Category: Diocese of Scranton News

SCRANTON – For the last 70 years, Sister Verna Marie Stopper, S.C.C., has selflessly served her community, but through the grace of God, she feels like the lucky one.

“It was the people that made my life. They were always willing to work with me,” she said. “They were willing to work as a team to bring God’s love and blessings to their surroundings.”

For the first ten years of her public ministry, Sister Verna Marie was involved in education. The first seven of those years she taught seventh grade at Saint Ann’s Academy in Wilkes-Barre.

“I called it my ‘seven years of plenty’ because there was plenty of happiness. God was good during all those years,” she explained.

For the following five decades, Sister Verna Marie worked at Divine Providence Hospital in Williamsport.

“My ministry there was in finance and we had wonderful employees and wonderful people that worked with us,” she added.

Sister Verna Marie was one of 27 women and men religious recognized at the 2023 Jubilee Mass for Women and Men Religious on Nov. 5, 2023, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, served as principal celebrant and homilist. In welcoming the jubilarians to the Mass, he said the annual celebration is always a highlight of the year.

“This is one of those Masses to which I look forward every year, not only to see dear friends and colleagues from throughout my years as a priest and bishop, but especially to acknowledge the unique and the cherished gifts that you are to our Church,” Bishop Bambera said.

Collectively, the bishop noted this year’s jubilarians have given 1,865 years of service to the Church.

“Your willingness to engage and serve the people of God, especially the marginalized, immigrants, the poor, and all those oppressed … is a unique and powerful witness to the presence of God at work in our world,” the bishop noted during his homily. “What is so inspiring about your lives is that all that you do in service of God’s people, you do far more often than not in quiet, simple, loving, yet powerful ways – feeding, healing, teaching, praying and building God’s kingdom.”

Sister Theresa Petz, I.H.M., was recognized at the Jubilee Mass for 60 years of service.
“I really wanted to come to thank our Lord,” she said. “I loved teaching and I taught all my life. I was all over, in North Carolina and New York.”

While Sister Joyce Marks, I.H.M., joked that she won’t hit her 50th anniversary until Dec. 16, she said being able to attend Mass with the Bishop was very special.

“It means a lot. We actually started celebrating back at Our Lady of Peace Residence in July,” Sister Joyce explained.

Sister Kathryn Kurdziel, I.H.M., Diocesan Delegate for Religious, congratulated all of the women and men religious celebrating jubilees – and noted two of women have given 80 years to consecrated life.

“We thank them for their original ‘yes’ to the mystery of their call and for their lives of prayer, fidelity, and extraordinary dedication to the mission of the Church and their communities,” Sister Kathy said.

WILLIAMSPORT – Calling it a “beautiful opportunity” to be in the presence of our Lord, Livia Schwartzman was one of many people who participated in a 40 Hours Eucharistic Celebration in the Williamsport Deanery at the end of October.

“It is a perfect opportunity to be centered on Christ and to be fully united to him,” she said.

Schwartzman, a parishioner at Saint Joseph the Worker Parish in Williamsport, was happy to see parishioners from many parishes participate over the course of a three-day period from Oct. 24-26.

“There is a lot of evil and division all over the place and Christ is unifying and we just need to keep coming to Him to see the fruit that He produces,” Schwartzman added.

During the 40 Hours Eucharistic Celebration, people were invited to attend Mass, Daily Adoration and Evening Prayers at three different churches in Lycoming County.

“Forty Hours devotions are three days, three Eucharistic Days, when the Blessed Sacrament after Mass is placed in the monstrance on the altar and people are invited to come in and pray,” Father Glenn McCreary, V.E., pastor, Saint Boniface and Saint Lawrence Parishes, said.

The celebration began on Oct. 24 at Saint Joseph the Worker Parish. It continued the following day at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Montoursville and concluded on Oct. 26 at Saint Boniface Parish in Williamsport.

It was held in conjunction with the Second Year of the National Eucharistic Revival, which is specifically focusing on Eucharistic devotions in parishes to help all Catholics grasp more deeply the Mystery of the Eucharist.

Father McCreary said he was very happy with the number of people who turned out each day.

“What is very powerful about this is recognizing that we might be praying in silence before the Blessed Sacrament but there are other people coming in the church.

There is a real sense of belonging to that ‘Body of Christ,’ which is the Church.”
Carol Sides, a parishioner of Saint Boniface, was also thrilled that many of her neighbors participated.

“I see some (people) that haven’t been here for a bit and they are coming back,” Sides said.

The long-time parishioner appreciated the 40 Hours Eucharistic Celebration because it gave her an opportunity to think about the gifts God has given to her.

“I think it’s very important that you have private time (with Christ). It’s something that you don’t necessarily put on your schedule for most people, but when you know it’s the day you’re going to be doing this, it’s very special,” Sides explained.

HARRISBURG – More than 5,000 pro-life advocates converged on the State Capitol on Oct. 16, 2023, to march and rally in support of the unborn.

Many in attendance also decried a decision by Gov. Josh Shapiro to discontinue a contract with Real Alternatives, an organization that provides counseling, referrals, and other services through partnerships with crisis pregnancy centers, by Dec. 31, 2023.

“When did it become okay to celebrate cutting off a lifeline to people in their most vulnerable state, making a decision that could benefit not one, but two lives? It is completely disgusting,” Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-York, said.

At a pre-march rally, many speakers emphasized how Real Alternatives funding supports Catholic social service organizations and facilities that house pregnant women.

“Our opposition used to say, ‘Safe, Legal and Rare.’ Now, they say, ‘Abortion: Whenever, Wherever and However,’” State Representative Josh Kail, R-Beaver/Washington, said. “It is not us that will end up winning this fight, it is all of you out there, your energy, your willingness to be here, your willingness to organize, to talk to your neighbors and to get out there and vote.”

Abortion is legal in Pennsylvania up to 24 weeks. With Democrats holding a majority in the state House, there seems little chance anti-abortion legislation would be considered through the end of the 2023-24 session.

After federal protections afforded by Roe v. Wade were overturned last year by the U.S. Supreme Court, states are now in control of abortion access.

“Women really do deserve better than abortion. They deserve love. They deserve support. We need to empower women and families to choose life,” Dawn Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of March for Life, said.

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, was one of several bishops who attended and participated in the third annual PA March for Life. He was joined by other Bishops from Allentown, Harrisburg, Greensburg and Philadelphia.

Several busloads of parishioners from across the Diocese of Scranton also attended the march.

“I think it’s amazing how many people showed up to support life from the beginning of conception to the last heartbeat,” Kiera Leyden, a parishioner of Saint Matthew Parish in East Stroudsburg, said.

This was the first time Leyden attended the PA March for Life.

“I thoroughly dislike the fact that the state wants to close the centers that are helping those that need the help,” she added. “It is wrong. My sister had so much help from pregnancy resource centers. They really helped her because the options she had were abortion, which she didn’t even consider, and adoption, which she didn’t consider that an option, because she wanted to raise her daughter.”

The funding for Real Alternatives was also an issue on the minds of Norbert and Nona Josten, who have travelled from their home in Tioga County for the last three years to attend the PA March for Life.

“Our current administration is hostile to life and hostile to families and we have to be more present in our activities so that we can get the message across,” Norbert said. “We need to bring home the vote.”

Bishop Bambera has spoken about the local impact of the cuts to Real Alternatives funding in several recent homilies, in his Respect Life message in the October edition of The Catholic Light, and at the recent Pennsylvanians for Human Life Breakfast in Scranton. If the Real Alternatives funding contract is not renewed, Catholic Social Services could lose approximately 80-percent of the funding it takes to operate Shepherd’s Maternity House in East Stroudsburg.

“It’s huge and it impacts us in real tangible way in a lot of the wonderful programs of which we’re so proud in our own diocese,” Bishop Bambera said.

Following the march itself, Maryann Lawhon, Executive Director of ‘The Voice of John,’ was one of many people who met privately with state lawmakers to advocate for Real Alternatives funding to remain in place.

“We know that we have to stay steadfast,” she said about public advocacy efforts.
Reflecting on the impressive crowd of thousands at the PA March for Life – the largest yet – the long-time, pro-life advocate was inspired by all of the young faces in the crowd.

“What is so impressive to me was to see all the high schools that were represented throughout Pennsylvania, all across the state, and it’s such a wonderful feeling for me, who has been doing this (work) for 50 years to see that there is a new generation of kids who are passionate and so eager to spread truth and realize the damages of abortion,” Lawhon said.

SCRANTON – During her more than 20 years ministering to people in churches and nursing homes across the country, Sister Jude Njeri, L.S.O.S.F., a native of Kenya, said the United States had started to feel like “another home.”

On Sept. 15, 2023, it officially became her home, as Sister Jude took the Oath of Citizenship at a naturalization ceremony inside the federal courthouse in Scranton.

“This is a land of opportunities,” Sister Jude said immediately after becoming an American citizen. “My heart is very light. It has given me strength, another push, to go on. I still have time in my life to give.”

As a member of the Little Sisters of Saint Francis, Sister Jude has spent time ministering to people in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New York, in addition to the greater Scranton area. As two decades began to pass, she started doing research on how to become a U.S. citizen.

“At first I thought it would be very expensive. People were telling me you need a lawyer and lawyers cost money,” she said.

One night, she woke up from a sound sleep, and thought that Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton might be able to assist her.

She was correct.

“I went to visit Fikile and she helped me,” Sister Jude explained. “Catholic Social Services is there to reach out to us who need it and I’m so grateful!”

Fikile Ryder, MSCJ, is Catholic Social Services’ Director of Community and is an accredited immigration counselor for the U.S. Department of Justice. She worked closely with Sister Jude to make sure the process went smoothly.

“With us (Catholic Social Services) being recognized, and myself being accredited with the Department of Justice, I am authorized to practice immigration law. With that, I’m able to file applications like citizenship and also represent them in front of the Department of Homeland Security,” Ryder said.

Ryder was one of many people who filled the courtroom in September to see Sister Jude – and roughly 30 other people – received their naturalization certificates.

“It’s an amazing feeling and congratulations to everybody who became United States citizens,” she added.

Ryder says citizenship is often the last step on many people’s immigration journey – but a very important step.

“When you become a U.S. citizen, you’re able to vote, you’re able to apply for federal jobs, you’re able to go in different countries without needing VISAs, just using your U.S. passport,” Ryder said.

As one of the newest U.S. citizens, Sister Jude returned to her home at the Mercy Center in Dallas following the ceremony, feeling both happy and proud.

“I feel like I could fly,” she said with a smile. “I’m just floating on the air!”

WILKES-BARRE – Hundreds of men gathered at Holy Redeemer High School on Oct. 7, 2023, to take part in the 8th annual ‘Be A Catholic Man’ conference.

The day of prayer and fellowship was an opportunity for the attendees to renew their faith and commitment to serving the church.

“The speakers that the team is able to pull together are ‘lights out,’” Paul Binner, Sr., of Tunkhannock, said. “They really help me connect with my faith at a deeper level, to hear their stories, to see the witness of their lives. It’s just very inspiring and it carries me through to the next conference.”

Conference speakers this year included Mark Houck and Sam Blair, a former Navy Seal Officer, who urged the men attending the conference to love the Lord unconditionally.

“The Lord doesn’t want a Sunday relationship with us. He wants a moment-to-moment relationship with us,” Blair explained. “I think a lot of us have decided that we’re going to do a Sunday relationship and that’s it.”

Rev. John Anthony Boughton, C.F.R., spoke about the power of the Rosary and the importance of going to confession at least once a month.

“Confession is critical because it keeps our communication line with the Lord open wide,” Rev. Boughton said.

The priest of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal compared confession to cleaning out your house.

“It’s like sweeping the house. Even if it doesn’t look that dirty, you always find dust in it. Even if the dust looks the same, who cares! You dust it out. If you do that, you keep your soul in a state of grace and you’re able to hear the voice of the Lord more clearly, you’re able to see the road ahead that He has for you and you’re able to make decisions that are godly decisions,” he added.

John Guarnieri, a parishioner of Saint Jude Parish in Mountain Top, attended the conference to “learn and hopefully take a deeper step into the faith.”

The conference concluded with the celebration of Mass with the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, as principal celebrant. During his homily, he thanked all those who attended the conference.

“You are surely a sign of hope for our Church and for our world today, as we far too often confront countless obstacles and open hostility to the faith we profess and hold dear,” Bishop Bambera said.

PITTSTON – On Sunday, December 10 at 3:00 p.m., the parishes of St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph Marello in Pittston will present “A Christmas Celebration,” a fun, family-friendly Christmas organ concert with guest organist Greg Zelek, principal organist of the Madison Symphony Orchestra in Wisconsin.

The concert will take place at St. John the Evangelist Church, 35 William Street in Pittston, and will feature festive organ music for the Christmas season and the singing of Christmas carols accompanied by Greg on the church’s recently refurbished 1930 Kilgen organ.

Praised as “extraordinary in the classical music world” (Jon Hornbacher, PBS Wisconsin Life) and a “musical star” (Bill Wineke, Channel 3000), Greg Zelek is the Principal Organist of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and Curator of the Overture Concert Organ, where he oversees all of the MSO’s organ programming. Since September 2017, Greg has proudly held the Elaine and Nicholas Mischler Curatorship.

In 2016, Greg was chosen by The Diapason magazine as one of the top “20 Under 30” organists, a feature which selects the most successful young artists in the field. He was the First Prize winner in the 2012 Rodgers North American Classical Organ Competition, 2012 West Chester University Organ Competition, and 2010 East Carolina University Organ Competition, as well as the Audience Prize winner of the 2016 Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition. A recipient of the inaugural Kovner Fellowship, Greg received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, as well as an Artist Diploma, from the Juilliard School as a student of Paul Jacobs.

For more information about the concert, please contact Saint John’s organist and director of music, Mike Sowa, at the parish office: 570-654-0053.

(OSV News) – A closer look at the largest survey of U.S. Catholic priests in 50 years has revealed “a major shift in how priests view themselves and their priesthood,” said researchers.

Compared to their older peers, younger priests are far more likely to describe themselves as theologically orthodox or conservative, politically conservative or moderate, and prepared to be “first responders” to the abuse victims they encounter in their ministry. Furthermore, researchers noted “a significant proportion of American priests say that they had ‘personally experienced sexual harassment or abuse or suffered sexual misconduct’ during their formation or time in seminary.”

The findings were detailed in “Polarization, Generational Dynamics, and the Ongoing Impact of the Abuse Crisis: Further Insights from the National Study of Catholic Priests,” a November 2023 report released by The Catholic Project, an initiative from The Catholic University of America designed to foster effective collaboration between the church’s clergy and laity in the wake of the sexual abuse crisis.

The report drew on data collected for The Catholic Project’s landmark “National Study of Catholic Priests,” the results of which were issued in October 2022 and featured responses from 3,516 priests (out of 10,000) across 191 dioceses and eparchies. The national study also included in-depth interviews with more than 100 priests selected from those respondents and a census survey of U.S. bishops that drew 131 responses.

Three themes were the focus of the November 2023 report on that data: polarization, generational dynamics and the ongoing impact of the abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.

Stephen White, executive director of The Catholic Project, told OSV News the research represents an effort “to really understand how our priests are doing … so that we can provide the data that can help bishops and priests.”

He said, “This is really a tool for the edification and help of the church.”

With respect to theology and doctrine, younger priests are far more likely to describe themselves as “conservative/orthodox” or “very conservative/orthodox,” as opposed to “very progressive,” “somewhat progressive” or “middle of the road,” according to the report.

“More than half of the priests who were ordained since 2010 see themselves on the conservative side of the scale,” said the report. “No surveyed priests who were ordained after 2020 described themselves as ‘very progressive.'”

That shift became particularly apparent among the cohort of respondents ordained between 1985-1989, and has continued to the present, according to the report.

One survey respondent quoted anonymously in the report said “priests in their 70s and 60s now would be one cohort,” with a Pope John Paul II generation that “would be very orthodox” with some “freeflowing” liturgical approaches. The respondent broadly characterized priests ordained during Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy as “the hard-on-everything kind of guys,” while “the young guys now … have a lot in common with those last few cohorts.”

The report noted that while theologically “progressive” and “very progressive” priests once made up 68% of new ordinands — the 1965-1969 cohort — it added that number today “has dwindled almost to zero.”

White also told OSV News that as “the priesthood has become more unified over time theologically, it’s become more moderate politically, and it’s become more racially diverse, racially and ethnically diverse over time.”

In fact, the report noted that in contrast to the theological trend among priests, the trend in their political views “seems to have stabilized to include a large proportion of ‘moderates.'”

“While roughly half (52%) of the recently-ordained cohort described themselves as ‘conservative’ or ‘very conservative,’ a full 44% (the highest percentage of any cohort) self-described as ‘moderate,'” said the report.

Yet “it’s important to qualify” such descriptors, said White.

“These are ways that priests themselves chose to describe themselves. And across generations, that changes,” he said, stressing that “context matters.”

“At the Second Vatican Council, Joseph Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI) would have fairly been described as sort of a reformer or more progressive relative to his surroundings,” White said. “And without having changed too much 30 years later, he would have been described very differently.”

Additionally, “despite younger age and ordination cohorts trending more conservative/orthodox both politically and theologically, the overwhelming majority of these youngest priests do value accountability to Pope Francis,” who is often regarded as being more liberal than his predecessors, said the report.

The researchers found as well that priests tended to trust bishops whom they perceived to share their theological and political views. Overall, levels of trust expressed by priests in their bishop varied widely among dioceses, from 100% to as low as 9%.

Noting that “the causes and consequences of these shifts” are “no doubt complex,” the report said qualitative interviews with respondents pointed to “two watershed moments” that shape priests’ perception of themselves: the Second Vatican Council and the clergy sexual abuse crisis of 2002.

Regarding the abuse crisis, the report anonymously quoted several respondents ordained after 2002 who indicated they accepted that healing the wounds is essential to their pastoral ministry.

“The Lord intends to use me and my priesthood to help restore this and restore the trust and credibility of the priesthood for people,” said one respondent, while another quoted his seminary rector as saying, “You guys will spend your entire priesthood restoring trust.”

The data showed that “71% of priests report knowing at least one victim-survivor of clergy sexual abuse, with 11% knowing five or more.”

However, priests are also among the victims of sexual abuse with 9% reporting they personally experienced sexual harassment or abuse or suffered sexual misconduct during priestly formation or seminary; another 6% said they were unsure or preferred not to answer.

The majority of priests surveyed (69%) “say that they feel well-prepared to minister to a victim of abuse, and 54% report that they are already doing so,” the report said.

“There’s a sense in which the church in the United States is about two decades ahead of much of the rest of the church in responding to the abuse crisis,” White said.

He and his team found in their report that “against the backdrop of all these challenges, priests remain largely satisfied in their ministry and few (4%) are considering leaving.

“Many of these trends have been decades in the making and show little sign of reversal any time soon. Building trust and restoring confidence begins with mutual understanding,” the report stated. “It is our hope that the data presented here can strengthen that understanding among all Catholics, but particularly for our bishops and priests upon whom so much depends.”

(OSV News) – Ohio voters Nov. 7 approved Issue 1, a measure that will codify abortion access in the state’s constitution through fetal viability, typically understood to be 24 weeks gestation. The loss marks another electoral defeat for anti-abortion ballot measures in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision.

With 99% of precincts reporting, Ohio voters passed Issue 1, with 56.6% voting “yes” while 43.4% voted “no.”

The measure, advanced by the Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights and Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom, will legalize abortion up to the point of fetal viability – the gestational maturity at which a baby may be capable of living outside the uterus – and beyond, if a physician decided an abortion was necessary for the sake of the mother’s life or health.

Although Ohio lawmakers enacted a six-week abortion ban that is not being enforced amid a legal challenge, the passage of Issue 1 will likely block its implementation.

Supporters of the measure argued it would return the state to the legal standard set prior to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Opponents argued the measure would go further than that through its definition of fetal viability, which states viability would be determined on “a case-by-case basis.”

Some proponents argued that failure to enact the measure could criminalize miscarriage care. In an Oct. 13 statement, the Ohio Catholic Conference pushed back on such claims, arguing that “over thirty Catholic hospitals, providing care to millions of patients in Ohio, affirm their commitment to delivering comprehensive healthcare for women and preborn children during pregnancy complications.”

In a Nov. 7 social media post, Ohio’s Republican Sen. J.D. Vance urged the state to “Vote NO on Issue 1!”

“There’s been a lot of lies out there from the Yes campaign,” Vance wrote. “People do in fact abort healthy late term pregnancies. Issue 1 doesn’t make it illegal to have a miscarriage. Think for yourself and vote no!”

Meanwhile, Ohio’s Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown wrote, “I trust Ohio women to make their own health care decisions and that is a right I will always fight for in the Senate. Vote YES on Issue One.”

Ohio voters previously rejected in August another ballot initiative that would have raised the threshold for passing constitutional amendments to 60% of voters, leaving in place the state’s requirement of 50% plus one vote. That measure, which was seen as a proxy for the November election, would have made passing Issue 1 more difficult.

The election was contentious in the state. In October, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati released a statement saying that “numerous accounts of theft and vandalism have been reported to police at Catholic schools, churches and cemeteries across the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.”

More than a dozen other church properties, Catholic high schools and cemeteries have reported theft of Vote No yard signs, the statement added.

In a Nov. 7 statement, Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Cincinnati said, “The people of Ohio missed this important opportunity to demonstrate that the health and safety of women, the fundamental rights of parents, and the lives of preborn children deserve protection.”

“Despite this outcome, we are grateful for all of you who prayed, educated yourselves and others, and voted NO on this horrific amendment,” Archbishop Schnurr said. “And we praise God for the gift of His great love and mercy which He continues to pour out to us in good times and in bad.”

The measure’s passage, he said, “shows that there remains a desperate need for conversion of hearts and minds to a culture of life in our country, one that respects the inherent dignity and sacredness of every human being from conception to natural death.”

“This conversion will only come about through the witness of our earnest prayer and compassionate care for the most vulnerable among us,” he said. “I urge everyone in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to redouble support for the many Catholic ministries that provide material resources and personal accompaniment to women, children and families so that abortion ceases to be a consideration.”

In a Nov. 7 statement, President Joe Biden praised the outcome as a victory for democracy and “fundamental freedoms.” He said his administration would call on Congress to enact legislation “to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law once and for all.”

“Ohioans and voters across the country rejected attempts by MAGA Republican elected officials to impose extreme abortion bans that put the health and lives of women in jeopardy, force women to travel hundreds of miles for care, and threaten to criminalize doctors and nurses for providing the health care that their patients need and that they are trained to provide,” he said. “This extreme and dangerous agenda is out-of-step with the vast majority of Americans.”

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, which works to elect anti-abortion candidates, said in a statement that “Issue 1 passed because abortion activists and outside Democrat donors ran a campaign of fear to Ohio voters: vote for this ballot measure or women will die.”

“This lie not only deceived voters but put pregnant women at risk by sowing confusion, so much that even the state health department endeavored to set the record straight so women knew they could get care during a miscarriage,” Dannenfelser added. “The truth is that every state in the country with a pro-life law allows for timely and necessary care for pregnant women in an emergency. But abortion activists will continue to lie to voters because it is politically expedient. Without those lies, they can’t push their deeply unpopular agenda of no-limits, painful, late-term abortion on demand.”

Dannenfelser said that there “have been many valuable lessons learned from Issue 1.”

“Moving forward in states where abortion will be on the ballot in 2024, pro-life, pro-woman coalitions will need to devote more resources to compassionate pro-life messages for women and their children, combatting the campaign of fear from the other side,” she said.

In 2022, voters in California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Vermont and Kansas either rejected new limitations on abortion or expanded legal protections for it. Abortion advocates are seeking to hold comparable votes in 2024 in states including Arizona and Florida.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – In a celebration of life, peace, joy and harmony, thousands of children representing young people on every continent greeted Pope Francis during an afternoon event in the Vatican’s Paul VI hall.

Children from different parts of the world, such as the Amazon and favelas of Brazil, sang on stage, and Italian pop star Mr. Rain performed his hit single, “Super Heroes.”

The event Nov. 6 was sponsored by the Dicastery for Culture and Education and was attended by more than 6,000 children from different parts of Italy and other parts of the world.

Dedicated to the importance of peace, fraternity and respect for others and creation, the event was titled, “Let Us Learn from Boys and Girls,” to focus attention on children’s simple and sincere desires for peace and harmony in the world.

“There is much to learn from you,” the pope said. “I am always happy when I meet you because you teach me something new every time. For example, you remind me how beautiful life is in its simplicity and how beautiful it is to be together!”

“Two big gifts God has given us,” he said, are life and being together with simplicity.

The pope encouraged the kids to embrace their adolescence, which is “a wonderful age” and to make their thoughts, feelings and experiences heard by adults.

He asked the children to remember all the other kids their age who are suffering from war, hunger, climate disasters and poverty.

“You know there are bad people who do bad things, they make war and destroy. Do you want to do bad things?” the pope asked. After the children yelled, “No!” he asked, “Do you want to help?” to which they replied with enthusiasm, “Yes!”

The pope cut short his prepared speech in order to dedicate more time to questions from the children, who asked him questions about climate change, wars, his friends, his work habits and what he dreams about at night.

“I don’t know what I dream because I am asleep!” he joked as the kids laughed. Sometimes, he said, he dreams about things he remembers when he was a child. “Dreaming is beautiful,” he said, because it shows something alive is stirring inside.

With each question, the pope had a tidbit of wisdom for the kids to remember, making them repeat each phrase a number of times.

His words of advice included: “Whoever destroys the earth, destroys us.” “Take care of nature because nature takes care of us.” “Work gives us dignity.” “Do not waste food.” “Let’s work for peace.” “Peace is made with the heart and an outstretched hand.” “Children’s voices are needed” because “kids are messengers of peace.” “When you are angry, drink a glass of water before you respond.”

When a 9-year-old boy from Syria asked the pope, “Why do they kill kids during a war and no one defends them?” the pope said, “This shows the wickedness of war.”

That innocent civilians and children are killed in wartime, he said, “is cruelty,” and he led the children in praying the Our Father for all children killed in wars.

He urged all the children to work for peace after a 12-year-old girl from Palestine asked whether there would be no more peace if World War III broke out.

“We have to work for peace,” the pope said, asking everyone wave to the girl so she could let the people back in Palestine know that everyone there said “Hello.”

“Peace is beautiful!” the pope said, as the children repeated it loudly.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – God seeks and loves those who are humble because it allows him to be a part of their lives, Pope Francis said.

“This is Christian humility, which is not simply one virtue among others, but the basic disposition of life: believing ourselves to be in need of God, making room for him and putting all our trust in him,” the pope said in his homily Nov. 3.

The pope celebrated a memorial Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for Pope Benedict XVI and the six cardinals and 147 bishops who died over the past year. Eighteen of the bishops were from the United States and five were from Canada. Also included was Australian Cardinal George Pell, former prefect of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy, who died in January in Rome at the age of 81.

Pope Benedict, who died Dec. 31, 2022, reminded everyone “that faith is not primarily an idea to be understood or a moral precept to be followed, but a person to be encountered.” Pope Francis said. “That person is Jesus Christ, whose heart beats with love for us, whose eyes look with pity upon our suffering.”

The Lord is compassionate and “is moved by death, the greatest cause of our suffering,” Pope Francis said. “How important it is to communicate that same look of compassion to all those who grieve for the death of their loved ones!”

The Lord is especially compassionate and close to orphans, widows and “strangers,” those who are “most alone and forsaken, having no one else to trust but God,” the pope said.

“These are the people closest and dearest to the Lord,” he said. “We cannot be close and dear to God if we ignore those who enjoy his protection and preferential love, for one day they will be the ones to welcome us to heaven.”

“It is the humble, the poor in spirit, who reveal to us the ‘littleness’ so pleasing to the Lord, the path that leads to heaven,” he said.

“God loves humility because it permits him to interact with us,” he said.

Pope Francis recalled “the very first words with which Pope Benedict described himself following his election: ‘a humble laborer in the vineyard of the Lord.'”

“Indeed, Christians, especially the pope, the cardinals and the bishops, are called to be humble laborers: to serve, not to be served and to put the fruits of the Lord’s vineyard before their own advantage,” he said. “What a fine thing it is to renounce ourselves for the church of Jesus!”

“Let us pray for our beloved, departed brethren. Their hearts were pastoral, compassionate and humble, for the Lord was the center of their lives,” he said. “In him may they find eternal peace.”