling it “cause for serious alarm.”

“With no sign of abating anywhere, Jewish women, men and children continue to suffer bias, cruelty, hate and violence simply because they are Jewish,” he said. “And that this pernicious manifestation of evil needs to be exposed and more effectively combatted. The purveyors of antisemitism never take a holiday — nor should we.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Treated to songs, gifts and a paper medallion designating him “hero,” Pope Francis visited children attending a summer camp at the Vatican.

About 250 children of Vatican employees welcomed the pope, who greeted the children and counselors, and posed for pictures July 18. He spoke to the kids, who ranged in age from 5 to 13, and answered their questions, according to a report by Vatican News.

Children of Vatican employees attending a summer camp give a drawing to Pope Francis as he visits them in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall July 18, 2023. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

“What message can we bring to our heroes, our parents?” a young boy named Edoardo asked. Pope Francis invited them to show gratitude and always tell their parents, “Thank you,” for all they do to raise them.

A child named Elena asked the pope who his superheroes are. “Grandparents,” he said, because they possess so much wisdom “and that is why it is important” to talk to them.

Raffaele asked the pope how they can be heroes “in the digital world.” The pope said they should focus on technology’s “usefulness” in such a way that the tools serve the person and not the other way around.

The pope received a color drawing of himself with dozens of the kids’ signatures, two handmade plastic bracelets and a large paper medallion held by a blue ribbon which he promptly pulled over his head. It said “hero” in Italian and pictured St. Peter’s Basilica and a smiling pope saying, “peace.”

Two children gave the pope a backpack and T-shirt from the summer program telling him he could bring these with him on his upcoming trip to Lisbon for World Youth Day.

Other children held up a large colorful poster the kids made showing a large hornet’s nest hanging in a tree surrounded by bees and the words, “You help us to ‘bee’ heroes,” reflecting the theme of this year’s camp dedicated to honeybees and heroes.

The large hall, which normally seats thousands for audiences with the pope, was turned into an indoor playground with bouncy houses and huge inflatable slides, some shaped like ships, including a sinking Titanic.

The summer program, running from July 3 to Aug. 4, is organized by the Salesians and the private associations, Play It and “Tutti in una Festa.” The program offered the children activities such as swimming, tennis, games, crafts and educational initiatives aimed at building friendships and values.

The children sometimes receive other special guests, such as chefs from Rome’s “Gelato Academy” who came and explained how Italian “gelato” is made, Salesian Father Franco Fontana, a chaplain at the Vatican overseeing the program, told Vatican News July 13.

(OSV News) – Abuse allegations against Catholic clergy and religious in the U.S. declined last year, but challenges remain regarding protecting vulnerable adults and ensuring online safety, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

On July 14, the USCCB’s Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection released the “2022 Annual Report – Findings and Recommendations on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.”

This is the cover of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection’s 2022 annual report on the “Findings and Recommendations on the Implementation of the ‘Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People'” released July 14, 2023. (OSV News photo/courtesy USCCB)

USCCB President Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of Military Services said in his preface the report was “a milestone accounting of the continued efforts in the ministry of protection, healing, and accompaniment.”

The document – covering the period July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022 – consists of a progress report from the secretariat; an audit report conducted by the Rochester, New York-based consultants StoneBridge Business Partners; and a survey of abuse allegations and costs by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University.

Now in its 12th year of performing the audit, StoneBridge visited 62 dioceses and eparchies, 48 in person and 14 virtually.

The report itself is the 20th of its kind since 2002, when the U.S. bishops established the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” as a number of clerical abuse scandals emerged.

Commonly called the “Dallas Charter” for the city in which the bishops met at the time of its ratification, the document lays out a comprehensive set of procedures for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. The charter also includes guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability and prevention of abuse.

During the 2022 report period, 1,998 individuals came forward with 2,704 allegations of abuse, with claims down 399 from 2021 and 1,548 from 2020. The decrease was largely due to resolutions of allegations received through lawsuits, compensation programs and bankruptcies. Most allegations (83%) were initially brought to diocesan officials by an attorney.

Sixteen reports during the period involved current minors, with all other allegations made by adults citing abuse as minors.

The CARA portion of the report said that 194 responding dioceses and eparchies had judged 245 allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by a priest or deacon to be credible. Of those, 20 allegations involved children who were under the age of 18.

CARA also calculated that total costs incurred by dioceses and eparchies due to allegations were down 19% from the previous year, totaling over $157 million. (Costs for men’s religious communities, by contrast, rose 53%, approaching $45 million.)

The secretariat said in its assessment “the year-over-year trends are encouraging as the number of current minor allegations in the U.S. remains low.”

Many dioceses and eparchies “have taken certain measures that go beyond the specific requirements of the charter,” StoneBridge noted in its report.

Among the measures cited were recurring adult training, parish audits and background check renewals (which are not currently required by the charter).

However, StoneBridge found that more than 30% of diocese and eparchies it had visited during the report period struggled with “some dysfunction” in their review boards, including “lack of meetings, inadequate composition or membership, not following the by-laws of the board, members not confident in their duties (and) lack of rotation of members.”

Auditors pointed out an unevenness in the charter’s overall application, with “196 different implementations” of the document resulting from the various policies of dioceses and eparchies.

Another concern centers on the protection of “vulnerable adults,” a definition for which is not contained in the charter, said auditors.

A year after the charter’s most recent revision in 2018, Pope Francis issued the motu proprio “Vox Estis Lux Mundi” (“You are the light of the world”), outlining global legal procedures for how the church should deal with clergy sexual abuse, including procedures for investigating bishops.

The document, implemented for a three-year experimental period beginning June 1, 2019, included the term “vulnerable person,” defined as “any person in a state of infirmity, physical or mental deficiency, or deprivation of personal liberty which, in fact, even occasionally, limits their ability to understand or to want or otherwise resist the offense.”

On March 25, Pope Francis published an updated version with the specific term “vulnerable adults,” without altering the previous definition. The revised text also was broadened to include investigations of leaders of Vatican-recognized international Catholic lay associations and movements.

Yet Suzanne Healy, chairwomen of the lay-led USCCB National Review Board, highlighted findings by StoneBridge in her remarks in this report, saying that while the charter addresses clerical abuse of children, “there is confusion in reporting matters pertaining to “Vos Estis Lux Mundi” and canon law regarding penal sanctions.

The board “recommends the pursuit of a separate auditable resource with specific guidelines for these adult and lay matters of abuse,” she wrote.

The audit results represent 194 of the 196 dioceses and eparchies in the U.S., with the report listing the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle and St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy as not participating.

Father Richard Janowicz, vicar general and safe environment coordinator for the Chicago-based St. Nicholas Eparchy, said in an email to OSV News he was “quite surprised” to learn the eparchy had been listed as such, since it had been audited by StoneBridge on April 17 of this year, and confirmed in a June 21 letter that the eparchy had remediated its initial lack of a children’s safe environment training program. It remains unclear as to why the eparchy was listed in the report as “not participating,” and OSV News has reached out to the USCCB for clarification.

Father Simon Esshaki, secretary to Bishop Emanuel Shaleta of the St. Peter Eparchy in El Cajon, California, said in an email to OSV News that the eparchy “did in fact have a full ‘Protecting God’s Children’ program for 2022,” but “unfortunately for some reason the statistics were not shared with the USCCB.”

The dioceses of Birmingham, Alabama, Lubbock, Texas, and St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands were each found noncompliant regarding Article 2 of the Dallas Charter, which in part specifies a required review board, comprised of mostly laypeople not employed by the diocese, that meets regularly and serves as a consultative body to the bishop. Each diocese subsequently corrected the deficiency.

For the Birmingham Diocese, the problem was one of timing, Donald Carson, director of communications and public relations, told OSV News.

Two resignations due to health concerns and the transfer of a religious sister left three vacancies on that review board during the audit period. The seats “have since all been filled, bringing the number of representatives not employed by the diocese back in compliance with the requirements of the charter,” he said in an email to OSV News.

In the Lubbock Diocese, COVID was at its height during the reporting period and had “stopped many areas of our work,” Lucas Flores, communications director, told OSV News in an email, adding that the diocese had resumed review board meetings.

OSV News was awaiting a response from the Diocese of St. Thomas.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The Food and Drug Administration announced July 13 it approved the sale of a birth control pill without a prescription for the first time in the United States, a move that will increase the availability of oral contraception and impact ongoing debates about abortion policy post-Dobbs.

In a statement, Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said the approval of Opill, a progestin-only pill, “marks the first time a nonprescription daily oral contraceptive will be an available option for millions of people in the United States.”

A woman holds a birth control pill in this photo illustration. The Food and Drug Administration announced July 13, 2023, it approved the sale of a birth control pill without a prescription for the first time in the United States — a move that will increase the availability of oral contraception and impact ongoing debates about abortion policy post-Dobbs. (OSV News photo photo/Eric Gaillard, Reuters)

“When used as directed, daily oral contraception is safe and is expected to be more effective than currently available nonprescription contraceptive methods in preventing unintended pregnancy,” Cavazzoni said.

Currently, a woman seeking to use birth control pills must do so with a doctor’s prescription.

While some have called for expanded access to contraception in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the high court’s jurisprudence on abortion as a constitutional right, others have argued that proliferating contraception without medical supervision could lead to more unintended pregnancies.

In a guide about the church’s teaching on issues including contraception, the National Catholic Bioethics Center describes contraception as “any action that is specifically intended, whether as an end or as a means, to prevent procreation either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse.”

While contraception “is never to be directly intended,” the guide states, its use for “therapeutic means needed to cure diseases is not illicit, even if it results in a foreseeable impediment to procreation — provided the impediment is not directly intended for any motive whatsoever.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that unlike contraception, “the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality.” These are known as fertility-based awareness methods of family planning; the methods are sometimes collectively referred to as natural family planning.

Opill is expected to be available for retail sale in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2024, its maker, Perrigo, said in a statement.

The FDA said the most common side effects of Opill include irregular bleeding, headaches, dizziness, nausea, increased appetite, abdominal pain, cramps and bloating; and the drug should not be used by those who have or have ever had breast cancer.

Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, said in a statement that the oral contraceptive announcement “flies in the face of responsible medical practice and concerns for women’s health.”

“Claims that the benefits of this action outweigh the risks are unfounded, especially in light of strong evidence of the many harmful risks of hormonal contraception to women’s health,” the bishop said. “Allowing this hormonal contraception to be dispensed ‘over the counter’ — without the supervision of a doctor and contrary to the mounting evidence of many harmful side effects — violates the Hippocratic Oath by putting the health of women at grave risk.”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – A bill to ban the use of capital punishment by the federal government was reintroduced in Congress, where it faces steep odds for passage.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who is also Senate majority whip and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee; and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., reintroduced July 13 their bill, the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act, bicameral legislation that would prohibit the use of the death penalty at the federal level and require re-sentencing for those individuals currently on death row.

The U.S. Capitol building is seen in Washington, D.C. September 4, 2022. (OSV News/Elizabeth Frantz, Reuters)

In a statement, Durbin called the death penalty “deeply flawed and disproportionately imposed on Black and Brown and low-income people in America.”

“Our bill follows the lead of 23 states, including Illinois, by finally putting an end to this failed and unjust policy at the federal level,” Durbin said. “I thank Congresswoman Pressley and our colleagues who are joining us in this effort.”

In her own statement, Pressley said, “State-sanctioned murder is not justice, and it’s time we abolish the cruel, racist, and fundamentally flawed death penalty that has been weaponized against Black, brown and low-income people for far too long.”

“With momentum growing across the country, Congress must follow suit and pass our bill to end the federal death penalty once and for all,” Pressley said. “I’m grateful to Chairman Durbin and our movement partners for their continued partnership and commitment to getting this done.”

The 2023 version of the legislation, which was originally introduced by the same lawmakers in 2019 after the U.S. Department of Justice’s announcement during the Trump administration that it would resume the use of the death penalty.

A spokesperson for the U.S. bishop’s conference told OSV News the group plans to support the bill. The conference also supported previous versions of the legislation.

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, a national Catholic organization working to end the death penalty and one of the groups supporting the bill, said in a statement that if passed, the bill “would eradicate the flawed and morally bankrupt federal death penalty system.”

“As Catholics who believe in the inviolability of human dignity, we understand that we cannot build a culture of life with a federal government that can put people to death,” she said. “This legislation opens up the possibility for more healing and life-affirming forms of justice.”

Vaillancourt Murphy said it was “this very month three years ago that the Trump administration broke a 17-year hiatus from federal executions and took the life of Daniel Lewis Lee.”

“In the six months that followed, the administration went on to kill a dozen more people, disregarding ample evidence that the federal death penalty system is racially biased, arbitrary, and fraught with errors,” she said. “This shocking backslide into executions tarnished any claim the administration made to be ‘pro-life.'”

“There is little doubt that capital punishment will one day be abolished in the United States, but time is of the essence,” Vaillancourt Murphy continued. “As long as executions are legal, human lives are on the line. It’s time for Congress to exert the political will and moral courage needed to abolish the federal death penalty once and for all.”

Although President Joe Biden promised as a candidate that he would end the federal death penalty, the bill faces steep odds in Congress, where a Republican-controlled House is likely to oppose it. But the bill also faces difficult odds in the Democratically-controlled Senate, where it would need the support of 60 senators to clear the upper chamber’s filibuster rule.

SCRANTON — On the cusp of its centennial-year celebration in 2024, the 99th annual Solemn Novena to Saint Ann at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Saint Ann in West Scranton, in honor the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, will open on Monday, July 17. It will continue with nine days of Eucharistic worship, devotional prayer and preaching, culminating with the celebration of the Feast of Saint Ann on Wednesday, July 26.

Very Rev. Passionist Father Richard Burke, rector of the Saint Ann Passionist Monastery and director of the Saint Ann National Shrine Basilica, announces the guest preachers for this year’s Solemn Novena will be Passionist Father Melvin Shorter and Passionist Brother Andre Mathieu.

The clerical speakers will focus their messages of devotion and inspiration on the 2023 Novena theme: “Intimacy with Jesus.”

A native of Baltimore, Md., Father Melvin currently serves as rector of Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center in North Palm Beach, Fla. After entering the Passionist Novitiate in Pittsburgh more than 40 years ago, he made his first profession of vows as a member of the Congregation of the Passion and eventually earned his Master of Divinity degree from the Catholic Theological Union.

Upon graduation, Father Melvin was ordained to the priesthood for the Passionist order in New York, after which he returned to Pittsburgh for his first ministerial assignment. Within a year, he was requested to join four other confreres to establish a Passionist presence in Greenville, N.C., where he served at Saint Gabriel Parish.

Father Melvin subsequently became a member of the parish staff at Saint Paul of the Cross faith community in Atlanta, where he would assume the pastorate of the parish in 1990. While stationed in Georgia, the priest was elected to the congregation’s Provincial Council as a Consultor and also participated in Passionist media ministry.

In 2010, Father Melvin transferred to Europe, where he joined the staff at Saint Joseph Parish in Paris — the only all-English speaking parish in France. Ministering with an ecumenical commission in Paris, the American Passionist spiritually supported members of various faith communities whose worship celebrations were offered in English.

While serving at the parish, Father Melvin also conducted Bible study groups, prepared families for the Sacrament of Baptism, and served as chaplain for the Missionary Sisters of Charity.

Brother Andre, a native of Hartford, Conn., professed his religious vows as a member of the Passionist congregation in 1962. During the past 60 years, he has served in various pastoral, formation and leadership positions in the Eastern Province region of his religious order.

As a member of the Passionist Preaching Ministry for 18 years, Brother Andre has directed parish missions and retreats for clergy, religious and laity in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

He holds a master’s degree in pastoral theology from Boston College, as well as a master’s in gerontology from the College of New Rochelle, N.Y. His certification in thanatology (death studies) has enabled the Passionist Brother to direct workshops and retreats on the spirituality and dynamics of grief and loss.

For the past 11 years, Brother Andre has served among the Passionist community at Saint Ann Monastery in West Scranton. During that time, he has served for eight years as a Consultor on the Provincial Council and as assistant superior for the Basilica of Saint Ann.

Saint Ann Novena devotions will include outdoor Masses and Novenas (weather permitting) at 8 a.m., 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. The 11:45 a.m. Mass and Novena will be celebrated indoors, except on Sunday, and the 3:30 p.m. Novena service is always offered inside the main Basilica church.

Sacramental confessions are available before and after each service.

Special spiritual offerings highlighting this year’s Novena to Saint Ann include the Divine Liturgy of the Byzantine Rite on Tuesday, July 18, at 5:30 p.m., celebrated by Bishop Kurt Burnette of the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Eparchy of Passaic. On that day there will be no Mass and Novena at 7:30 p.m.

A Mass with Anointing of the Sick will be offered on Thursday, July 20, at 1:30 p.m., with the Sacrament of the Sick available to all elderly and infirm and anyone who wishes to receive the sacrament.

On Saturday, July 22, a Children’s Mass and Novena prayers will be celebrated at 10 a.m., with a special blessing service for all infants and children.

The following day, Sunday, July 23, the Eucharistic liturgies will honor and bless all grandparents in observance of World Day for Grandparents.

Bishop Joseph C. Bambera will celebrate the Solemn Closing of the Novena on the Feast of Saint Ann, Wednesday, July 26, at 7:30 p.m.

The feast day Mass schedule includes liturgies and Novena prayers beginning at 4:30 a.m., with Eucharistic celebrations following every hour from 6 through 11:45 a.m. and at 5:30 p.m. Novena devotions (no Mass) will be offered at 3:30 p.m.
The Mass in Polish and Novena prayers will be celebrated at 1:30 p.m., featuring Polish hymns.

SCRANTON – Four parishes in Lackawanna County officially entered into two new linkages this week after two of them said goodbye to their longtime leaders.

The Cathedral of Saint Peter in downtown Scranton and Immaculate Conception Parish in the city’s Hill Section came together in a new linkage on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. Father Jeffrey D. Tudgay, J.V., V.E., J.C.L., is now the pastor of both parish communities after the retirement of Father Pat McLaughlin.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and Saints Anthony and Rocco Parish, both in Dunmore, also linked as of the same date. Father David Cappelloni, V.F., is now the pastor of both parishes after the retirement of Father John Doris.

The linkages were announced by the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, earlier this year and have been established as part of the Diocese of Scranton’s Vision 2030 Pastoral Planning Process.

In a linkage, two (or more) parishes share the same pastor. Such parishes, while independent, will by necessity cooperate more closely than other parishes. Linked parishes can do many things cooperatively, such as programming and are encouraged to work toward combining Parish Pastoral Council meetings and establishing common committees where possible.

As both new linkages strive to be “mission-driven,” both have decided to implement new Mass schedules.

For the linkage of the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Immaculate Conception, Daily Masses will now be held at the Cathedral at 6:30 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. Daily Mass will be held at Immaculate Conception at 8 a.m. The 12:10 p.m. Daily Mass will continue to be broadcast live on Catholic Television and livestream on the Diocese of Scranton website and social media platforms.

The Saturday 4 p.m. Vigil Mass will now be held at Immaculate Conception Church and the Cathedral of Saint Peter will have a 5:30 p.m. Vigil Mass. Because of this change, the CTV broadcast of the Saturday Vigil Mass will now be live at 5:30 p.m. from the Cathedral.

Sunday Masses at the Cathedral will be held at 6:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 5 p.m. Immaculate Conception Parish will have its Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m.

Similarly, the newly linked parishes in Dunmore began a new Mass schedule on Tuesday.

Daily Mass will be held at 8 a.m. at Saints Anthony and Rocco Parish and at noon at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.

The Saturday 4 p.m. Vigil Mass will be held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and a 5:15 p.m. Vigil Mass will be held at Saints Anthony and Rocco Church.

Sunday Masses at Saints Anthony and Rocco Church will take place at 8:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. while a 10 a.m. Mass will be held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.
Additional information on the new linkages are available on each parish’s website.

DORRANCE TOWNSHIP – The weather could not have been better July 10 as 184 golfers hit the links for the 13th Vocations Golf Classic at Blue Ridge Trail Golf Club.

The tournament, held in memory of John A. Yourishen Jr., brought together men and women from every corner of the Diocese of Scranton.

Golfers get ready to head out on the fairways at the 2023 Vocations Golf Classic.

“This tournament is a great way to bring people from East Stroudsburg, Williamsport, the Northern Tier, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre together to recognize that we’re one church,” Rev. Alex Roche, Director of Vocations and Seminarians, explained.

Proceeds from the tournament support seminarian expenses, education and training.

“Many of our parishes support this tournament. The priests and pastors support it personally. They send parish teams so it is really a unifying event for the diocese,” Sandra Snyder, Diocesan Director of Foundation Relations and Special Events, added.

Seminarian Jacob Mutchler, who will be entering his second year of pre-theology at Saint Vincent’s Seminary this fall, joked that he would be staying “off the greens” for everyone’s safety. However, he loved being at the tournament so he could connect with supporters on a personal level.

“You get a special perspective when we have events like this, to see all of our generous supporters coming together in fellowship and recreation but also knowing that they’re really supporting us with their prayers regularly as well,” he said.

This is the second year Nathan Coates from Plymouth has participated in the tournament. He enjoys getting to interact with the many priests who attend.

“It is nice to talk to them about regular life and golf,” Coates said. “It’s fun to see them out here doing the same thing we love.”

The tournament relies on dozens of generous sponsors, like Tom and Mari Hendrian of Clarks Summit, to be successful.

“We’re just really excited to be here to support them (our seminarians) and their studies,” Tom Hendrian explained.

A full listing of golf tournament sponsors will appear in the August edition of The Catholic Light.

EAST STROUDSBURG – When Bob and Josie Brown first heard that they could turn their Pennsylvania taxes into Catholic education scholarships, they admitted being a little skeptical.

It almost sounded too good to be true.

“The application process was very easy. I had a few concerns at first and made some phone calls to confirm that our donation would be distributed as intended,” Josie said.

Pennsylvania allows qualifying individuals and businesses to use their tax obligations as need-based scholarships for Catholic school students through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program. In many cases, individuals and businesses can receive up to a 90-percent tax credit!

“There are very few opportunities we have as taxpayers to direct how our tax dollars are spent. This EITC program literally allows me to direct a portion of our tax payments directly to our local Catholic school,” Josie explained. “I genuinely believe our Catholic schools are a worthy recipient of these funds and I was pleased to have been able to participate in this program.”

Both Josie and her four children have benefited from a Catholic education.

“I am forever grateful as a student and a parent to have had faith at the foundation of learning in my home and I am proud to help in some small way to the continued efforts of schools to provide this for future generations,” she added.

Any individual or couple where at least one spouse owns or works for a for-profit company in Pennsylvania can participate. Non-profit employees that own at least one share of stock in a business that operates in Pennsylvania may also participate.

The Diocese of Scranton Catholic School System partners with the Central Pennsylvania Scholarship Fund to administer the program. The Scholarship Fund requires a minimum contribution of $3,500 to participate.

“We are so grateful to a number of businesses and individuals who donate to our Catholic Schools need-based tuition assistance program through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program. It’s a wonderful opportunity to support Catholic education and receive a 90% tax credit,” Jim Bebla, Diocesan Secretary for Development, explained. “If one makes a $5,000 gift, for example, they can receive a $4,500 tax credit on their business or personal income tax return. And the donor can also claim the remaining $500 on their federal income tax.”

The Diocese of Scranton is now looking for help spreading the word about the program.

As the owners of RGB Custom Home Builders in the Pocono Mountains, Bob and Josie Brown are happy to be among many people who are laying the ‘foundation’ for the success of this initiative.

“This is the very best way to make a donation to your local Catholic school.

Assuming you are paying taxes to the state, please consider this program,” Josie said. “It is easy and exponentially increases any donation you are able to make. If you are unsure ask to speak to someone who has done it before.”

Eligibility is first-come, first-served and money for the individual tax credits runs out quickly. Anyone interested in this giving opportunity is encouraged to apply in July and August by contacting Jim Bebla at (570) 207-2250 or email Jim-Bebla@dioceseofscranton.org.

SUNYANI, GHANA – During a four and a-half hour Ordination Mass, the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, ordained 14 men to the priesthood in the African nation of Ghana on July 8, 2023.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, anoints the hands of one of 14 newly ordained priests for the Diocese of Sunyani on July 8, 2023, on the lawn of Christ the King Cathedral in Ghana.

The Mass, which was celebrated on the lawn of Christ the King Cathedral in Sunyani, was filled with joyful music, singing, dancing and devotion to Jesus Christ.

At the beginning of the Eucharistic celebration, the Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani, welcomed Bishop Bambera, noting this year is the 50th anniversary of the Diocese of Sunyani.

“For us to celebrate this, I invited a brother bishop, a friend bishop, a bishop who loves this Diocese, a bishop who is already helping many of our priests who have gone to his diocese to study and come back to help us,” Bishop Gyamfi said.

During his homily, Bishop Bambera returned the warm and gracious welcome he received, indicating it is an honor, privilege and joy to celebrate the Ordination Mass.

“For some years, the Diocese of Sunyani and the Diocese of Scranton have grown in our relationship as sister dioceses in service to the Universal Church. It is a privilege to share with you our faith in the Lord Jesus,” Bishop Bambera said. “My diocese is richer because of the presence of so many of your priests and sisters who are ministering to the faithful of our parishes. I can only hope and pray that your diocese, in turn, has also experienced God’s blessings because of our relationship with you.”

Seminarians Thomas Dzwonczyk, second from left, and Andrew McCarroll, fourth from left, attended the first Mass of Rev. Eric Agyei Febiri at Saint Teresa of Avila Chuch in Berekum, Ghana, on Sunday, July 9, 2023. Rev. Febiri was ordained to the priesthood one day earlier by Bishop Bambera.

The bishop took a few moments to introduce seminarians Andrew McCarroll and Tom Dzwonczyk who have accompanied him on his return trip to Ghana this summer. Bishop Bambera first visited the Diocese of Sunyani last August for ten days.

“They are wonderful young men who are excited about their visit and anxious to experience the church in Ghana which I know will have a lasting impression upon them as they continue their priestly formation,” Bishop Bambera noted.

Before celebrating the Rite of Ordination, Bishop Bambera also spoke directly to the 14 men who were becoming priests. He urged them to make the mission of Jesus their own, serve generously and be merciful.

“Never tire of being merciful. You have the capacity of forgiveness that the Lord had,” Bishop Bambera said.

On Sunday, July 9, Bishop Bambera also confirmed 37 people at Holy Spirit Parish, located in Nkwabeng in Sunyani, where Father Clement Amankwah Yeboah is currently serving as pastor. Father Clement is beloved by many in the Diocese of Scranton, having generously served the faithful of Christ the King Parish in Archbald.

That same day, McCarroll and Dzwonczyk attended the first Mass of Rev. Eric Agyei Febiri who was ordained by Bishop Bambera the previous day. They shared photos and videos of the liturgy which took place at Saint Teresa of Avila Church in Berekum.

During their travels, unexpected tire problems turned into a blessing for Andrew McCarroll and Thomas Dzwonczyk because they had the opportunity to meet several children and families.

On July 10, Bishop Bambera and the seminarians also had the opportunity to visit Mole National Park to see the wildlife.

Some unexpected car trouble that stranded the group on the side of the road for roughly an hour was actually a blessing because they had the opportunity to visit with several children and families who came out to assist them.

Both seminarians remain in Sunyani and are sharing their journey with the faithful of the Diocese of Scranton on social media. Visit the Diocese of Scranton website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Threads to see highlights of their experiences.