Month: October 2023

WILLIAMSPORT – Two parishes in Lycoming County are working to become more welcoming to the community – especially young mothers and their infants.

In late August, Saint Boniface Parish in Williamsport and Saint Lawrence Parish in South Williamsport signed on to the ‘Breastfeeding Welcome Here Initiative.’ The move comes after Williamsport was one of two cities in the commonwealth designated a ‘Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community’ by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

“We want to welcome young families. We want church to be a place where children are always part of the picture,” Rev. Glenn McCreary, pastor, explained. “I’ve often said that I don’t mind when a child is crying during Mass. We’re Catholic, we’re pro-life and crying children is what life sounds like. Now, we want to clearly extend that welcome to the breastfeeding individuals and families among us.”

Lisa McCloskey, RN, BSN, IBCLC, Lycoming/Clinton Breastfeeding Coalition Chair, and a parishioner at Saint Boniface, helped both parishes with the process.

“We are creating a welcoming environment to remove barriers to make it easier for all families to choose and to continue human milk feeding and to change a culture to normalize breastfeeding,” McCloskey said.

For the best health outcomes, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for approximately six months followed by continued breastfeeding with complementary foods for at least two years and beyond as mutually desired.

“There are short-term and long-term health benefits for both children and the breastfeeding parent which improve the health of the community, reducing healthcare costs, higher productivity, and lower absenteeism from work and school,” McCloskey continued.

By signing onto the ‘Breastfeeding Welcome Here Initiative,’ the two parishes will allow a mother to freely feed her infants and young children in public, without ever being asked to cover up or move. If families request a private location to pump or feed, they will be directed to a comfortable space that is not a bathroom. Restrooms are not a hygienic place to prepare or eat a meal.

“We don’t want to send a mother off to a lavatory to feed,” Father McCreary said. “Nor do we want her to feel she doesn’t belong here because the Mass and feeding schedules overlap.”

Before affixing stickers to the doors of his parishes to let the community know of their support, Father McCreary also explained to his parishioners what this new ‘welcome’ will look like.

“If you’re comfortable feeding in your pew, do it. If you want to step out to a more private place, we will give you some options. Our confessional rooms in both churches are open and offer comfortable seating. Saint Boniface also gives the option to go to the lounge, where you can continue to hear the Liturgy while you care for that child.”

McCloskey said the more we see breastfeeding, the more natural it becomes. In addition to the two Roman Catholic parishes that have signed on, James V. Brown Library in Williamsport and the Lycoming County State Health Center have also signed onto the initiative.

“It’s through creating an environment of acceptance to make families feel more comfortable and by educating the community to learn why it’s important to accept breastfeeding that we are able to change our culture,” McCloskey said. “We need to sensitively provide options to meet families where they are at to make sure they are comfortable.”

For the two churches, it is all about being a part of the “welcoming church.”

“Let young families – visitors and members – find a home here,” Father McCreary said.

HAZLETON – More than 700 people filled the streets of Hazleton earlier this month participating in a large Eucharistic Procession. The goal was to bring people’s faith and love of Jesus out into the community.

On Sunday, Oct. 1, both Spanish and English-speaking parishioners of Annunciation Parish spent more than 90 minutes navigating the narrow streets of the city’s south side while singing and praying.

“During this magnificent procession through the streets of the south side, I just felt the Lord, the Lord of the Miracles, El Señor de Los Milagros, our Eucharistic Lord, was touching hearts and touching lives in the way that only he can,” Father Kevin Miller, pastor, Annunciation Parish, said. “For my part, I am nothing but grateful to everyone who helped put this together and everyone who participated.”

The Eucharistic Procession was held as part of a three-day celebration at Annunciation Parish in honor of Saint Gabriel, patron of the parish church. Saint Gabriel is most well known as the angel chosen by God to be the messenger of the Annunciation.

The Procession was also held to honor El Señor de Los Milagros (The Lord of the Miracles), the Patron of Peruvian residents, which is celebrated during the entire month of October. El Señor de Los Milagros is traditionally one of the most popular religious celebrations in Latin America.

“The community of Saint Gabriel is a magnificent community. We are so happy to be part of this community. Everyone came here so joyful. We love doing things together,” Father Neftali Feliz-Sena, assistant pastor, Annunciation Parish, said.

Prior to the Eucharistic Procession, a bilingual Mass was held inside Saint Gabriel Church.

Mary Jane Thomas, who has attended Mass at Saint Gabriel Church all her life, found the Mass and procession to be very inspiring.

“I am so happy to see that we are all joining together as one, as we should be, because it is one church, one God, and it was just beautiful today,” Thomas said. “I walked just about all of it.”

Thomas has seen a lot of change in her parish over the last several decades, but she believes her faith has only been strengthened by the influx of Spanish-speaking parishioners.

“When I first started to go to the Hispanic Mass, it was a little challenging at first, but then I found myself moving along with everybody and clapping. I thought, they are praising the Lord and we can all praise the Lord in whatever form we can,” she added.

Veronica Mizenko of McAdoo recently returned to the Catholic faith and was pleased that the Eucharistic Procession was held so that Jesus could be shared with the entire community.

“Father is taking Jesus out into the streets and amongst the people. All languages, all creeds, anybody is welcome in this church and he makes you feel so warm and so welcome,” Mizenko said. “Father Kevin is bringing Him (Jesus) out for everyone to see and hear. It is so touching.”

Mizenko said she saw several people watch the procession from their porches and cars, with some even joining in.

“People were just walking up and saw the procession and just started walking behind the procession and it is all for God. It was wonderful. It really was,” she explained.

The procession was held as the Catholic Church in the United States has entered its second phase of the U.S. Bishops’ National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year initiative by the prelates to inspire belief in the Eucharist following a 2019 Pew Research study that suggested only about one-third of U.S. Catholics believe the Church’s teaching that the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

The second phase of the revival, the Year of Parish Revival, is meant to foster Eucharistic devotion at the parish level.

PECKVILLE – Hundreds of people gathered throughout the day on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, on the parish grounds of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Peckville, as well as in the church, for a day of Eucharistic Revival that renewed the faithful’s knowledge and love of Our Lord’s gift of the Eucharist to us. Immediately following the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass, children gathered under a tent to learn about Eucharistic Adoration as they prayed and gave praise to God in the Eucharist and then went forth to share their light with the world.

After a period of quiet Adoration, all those gathered in the tent prayed a Rosary for Eucharistic Revival and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Soon after, a light rain prompted the remainder of the program to be moved inside. This did not dampen the spirit as the parish music ministry continued praising and worshipping God in song, as the Blessed Sacrament remained exposed inside the church. Then, a communal Anointing service provided a great number of individuals the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

The Eucharistic Revival Day culminated with a Mass of Thanksgiving with pastor, Rev. Andrew Kurovsky, and concelebrant and guest homilist, Msgr. Richard LaVerghetta, who challenged the community to continue to Adore, Receive and Become Jesus Christ, through the grace of the Eucharist. His challenge to expand our own “tents,” individually, and as a parish, is definitely in keeping with the parish motto: “the Round Church, where there’s room for everyone!”

The day concluded with a parish pasta dinner in the parish hall, enjoyed by nearly 250 people and provided with the help of Fiorelli’s Catering and volunteers from the parish and Cub Scouts Pack 34 Jessup.

“Eukharistos,” Greek for “Eucharist,” means “grateful.” What a perfect word, as the entire Sacred Heart of Jesus community is grateful for all the parishioners and friends who gathered under the tent and in the church for this most memorable day. Even the rain made the gathering memorable by blessing all with a special “sprinkling rite” during this day of Eucharistic Revival!

CLARKS SUMMIT – Two parish communities in Lackawanna County came together for one important mission on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.

Nearly 250 parishioners from Our Lady of the Snows Parish, Clarks Summit, and Saint Gregory Parish, Clarks Green, clad in orange shirts, joined forces fanning out across their community to participate in a special ‘Day of Service.’

“We live, work and worship in the same area, so to come together to respond to the needs of the area just made sense,” Dan Marx, Director of Worship and Mission at Saint Gregory Parish, said.

The volunteers took part in projects at 11 different sites, including senior centers, public parks and streambeds, and even a local cemetery.

“The response that we had to this day of service has just been incredible,” Marx added. “People have donated both their time and treasure to create Refugee Welcome Boxes for the refugees of our area to bagging groceries at an area grocery store for tips that went to the Catherine McAuley Center.”

At Our Lady of Peace School, several teenagers volunteered to hold a car wash to raise money for the veterans at Saint Francis Commons in Scranton.

“I decided to do it because I thought it would be a nice thing to do for people,” Will Regan from Our Lady of the Snows Parish said.

“I’m young and still active and I feel like I can help people that don’t have the same abilities,” Callahan Moore from Our Lady of the Snows added. “I think more people should do service projects like this.”

At the end of the day, the students raised $717 from the car wash.

“It’s fun. It’s not like I’m sitting around playing the computer my entire day. It’s a fun way of passing time instead of being at home,” volunteer Jacob Krenitsky said.

While the students were busy washing cars, other volunteers packaged and delivered 126 meals to the Community Intervention Center in Scranton. The food was cooked by parishioners in their homes and put together by another team of volunteers.

Sue Burke, Faith Formation Director at Our Lady of the Snows Parish, said the ‘Day of Service’ is a powerful moment in teaching young people about the importance of volunteering.

“We’re so privileged and we have so much that we just need to share. We need to give to others and we need to teach our children to be able to give to others and that’s what we’re doing here today,” Burke said.

Next year, Our Lady of the Snows Parish and Saint Gregory Parish will come together in a linkage under one pastor. Events like the ‘Day of Service’ prove that parishioners can come together as one family with one purpose and mission.

“We know that together is in our future and so to come together in any opportunity, whether it’s to pray, worship, to serve or just gather as community, it is never a wasted effort,” Marx said.

DORRANCE – Parishioners of Saint Mary, Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in Dorrance gathered on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their church.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, was the principal celebrant and homilist for the centennial celebration.

“As we gather to celebrate the Eucharist, the power and presence of God that is the heart of our faith, may our prayer be one of gratitude and hope: gratitude for all that has been and hope for what will be through the grace and goodness of God,” Bishop Bambera said during his homily.

In celebration of its 100 years, The Catholic Light is looking back on the history of the parish.

Due to the growing number of Roman Catholic residents settling in and around the Dorrance area in the early 1920s, the Diocese of Scranton determined there was a need for a church to administer to the spiritual needs of the faithful. Prior to that time, residents traveled to Wilkes-Barre, Sugar Notch, Nanticoke, or Hazleton to practice their faith.

The original church was built on one acre of land donated by Andrew Kotulik. Later, he also donated the area that houses the picnic grounds.

The original church took just over one year to build and was dedicated on Sept. 27, 1925. At the time of its founding, Saint Mary’s was a mission church of Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Wilkes-Barre.

On Dec. 5, 1952, the original church was destroyed by fire. A faulty furnace was blamed for the destruction. After the fire, Sunday Mass was celebrated in the dining room of the Rustic Tavern until a new church could be built.

After a groundbreaking on April 26, 1953, the dedication of the new church was held on Feb. 14, 1954. The dedication and Mass were presided over by the Most Rev. Henry T. Klonowski, Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton.

Saint Mary, Our Lady Help of Christians Parish was linked with Saint Jude Parish in Mountain Top on July 7, 2010. Father Joseph Evanko has been serving as pastor since that time and has been assisted by several different assistant pastors.

In addition to its centennial celebration, which was marked on Sept. 23, 2023, the parish had previously celebrated its milestone anniversaries of 75 years on July 25, 1998; 50 years on June 10, 1973; and 25 years on Nov. 14, 1948.

WILKES-BARRE – Three long-time educators in the Diocese of Scranton Catholic School System were honored with the Saint John Paul II Award during the Diocesan Teachers’ Institute Mass on Sept. 25, 2023.

Kimberly Art, April Ayres, and Brenda Quattrini were each presented the award for 25 years of dedicated service to Catholic education in the Diocese of Scranton by the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, at Saint Nicholas Church.

“I’m very excited and very proud,” Art said. “I know it is not easy to stick with something that long but I’m very proud and glad that I’m able to be in this school system.”

Art began her career as the computer teacher at Saint Mary of Mount Carmel School in Dunmore and then moved into the role of fourth grade teacher in 2001. She has been there ever since.

“I’m Catholic. I lead with my heart, and I lead with Jesus, and I love that I’m able to incorporate Jesus into my daily lesson plans and my daily teaching and I’m glad that I can have Jesus lead me in teaching the children,” she explained.

Quattrini attended Epiphany School in Sayre and in second grade decided she wanted to teach second grade.

“My second-grade teacher was my favorite teacher, and this was my dream, and I am living my dream,” she explained.

Quattrini says she would not trade her experience in Catholic education for anything.

“I love how we’re all family and we want to pass our religion onto the kids,” the long-time educator added. “I am just thrilled to be a part of it and that Sister Kathleen hired me many years ago!”

Catholic school educators impart a distinctive character to the education profession. They create an environment where the young grow and learn. They also direct the learning process, designing programs and developing ways to encourage success.

Most especially, they are witnesses to the faith, serving as sharers in the mission of Jesus Christ by leading young people to know, love, and serve God.

Ayres also grew up attending Catholic schools, including Saint Michael’s in Jessup and Bishop O’Hara High School in Dunmore.

“I knew from an early age that I wanted to become a teacher when my brother was born. I was captivated by how learning occurs. That was just my calling. I knew that is what I wanted to do,” Ayres said.

First hired at Saint Mary’s in Dickson City, Ayres now teaches at La Salle Academy in Jessup. She spent three years teaching third grade and has taught fifth grade for 22 years.

“I grew up with a Catholic education. It was fabulous, the teachers, the support, the family atmosphere. I stayed all the way through high school. I promote it, I agree with it, I support it, and I absolutely love it,” she added.

When asked what she would say to someone considering becoming a Catholic school educator, Ayres said it is a place where anyone can not only teach, but lead, inspire, challenge, and encourage.

“You will absolutely love it,” Ayres stated. “It’s family. It’s a second home.”

WILKES-BARRE – As a new academic year begins in the Diocese of Scranton’s 19 Catholic schools, teachers and administrators are being challenged to let their faith shine brightly for all to see.

“Your light shines more brightly than you might imagine,” the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, said during his homily at the Diocesan Teachers’ Institute Mass, which was held on Sept. 25 at Saint Nicholas Church.

“The children entrusted to your care, the young men and women, are who they are because of who you are every day,” Bishop Bambera continued.

During his homily, the bishop thanked the hundreds of educators in attendance for helping students have a reverence for Catholic rituals and prayers. After visiting each school for Mass last academic year, the bishop said that reverence is “palpable.”

“Your appreciation for and your willingness to teach Catholic values is also obvious, and those are the values that set us apart from other fine educational opportunities, and the values that are at the heart of why we have a Catholic School System,” he added.

During the Mass, the educators recited the ‘Prayer of Commitment’ to the ideals of Catholic education.

“We are grateful to have this opportunity to pray together,” Kristen Donohue, Diocesan Secretary for Catholic Education/Superintendent of Catholic Schools, said.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Finding better ways to live “like Jesus did” — reaching out, welcoming, healing and including others — was the focus of Sister Liliana Franco Echeverri’s small group discussions Oct. 9-10 at the assembly of the Synod of Bishops, she said.

Sister Franco, a member of the Company of Mary and president of the Confederation of Latin American and Caribbean Religious, or CLAR, and Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, briefed reporters Oct. 10 about the synod’s work on various aspects of the theme “communion.”

Sister Franco’s group discussed how “the service of charity and commitment to justice and care for our common home nourish communion,” while Cardinal Tobin’s group focused on welcoming and accompanying people who feel excluded from the church. Under the theme of communion with God and with one another, in the church and in the world, other groups looked at ecumenism, at valuing the cultural, linguistic and racial diversity of the church and at interreligious dialogue.

“There truly is a desire to be able to live like Jesus did, a Jesus who humanizes, who gives dignity, who includes, a Jesus who opens the doors for ‘the other,'” Sister Franco said. Living like Jesus calls the church to be “prophetic” in denouncing injustice and exploitation that attacks human dignity and excludes from society people such as the poor, migrants and victims of human trafficking, she said.

Given the synod’s rule that conversations and speeches are confidential, Cardinal Tobin was less specific about the discussion in his small group.

As a superior general and then as a bishop, the cardinal said he had attended six previous synods, and this is “the most diverse synod I’ve ever participated in.” At the same time, he said, many of the questions, concerns and hopes expressed by Catholics in different countries and regions of the world are remarkably similar.

“We’re talking about things we heard in our own dioceses,” he said. “That’s what the church does; it listens.”

“We believe in a God who became flesh and blood, like the rest of us, who didn’t stay in some celestial isolation,” he said. “So, the church always has to be concerned with flesh and blood issues.”

The questions Cardinal Tobin’s group was asked to reflect on included welcoming the excluded while proclaiming “the fullness of the Gospel truth.”

The question of outreach to those who feel “they are not at home in the Catholic Church,” including members of the LGBTQ community, was raised repeatedly in the Archdiocese of Newark’s listening sessions and was present in so many reports to the synod that it was included in the assembly’s working document, he said.

The archdiocese, he said, has “arguably the most beautiful cathedral in North America and it’s five feet longer than St. Patrick’s in New York,” but — quoting one of his auxiliary bishops — “it’s most beautiful when the doors are open.”

“And so, I think the real beauty of our Catholic Church is clear when the doors are open and welcoming,” he said. “And it is my hope that the synod will help us to do that in an even more significant way.”

Sister Franco said members of the assembly have their “feet on the ground,” looking honestly at the reality of “a world in which there is xenophobia, exclusive nationalism, leaders who are committed to building borders.”

“And in a world like this, our world, the option of the church is the option for fraternity, it is the option for synodality, it is the commitment to understanding that we are all brothers and sisters,” she said. “And in a world and in a church where we see each other as brothers and sisters, there is room for everyone.”

When asked, both Cardinal Tobin and Sister Franco insisted synod members were free to speak their minds and that the concerns listed in the synod working document were those that came from listening sessions at the parish, diocesan, national and continental levels.

The reports of each small group for each section of the synod assembly will be handed in to a committee charged with writing a synthesis; synod members will have an opportunity to amend it and to vote on whether it reflects their discussions.

In the end, which is after the second assembly in October 2024, Cardinal Tobin noted, Pope Francis will determine what and how to enact the synod’s conclusions.

“Before I left the diocese, somebody asked me a question about discernment,” the cardinal said. “And I said, well, you can decline the verb ‘to discern’ this way in the context of the synod: I discern. You discern. He decides.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis condemned Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel and pleaded with the militants to free their hostages unharmed, but he also expressed concern about Israel’s tightening siege on Gaza and its impact on innocent civilians.

“I continue to follow with sorrow and apprehension what is happening in Israel and Palestine. So many people killed, and others injured,” the pope said Oct. 11 at the end of his weekly general audience.

As the pope spoke, the Israeli Defense Forces website was reporting more than 1,200 Israelis killed by Hamas and more than 2,800 Israelis injured. At the same time, the Gaza Ministry of Health was reporting a death toll of more than 950 Palestinians and said 5,000 others were injured as Israel continued its airstrikes on Gaza.

The initial Hamas attack Oct. 7, the pope said, took place on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, which marks the completion of the annual cycle of reading the Torah scroll. “I pray for all those families that saw a day of celebration be transformed into a day of mourning,” the pope said.

“And I ask that the hostages be released immediately,” he continued. Israeli government officials have estimated that Hamas is holding some 150 Israeli hostages.

“One who is attacked has the right of self-defense,” the pope said, “but I am very concerned about the total siege under which Palestinians are living in Gaza, where there also have been many innocent victims.”

“Terrorism and extremism will not help reach a solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, but only increase hatred, violence and vengeance and only make each other suffer,” Pope Francis said.