Month: May 2024

SCRANTON – With their Diaconate Ordination just days away, both Andrew McCarroll and Tom Dzwonczyk have had many people congratulating them about their “big day.”

Both men are quick to say the Ordination Mass, planned for May 25, is not about them.

“It is not my big day. It is the church’s big day. Everything that is happening is affirming the ministry that I’m doing for them,” McCarroll said. “I’m being ordained for the people, for service to them. That is an image that is very profound to me as I’m preparing these next few days.”

“It is not about anything we’ve done. It’s about the Lord and what He is doing through me and through everyone He is calling,” Dzwonczyk added. “It is 100-percent about God and what he is doing in his Church.”

Dzwonczyk and McCarroll will begin the final step in their formation for the priesthood when they are ordained to the transitional diaconate by the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, on May 25 at 10:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton.

All are welcome to attend and participate in the celebration.

Ordination as a transitional deacon generally occurs after a seminarian has completed at least three years of study in theology and takes place usually one year prior to priestly ordination. A Deacon can be an ordinary minister of Baptism, and will be able to preside at weddings, assist the priest at Mass, proclaim the Gospel and preach, as well as preside at wakes and funeral services.

Dzwonczyk, 26, is the son of Thomas and Stephanie Dzwonczyk of North Abington Township, Lackawanna County. He attended Holy Cross High School in Dunmore and just completed Theology III at Saint Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Md. During his discernment process, Dzwonczyk completed a pastoral year assignment at Saint Jude Parish, Mountain Top, where he also assisted teaching eighth grade religion at Saint Jude School. He has one younger sister, Katherine, and grew up attending Saint John Vianney Parish in Montdale.

McCarroll, 25, is the son of Todd and Judy McCarroll of Lehman, Luzerne County. He attended Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre, Saint John’s University in Queens and has been attending Saint Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Md. McCarroll is participating in his pastoral year right now at Saint Boniface Parish, Williamsport, and Saint Lawrence Parish, South Williamsport, and is also serving as Director of Religious Formation at Saint John Neumann Regional Academy. He has two brothers, Nicholas and Will, and has a home parish of Saint Robert Bellarmine in Wilkes-Barre.

While both men say while their studies and experiences have prepared them to become Deacons at the end of the month, they admit feeling both excitement and nervousness.

“I’m very excited. It seems like when I first entered seminary it would never get here, it seemed very far away, and now to think that I’m on the doorstep of it, is pretty incredible,” Dzwonczyk said. “I’m also very nervous. I would imagine that this is how people feel before they’re about to get married, very nervous recognizing the weight of the commitment, but I’ve also been feeling great peace in my prayer and in the conversations with my brothers at the seminary.”

“It is a big step so there is some anxiety about it, which I think is a good sign, because it’s a very natural sign, but it’s coming out of excitement,” McCarroll added. “I’m excited to serve and minister in a new way, a way that I’ve been preparing for.”

Once ordained a deacon, McCarroll is looking forward to preaching at Mass. His first experience will come the same day as his Ordination – May 25 – as he will preach the 4 p.m. Vigil Mass at Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish.

“I’m really looking to take the Scriptures and really bring them to life. It is a moment for growth and it is a challenge,” he said. “I’m excited for the challenge to grow in that way.”

Dzwonczyk says he is particularly moved by the Sacrament of Baptism and is looking forward to being able to baptize his first child.

“I always marvel at the grace that comes in baptism. It’s a simple act – pouring water on someone’s head – and yet the spiritual effect that it has never ceases to amaze me,” he explained.

Dzwonczyk will deliver his first homily as a deacon on Sunday, May 26, at 11:00 a.m., at his home parish of Saint John Vianney in Montdale.

“I’m a little nervous. It’s my first time preaching and it’s Trinity Sunday, so it’s not the easiest topic to preach on,” he joked.

As they look forward to their Ordination Mass, both men want to express their gratitude to all of the people who have helped them on their discernment journey – or simply prayed for them through the process.

“The number of people who have reached out to me, just saying they’re praying for me or they’re thinking about me, or who have reached out to my parents is just overwhelming and I’m truly humbled,” Dzwonczyk said. “Truly, without their prayers, I wouldn’t have made it.”

“I trust God, that he is present in all of this, and that he is guiding me every step of the way,” McCarroll added.

For anyone unable to attend the Ordination Mass in person, CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton will provide a live broadcast as well as livestream the Mass on the Diocese of Scranton website, YouTube channel and all social media channels.

SCRANTON – Ten priests who are celebrating milestone anniversaries of their ordination year will be recognized during the 2024 Mass for Priest Jubilarians at 12:10 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton.

The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, will serve as principal celebrant and homilist. During the Mass, the bishop will recognize a combined 425 years of service to the priesthood.

Monsignor Constantine V. Siconolfi will be recognized for 65 years of priestly service. Ordained on May 23, 1959, he has served many parish communities, and founded Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen, which has served free daily meals to the needy of the Scranton area since 1978.

In addition to Msgr. Siconolfi, priests who are celebrating 60, 50 and 25 year ordination anniversaries will be honored at the Mass.

The 2024 Mass for Priest Jubilarians will be broadcast live by CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton and will be available for viewing on the Diocese of Scranton website, YouTube channel, and social media platforms.

SCRANTON – Father Richard Burke, C.P., Rector of Saint Ann‘s Passionist Monastery and Director of Saint Ann’s Shrine Basilica, announces that the 100th Anniversary of the Solemn Novena to Saint Ann will take place July 17-26, 2024.

The novena is a period of nine days of special Eucharists, devotions, and preaching of the Word of God in West Scranton. These nine days build toward the celebration of the Feast of Saint Ann and Saint Joachim on the tenth day, July 26. Our special Passionist preachers this year will be Father Justin Nelson Alphonse, C.P., Pastor of Saint Agnes Passionist Parish in Louisville, KY, and Father Luis Daniel Guivas Gerena, C.P., Administrator of Saint Gemma Passionist Parish in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Father Richard said the centenary of the Novena has inspired special outreach to the growing Hispanic Catholic community in the Diocese of Scranton and surrounding dioceses. The Novena will have a Eucharist and Novena service in Spanish at 7:30 p.m. each evening from July 17-25. The faithful will celebrate the Feast of Saint Ann in Spanish on Thursday, July 25, at 7:30 p.m. with Passionist Bishop Neil Tiedemann, C.P., D.D. as celebrant.

The Solemn Closing of Saint Ann’s Novena will be on Friday, July 26, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. with the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, serving as preacher and homilist.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend their year’s milestone Novena celebration in West Scranton from July 17-26!

COVINGTON TWP. – After months of research, discussion and planning, the Diocese of Scranton Catholic Cemeteries Office is now offering the option of a ‘green burial’ as an alternative to a customary burial or cremation.

The ‘Green Burial Council’ defines the practice as a “way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health and the restoration and/or preservation of habitat.”

The concept of a green burial is rooted in simplicity and sustainability. Unlike traditional burials, which often involve embalming fluids, concrete vaults and non-biodegradable caskets, green burials prioritize returning the body to the earth in its most natural state.

“Green burials are a natural way of taking care of a person’s burial needs at the time of a death,” Kevin Beck, Diocesan Catholic Cemeteries Superintendent, explained. “It entails no outside vaults, which is a concrete vault that we use in most areas, and no fancy metal caskets. It is supposed to be all natural – wood, reed, bamboo, wicker or cloth – creating less disturbance and less of a carbon footprint at that point.”

In response to inquiries about the practice of green burials, the Diocese of Scranton is now offering a natural burial section at Saint Catherine’s Cemetery near Moscow. Parish cemeteries may offer the service at their discretion and only if following the procedures outlined by the Diocese. Father Thomas Petro, Pastor, Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Dupont, announced in his parish bulletin that its cemetery will also offer the option for individuals.

Alex Burney, who has served as Superintendent at Saint Catherine’s Cemetery for the last year, said an area in the back right corner of the cemetery has been selected to accommodate green burials.

“It is right behind the Sisters of the Good Shepherd section and it is a nice green area. The land is not one-hundred percent level, but that helps to make it natural,” Burney said. “We have 12 graves available right now. However, we have a lot of rom in front of it to be able to expand, so we would be able to do 100 graves and we have other sections that we would also be able to make green burial sections in the cemetery.”

Because embalming is not conducted with a green burial, a body can only be preserved by refrigeration for 36 to 48 hours, so anyone contemplating the new practice should inform family members well in advance. While the cemetery provides the necessary space, a licensed funeral director must administer it.

“We have at least three funeral directors who have either done it, or are preparing themselves for the need,” Beck noted. “All of the funeral directors that I’ve spoken to are willing to do them, but it is still a new process, so most of them have very little experience with it so far.”

For many years, the Catholic Church has emphasized the sanctity of life and the importance of caring for God’s creation. In his encyclical, Laudato Si, Pope Francis called for a renewed sense of ecological responsibility, urging Catholics to recognize the interconnectedness of all living beings and the urgent need for environmental protection.

“It will really resemble a traditional burial outside of the container that the person would be buried in,” Beck said. “A person can still have a funeral Mass. They can still have a final blessing at the gravesite as well and family are welcome to be there. At the time, it is just really the materials and the carbon output to process a body for burial that is different.”

At Saint Catherine’s Cemetery, each gravesite will not have an individual marker or stone, instead, there will be one common marker created that will denote the names of those interred in the natural burial area. Since the area is meant to be natural, the gravesite will settle naturally and no extensive landscaping will be done, other than routine lawn mowing.

According to the new Diocesan Green Burial regulations, which are available on the Diocese of Scranton website, other important rules include:

• Cremated bodies will not be allowed in the green burial section, since the cremation practice involves the use of fossil fuels in the incineration process.

• There will only be one burial per space – and space in the green burial area will be allocated in sequential manner to not disturb previous sites – therefore there is no “choice” of burial space allowed.

• Markers, memorials, plaques or objects of any kind cannot be left in the green burial area. Planting of any type will also be prohibited.

Anyone contemplating a green burial must recognize the solemnity and Catholic nature of the cemetery in which the area is located. No ceremonies, rituals, or acts contrary to Catholic tradition or Canon law will be allowed.

Fees and pricing for green burials will be the same as traditional burial practices.
While there are currently no planned green burials for Saint Catherine’s Cemetery, staff members say they are prepared to handle the first request when it comes in.

“It is a beautiful setting back there. It’s a nice little corner of the cemetery,” Beck said.

Any questions regarding green burials should be directed to the Diocesan Catholic Cemeteries Director.

SCRANTON – The Diocese of Scranton held its annual Mother’s Day Adoption Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Peter on May 12, 2024.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, served as principal celebrant and homilist.

“I love this Mass. I get very emotional every year I attend,” Tamara Hall, Director of Maternity and Family Services at Saint Joseph’s Center, said. “We have a strong following of adoptive families that bring their families to this Mass and I have the privilege of seeing them grow up.”

The Mass recognized all mothers – including foster mothers, adoptive mothers, birth mothers and those who fill a “motherly” role.

 

FAIRMOUNT SPRINGS – The Rev. Brother Andrew Cyril Stola, O.P., will be ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ on Saturday, May 25, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

The son of David and Teresita Stola, Br. Cyril grew up in Huntington Mills and attended Saint Martha’s Church in Fairmount Springs with his family.

Brother Cyril graduated from Northwest Area High School in 2013, and he subsequently attended New York University, where he met the Dominican friars through the university chaplaincy. After graduating NYU with a degree in economics in May 2017, he entered the novitiate of the Dominican Province of Saint Joseph the same Summer, receiving the religious name Brother Cyril.

The Dominican Order, also known as the Order of Preachers, was founded by Saint Dominic in 1216 to preach the Gospel for the salvation of souls.

Dominican friars pray together and serve the local Church through various ministries, and the Province of St. Joseph extends throughout the northeast region of the United States.

Brother Cyril professed simple vows in the Dominican Order in August 2018. He professed solemn vows in February 2022, and he was ordained to the diaconate in March 2023 by Bishop Gerardo Colacicco, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of New York.

Along with four other Dominican friars, Br. Cyril will be ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Christopher Cardone, O.P., Archbishop of Honiara in the Solomon Islands.

Brother Cyril will offer a Mass of Thanksgiving at Saint Martha’s Church, 260 Bonnieville Road, Fairmount Springs, on Corpus Christi Sunday, June 2, at 10:00 a.m.

A Eucharistic procession, an opportunity to receive a first priestly blessing, and a reception will follow the Mass.

SCRANTON – The public is invited to celebrate and honor World Refugee Day!

On Saturday, June 22, 2024, everyone is invited to join local Scranton refugee communities for a time of sharing, learning, fellowship and celebration that honors global refugees. This year’s theme is, ‘A World Where Refugees Are Always Welcomed,’ which focuses on the power of inclusion and solutions for refugees.

The event will be held from 2 – 4 p.m. at Nay Aug Park in Scranton (on the Greenhouse side of Nay Aug Park). The celebration will include cultural songs and music, refreshments, games and activities for kids.

World Refugee Day is an annual international day, designated by the United Nations, to celebrate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home countries to escape conflict or persecution.

Several community agencies are working together to put together the 2024 World Refugee Celebration, including Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton, the Church of Saint Gregory in Clarks Green, The University of Scranton, United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Ignatian Volunteer Corps, Islamic Center of Scranton, Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, Congolese Community of Scranton, Bhutanese Cultural Foundation Scranton Association, Saigon Corner Vietnamese Restaurant, The Hexagon Project, and Pennsylvania Department of Education – Migrant Education Program.

More volunteers and community partners are always welcome to participate.

SCRANTON – Since becoming involved in scouting four years ago, Thomas Cain of Jermyn has made many new friends and gained more self-confidence.

“As a boy scout, I try to advance by myself and not with other people. I try to do it on my own,” the sixth grader said.

On April 20, 2024, Cain was one of ten young people who received awards as part of the Diocese of Scranton’s annual Scout Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Peter.

Cain, who is a parishioner of Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish, was one of seven students to receive the Ad Altare Dei award, which centers on the Sacraments and equips a scout to take their place as a maturing Catholic.

The three other scouts received the Pope Pius XII emblem, which reflects the ideal of the youth’s growing awareness of the Word of God as well as their place in the world.

Ethan Stangline of Pleasant Mount, who is a parishioner of Saint Katherine Drexel Parish, also received the Ad Altare Dei award.

“Ad Altare Dei meant a lot of hard work and long determination. We had to answer questions based off how scouting relates to Baptism and the Sacraments and how it affects our daily lives,” the seventh grader explained.

Award recipient Ryan Fagan of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Throop said earning his Ad Altare Dei award was an important milestone.

“I think it means a lot because I learned a lot more than I knew before – mostly about marriage and baptism. The other Sacraments I knew somewhat about, even though Confirmation I didn’t know much about though,” Fagan said.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, served as principal celebrant and homilist for the Scout Mass.

After handing each scout his award, he congratulated them on their accomplishments.

“We are extremely proud of you. You are a wonderful sign to all of us – of the young Church of this Diocese – and of a future that is bright and hope-filled because of you,” Bishop Bambera said. “We are richly blessed by all of you.”

In the days following the Mass, the Boy Scouts of America announced a change in name – becoming “Scouting America” in Feb. 2025 – but it will not affect affiliated Catholic scout troops, the executive director of the Catholic Church’s official committee overseeing Scouting programs in the U.S. told OSV News.

“It doesn’t really impact us at all,” said John Anthony, who heads up the National Catholic Committee on Scouting, which sponsors Catholic Scouting.

WILKES-BARRE – It was nearly standing room only inside Saint Nicholas Church in Wilkes-Barre on April 21, 2024, as the faithful gathered to celebrate the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, served as principal celebrant of the 12:15 p.m. liturgy, which was celebrated in Spanish.

“In every stage of our life, we all come to a pause where we don’t know where to head. In times of trouble and need, we look up to God and ask him to clear a path and step into the next path of our life,” Angel Munoz of Saint Nicholas-Saint Mary Parish, said after the celebration. “It was an honor to have the Bishop here.”

The Mass was filled with many young people, some who say they considered a call to religious life because of the strong faith of their family.

“At a young age, I knew it was a possibility,” Marie Vazquez Perez of Saint-Nicholas-Saint Mary Parish, explained. “We come from many generations that are very religious, my grandmother and my mother, so I knew that was always a possibility. It didn’t happen for me, but I did think about the paths that I could take.”

Even though Perez did not pursue a religious life vocation, she still participates in her parish by helping with religious education, Our Lady of Guadalupe activities and the choir.

“I think he is still calling me in many different ways,” she added.

Adriana Sosa, who participated in the Mass as an altar server, agrees.

I feel God calls me in many ways. Throughout life, I have been dedicated to helping out a lot of people,” Sosa said. “He has made me into someone who volunteers.”

ENCOURAGEMENT, ADORATION KEY TO FOSTERING PRIEST VOCATIONS, NEW REPORT SHOWS

Personal encouragement and Eucharistic Adoration are crucial in fostering vocations to the priesthood, according to data from a newly released report.

On April 15, Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate released the 2024 “Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood,” a report made directly to the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The CARA report was released just days before the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

Most respondents said they had first considered a vocation to the priesthood when they were 16 years old, and the average age of ordination was 34, a number consistent with the range of 33-37 reported since 1999.

CARA’s executive director, Jesuit Father Thomas Gaunt, told OSV News that direct encouragement of young men to consider priestly life is a “perennial factor” in vocations, with 89% of the respondents, or nine in 10, reporting they had received such support – usually from a parish priest (63%), friend (41%) or parishioner (41%).

“You could almost say that … no one shows up at the seminary who was not encouraged,” Father Gaunt said.

Eucharistic adoration also emerged as significant in vocational discernment, with 75% of the respondents noting they had regularly prayed before the Blessed Sacrament prior to entering the seminary.

WILKES-BARRE – On April 28, Cathy Swoboda was celebrating the past and looking forward to the future.

The parishioner and business manager of Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish was one of several hundred people who attended a special Mass of Thanksgiving at Saint Aloysius Church in Wilkes-Barre, recognizing the 125th anniversary of the worship site.

“It is a milestone for the church. We have been through so much, starting with the Flood in 1972 and COVID recently,” she said. “For me, 125 years is a celebration of the past and hope for the future.”

Swoboda credits the kindness of her fellow parishioners – and the serenity of the building itself – for making the church a welcoming place.

“I’m involved in everything that goes on in this church because I want to be, not because I have to be. The people are wonderful. Everybody is sweet and kind to each other. We have a great time at our annual bazaar. It’s just a special feeling you have when you walk in the church,” she added.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, served as principal celebrant and homilist for the 125th Anniversary Mass. Father Richard Cirba, pastor, concelebrated the liturgy along with Father Kevin Mulhern, former pastor, and several other native sons of the parish, including Father Andrew Sinnott and Father James Nash.

“It was just a glorious day. The weather is beautiful and we’re happy to welcome back some of the native sons of the parish,” Father Cirba said. “One hundred twenty-five years is a milestone and it would be remiss for us to just let it go by without acknowledging it so it brought great excitement and enthusiasm for the people.”

As he began his homily, Bishop Bambera thanked parishioners for the opportunity to celebrate with them and called the Mass a “beautiful gathering.”

In reflecting on the Gospel message for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, involving Jesus as the vine and his followers as the branches, Bishop Bambera explained how we are all interconnected – with a shared faith in the Risen Jesus and all those who have gone before us.

“I’d invite you today, here in this church, to let your memories flow,” he said. “Maybe this is the church where you and your children were baptized. Maybe this is where you received your First Communion 60 or 70 years ago, or maybe it is the place where you were married and began a family.”

The Bishop reminded those at the Anniversary Mass, however, that a “parish” is not just a building or a structure, it is the people of God.

“We are celebrating nothing less than the power and presence of God in our lives,” Bishop Bambera noted.

The faithful who attend Saint Aloysius Church are very thankful they currently have two seminarians who are discerning a path to the priesthood – Andrew McCarroll and Peter Stec. McCarroll is expected to be ordained a transitional deacon on May 25 and would likely be ordained a priest next summer and Stec will be attending college seminary this coming fall.

“I’m proud just to be able to see the history of this community, especially as I’m discerning my vocation and preparing for ordained ministry, to see all the men who went before me in priestly service to our Diocese,” McCarroll said at the conclusion of the Anniversary Mass. “To see that rich history of service, not only just to this community, but also the Church of Scranton.”

While McCarroll has seen the South Wilkes-Barre community change demographically over the years, he believes there is a lot of hope for the future.

“It is good to see that we’re still proclaiming the Gospel … because Christ’s message is still true, then, as it is now,” McCarroll noted.