Category: Diocese of Scranton News

SCRANTON – The faithful of the Diocese of Scranton are invited to come together in prayer during a Rosary Rally at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton.

The upcoming gathering, sponsored by Holy Cross Family Ministries, follows two reflection sessions on the Rosary that the organization sponsored on Aug. 24, 2026, at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in Scranton.

The afternoon and evening sessions invited participants to look more deeply at the Rosary as a way of encountering Christ and finding peace amid the distractions and challenges of daily life.

“The primary message is to share the power of the Rosary – that it is an encounter with Jesus Christ,” Craig Dyke, Director of Programs and Mission Outreach for Holy Cross Family Ministries, said. “We contemplate the face of Jesus by putting our prayers together with Mary.”

Dyke also encouraged people not to approach the Rosary simply as a prayer to rush through.

“Better to pray one mystery well than five poorly,” he said, encouraging participants to meditate on the life of Jesus and recognize His presence in their own lives.

Pat Williams of Our Lady of the Abingtons Parish in Dalton attended the August reflection and said it offered meaningful insights into the Blessed Mother.

“I think we need to do more praying, more rosaries,” Williams said. “She’s open and willing to listen.”

The upcoming Rosary Rally on Oct. 17 is open to all.

AVOCA – Beneath a large American flag suspended between two fire trucks, a procession of Boy Scouts carrying the colors and first responders in full dress made their way through the streets of Avoca to Queen of the Apostles Parish on Sept. 11, 2026.

Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the community continues to gather in prayer – remembering those who lost their lives, honoring the first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice and giving thanks for the men and women who continue to serve their communities today.

The annual Blue Mass and 9/11 Memorial Service at Queen of the Apostles Parish brought together local police, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, Scouts, elected officials, families, and parishioners for an evening of remembrance and gratitude.

“Since 1874, Christians have been coming to Saint Mary Church in Avoca to pray for their many needs,” Father Thomas Petro, Pastor of Queen of the Apostles Parish, said. “For the past 25 years, we’ve been gathering in prayer to pray for the victims and the heroes of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack.”

The Mass began with a bagpipe escort and the presentation of the colors. Avoca Scouts Troop 316 and Pack 316 participated in the procession.

Inside the church, a framed photograph commemorating the FDNY firefighters who died on Sept. 11 was displayed near the ambo, serving as a visible reminder of the lives lost that day.

Father Petro said the annual Mass has become both an act of remembrance and a spiritual responsibility.

“We look forward to hosting this Mass as an act of gratitude and our own spiritual duty for those who have cared for us,” he said. “We wish to care for them spiritually and to remember them in our prayers.”

For retired Avoca Fire Chief Chris VanLuvender, continuing the tradition for 25 years has been an important way to honor both the victims and the heroes of 9/11.

“At the beginning of this, we thought it would be a nice tribute to have this every year and continue it every year,” Van Luvender said. “So far, it has been going on for the last 25 years.”

Donald Hudzinski, President of the Pittston Township Ambulance, said the Blue Mass provides an opportunity for the parish and emergency services communities to come together.

“Through this service, together we pray not only for our municipalities, but for the emergency service providers,” he said. “Not just for who they are, but for what they are called on to do.”

Hudzinski emphasized the critical role first responders play when others are in crisis.

“It’s a very challenging profession. But it’s very rewarding personally – that all these people carry out their duties with care, compassion, and service, and do it for people that they’ve probably never met,” he added.

The evening concluded with one of Father Petro’s favorite traditions: the blessing of emergency vehicles parked outside the church along Hawthorne Street.

“I feel like a little boy walking around those big shiny red trucks and saying prayers and blessing them,” Father Petro said.

The vehicles, Hudzinski noted, are more than equipment.

“They are an instrument of what we do,” he said.

WYALUSING – When the Most Rev. Ambrose Puthenveettil traveled from Kerala, India, to the United States for the first time as a Bishop, he came with a simple purpose – to see his priests.

But as he spent time visiting the priests from his Diocese, the Diocese of Kottapuram, who are serving across the United States, the Bishop said he left with something more: a renewed appreciation for the vibrancy of the Catholic Church in the United States.

“I came especially to greet and meet my priests,” Bishop Ambrose said following Masses Sept. 13 at Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Towanda and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Wyalusing. “I also wanted to meet some of the people.”

The Diocese of Kottapuram currently has 11 priests serving in the United States. During his pastoral visit, Bishop Ambrose traveled to meet priests in Florida, Iowa, Colorado, and Michigan, while also spending almost a full week in northeastern and central Pennsylvania.

Three of his priests currently serve in the Diocese of Scranton.

Father Shinu Vazhakkoottathil John is Assistant Pastor of Saint Eulalia Parish, Roaring Brook Township, and Saint Catherine of Siena Parish, Moscow. Father Dias Antony Valiamarathungal is Assistant Pastor of Saint Boniface Parish and Saint Ann Parish, both in Williamsport. Father Jose Joseph Kuriappilly is Pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Parish, Towanda, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Wyalusing.

For Bishop Ambrose, the visit provided an opportunity to see firsthand how his priests have become part of the communities they serve.

“He has come into their hearts, and he has become a member of their family,” the Bishop said of Father Jose Kuriappilly. “The people love him very much. They were telling me that they don’t want to let him go from this place.”

In Williamsport, parishioners welcomed Bishop Ambrose to celebrate Mass at Saint Boniface Church with Father Dias, calling the visit a reminder that the Catholic Church connects people “across countries, cultures and continents.”

The Bishop also celebrated Mass in Roaring Brook Township, where parishioners welcomed him alongside Father Shinu.

His visit to the Diocese of Scranton ended with Father Jose, celebrating Masses in both Towanda and Wyalusing. Parishioners gathered afterward for meals and had the opportunity to meet their pastor’s Bishop.

“It was a great day for me because my Bishop was with me in both parishes,” Father Jose said. “You see the people – they are so happy here today.”

Bishop Ambrose also had the opportunity to meet with the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, to help strengthen the relationship between their two dioceses. During their time together, the Bishops discussed the growing bond between their local churches and the continued need for priests.

Bishop Ambrose said his pastoral visit gave him a positive perspective on the Church in the United States.

“I have been a Bishop for two and a half years, and I got the impression that the Catholic Church has a future in the USA,” he said.

He pointed to the faithful he encountered at Mass and the young men discerning priestly vocations as signs of hope.

“I got the conviction that the Catholic faith is very vibrant,” he added. “Jesus has told us, don’t worry, I will always be with you. He guides His Church.”

Father Jose said that was one of the most important things he hoped his Bishop would discover during his visit.

“He experienced real faith in our American Church,” Father Jose said. “He has realized how the faith is growing here again. It is emerging and growing. I can feel that.”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities is inviting Catholics to join a focused effort of prayer and action to stop the spread of abortion pills.

Launched on Aug. 18, the effort will continue through Oct. 31, which includes the month-long commemoration of Respect Life Month observed each October by the Catholic Church in the United States.

“Every abortion involves the death of a child and harm to the mother. Now with easier access to abortion pills, the abortion rate is tragically climbing, along with increased health risks,” Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said in joint remarks.

According to an estimate from Guttmacher Institute, a research firm for the abortion industry, 1.12 million abortions took place in 2025, marking a 21% increase from 2020. Guttmacher said 2020 marked “the last year of comprehensive national estimates” before the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. Dobbs overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and its related abortion precedents, returning the matter of abortion back to the legislative branch.

Guttmacher found the figures for 2025 were largely unchanged from the prior year, but suggested abortion numbers overall may be an undercount due to people acquiring abortion pills in advance or obtaining them by means other than U.S. abortion clinic providers.

Abortion rates in the U.S. bottomed out in 2017, when they were estimated to be just over 862,000, and began increasing again in the first Trump administration, which also approved the first generic for mifepristone, commonly called “the abortion pill,” in 2019. The pill is commonly used in combination with misoprostol for early abortion, although the same combination is also used in some miscarriage care protocols that were more recently recommended for consideration by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

More than six of 10 abortions in the U.S. are performed through a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol, according to recent estimates.

The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death, and as such, opposes direct abortion. Following the Dobbs decision, U.S. Church officials have reaffirmed the Church’s concern for both mother and child, and have called for enhancing support to those made vulnerable to abortion through poverty and other factors.

A federal policy permitting distribution by mail of mifepristone was first issued by the Biden administration following the Dobbs decision. The policy has thus far been left in place by the second Trump administration, which approved a second generic for mifepristone in 2025 to the shock of pro-life groups.

The Department of Justice, under the current Trump administration, has also sought to block state challenges to the policy pending a promised safety review by the Food and Drug Administration. But the status and timeline of the FDA review are unclear.

Archbishop Coakley and Bishop Thomas stated that the FDA “has enabled a nationwide mail-order abortion industry by allowing abortion pills to be prescribed in telehealth appointments and sold both at neighborhood pharmacies and online, circumventing state laws that protect life in the womb.”

“This leaves women vulnerable to suffering an abortion alone at home, without any medical supervision,” they said. “It also sets up additional opportunities for exploitation by violent partners or human traffickers.”

The bishops said that from the official start of the campaign through the end of October, when the Church in the U.S. marks Respect Life Month, “the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities is inviting Catholics to join a focused effort of prayer and action to stop the spread of abortion pills.”

They urged Catholics to seek “the intercession of St. Joseph, Defender of Life” as well as to send messages to pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies that are involved.

“We are setting up a simple on-line platform allowing users to click and send one message that will go to multiple entities, such as brick-and-mortar pharmacies and online pharmacies, distributors, and pharmaceutical companies,” Kat Talalas, assistant director for pro-life communications at the USCCB’s Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, told OSV News. “We are also developing educational resources about the abortion pill, which will help explain distinctions between miscarriage care versus ending the life of a child in an abortion.”

The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death, and as such, opposes direct abortion. Following the Dobbs decision, U.S. Church officials have reaffirmed the Church’s concern for both mother and child, and have called for enhancing support to those made vulnerable to abortion through poverty and other factors.

JESSUP – As the new school year began at La Salle Academy, students did something that few other Catholic school students in the country can say they have done: They began their school year worshipping in two Catholic churches, experiencing two distinct liturgical traditions, but being reminded that both lead them to Christ.

On Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, students began their day at Saint Michael Church in Jessup, the principal worship site of Queen of Angels Parish, which is located directly across the street from their school. The students gathered for a Roman Catholic Mass celebrated by Father Andrew Kurovsky, Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Peckville.

Father Roman Vasylynka, Administrator of Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church in Jessup, concelebrated the Mass.

But the morning did not end when the final blessing was given.

The students then crossed the street to Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church, located directly beside La Salle Academy, where they received a special blessing and an introduction to the Byzantine Catholic tradition from Father Vasylynka and Father Bert James Olechnowicz, Parochial Vicar.

The experience highlighted one of the things that makes La Salle Academy unique.

It is a bi-ritual Catholic school, where both the Roman Catholic and Byzantine Catholic traditions are recognized and celebrated. La Salle Academy believes it remains the only elementary school in the United States with this distinction.

La Salle Principal Shaina Aquilina believes the school’s Catholic identity is enriched by its bi-ritual heritage.

“Our students are blessed to experience the beauty of both traditions and to see that – although we may express our faith differently – both lead us to the same Christ,” she said.

The morning’s Mass gave Father Kurovsky an opportunity to reflect on another form of difference – the differences students encounter in one another.

Reflecting on the Gospel’s call to love others, including those who may be difficult to love, Father Kurovsky encouraged students not to dismiss people simply because they belong to a different group or see the world differently.

“Every day of our lives, in every class, at every assembly, during every minute, we’re given the opportunity to shine God’s light through us. Don’t miss it and don’t ever miss the opportunity to find that light – to see that light – in one another,” Father Kurovsky told the students.

After crossing the street and entering Holy Ghost Church, the young people got even more lessons in symbolism.

Father Olechnowicz introduced students to some of the distinctive features of a Byzantine Catholic church, including the icon screen, or iconostasis, which separates the sanctuary from the nave.

He explained that Byzantine Catholic churches engage the senses through icons, incense, and bells, noting that icons historically served as a way of teaching the faith to people who could not read.

“The important thing is we recognize we are all Catholics,” Father Olechnowicz told the students. “No matter how we celebrate – we come from Byzantium, the other side of the church comes from Rome – but we are all Catholic.”

He reminded them that Roman and Byzantine Catholics share the same Pope, Sacraments, faith, and theology.

“Whether you’re Roman Catholic or Byzantine Catholic, you’re always welcome here,” he added.

The students and teachers then received a special blessing and were sprinkled with holy water before returning to school.

Father Vasylynka said the morning represented more than a unique educational experience, it was a sign of two Catholic communities coming together.

“I believe it is a great sign and great example for other communities in this area as well,” he said.

Father Vasylynka also welcomed the opportunity to build on the relationship between Holy Ghost and La Salle Academy throughout the school year.

“We are the two lungs of the Catholic Church. It is nice to see both communities united in prayer and moving forward. We do the same things, we serve the same Catholic Church,” he added.

NORTH ABINGTON TWP– As the Catholic Church entered the ‘Season of Creation’ at the beginning of September, a group of young adults from across the Diocese of Scranton found a simple way to celebrate the beauty of God’s creation.

On Saturday, Sept. 4, 2026, the Diocesan Office for Parish Life hosted its second annual Young Adult Rosary Hike at Lackawanna State Park, bringing together seven dozen people from communities stretching from Conyngham and Drums to Meshoppen and Scranton.

The group followed the Turkey Hill Trail and part of the Abington Trail on a 2.7-mile hike, pausing along the way to pray the Rosary.

Bridget Maille, Program Coordinator for Family Life in the Diocesan Office for Parish Life, said combining prayer with the outdoors was intentional.

“Being that we work with young adults, we want them to start engaging their faith in the things that they do on a regular basis,” she explained.

“A hike is a really good way to gather and come together in community, but also to unite what you love to do with your faith.”

After holding a similar Rosary Hike last year at Rickett’s Glen State Park, organizers decided to switch up locations and had a whole new group of people sign up.

“The response has been very, very positive,” Maille said. “Everybody is meeting new people; they’re smiling and having a good time. It is also a gorgeous day – praise God.”

Participants say the Rosary Hike was an enjoyable afternoon that brought them closer to God.

Tristan Cole of Holy Name of Mary Parish in Montrose said being surrounded by nature helped him recognize God’s presence in a tangible way.

“It’s very good for us to see the gifts that He’s given us firsthand,” he said. “Sitting in prayer is very important, but getting out here in nature is very helpful. It definitely helps us connect with God.”

Ava Rockey, a Misericordia University student from New Jersey, only started praying the Rosary last year and heard about the event through an email.

“I feel so connected to God with nature,” she said. “That’s how I can feel that presence. It can be a quiet time of reflective prayer for me too.”

The hike offered Rockey more than an opportunity to pray. She also made new friends.

“It was beautiful. I had some great conversations with some new people and I’m really excited about those connections,” she added.

Matthias Mooris of Saint Michael Parish in Scranton also appreciated the opportunity to meet other young Catholics.

“Regardless of your age, you should be connecting to people with common values,” Mooris said. “Nature, for me, has always been one of the best places to get your mind straight and get right with God. You’re looking around and how could you not think about God, especially out here in these beautiful woods.”

DINGMAN TOWNSHIP – Fifty years of faith and community were celebrated on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, as Saint Vincent de Paul Parish in Pike County marked its golden anniversary with a special Mass celebrated by the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton.

The 11:15 a.m. Mass, held at the parish in Dingman Township, served as the official kickoff to more than a year of anniversary activities designed to celebrate the church’s past while looking toward its future.

Parishioners have chosen the theme “This Far By Faith” for the year-long celebration, reflecting the parish’s journey since its founding in 1976.

“It actually brought me to tears,” Sue Casey, chairperson of the anniversary celebrations, said describing the Mass. “We started this about eight months ago. I met with maybe 50 parishioners to come up with ideas about how we wanted to represent this year. It turned out that everybody said that beginning with a Mass, beginning with the Bishop and the Word (of God), was the way we wanted to do it.”

Casey said the theme reflects both gratitude for the parish’s history and confidence in where God is leading it next.

“The energy is here. Over the next year, we’re going to be doing something every month and I think that is really going to build on it,” Casey explained.

The 50th Anniversary Mass brought together current and former parish leaders, deacons, parishioners and families who have helped shape Saint Vincent de Paul over the past five decades.

For Father Ed Casey, Pastor of Saint Vincent de Paul Parish, as well as Saint Ann Parish, Shohola, and Saint John Neumann Parish, Lords Valley, the Anniversary Mass offered an opportunity to celebrate something positive and meaningful.

“A lot of times, when you hear news on the radio or TV, it is usually negative,” Father Casey said. “We thought there is such a good spirit here, that we celebrate something positive, something that has lasted for 50 years, against many difficulties, but has survived and continues to preach the Gospel of Christ.”

The parish’s location along the Route 739 corridor of Pike County places it some distance from the Diocese of Scranton’s urban center. Father Casey said having Bishop Bambera present was especially meaningful for parishioners.

“What is important for the people here, because of their distance from the city, they don’t get to see who is the real pastor of the Diocese of Scranton, and that is Bishop Bambera,” he said. “So we were so glad that he was able to come and be with us today.”

For those who call Saint Vincent de Paul their “home parish,” they say its greatest strength is not in its location or facilities, but in its people.

Laurie Hanley, a member of the anniversary committee, describes the parish as a place where people feel welcomed and invited to participate.

“Everybody says, ‘all are welcome here at this parish,’ and we feel that,” she said.

That spirit of welcome extends across generations.

Jennifer Alfaro-Martinez, chairperson of the anniversary potluck committee, has been a parishioner for only a few years, but said her family was welcomed immediately.

“This church is a God-send for us,” she said. “They’re giving, they’re welcoming, and it is really a beautiful parish.”

Alfaro-Martinez was particularly impressed by the Children’s Choir which performed at the Anniversary Mass. Parishioners say the Children’s Choir has not performed in a long time.

“The Children’s Choir was adorable. My two children were in it. It was amazing,” she said.

For Cathy Davidson, who became active in the parish after moving to the area with her family, Saint Vincent de Paul quickly became a “second home.”

“It feels like I came home,” she said. “It feels like God built the parish for me and this is where I belong.”

Now, as the parish looks toward its next 50 years, its anniversary celebration will continue to bring parishioners together throughout the next year.

From a ministry fair and veterans’ tribute to a children’s birthday celebration for Jesus, special bingo, Lenten activities, service at a nursing facility, a musical celebration, family fun day and more, the parish has planned a different activity each month throughout the coming year.

For Sue Casey, these activities are not simply a way to commemorate a milestone. They are an opportunity to remember the moments – both ordinary and extraordinary – that have made Saint Vincent de Paul Parish what it is.

During the Anniversary Mass, she recalled one particularly meaningful memory: the baptism of her grandson in the parish after her son-in-law was deployed to Iraq in 2009.

“Those were times through those last 50 years which we may have forgotten,” she said. “But we came this far by faith – and it’s good to have those memories.”

WILKES-BARRE – Exactly eighty years after King’s College celebrated its first Convocation Mass in 1946, students, administrators and alumni gathered in both thanksgiving and hope.

On Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, an 80th Anniversary Mass for King’s College was celebrated in the Chapel of Christ the King on the Wilkes-Barre college’s campus. The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, served as principal celebrant while Father Thomas P. Looney, C.S.C., President of King’s College, delivered the homily.

Father Looney invited the King’s community to celebrate how the college has grown from a single building and rented playing fields into a 31-acre downtown campus with a 33-acre athletic complex, more than 40 undergraduate majors, 11 graduate programs and 28 NCAA Division III athletic teams.

The student body, once all male, has also grown into a diverse community of women and men from a variety of cultural, ethnic, religious, and racial backgrounds.

Yet, Father Looney emphasized that the most essential element of the last eight decades isn’t measured in buildings or programs. Instead, it is the fact that King’s has remained faithful to its founding mission as a Catholic institution committed to transforming students in both mind and heart.

“The birth of King’s College was – and our continued mission is – a condition of possibility for the transformation of the lives of the students who come to us,” Father Looney said.

More than 22,000 alumni have gone forth from King’s to serve in the fields of education, medicine, engineering, health care, business and more, while also raising families, serving their communities and caring for those most in need.

“We are small, but we are mighty and we are great. We do amazing, transformative work,” Father Looney emphasized.

During his homily, Father Looney described the founding of King’s as a “risky” collaboration between the Diocese of Scranton, the Congregation of Holy Cross and lay collaborators – a mission that required a “yes” so many decades ago and continues to require that same spirit of commitment today.

“That same Holy Spirit has drawn us together today to offer praise and thanksgiving to God for these past 80 years of King’s College. And we gather together and we pray that the same Holy Spirit will enable us to live, ever more deeply, the mission God’s loving providence has entrusted to us,” Father Looney said.

The connection between the past and the future took on a particularly meaningful form during the Mass when Father Looney presented Bishop Bambera with a relic of Saint Pius X as a gift from King’s College.

Bishop Bambera accepted the relic on behalf of Saint Pius X Seminary, which was re-established in downtown Scranton just weeks earlier.

The gift will be a tangible connection between King’s College and the Diocese of Scranton which are both committed to formation and service.

SCRANTON – The Cathedral of Saint Peter was filled to capacity earlier this month as generations of Italian Americans gathered to celebrate their faith and heritage.

The annual Mass in Italian, which has been part of La Festa Italiana since its beginning 50 years ago, was held on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026.

Father David Cappelloni, La Festa chaplain and Pastor of Saint John Paul II Parish in Dunmore, served as the principal celebrant of the Mass. The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, was in attendance and delivered the homily.

“It is pretty obvious to me this morning from this gathering, that our ancestors didn’t simply bring to this country recipes and traditions … they brought faith,” Bishop Bambera said. “That is why this Cathedral is packed this morning to standing room only.”

The Bishop emphasized it is that faith that sustained them and brought them hope.

“They built community. They shared from their bounty and even from their poverty. And they served,” he said. “They served – as the Lord whom they worshiped – gave them example.”

For La Festa Italiana President and Chairman Chris DiMattio, that combination of faith and heritage is precisely why the Mass remains so important.

“It is a way to bring family tradition and faith together and to celebrate with music and prayer. It’s wonderful,” DiMattio said.

DiMattio said continuing to celebrate the Mass largely in Italian is also important for preserving the Italian heritage for future generations.

“Once you lose the language, you lose the culture,” he added. “So, we’re so happy that we continue to do most of the Mass in Italian. That keeps our culture alive.”

Father Cappelloni said the whole four-day La Festa Italiana event in downtown Scranton, which features dozens of food vendors and bringing in more than 100,000 people, would not be complete without the Cathedral liturgy.

“We couldn’t have La Festa without the Mass,” he said, noting that faith was as much a part of the Italian immigrant experience as food, language and other traditions.

For some people, the weekend serves as a homecoming.

Rick DiLiberto, second vice president of UNICO National, traveled from Delaware with his wife, and met up with his daughter who now lives in Florida.

“It’s important for us to be together,” he said.

A Hazleton native, DiLiberto said the Mass remains integral to Italian American history and tradition.

As he participated in the Sign of Peace during Mass, DiLiberto reflected on its importance.

“In today’s world, that is really what we need, which is finding commonalities and similarities rather than differences,” he said.

AVOCA – Irish music filled Saint Mary’s Hall late last month as parishioners of Queen of the Apostles Parish gathered for an evening of food, fellowship and a celebration of the heritage that has been part of their community for generations.

An “Irish Night” held on Aug. 29, 2026, brought approximately 125 people together to enjoy traditional Irish food, live Celtic music, and a performance by the Joyce School of Irish Dance.

When asked why the parish decided to put the event together, chairman Jimbo McMahon smiled and offered a short, simple response.

“Because it’s Avoca and Avoca is Irish,” he said.

The evening featured a traditional Irish buffet prepared by Chef Eugene Philbin, an Avoca native and parishioner, including Irish sausage with red onion and whiskey gravy, tender beef prepared with Guinness stout and red wine gravy, roasted garlic mashed potatoes with cabbage and greens, seasonal vegetables, Irish soda bread and homemade desserts.

Guests also enjoyed live music from The Quietmen, a Dalton-based group performing Irish and Celtic music, folk favorites and popular acoustic songs spanning several decades.

For Father Thomas Petro, who became Pastor of Queen of the Apostles Parish in July 2025, the evening was an opportunity to honor parishioner’s cultural roots that stretch back more than 150 years.

“Our parish was established in the year 1871. The church (Saint Mary Church) was built in 1874,” Father Petro explained. “Since that time, Irish Catholics have been living and praying and celebrating in Avoca and we wanted to continue a little bit of that tradition.”

The celebration also provided an opportunity for parishioners to gather with one another and spend time with Father Petro, if they hadn’t yet had the opportunity to meet him.

“Here at Saint Mary’s, we have a long tradition in Avoca of being Irish, Catholic and being proud of that,” Father Petro added.

For parishioner Jackie Galvin, the evening was particularly meaningful.

“It’s just really nice to have an event where we can celebrate all those things that are important to us, in terms of our heritage and our faith,” she said.

Galvin, a third-generation Irish American, said her family has deep ties to Saint Mary Church, where she and her husband were married and where their son is receiving his sacraments.

“I think it’s important to remember where you came from,” she said. “Our ancestors came here for a better life and to help build America.”

The turnout of parishioners was especially encouraging for organizers, who hope to hold similar events in the future.

“Everybody was so happy. The food was delicious,” McMahon said. “I’m glad everybody showed up and I’m looking forward to doing it again.”