On the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi Sunday) after the 9 AM Mass, Father Joe Jose Kuriappilly, Pastor led a procession with the Blessed Sacrament from SS. Peter and Paul Church in Towanda to the Grotto Shrine.
The parishioners returned to the church for Benediction. First Communicants participated in their First Communion outfits. This was a commemoration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his Apostles honoring the Lord’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament.
The St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen in Wilkes-Barre will be kicking off its annual “Sponsor For A Day” campaign on June 1.
For $125, one can sponsor the day’s meal at St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen and help provide meals to those in need. The sponsorship can be from oneself, a family, in memory of a loved one, or on behalf of a business. Sponsors are recognized each day on the “Sponsor For The Day” draw-board in the Kitchen as well as on the Kitchen’s Facebook page. Past sponsors will be receiving letters asking for renewals during the week of June 1-7. New sponsors may call (570) 829-7796 for more information.
To follow St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen on Facebook, visit www.facebook.com/stvincentkitchen
A Baccalaureate Mass was held on Sunday, May 19 (Pentecost) at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Peckville.
High school seniors from Valley View, Mid-Valley, Holy Cross, Scranton Prep, and Lakeland received a special blessing as they celebrate their accomplishments and transition to a new chapter of life.
The Pastor, Fr. Andy Kurovsky was assisted by Deacon Jerry Carpenter of Queen of Angels Parish, Jessup. The soon-to-be graduates participated as lectors, cantors, choir, presentation of the gifts, and collection volunteers.
Saint Rose High School Carbondale PA class of 1974 celebrated their 50th class reunion starting with a mass celebrated by their classmate, the Most Reverend Bishop Joseph C Bambara Saturday May 18th at Saint Rose of Lima Parish.
The Parish Council of SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Towanda, PA, along with current pastor Father Jose Kuriappilly and former pastor Father Ed Michelini recognized the retirement of Mary Pfeffer, office administrator of the parish. Mary Pfeffer and her husband George Rogers were thanked for their faithfulness to the church, willingness to go above and beyond and for their compassion and kindness shown toward parishioners. A dinner celebration was held at the Wildfire Grill on May 9 , 2024 with council spouses in attendance.
Shown are committee members for ‘Be A Catholic Man’ who recently gathered to plan for its ninth annual Catholic Men’s Conference. This year’s theme will be ‘Come Follow Me’. The event will be held at Holy Redeemer High School, 159 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Saturday, October 5th, 2024, from 8 am to 3 pm.
Nationally known speakers will be: Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, John Edwards, Father Bill Casey, and concluding with Mass Offered by Bishop Joseph Bambera. These informative talks are conducive for fathers and sons, clergy, and men of every age.
Register for the conference online at www.BeACatholicMan.com or by mail to: “Be A Catholic Man”, PO Box 669, Wyalusing, Pa. 18853. (Please write “Men’s Conference” on the check memo and include ones contact info, e-mail, and Parish.) The cost is $40.00 ($30.00 if mailed by Sept. 15th). Students are $15.00. Priests, Deacons and Seminarians are free.
For more information, see www.BeACatholicMan.com or call 570-721-0872.
On Saturday May 11th the Lycoming County Catholic Young Adults Group hosted a silent retreat at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Bastress, PA. The day was filled with presentations by Fr. Bert Kozen and the Capuchin Sisters of Nazareth on Meeting Christ through Mary, as well as periods of silence for reflection and prayer. The day ended with a Tazié mass and fellowship. Thank you to all who attended!
For anyone interested, the Lycoming County Catholic Young Adults Group meets every Wednesday at 7:00pm in the St. Joseph the Worker Admin Building in Williamsport.
Queen of the Apostles Parish held its May Crowning of the Blessed Mother following the 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday, May 5, at the church, 715 Hawthrone St., Avoca.
The Rev. Joseph Sibliano, OSJ, and Deacon Jim Rose led the prayerful service.
An overcast sky eased seamlessly into sunshine as sixteen area children received the Sacrament of Holy Communion for the first time at St. Patrick’s in Milford.
Parents, grandparents and guardians joined together in prayer, song and celebration on this very special day in their children’s young lives.
In his homily, Rev. Joseph Manarchuck, Pastor, invited the children to cultivate their friendship with Jesus, present in the Eucharist, and always there for them.
Catechist Mary Caraballo, who prepared the children for the reception of the sacrament over several months, was presented with a bouquet of flowers by Jack Young, one of the new communicants.
Receiving First Holy Communion were: Amber Be’en Rojas, Megan Be’en Rojas, Cristian Ciralli, Selena Dolan, Georgia Ganska, Peyton Gili, Mia Harsch, Mason Kraemer, Dominic Lake, Annabella Marshall, Mackenzie McDonagh, Alexis Nickolich, Audrianna O’Connell, Lorenzo Sposito, Allison Sutton and Jack Young.
Students from several Catholic Schools won awards at The University of Scranton’s Earth Day Essay Contest – with a theme inspired by the Pope’s call.
Three-hundred and fifty students in grades five to 12 participated in The University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest this year, which set a record for participation in the annual competition. Awards were announced at the University’s Evening of Environmental Science Event on campus in April.
This year’s essay theme was “Sustainable Living, Caring for Creation,” which was inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical letter “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home” and The University of Scranton’s commitment to join a coalition of colleges from around the world to develop, implement and evaluate initiatives around seven ecological goals over a seven-year period to meet the Pope’s call for integral ecology and to gain designation by the Vatican as a Laudato Si’ University.
The first-place winner of the fifth-grade essay contest was Collin Sickles, from St. Claire/St. Paul’s Elementary School. Aubrey Mace, from Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School and Sophia Norton, from St. Clair/St. Paul tied for second place. Isabella Muso and Taylor Ebersole from All Saints Academy won third place medals.
The sixth-grade student that took first place in the essay contest was Sean Kiernan, from Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School. The students who tied for second place were Ronan Keating and Katie Doherty, both from St. Claires/St. Paul’s Elementary School. Receiving a third-place awards were Nathan Dennis, from Fell Charter School and Griffin Maynor, from All Saints Academy.
All the seventh-grade essay contest winners were from St Claire/St. Paul’s Elementary School. The first-place winner of the seventh-grade essay contest was Preet Patel. The second-place winners were Madlyn McHale and Sage Michel. The third-place winners were Bennet Budow and Lily Reager.
The eight-grade first-place winner was Sylvia Fahey, from Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School. In second place were Elizabeth Rich, from Holy Rosary School and Raeleigh Reiss, from Howard Gardner. The third-place winner was Jonathan Fitzmaurice, from Holy Rosary School.
The ninth-10th grade essay contest winners were: Edie Hann, first place, Scranton Preparatory School; Anusha Thapa Magar, second place, Holy Cross High School; Anna Tringale, second-place, North Carolina; and Simon E. Madore, third place, Holy Cross High School.
The 11th-12th grade essay contest winners were all from Valley View High School. Coming in first place was Gabby Staback; in second place was Emma Miller and tied for third-place was Noah M. Nocek and Christian Sweeny.
University of Scranton students who work in the Jesuit school’s Office of Sustainability reviewed the essays submitted, in addition to organizing the award ceremony. University students Emily Burgers, an environmental science major from Wayne, New Jersey; Rebekah Thompson, an occupational therapy major from Bedminster, New Jersey; and Emma Warras, an environmental science major from Kinnelon, New Jersey; spoke at the award program. Mark Murphy, director of the Office of Sustainability at the University, has organized the Earth Day Essay Contest for a decade.
Information about next year’s essay contest will be posted to the University’s Sustainability webpage in January 2025.