Author: Dan Gallagher

“God is calling, even in the midst of a global pandemic.”

SCRANTON – On the Fourth Sunday of Easter, May 3, 2020, the Diocese of Scranton celebrated World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Following the call of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, Catholics were encouraged to intercede for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Father Don Williams, Diocesan Director of Vocations & Seminarians, celebrated the weekend Mass with Bishop Joseph C. Bambera at the Cathedral of Saint Peter. The annual celebration usually brings together hundreds of faithful, including many young people. This year, due to the coronavirus, the Mass was celebrated virtually and broadcast on CTV: Catholic Television. During his homily, Father Williams first spoke about the hope that he sees, even during all the pain and difficulty associated with social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If we reflect on a deeper level, I’m sure we could also acknowledge that something very wonderful is happening in the midst of this hardship and difficulty. Many of the young people that I have been connecting with over the past several weeks have come to say our families are spending more time together now than ever. We enjoy family meals, we’re playing board games, we’re watching movies, older siblings are helping their younger brothers and sisters with homework and they’re just hanging out,” Father Williams said. At this time, Father Williams said he has also seen many young people taking more time to reflect and be quiet.

“How many of you have had a deep hunger for the Eucharist, coming to appreciate this gift that perhaps at times we may have taken for granted? I’ve noticed many young adults thinking critically these days. They’re asking the bigger questions.

They’re making time to truly discern. We have many wonderful young people who connect each week through video conferencing groups, asking questions, praying, understanding the tools for spiritual discernment,” he added. Explaining that the Diocese of Scranton is blessed with many good men and women in formation with various religious communities, Father Williams said more are always needed to join in mission and ministry.

“God is calling, even in the midst of a global pandemic,” he said. Father Williams asked the people of the Diocese of Scranton to do four things: pray, affirm, encourage and invite. “If you have come across a young person, who you believe has the gifts to serve, affirm what you have seen. Call them by name,” Father Williams said, pointing to a recent study that shows 89-percent of individuals being ordained this year were personally invited by someone.

“Give God permission. Keep God at the center of your life. Give God permission to speak to your heart and enlighten your mind.” Other tenants of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations include praying for the priests who minister and praying a rosary for more young men and women to respond to God’s call.

“If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is simply this: how fragile life is, how important we are to each other, and how important it is to think beyond ourselves and to live generously, faithfully, selflessly so that we might make a difference for good in our Church and in our world.

SCRANTON – Bishop Joseph C. Bambera joined bishops throughout the United States in reconsecrating the United States to Mary as the nation continues to struggle in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Bishops in Canada also used May 1 to rededicate their country to the Blessed Mother.

Bishop Bambera led a local prayer service at the Cathedral of Saint Peter. It was broadcast live on CTV: Catholic Television and livestreamed on Facebook, YouTube and the Diocese of Scranton website.

“During these days that continue to be painful for many of us, may we find hope in Mary’s example of loving, trustful discipleship and may we embrace Jesus’ invitation to rely upon her watchful and loving care for our Church and for our lives, especially during these days,” Bishop Bambera said.

The bishop noted Mary’s loving heart and her long journey of faith.

“From the moment that she was asked to accept the unbelievable, that she was to give birth to the Savior, through the power of the most high God, her entire life became a journey of trust in the midst of pain, suffering and struggle,” Bishop Bambera added.

Those tribulations make her example all the more important to us.

“Mary has stood before us, not as a pristine, porcelain figure who was shielded from this world. Quite the contrary, she is that simple soul who has known life as we experience it. A lonely figure at times who walked every path of life, of joy, but also of pain and suffering, to the point of letting go of her son on a Cross, allowing Him to be crucified, something that was so unfair and so undeserving,” the bishop said.

Bishop Bambera prayed for Mary’s intercession for the needs of our country, that every desire for good may be blessed and strengthened.

“Mary understands the brokenness of our world, because she experienced it, like you and I do. She understands the pain, the fear, the confusion, the doubt, the struggle, the grief, every one of those dimensions of life were woven into hers. Yet, throughout her entire journey in this world, she stands before us as a model of discipleship and faith, trusting that regardless of how her life unfolded, she believed fundamentally in the midst of everything that came her way, God’s promise to save his people would always come to pass. It is because of her role as such a trusting disciple and a mother that we turn to her today, at the very invitation of Jesus, as he prepared to lose his own life,” he added.

At exactly the same time as the service in Scranton was taking place, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, led a similar event at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral which was livestreamed to the faithful.

Alternating between English and Spanish, Archbishop Gomez said: “In this difficult time we turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of the church. She intercedes with her Son for all are affected in this way by the pandemic…We implore her maternal care for her children.”

Archbishop Gomez noted Mary’s history in the United States.

“The first missionaries came to this country under the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Later, the bishops consecrated her as patroness of the United States of America,” he said. “The Virgin Mary has accompanied this great nation since our beginnings,” he added. “Now in this difficult hour, we renew our consecration to her.”

The United States has been hit harder than any other nation in deaths connected to COVID-19.

“Mary was the first person to consecrate herself to Jesus, the first to offer her whole heart to do his will, to set his beautiful plan of redemption,” Archbishop Gomez said. “We ask God to give us that same faith, that same courage … the strength to follow Jesus, to seek his holiness and his kingdom.”

At its conclusion, Archbishop Gomez said, “Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, is encouraging us to rediscover the beauty of praying the rosary at home in the month of May.” He noted “maybe we can dedicate ourselves to find time to come together as a family to pray the rosary in our homes.”

This reconsecration reaffirms the bishops’ previous consecrations of the United States to Mary. In 1792, the first bishop of the United States, Bishop John Carroll, consecrated the nation to Mary under the title Immaculate Conception, and in 1846, the bishops unanimously chose Mary under that title as the patroness of the nation. In 1959, Cardinal Patrick O’Boyle of Washington again consecrated the United States to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The consecration on May 1 follows a similar action of the bishops’ conference of Latin America and the Caribbean, who consecrated their nations to Our Lady of Guadalupe on Easter Sunday. Catholic News Service contributed to this report.

CRESCO, PA (May 6, 2020) – As a result of declining enrollment and other serious challenges, the Diocese of Scranton announced today that Monsignor McHugh School will close, effective at the end of the current academic year on June 30, 2020.

Students, families, administrators, educators and pastors from the Monroe County school community have all been notified of the closure.

“This is a very difficult decision to make at an especially difficult time,” Bishop Joseph C. Bambera said to families in a video message due to the fact that an in-person gathering with the school community could not be held because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “The Diocese of Scranton remains committed to the mission of Catholic education, creating tomorrow’s faith-filled leaders, but the declining enrollment at Monsignor McHugh School has left us with no other option.”

Over the last five years, Monsignor McHugh School, which currently serves grades Pre-K through eight, has seen its enrollment decrease by 56% despite school administrators’ efforts to implement new enrollment and academic initiatives. Currently, there are only 70 students registered for the 2020-2021 school year. In addition, the number of school-age children within a 15-mile radius of the school is predicted to decline by almost five-percent by 2024 according to MissionInsite, a demographic analytic firm.

2014-15 Enrollment        2019-20 Enrollment        Percent Change

Monsignor McHugh School                                          218                                         97                                           -56%

While the current coronavirus health crisis will certainly have a financial impact on the Diocese of Scranton Catholic School System, Monsignor McHugh School was already facing severe financial challenges before the pandemic began. The school’s projected budget deficit for 2019-20 was a loss of almost $450,000.

“I truly wish we did not have to make this decision because we recognize how unique and important Monsignor McHugh is to its community,” Jason Morrison, Diocesan Secretary of Catholic Education/Chief Executive Officer, said. “Our most important responsibility remains providing for the educational and spiritual care of our students. We are committed to helping our students and families transition to another Catholic school that best suits their needs.”

The Diocese will offer the families of students currently enrolled at Monsignor McHugh School the opportunity to receive a continuation grant toward their tuition at another Catholic school next year. Any one of the Diocesan Schools is prepared to welcome the Monsignor McHugh families. The closest being Notre Dame Elementary School (Pre-K through Grade 6) and Notre Dame Junior/Senior High School (Grades 7-12), located approximately 15 miles away.

“Making the decision to close a school is the most difficult, heart-breaking decision, because we know how it impacts the lives of so many people,” Kristen Donohue, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, said. “This announcement is even more gut-wrenching and complicated during the COVID-19 pandemic, while our students and families, who are so committed to Catholic education, have been working so hard to continue distance learning.”

The Diocese of Scranton Catholic Schools Office will allow educators and administrators from Monsignor McHugh to apply for any open positions throughout the educational system for the 2020-21 academic year.

About the Diocese of Scranton Catholic School System

Each year, the Diocese of Scranton Catholic School System provides a well-rounded education to approximately 4,500 students throughout 20 Catholic schools. Educators offer an enriching STREAM curriculum that includes the arts, foreign languages, physical education and the latest computer technology to complement the core subjects of religion, math, language arts, social studies and science.

All of our Catholic schools are accredited by the Middle States Association, and all of our teachers are state-certified educators, who inspire their students and bring amazing experiences into their classrooms. The mission of the Diocese of Scranton Catholic School System is to educate students and their families in the Catholic faith. We provide a Catholic education that is spiritually sound and academically excellent. We strive to prepare our students to be faith-filled leaders and life-long leaders dedicated to serving the church and society.

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference today lamented Governor Wolf’s veto of the Telemedicine Bill that had passed the House and Senate.

“This is very distressing,” said Eric Failing, the Executive Director of the PCC. “Governor Wolf has chosen politics over the health and safety of the citizens of Pennsylvania. Telemedicine figured to be a major boost to healthcare across the state, especially now in the current crisis we are fighting through. The Governor vetoed the bill because it contained protections against dangerous drugs identified by the FDA, including a drug used for abortions.”

Failing had called the Telemedicine bill the premier pro-life vote of the entire session. He pointed out that a third of all abortions being done now are done so chemically. “If our pro-life prohibitions would be stripped out of the Telemedicine bill, the number of abortions in Pennsylvania would increase dramatically. Using Telemedicine for abortions is a stated goal for Planned Parenthood because they can do more chemical abortions with fewer doctors and less overhead costs.”

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference is based in Harrisburg and is the public affairs arm of Pennsylvania’s Catholic bishops.

In the midst of rising unemployment numbers and essential workers who are putting their lives on the line to battle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this Friday, May 1, will take on added significance with two different events in the Diocese of Scranton.

First, Bishop Joseph C. Bambera will celebrate the 12:10 p.m. daily Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Peter for the Feast Day of Saint Joseph the Worker. The bishop will pray for all workers – including essential workers, the unemployed and those seeking work.

In 1955, Pope Pius XII established May 1 as the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, a day to celebrate labor and working people as well as Saint Joseph, a carpenter and the foster father of Jesus.

The Mass will be broadcast on CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton, in addition to the Diocese of Scranton’s website, YouTube channel and social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Also on May 1, at 3:00 p.m., Bishop Bambera will join other bishops from across the United States and Canada in renewing the consecrations of the two nations to the care of our Blessed Mother. Through a collective dedication or entrustment of a nation to Mary, an act of consecration is meant to be a reminder to the faithful of the Blessed Mother’s witness to the Gospel and to ask for her effective intercession before her Son on behalf of those in need.

The consecration on May 1 follows a similar action of the bishops’ conference of Latin America and the Caribbean, who consecrated their nations to Our Lady of Guadalupe on Easter Sunday.

The local prayer service, led by Bishop Bambera, will also be broadcast at 3:00 p.m. on CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton, in addition to being available on the Diocese of Scranton’s website, YouTube channel and social media platforms.

I begin this message with a wish for continued safety and good health. In these incredible times we are obligated to focus on this immediate crisis. But with God’s help we will slowly resume some sense of normalcy.

Child abuse prevention month, an annual event in April, has understandably been eclipsed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the emphasis has been diminished, the significance remains of the utmost importance. According to the 2018 Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Annual Report, there were more than 44,000 reports of abuse and more than 5,000 of those were designated as substantiated abuse cases. The category with the highest number of substantiated cases remains sexual abuse, a sad commentary on the status of our society. Each of those numbers represents a child experiencing unimaginable trauma.

We must all do our part to prevent the continued abuse of children. Training is critical. Although public gatherings are not possible at this time, you can complete both VIRTUS and mandated reporter trainings online. To access VIRTUS online, please go to the website and register at virtusonline.org. Once you create an account, select the online module. The University of Pittsburgh offers mandated reporter training online at reportabusepa.pitt.edu.

There is no question that we pray for the conclusion of this pandemic. But once we’ve resumed our former routines, let us not proceed with complacency. We must move into the future with renewed purpose and appreciation of life. By joining the fight against child abuse, we affirm the value of those who are most vulnerable. Will you enlist in the battle to protect children?

By Kathleen Bolinski
Safe Environment Coordinator

PITTSTON – Sticking to a routine has helped the Riley family adjust to distance learning within the Diocese of Scranton Catholic School System.

“I have been really astounded at how the process has gone,” mother Anita Riley said. Riley’s daughter, Ava, 7, is currently a first grade student at Holy Rosary School in Duryea. “We were immediately prepared. We started that Monday after the closure and we were doing school work, which for my daughter allowed her to continue that routine,” Riley said.

“I’ve been really proud to be a Catholic school parent!” Constant communication from school administration has helped ease fear and concern and facilitated a smooth transition. “We still feel like a community even though we are apart,” Riley added. The Riley family also credits the hard work and dedication of teachers, many of whom are available to answer questions about assignments at any time.

“The teachers have been nothing short of amazing,” Riley said. “The passion, how much they care about the students and how sad they are to not be teaching has been relayed to us and felt genuinely from day one.” The Nealon family in Archbald agrees with those sentiments regarding the transition to distance learning and the dedication of the Catholic school faculty.

“I can’t be more impressed with the way they handled it,” father Jack Nealon said. “You can plan for fire drills and snow days, I can’t imagine how they planned for this. But the way they executed it was very well-prepared and very deliberate.” The Nealon family has two boys, Riley and Brayden, who are students at La Salle Academy in Jessup. Riley is an eighth grade student and Brayden is in fourth grade.

“You can really tell that the kids were the first priority; the safety of the kids, the normalcy for the kids and the academics, there was really no lapse in that,” Nealon added. While certainly not the ideal way to learn, the Nealon family is thankful for technology that allows students and teachers to stay connected, including Google Classroom. Preparing for each school day actually starts the night before.

“The evening before, my wife will get emails from all the boys’ teachers. It’s not just math and English, but it’s also the music teacher and the gym teacher. It is the full curriculum!” Nealon said. “They couldn’t have planned for it, they couldn’t have seen this coming, but they were on top of it.” La Salle Academy principal, Ellen Murphy, said the entire educational team works together to provide children the continuity of skills and opportunity for academic growth. “It was an extraordinary challenge that was met by extraordinary people,” Murphy remarked.

“They immediately went to the mode of ‘we can do this.’ There was some fear and concern but they supported each other and they worked together. I can’t say enough about how well the faculty works with each other and they support each other.” Murphy believes a lot of the credit for the success of distance learning also belongs to parents.

“I think the parents have shown incredible strength. This is very difficult to assume this role in their children’s lives. They’re partnering with the teachers to do what they can to make life a little more normal,” she said. Murphy personally sees all of the lessons of educators and has been added as a co-teacher in many video conferences. That gives her the unique perspective of being able to see all the online lesson plans in action.

“I watched a teacher’s lesson. She had a white board in her parlor and she filmed herself explaining a math concept to the students. It was just amazing and she was available for them via the Google Classroom for questions as she was explaining this lesson and they were beginning to work the concept,” Murphy said. La Salle Academy currently has 200 students ranging from pre-school to eighth grade. While the educational process has been turned upsidedown in many regards, Murphy said one important thing remains constant. “The most important part of every lesson plan is that every teacher begins with a prayer and encouragement,” Murphy said.

“To keep that prayer consistent and to remind each other of the need for prayer, that’s the most important part of every lesson that we’re doing every day.” Kristen Donohue, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, said all 20 schools within the Diocese of Scranton have now moved into the fourth marking period. After initially reviewing information, teachers are now introducing new concepts and students are completing assignments that are graded.

“We feel very confident going into the fourth marking period that we’re able to provide a quality education for our students,” Donohue said. Since March 16, 2020, when distance learning began, Donohue said educators have been constantly refining the process to make it the best it can be. They have been sharing best practices to make the virtual educational experience the best it can be.

“We’re extremely proud of how our principals and teachers have transitioned overnight and planned to prepare for our students in the most compassionate and strategic way to be able to continue that education and know that was the most important priority for students to continue education even though we weren’t able to access our buildings,” she added. M o v i n g f o r w a r d , administrators are now working to plan for milestone events like graduations, especially in the high schools, to give seniors the recognition they deserve.

“Nothing has been formalized yet but these students have worked so hard and our families have sacrificed so much to make this happen. We just want to make sure we give our seniors the recognition they deserve, in a genuine, authentic and creative way,” Donohue added.

They may attend different Diocesan schools, but Annie Reilly and Julia Mazur have something in common, they are sewing hope in their community. Reilly, a sixth grade student at Saint Clare/Saint Paul School in Scranton and Mazur, a junior at Holy Cross High School in Dunmore, have each spent the last several weeks making masks for family, friends and members of the community amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“I decided to make masks the Sunday after getting out of school,” Reilly said. After the 12-year-old’s mother saw a pattern on Facebook, Reilly’s instincts kicked in. “I took a sewing class since I was in second grade but I stopped when I was in fourth grade,” Reilly joked.

“Some people might call it frustrating but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy.”

To date, Reilly has created roughly 50 masks. She typically makes five or six a day, in between balancing regular school assignments.

“I was a little slow at first because I forgot how to turn on corners but then I watched a video and I remembered how to do it. It’s kind of easy once you know. You kind of hop right back into it,” Reilly added. Any money that Reilly makes from sewing and selling her masks is being donated to Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen in Scranton.

“Our family has always been involved with Saint Francis of Assisi Kitchen. We always do a ‘Day of Service’ there in honor of my aunt. When she (Annie) saw all these people are hungry and without food, she wanted to give back and that is where she wanted to donate to,” mother Alyson Reilly said. In a time of such uncertainty, Annie Reilly said she simply wants to spread a little bit of kindness.

“I’m hoping that when we spread this kindness, it will filter and more people will start doing more acts of kindness to help us get through this time,” she added. Julia Mazur, 17, started her mask-making effort for similar reasons.

“I started because my grandmother has a compromised immune system,” Mazur said. While her first requests for masks came from family and friends, Mazur said associates of her mother who work in a local nursing home and prison quickly followed. “It makes me feel great to know the places that couldn’t get them are being able to get them and use them,” Mazur said.

“I’m doing my best to do something that protects people and keeps them safe.” To date, Mazur has already made more than 350 masks. She averages 20 per day. “It’s crazy at this point,” Mazur joked. “I had never made one before. I actually saw a Facebook post on how to make one and I just went off of that. It was based on the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines.” The Holy Cross student has now enlisted her mother to help her cut fabric. She had some of the material already around the house but other people are now donating it to her.

Normally, Mazur wouldn’t have a lot of free time on her hands to make masks. But since she works for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who have had games postponed, she has more time to fulfill requests. “I can’t go to work right now. This is another thing to do to keep me busy!” Mazur added.

ASHLEY – Volunteers at the Ashley Food Pantry, which is hosted at Saint Leo’s/ Holy Rosary Parish, were expecting a larger than normal turnout for their April food distribution but even they were surprised by the number of new faces that showed up.

“Normally in a month, we’ll get four new clients,” Thomas Hooper, Ashley Food Pantry volunteer, said. “Thursday (April 16), we got 32 new clients. In one month, we got almost as many new clients as we do in a year.” Just like larger community organizations, many parishes across the Diocese of Scranton host food pantries at their facilities. They are also seeing an increased need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was the one parking the cars. The majority of them (clients) were younger people, not retirees, which was not surprising in a sense,” Hooper said. “A lot of younger people are being affected now.” The Ashley Food Pantry opens its doors once a month, the second Thursday of every month, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and again from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. It serves residents in the 18706 zip code, which includes Ashley, Hanover Township, Sugar Notch and Warrior Run. The next food distribution is scheduled for Thursday, May 14, 2020.

“Everybody puts a lot of time and effort into it because they know it’s a good cause,” Hooper added. The Ashley Food Pantry gets a majority of its food from CEO/Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank. The rest of the food donations come from individuals and parishioners at Saint Leo’s/Holy Rosary Parish. Volunteers who help distribute the food come from three area churches. While the coronavirus forced changes to normal distribution methods, the process now includes pre-bagging food and enforcing social distancing guidelines. Hooper believes it is worth it to serve the community.

“If you were in that situation of needing food, you’d want someone out there doing it for you. I think that is the motive behind it,” he added. For several decades, volunteers from the Saint Joseph the Worker Parish Food Pantry in Williamsport have also been stepping up to help their community. “We get new people every week,” Margaret Harpster, Food Pantry Coordinator, said. The pantry, which is open every Wednesday from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. has served 150 families in the last four weeks. That is an increase from the normal 100 to 125 families.

“We know we’re serving a need. You know you are helping them. You are forming a relationship with them as well,” Harpster said. In addition to parishioners from Saint Joseph the Worker Parish, the pantry also gets assistance from parishioners at Saint Boniface, Saint Lawrence and Saint Ann parishes. Since the coronavirus crisis started, volunteers say they’ve also seen a big increase in people looking to help.

“We’ve had a tremendous amount of donations, people wanting to help which has been amazing,” Harpster said. “We have grocery stores that donate to us every week. The Weis store in Montoursville gives us bakery items and the meat department will give us frozen meat. Aldi’s will also give us a variety of things.”