Bishop Bambera to celebrate Respect Life Sunday Mass on Oct. 4 at Cathedral

SCRANTON – The Catholic Church recognizes the month of October as Respect Life Month and the first Sunday in October is designated as Respect Life Sunday.

The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, will celebrate Respect Life Sunday Mass on Oct. 4, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton.

The Mass is open to the public. Faithful from across the Diocese of Scranton are invited to attend the Respect Life Sunday Mass and focus on God’s precious gift of human life and our responsibility to care for, protect and defend the lives of our brothers and sisters.

For those unable to attend in-person, the Mass will be broadcast live on CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton and the Diocese of Scranton’s YouTube Channel. The Mass will also be livestream on the Diocese of Scranton website with links provided on the Diocese of Scranton social media platforms.

The theme for the 2026 Respect Life celebration is “Mary, Mother of Life.”

The life of the Blessed Mother teaches us to respect each human life in every stage and circumstance.

Mary’s role as the Mother of Life extends from the Annunciation all the way to the Crucifixion. On Calvary, Mary stood at the foot of the Cross with Saint John. The Gospel tells us: “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home” (Jn 19:26-27).

With his final breaths on the Cross, Jesus entrusted Mary and the Beloved Disciple to one another, and by extension established a maternal relationship between Mary and the Church.

Jesus’ words were addressed not only to Saint John, but to each one of us. In that moment, the physical mother of Jesus became the spiritual mother of the Church and all the faithful. Saint John went on to take Mary into his home and cared for her as she advanced in age, demonstrating our responsibility to continue our care for human life, from conception to natural death. Mary, who taught us how to nurture human life, became the recipient of that same honor and care.