Author: Dan Gallagher

 

Scranton Half Marathon

On February 9, 2022 the Scranton Half Marathon Foundation presented Saint Francis Kitchen with two checks for $13, 691 and $5,000. The first was in connection with the proceeds of the Fall 2021 Half Marathon. This year, the Scranton Half Marathon that will take place on Sunday, April 3rd. The Foundation also presented a $5,000 contribution that will be used in support of the kitchen’s annual Host for a Day Campaign. Thank you very much for continued and generous support of the important mission that we share.

Standing from left to right are the Scranton Half Marathon committee members Tim Rowland, Pat Fricchione, Rob Williams, Executive Director of St Francis Kitchen, Jim Moran, Gary Jones, Dr. Tom Minora, Matt Byrne, Ted Zwiebel, Owen Worozbyt, Melissa Pavlowski, Saint Francis Advisory Board President, Mike McCormick, Matt Hunter and Jason Geadrities.

To find out more about how individuals and organizations may collaborate with us, especially in the next few months during our annual campaign, contact Rob Williams at 570-342-5556 or visit our website at www.stfranciskitchen.org

 

SCI Waymart

We had the privilege yesterday of hosting 15 volunteers from the Administrative Staff of State Correctional Institution – Waymart. It was a pleasure meeting you and having you collaborate in the important mission that we share!

 

 

Wright Center Mobile Medical Unit

The Wright Center is here at the kitchen and pantries today with the Driving Better Health Mobile Medical Unit. They are conducting a Mobile COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing and will be here until 2 pm today.  We thank the staff and leadership at the Wright Center for their ongoing commitment to serving those in need in our community.

 

 

The replica icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa will be brought to the Catholic Church of St. Luke in Stroudsburg and venerated at all the parish’s liturgies on Saturday and Sunday, February 26^th and 27^th. The original icon has a legendary past that led in the 14^th century to its housing at the Jasna Góra monastery near the town of Czestochowa. Under this title, the Blessed Mother has been considered the protector of Poland through centuries of invasions and wars. Devotion to the Madonna has flourished among Polish-American Catholics and efforts to build a shrine in her honor began in the 1950s. Finally, in 1966, a new and spacious church was erected in Doylestown, Pennsylvania to service the growing numbers of pilgrims.

The replica icon will be brought to the Poconos from that Doylestown National Shrine at the request of the Catholics who celebrate Sunday Mass in the Polish language at St. Luke’s. As explained by Deacon Phil Zimich, himself of Polish ancestry, “This veneration will be in two languages to join our Polish worshippers with the rest of our parish in a testimony to our one faith.” The visit has special meaning this February when the threat of invasion and war are growing near the Polish homeland. St. Luke’s Church is located at the corner of 9^th and Main Streets in Stroudsburg.

Call 570.421-9097 for more information.

 

 

 

On Monday, February 14 at 8 p.m., CTV will debut the special on Rev. Jeffrey J. Walsh’s appointment as the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan.  Entitled “Bishop-elect Walsh: Living the Call to Servant Leadership”, the special will look back on Fr. Walsh’s early years growing up in Scranton and how his parents and grandparents played a critical role in nurturing his Catholic faith.

We’ll see how the seed for Fr. Walsh’s priestly vocation was planted during a retreat he attended his junior year at the University of Scranton.

Fr. Walsh reflects on how blessed he has been over his 27 years of service to the Church of Scranton and how his varied experiences across the Diocese of Scranton have prepared him for the next chapter in his life.

Fr. Walsh talks about the phone call he received from Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States when he first learned that he was appointed as the Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan.

We’ll talk with several of Bishop-elect Walsh’s parishioners at Saint Rose of Lima and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Carbondale regarding their excitement over his appointment as Bishop.

Bishop Joseph C. Bambera and brother priests share their own thoughts on what makes Bishop-elect such a special priest and why they feel is well prepared to take on his new role as Bishop of Gaylord.

We’ll look back on the many ways that Bishop-elect Walsh has used his love for the outdoors to benefit the many parishes he has served here in the Diocese of Scranton.

And finally, Bishop-elect Walsh reflects on God’s divine providence and how it has lead him to this moment in his life where he will soon share the Gospel message with the faithful of Gaylord.

“Bishop-elect Walsh: Living the Call to Servant Leadership” will also air on February 15 at 10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m.; February 21 at 10:30 a.m.; February 24 at 2 p.m. and February 25 at 10:30 a.m.

 

 

They come for a hot, nutritious daily meal. Some return for a supper served three nights a week. All enjoy a friendly atmosphere and socialization with their fellow guests, and being treated with dignity and respect by staff and volunteers.

Many visit the Client-Choice Food Pantry and Free Clothing Store, getting what they need for themselves and their families.

Approximately 200 men, women and children of all ages benefit from these services provided by Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen in Scranton each day. This includes those who are offered meals through the Mid Valley Outreach Program at parish locations and high-rise housing buildings in Carbondale and Olyphant.

Founded in 1978, the Kitchen has been able to do all of this due to the dedicated service of staff and volunteers, and with financial support from the community – primarily through the annual Host‑for‑a‑Day campaign. The 2022 campaign is now underway.

For a donation of $100 or more, an individual, family, business, community organization or faith-based group can help to sponsor the day’s meal. Recognized sponsorships begin at the $500 contribution level.

In effect, each contributor becomes a “host” for a day. Contributors may then select a date on which they, or someone they designate or memorialize, will be recognized as the provider for that meal.

Through its partnership with the Kitchen, lunch is provided each Wednesday at Holy Cross Parish in Olyphant, where Father Scott Sterowski serves as pastor. Frank Marek is among those who is grateful for this service.

“This is a great opportunity for those in our area to receive a well-balanced meal, especially now, during these financially challenging times,” he said, adding that donations to the Host-for-a-Day campaign are “greatly appreciated and go directly toward providing a hot, nourishing meal to anyone who could use one.”

Sue Ann Edmunds, a resident of the Carbondale Housing Authority North High Rise, loves the meals provided by the Kitchen “because they are tasty and convenient. My income is limited and this is a big help!”

In addition, she is a member of the Housing Authority Team that helps to deliver the meals to other residents. And when she recently had an extra $20 she donated it to the Kitchen “because it’s a great cause!”

While many are familiar with how the Kitchen provides these meals, they might not be aware of just how important the Client-Choice Food Pantry is.

According to Kitchen Executive Director Rob Williams, there has been a significant increase in the number of individuals and families who take advantage of the pantry in recent months – well over 1,000 individuals and 503 family servings in January alone. He noted that pantry offerings have expanded to include cleaning supplies and ensure fresh produce each day of operation.

“We see individuals and people with children coming to our food pantry every week,” he said. “They need these items to help feed their families. They are so grateful that we offer this service.”

Maria McCool, a member of the Kitchen’s Advisory Board, is chairing the Host-for-a-Day campaign and leading the effort with her fellow board members.

“We are fortunate to be able to help our sisters and brothers in need even with all the challenges of the pandemic,” she said. “And we are truly blessed by so many in our community who continue to support our mission.”

Past contributors to the campaign are receiving an appeal directly from the Kitchen through the mail or will be contacted by members of the Kitchen’s Advisory Board.

Anyone who does not receive an appeal through the mail can make a Host‑for‑a‑Day gift by calling the Kitchen at 570-342‑5556, or sending a check to Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen, 500 Penn Avenue, Scranton PA 18509. Donations can also be made online at: www.stfranciskitchen.org or facebook.com/stfranciskitchen.

Also, out of continuing concern for the health and safety of benefactors and board members, the typical Appreciation Reception that concludes the campaign will not be held in a gathered way again this year. Instead, the culmination of the campaign will be marked with a Virtual Celebration consisting of a pre-recorded program. The release date will be Wednesday, April 27, at 6 p.m. on www.facebook.com/stfranciskitchen.

This year the Virtual Celebration will honor Monsignor Constantine V. Siconolfi, founder of the Kitchen, and Toyota of Scranton for outstanding support.

Those who would like to sponsor the Virtual Reception are asked to call the Kitchen at 570-342‑5556.