Category: Diocese of Scranton News

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The U.S. Supreme Court began its fall term Oct. 6, with cases on its docket that include legal battles over some of President Donald Trump’s policies and use of executive authority.

The justices also will hear challenges to the death penalty; Idaho and West Virginia state laws requiring student athletes to compete on sports teams that correspond to their biological sex rather than the gender they identity with; and an appeal from a group of faith-based pregnancy centers in New Jersey.

“As always, the Supreme Court’s docket so far includes many cases that raise interesting, important and tricky legal questions,” Rick Garnett, a professor of law at the University of Notre Dame, told OSV News.

In three consecutive months, the court will hear cases over Trump’s tests of the limits of his presidential power: In November, the justices will consider Trump’s tariff policy, which he set unilaterally; in December, they will consider whether he can remove personnel at independent agencies; and in January, they will consider his attempt to fire Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors.

Others will likely follow, as the Trump administration asked the high court to weigh in directly on his executive order to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to parents without legal status or who are temporary visa holders.

The high court began its new term amid a split in public opinion over its work. An Oct. 2 Marquette Law School Poll survey found 50% of the public said they approve of the way the Supreme Court is handling its job, and 50% disapprove.

The Marquette survey also found that more than half of respondents (55%) said they “believe the Court is going out of its way to avoid making a ruling that President Donald Trump might refuse to obey.” Asked about that finding, Garnett replied that it is “not surprising, given the state of political discourse and disagreement in our country, that many people think this.”

“I believe that the justices expect that the president will abide by their rulings, even if he thinks they are mistaken,” he said. “Under our Constitution, presidents and members of Congress take an oath to the Constitution, and are obligated to interpret the Constitution, just as the justices do and are. This does not mean presidents and members of Congress have to agree with the court, but our tradition, except in extremely rare cases, has been for them to comply with the court’s decisions.”

Among the first cases of its term, the court will hear Chiles v. Salazar, a First Amendment challenge to a Colorado law banning professional counseling services that practice “conversion therapy” for minors, efforts intended to change a minor’s gender identity that differs from the young person’s biological sex or to change their sexual orientation.

Opponents of the law argue it restricts their ability to provide counseling to minors experiencing same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria, the feeling of distress that one’s biological sex and gender identity are not aligned. But supporters of the law argue such treatments are discredited and so the ban shields children from treatments they might be forced to undergo by their parents.

“The Chiles case is being described as involving a state’s ban on ‘conversion therapy,’ but the law at issue actually sweeps much more broadly, and prohibits talk-therapy that is consensual and that reflects the religious commitments of both the counselor and the client,” Garnett said. “A lower court had approved the ban, on the theory that the counseling in question is ‘conduct’ and not ‘speech.’ This theory is not plausible, though, and the justices are likely to reject it.”

Garnett argued the law “singles out and censors particular viewpoints and perspectives about gender-identity issues, and the rule is not carefully targeted at potentially coercive or dangerous practices.”

The high court will also hear an Alabama case over a man on death row convicted of a 1997 murder who is considered intellectually disabled based on IQ testing, and how courts should determine such a designation in death penalty cases. Existing Supreme Court precedent found executing an intellectually disabled person violates the U.S. Constitution’s Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The case comes as the Trump administration has sought to expand the use of capital punishment.

First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, a group of faith-based pregnancy centers in New Jersey, has challenged an investigation by that state’s attorney general alleging they misled people about their services and sought information about their donors. The court took the case up, but has yet to schedule oral arguments.

Near the end of its last term, in a June 18 ruling in United States v. Skrmetti, the court found a Tennessee law restricting gender transition treatments, including puberty blockers for minors, did not violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. The Biden administration had challenged the law, Senate Bill 1.

On the heels of that decision, the court in its new term will consider related laws in Idaho and West Virginia that restrict student athletics to biological sex. Those cases — Little v. Hecox, and West Virginia v. B.P.J. — have been taken up but have yet to be scheduled for oral arguments.

 

(OSV News) – Catholics involved in interfaith efforts have offered their condolences to the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the death of their president, Russell M. Nelson, Sept. 27 at age 101.

Nelson’s death came the same weekend as a Latter-day Saints church in Michigan was attacked by a gunman who also lit the building on fire in which five people were killed and eight people injured.

“The Catholic community in the U.S. joins members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in mourning the passing of President Russell M. Nelson, and as a Church, we offer our deep sympathy and prayers at the loss of life and the destruction of the LDS church in Michigan on Sunday,” said Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton, Pennsylvania, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs.

While the USCCB does not maintain an official theological dialogue with the Latter-day Saints, Bishop Bambera said, “we have worked with the church on some shared policy concerns and are grateful for the church’s support of local Catholic initiatives that have benefitted people in need.”

When Nelson met Pope Francis in 2019, he became the first head of his Salt Lake City-based church to meet with a sitting pope. Nelson’s tenure as the church’s president marked an increase in interfaith relations, including with the Catholic Church.

“As a man of faith in God and conviction to his calling from God he is beloved by people the world over. There are many accolades attributed to President Nelson’s leadership, but one in particular that stands out is his friendship and care for those who are suffering and in need,” said Father John Evans, vicar general for the Diocese of Salt Lake City in a statement.

“The Catholic Church in Utah and, through his leadership, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have long worked together to care for the poor and vulnerable here in Utah and beyond,” the priest said. “President Nelson has been an inspiration for many and a steady leader to truly minister for the good and to see the dignity in others.”

As president, Nelson was viewed by Latter-day Saints as their prophet. He was the 17th man to lead the 17.5-million-member church.

During the historic meeting between Nelson and Pope Francis March 9, 2019, in Rome, the two world faith leaders discussed where their churches had common ground, such as their concern for suffering people, religious liberty, the importance of the family, increasing secularization in the world and the need for people to have faith in Jesus Christ.

“We had a most cordial, unforgettable experience with His Holiness. He was most gracious and warm and welcoming,” Nelson said at the time. “What a sweet, wonderful man he is, and how fortunate the Catholic people are to have such a gracious, concerned, loving, and capable leader.”

Although both churches proclaim faith in Jesus Christ, baptism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not recognized by the Catholic Church because of different understandings of the Trinity.

“There is not in fact a fundamental doctrinal agreement. There is not a true invocation of the Trinity because the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, according to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are not the three persons in which subsists the one Godhead, but three gods who form one divinity,” reads a document from the Congregation, now Dicastery, for the Doctrine of the Faith on the subject. “One is different from the other, even though they exist in perfect harmony.”

Nelson presented Pope Francis with a miniature replica of the Christus statue sculpted by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldson, which has become a symbol associated with the Latter-day Saints. Pope Francis presented Nelson with a copy of “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”), his 2016 post-synodal apostolic exhortation following the 2014-2015 Synods on the Family.

“The differences in doctrine are real,” Nelson said at the time. “They are important. But they are not nearly as important as things we have in common.”

Nelson was born Sept. 9, 1924, in Salt Lake City. Before his ecclesiastical career, Nelson was an accomplished cardiothoracic surgeon, helping develop the heart-lung bypass machine used in the first open heart surgery on a person. In 1955, he performed the first such procedure in Utah, the first west of the Mississippi River.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints relies on volunteers for local leadership. During his medical career, Nelson served in several local leadership positions before being ordained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — similar to the College of Cardinals — in 1984.

In 2016, while still a member of the quorum, Catholic Community Services of Utah honored Nelson during its annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner.

“It is especially meaningful to me because it comes from valued friends who are themselves such stalwart examples of dedication to people in need,” Nelson said upon accepting the award. “I spent my entire professional career endeavoring to save lives — physical lives — as a heart surgeon. I feel right at home among you, as you are also saving lives — saving lives from deprivation, despondency and despair.”

Father Christopher Gray, rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City, noted that locally, Latter-day Saints service missionaries assist Catholic Community Service’s efforts to serve those in need, particularly with refugee services.

“Under President Nelson’s leadership, the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been very much fortified by the commitment of the LDS Church to work together with the Catholics for the sake of the poor and vulnerable in the world,” Father Gray said.

St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Heber City, Utah, had a Mass for the repose of Nelson’s soul Oct. 2. The liturgy drew 250 people to the small church, according to Deseret News.

As the longest-serving member of the quorum, he ascended to the presidency of the church Jan. 14, 2018, following the death of his predecessor, Thomas S. Monson. He immediately began discouraging the use of “Mormon,” a popular nickname long applied to the church and its members. He emphasized the use of the church’s full name.

During the papal transition earlier this year, Nelson and the other members of the church’s First Presidency, the Latter-day Saints’ highest governing body, offered their condolences on the death of Pope Francis and gave a message of support for Pope Leo XIV.

“As the world pauses to remember his example of forgiveness and service, we feel deep gratitude for the goodness of a life well lived and rejoice in the hope of a glorious resurrection made possible through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ,” Nelson said when Pope Francis died.

On Pope Leo’s election, he wrote that “we deeply appreciate our longstanding relationship with the Catholic Church and the many ways we have worked together to relieve suffering around the globe. We look forward to continuing our work towards a world where peace, human life and dignity and religious freedom are cherished and protected. We share your commitment to follow the example of Jesus Christ and welcome further opportunities to collaborate in caring for those in need.”

During Nelson’s tenure, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has encouraged interfaith partnerships in serving those in need, locally and globally. Sean Callahan, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, offered his condolences, adding that he is grateful for the organization’s longstanding partnership with the church.

“We are honored to have stood alongside President Nelson and the Church in serving those most in need,” Callahan said. “At this time of loss, we extend our deepest condolences to the Latter-day Saints community and to all those who mourn his passing.”

Collaborative efforts between CRS and the LDS Church date to the 1980s in helping with food distribution during the Ethiopian famine. Recent projects include a joint effort to provide safe and reliable running water to more than 2,000 people in a Liberian community.

“His vision and unwavering commitment to humanitarian service inspired and strengthened our shared mission, expanding access to clean water, improving health and nutrition and enabling urgent emergency response around the world,” Callahan added.

Following succession procedures for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Dallin H. Oaks — as the longest-serving member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — will take over as the global leader of the church. Following the Oct. 1 broadcast of a tribute to Nelson, funeral services for him were to be held Oct. 7.

(OSV News) – At the end of his Sept. 24 audience, Pope Leo XIV issued an invitation to Catholics worldwide – and he hopes they’ll accept it.

“I invite everyone to pray the rosary every day during the coming month — for peace — personally, with your families, and in your communities,” the pontiff said.

On the Catholic Church’s Roman calendar, October is designated as the Month of the Holy Rosary, with the liturgical Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary falling on Oct. 7 – and indeed, it’s a traditional practice to pray the rosary all 31 days.

But according to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, only 22% of white Catholics and 37% of Hispanic Catholics pray it “at least monthly.”

So is it wishful thinking to expect the faithful will offer a calendar full of rosaries during October? And why should the rosary be a regular – or even daily – part of a believer’s prayer life?

OSV News spoke with both experts and devotees, and the answer is basically this: Because it’s a time-tested way to grow closer to Jesus Christ and his mother Mary, who points men and women of every age to follow her son as his disciples.

“I think we are having a revival with the rosary,” said Father Andrew Hofer, a Dominican priest, professor, and recent Mass homilist for the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage held Sept. 27 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.

Thousands gathered to hear teaching, adore Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, enroll in the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary, witness a rosary procession and hear a concert by the chart-topping Hillbilly Thomists.

“The church has consistently promoted the rosary, but many people have not heard the call,” Father Hofer reflected. “And so we’re grateful that the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage is one way where we can show forth the power of the rosary; that rosaries are a chain of hope. We need hope in this world, where there’s so much violence. And,” he added, “we want to show forth the goodness, the holiness, the beauty of the rosary.”

It’s perhaps easy to imagine that once St. Dominic, the founder of the Order of Preachers — received the mission to spread the rosary in a 1214 vision of the Blessed Mother, it was ever-after perfectly and devoutly prayed by all the saints.

But modern Catholics might be encouraged to know that at least one well-known holy woman struggled with her beads: St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

“I force myself in vain to meditate on the mysteries of the rosary; I don’t succeed in fixing my mind on them,” she admitted in her autobiography “The Story of a Soul.” St. Thérèse was frustrated — even “desolate,” she said — but she didn’t give up, concluding that her efforts would be accepted in the spirit they were offered.

St. Thérèse’s optimistic outlook is shared by Shannon Wendt, author of “The Way of the Rosary: A Journey with Mary Through Scripture, Liturgy, and Life.”

As a Catholic mom, writer, and “Chews Life” business owner, Wendt told OSV News she wants people to encounter the rosary as a devotion so deep it becomes a way of life; a companion that accompanies everyone through the ups and downs of everyday existence.

“We know as good Catholics that we should pray the rosary,” she said. “And it becomes something we tend to kind of put up on a shelf — for when we’re in the right mood, or when we have time; whatever it is — we kind of put it off and put it off, thinking this is something that needs to be perfect.”

But it doesn’t have to be, Wendt said.

“Instead of trying to sit down for 20 perfect, quiet minutes to meditate on the rosary, instead use the quiet moments — and pray your rosary little by little throughout the day,” she said.

“That way, you can — no matter how busy you are, no matter how many things in your to-do list, or work, or kids, or whatever your life looks like — find quiet pockets of time; just a minute, or even a few seconds to pray one Hail Mary. And that way everything that you do — every task, every errand, every conversation and relationship that you have — is surrounded by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.”

By integrating the rosary into the events of even the most hectic day, Wendt advised, the faithful will be able to approach it from a different and fresh perspective.

“When we can really walk the way of the rosary, we begin to understand the rosary as a lifestyle,” she said, “instead of something that we put on our to-do list, or something we put a time frame on.”

Children are notoriously squirmy during the recitation of the rosary, but Aid to the Church in Need — which has helped meet the pastoral needs of the suffering and persecuted church around the world since 1947 — nonetheless realizes the power of young prayer.

So on Oct. 7, the organization is inviting 1 million children to pray the rosary for unity and peace during its annual rosary campaign.

“This global initiative,” the Aid to the Church in Need U.S. website noted, “inspires young hearts to pray with Our Blessed Mother and to discover the profound beauty and strength found in prayer.”

Aid to the Church in Need’s campaign is not, however, the only global rosary effort.

The Pontifical Mission Societies USA, said national director Msgr. Robert Landry, has a lengthy history of promoting rosary recitation during October — which is also World Mission Month, encompassing World Mission Sunday on Oct. 19.

“When Archbishop Sheen — my predecessor — was the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies USA, throughout the month of October he used to always get all the staff together in the chapel to pray the rosary at 3 p.m.,” said Msgr. Landry.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen — who has been declared “venerable,” and is on the path to sainthood — directed the U.S. branch of TMPS from 1950-1966. He also created the World Mission Rosary, whose colorful green, blue, white, red, and yellow beads represent the different continents of the world.

“So that’s where our initiative merges two things,” he said. “Praying for the missions — which is one of the major objectives of the month of October — and growing in love of Our Lady under the title Our Lady of the Rosary, through praying the rosary together.”

Echoing both Father Hofer and Shannon Wendt, Msgr. Landry also proclaimed the power of prayer and the rosary.

“Prayer is not just the most important thing we as Catholics do,” he said. “It’s the most powerful thing we do. And those who pray grasp that power.”

It’s also, Msgr. Landry said, an antidote to a turbulent era.

“We’re living in a time now — as we saw after the terrible shooting in Minneapolis — when several public figures have said prayer is basically useless; what we need now is action,” he observed.

“No — prayer is the most important action we need,” Msgr. Landry said. “We can be a witness during this month to the power of prayer — its peace, and its connection to the harvest Jesus himself asked us to pray for.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The joint celebration of the Jubilee of Migrants and the Jubilee of the Missions is an opportunity to remind all Catholics that the duty to welcome and assist migrants is also part of each person’s obligation to share God’s love, Pope Leo XIV said.

“Brothers and sisters, today a new missionary age opens up in the history of the church,” the pope said Oct. 5 during a Jubilee Mass in St. Peter’s Square with tens of thousands of migrants and of missionaries from around the world.

For centuries Catholics have thought of missionaries as people who leave their homelands and set off for distant lands to minister with people who live in poverty and do not know Jesus, said the U.S.-born pope who served for decades as a missionary in Peru.

“Today the frontiers of the missions are no longer geographical, because poverty, suffering and the desire for a greater hope have made their way to us,” Pope Leo said.

“The story of so many of our migrant brothers and sisters bears witness to this: the tragedy of their flight from violence, the suffering which accompanies it, the fear of not succeeding, the perilous risk of traveling along the coastline, their cry of sorrow and desperation,” he said. “Those boats which hope to catch sight of a safe port, and those eyes filled with anguish and hope seeking to reach the shore, cannot and must not find the coldness of indifference or the stigma of discrimination!”

A few days earlier, speaking to reporters, Pope Leo appeared to criticize Catholic supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration raids. “Someone who says that I am against abortion, but I am in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants who are in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life,” he said.

Leading the recitation of the Angelus after Mass, Pope Leo said that “no one should be forced to flee, nor exploited or mistreated because of their situation as foreigners or people in need! Human dignity must always come first.”

Today, the pope had said in his homily, “mission is not so much about ‘departing,’ but instead ‘remaining’ in order to proclaim Christ through hospitality and welcome, compassion and solidarity.”

Being missionaries at home, he said, means not hiding in the comforts of one’s own life and turning a blind eye to “those who arrive from lands that are distant and violent,” but rather opening “our arms and hearts to them, welcoming them as brothers and sisters, and being for them a presence of consolation and hope.”

Pope Leo praised the “many missionary men and women, but also believers and people of good will, who work in the service of migrants, and promote a new culture of fraternity on the theme of migration, beyond stereotypes and prejudices.”

However, he said, Catholics cannot leave the work to others. “This precious service involves each one of us, within the limits of our own means.”

In its efforts to fulfill Jesus’ mandate to share the Gospel with all people, the Catholic Church has relied on “missionary cooperation” with people in traditionally Christian lands supporting the foreign missions with prayer, donations and personnel.

Pope Leo called for a new form of missionary cooperation that taps into lively faith of many migrants and refugees.

“In the communities of ancient Christian tradition, such as those of the West,” he said, “the presence of many brothers and sisters from the world’s South should be welcomed as an opportunity, through an exchange that renews the face of the church and sustains a Christianity that is more open, more alive and more dynamic.”

He also asked missionaries called to depart for foreign lands “to live with respect within the culture they encounter, directing to the good all that is found true and worthy, and bringing there the prophetic message of the Gospel.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Getting old is part of the wonder of creation and is a sign of hope, Pope Leo XIV said.

“Instead of being ashamed of human weakness, we will, in fact, be led to ask for help from our brothers and sisters and from God, who watches over all his creatures as a Father,” he said during an audience at the Vatican Oct. 3 with people taking part in an international conference on the pastoral care of the elderly.

Organized by the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, the Oct. 2-4 conference brought together about 150 delegates from 65 countries, representing 55 bishops’ conferences as well as members of associations and religious congregations engaged in the pastoral care of the elderly.

Building on the first meeting held in 2020, the 2025 gathering focused on developing pastoral responses to the challenges of aging in today’s world.

“In our time, unfortunately, relationships between generations are often marked by divisions and conflicts that pit them against each other,” Pope Leo said. “Older people, for example, are accused of not leaving room for young people in the workforce, or of consuming too many economic and social resources to the detriment of other generations, as if longevity were a fault.”

“The elderly are a gift, a blessing to be welcomed, and a longer life is something positive; indeed, it is one of the signs of hope in our time,” he said.

Of course, he added, “it is also a challenge, because the growing number of elderly people is an unprecedented historical phenomenon that calls us to discern and understand the reality in new ways.”

“Today’s prevailing mentality tends to value existence if it produces wealth or success, if it exercises power or authority, forgetting that the human being is always a limited creature with needs,” he said.

The “darkness of loneliness,” he said, is “the great enemy of the lives of the elderly. May no one be abandoned! May no one feel useless!”

“Where elderly people are alone and discarded, this will mean bringing them the good news of the Lord’s tenderness,” he said.

Older people are a “beneficial reminder of the universal dynamic of life,” he said. Their fragility “reminds us of this common truth,” which is often hidden or ignored “by those who cultivate worldly illusions, so as not to have before their eyes the image of what we will inevitably become.”

“It is healthy to realize that aging is part of the marvel of creation,” he said, and “the elderly teach us that salvation is not found in autonomy, but in humbly recognizing one’s own need and in being able to express it freely, so that the measure of our humanity is not given by what we can achieve, but by our ability to let ourselves be loved and, when necessary, even helped.”

However, he said, people seem increasingly unprepared for growing old.

The Catholic Church, he said, should “offer times and tools for understanding old age, so that we can live it in a Christian way, without pretending to remain forever young and without letting ourselves be overcome by discouragement.”

Pope Leo, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday, suggested using the catechesis Pope Francis dedicated to the theme in 2022 for developing “a true spirituality of the elderly” and setting up “useful pastoral work.”

Opportunities for older people who are already active in parish life should be created, he added, to “respond together with them, and not in their place, to the questions that life and the Gospel pose to us.” And young people could also “become witnesses of closeness and mutual listening to those who are further along in their lives.”

“Let us always remember that proclaiming the Gospel is the primary task of our pastoral ministry: by involving older people in this missionary dynamic, they too will be witnesses of hope, especially through their wisdom, devotion and experience,” the pope said.

SCRANTON, PA — Two faith-based organizations dedicated to serving individuals and families in need have officially merged, combining their missions, resources, and staff under one unified entity: Friends of the Poor and Catherine McAuley Center (FOTP/CMC).

The merger brings together the complementary strengths of both organizations, sponsored by The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, respectively.

“Our sponsoring organizations recognized that we share deep similarities in our Catholic missions, values, and service approaches,” said Sister Mary Ellen Fuhrman, RSM, Chair of the Corporate Members. “By combining our efforts, we can significantly expand our reach to the most vulnerable members of our community.”

After more than a year of collaborative operations at the Catherine McAuley Center’s administrative offices at 430 Pittston Avenue in Scranton, both organizations determined that a formal merger would best serve their shared mission.

“While working side by side, we discovered we were stronger together,” said Lee Termini, Board Chair. “We were already delivering a unified effort for our funders, partners, and the people we serve – formalizing that relationship was the natural next step.”

Expanded Capacity, Unified Impact

Under the merged organization, programs including emergency shelter, clothing assistance, food distribution, furniture provision, and other family-sustaining services now operate under one umbrella, streamlining access for those in need.

“This consolidation allows us to expand our outreach and alleviate the impacts of poverty while fostering human dignity and self-sufficiency for more of our neighbors,” said Meghan Loftus, President & CEO.

Immediate Impact: Enhanced Thanksgiving Community Program

The organization is already demonstrating its increased capacity through expanded partnerships for this year’s 49th Annual Thanksgiving Community Program. Through new collaborations with Meals on Wheels NEPA, Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging, and the United Way of Lackawanna, Wayne & Pike Counties, FOTP/CMC will distribute 5,500 meals—an increase of 1,500 from previous years.

The week-long 49th Annual Thanksgiving Community Program includes three signature events:

Interfaith Prayer Service In collaboration with the Scranton Area Ministerium
Friday, November 21 | 6:00 PM Potluck, 7:00 PM Service Temple Hesed, 1 Knox Road, Scranton.

Thanksgiving Community Dinner for Adults and Elderly
Tuesday, November 25 | 2:30 PM–5:30 PM (or until supplies last)
Scranton Cultural Center, 420 N. Washington Avenue at Vine Street
Drive-through or walk-up service available
*Home delivery for homebound individuals coordinated through Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging, registration details forthcoming

Family to Family Thanksgiving Food Basket Distribution
Wednesday, November 26 | 8:00 AM–4:00 PM (or until supplies last)
Scranton Cultural Center, 420 N. Washington Avenue at Vine Street
*Limit of four dinners per vehicle
*Social service agencies may arrange larger pickups by contacting Linda Robeson at
lindarobeson@comcast.net

“For 39 years, our Food Basket Program has reached thousands of families during the holidays,” said Linda Robeson, Family to Family Food Basket Program Director. “Last Thanksgiving, we served more than 4,000 local families, and with the community’s continued generosity, we hope to meet that goal again this year. From our families to yours—thank you.”

SCRANTON – Now in its 46th year, the well-known annual Candlelight Rosary Novena that has been offered in Lackawanna County to faithful celebrating the Marian month of October will be hosted once again this fall at Divine Mercy Parish in the Minooka section of Scranton.

The 2025 edition of the inspirational and moving devotion, which celebrates the month of the Holy Rosary and the annual Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary in October, will open on Saturday, Oct. 5, at the parish’s Saint Joseph Church, 312 Davis Street, Scranton.

Serving as host pastor for the popular Rosary Novena will be Saint Joseph Oblate Father Paul McDonnell, who also serves as rector of the Oblates of Saint Joseph community and chapel on Highway 315 in Laflin. He is assisted by the permanent deacon of Divine Mercy Parish, Deacon Martin Castaldi.

According to the Novena’s longtime director, Deacon Carmine Mendicino, evening services for the nine-day Candlelight Rosary devotion begin at 6:30 p.m. from Oct. 4 through Sunday, Oct. 12.

This year’s Rosary Novena theme is “Peace be with you.”

WILKES-BARRE – The 10th annual ‘Be a Catholic Man’ Conference will be held on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at Holy Redeemer High School, 159 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre.

This year’s conference theme, “Christ is King,” recalls 100 years ago when Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in response to growing secularism and atheism.

The Conference will feature nationally known speakers, including Mike Aquilina, David Bereit, and Father Charles Connor.

Aquilina, who is originally from Kingston, Pa., is a Catholic author of more than 70 books and has hosted 11 television series on EWTN. He is also co-founder of the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology in Steubenville, Ohio.

Father Connor, a priest of the Diocese of Scranton who serves as the Diocesan historian, has also hosted several television series on EWTN, and authored several books, including Defenders of the Faith in Word and Deed and Classic Catholic Converts.

David Bereit is an internationally acclaimed pro-life leader, strategic advisor, coalition builder and dynamic communicator. He currently serves director of the Life Leadership Conference, a national coalition that seeks to maximize the impact of the pro-life movement.

The ‘Be A Catholic Man’ Conference will conclude with Mass offered by the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton.

Tickets are $40 and include morning coffee and a box lunch.

Student tickets cost $15. Priests, Deacons, and Seminarians are free.

To order tickets, mail a check to ‘Be A Catholic Man,’ P.O. Box 669, Wyalusing, PA 18853.

Write “Men’s Conference” on the memo line and include contact information and parish.

You can also register online at BeACatholicMan.com. For more information call (570) 721-0872.