An Anniversary Message from Bishop Bambera
Dear Members of the Faithful of the Church of Scranton,
Nearly eight years ago now, on the day that I was installed as the tenth Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton, I described the occasion in this way: “This day is about Jesus – and the legacy that he left to the world following his death and resurrection. It is about his pledge to give life, meaning and purpose to his followers through faith in his word and in the sacraments of the Church, especially the Eucharist. This day is about Jesus’ challenge to his Church, his people, to proclaim his Gospel boldly in word and deed. This celebration reminds us of who we are as Church and of what we are called to do and to be.”
In many ways, as we embark on this commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Founding of the Diocese of Scranton, these same words could apply to the whole year: “This year is about Jesus… the legacy of his life, death and resurrection.” The pledge we claim in Jesus, who gives life, meaning and purpose, has been borne out in the real-life events, the struggles and the festivities, the history of his followers here in
the eleven counties of northeastern and northcentral Pennsylvania. The challenge, the mission entrusted by Jesus to his Church “to proclaim the Gospel boldly in word and deed,” has been met in generation after generation of those disciples who have journeyed in time before us and from whom we have inherited both the gift of faith and the responsibility to persist in the mission.
We embrace together soon a new liturgical year – a graced Anniversary Year – marked by stories of historical import, actions which restore us and re-commit us to the founding vision of the reign of God, and gatherings which celebrate and remind us again of “who we are as Church and what we are called to do and to be” for our time and well into the future.
The commemoration of this Sesquicentennial – this 150th Anniversary Year – is framed in the theme, “The Journey Makes Us One.” This unity as the pilgrim people of God refers to our one-ness across all the decades of our history, as well as to our one-ness even now as a richly diverse family of God united in heart and purpose. The theme also acknowledges that the journey is not complete – that the human family, yes even all of creation, is still broken and yearning for the fullness of that unity which God intends and desires.
The planning for this 150th Anniversary of the Diocese of Scranton has been underway for nearly a year already. Now is the time for all of you to be invited into the many facets of your participation, and to add at the local parish level the features of the commemoration which are particular to your faith community. The design for the year has sought to keep these elements in mind: a) emphasizing gratitude to God in looking back; b) balancing between centralized and regional celebrations; c) highlighting lay founders and pioneers alongside clergy leaders; and d) underscoring the joy and hope in looking forward.
A great deal of additional information will be provided in The Catholic Light, on the Diocesan website, and in the parish participation kit mailed to each of our 120 parishes.
Be assured of my deep gratitude to God and to each one of you for the blessings which we will have the pleasure to recount and to celebrate in this 150th Anniversary Year. It is my fervent prayer that we will continue to grow in grace and wisdom as we journey together in the footsteps of Jesus.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L.
Bishop of Scranton
The Cathedral will host many events during the sesquicentennial year. I encourage each of you to participate as fully as possible, not only for your own personal enrichment but also as a people of God coming together to spread the love and Word of our Lord and savior. The most significant of these events are highlighted below. A complete listing may be found here.
As we celebrate together the many blessings we have been given, take a moment to visit the redesigned History and Heritage section of our website. It has been updated to provide you with a robust history of our Cathedral as the mother church of the Diocese of Scranton.
With a heart full of pride and a deep sense of gratitude for all that each of you brings to the Body of Christ, I ask almighty God to abundantly bless you, your families, and all those you hold dear. May we all be brought closer to one another and to Christ as we faithfully journey together to the everlasting Jerusalem.
I am, sincerely yours in Christ,
Monsignor Dale R. Rupert
Pastor
An Anniversary Message from Monsignor Rupert
My Dear Friends in Christ,
On behalf of our Parish Staff and resident clergy at the Cathedral, I extend bountiful blessings to you on this momentous occasion. Personally, I am deeply thankful to be serving as your pastor during this time in the Cathedral's history.
The Cathedral has always been a beacon of hope and a source of prayerful refuge for all who walk through its doors - the faithful parishioner, the passerby, the visitor who we consider to be a member of our parish family - and this year, in a special way, we pray for each of them. Throughout the coming year, we will welcome countless visitors to our beloved Cathedral. While this is nothing new, we acknowledge the added significance which this anniversary year has for all of us. It is a graced year by its very virtue and will have a lasting impact on our lives.
Anniversary News
Metropolitan of Pennsylvania To Celebrate Anniversary Mass
The Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., D.D., Archbishop of Philadelphia and Metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of Pennsylvania, will make his first visit to the Diocese of Scranton when he serves as principal celebrant of the Pontifical Mass marking the actual 150th Anniversary Sunday of the founding of the Diocese. The liturgy will be celebrated on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at 3 p.m. in the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton.
“It fills me with great joy to be the principal celebrant for this Mass as part of the commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Diocese of Scranton,” Archbishop Chaput said. “Philadelphia and Scranton have shared a special bond beginning with the early days of the Church in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Since the time of missionary parishes served by traveling Philadelphia bishops and priests, to the establishment of Scranton as its own diocese in 1868, to the present day, we are inextricably linked as part of God’s family.
“I send my prayerful best wishes to the bishop, priests, deacons and lay faithful of the Diocese of Scranton on the occasion of your sesquicentennial. May God bless you abundantly for many years to come.”
How to Watch the Anniversary Mass
Watch live on CTV: Catholic Television. The Mass will be rebroadcast on CTV on Tuesday, March 6, at 8:00 p.m., and Wednesday, March 7, at 10:00 a.m.
Watch live stream on the Internet:
Go to www.dioceseofscranton.org
Under the News-Videos-Photos menu tab, choose Catholic Television.
Scroll down that page and click on View Daily Mass.
Click on Daily Mass from the Cathedral.
Click on the Play button.
The live broadcast of the Mass will appear on the screen. The video can be expanded to full screen for viewing. During the Mass it is possible to scroll backwards on the timeline to review parts of the Mass one may have missed or wants to hear again.
The video will also be available to view on the Diocesan website later that evening. Under the News-Videos-Photos menu tab, choose Watch Videos and click on the link for the Mass.
‘There Is One Body and One Spirit’
Commissioned Hymn to be Premiered at Diocesan Anniversary Mass
Faithful in the region will have the opportunity to sing a new song to herald the Sesquicentennial of the Diocese.
A new hymn, entitled “There Is One Body and One Spirit,” will be premiered at the Mass on March 4, 2018, in the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the Diocese.
Anniversary Liturgies
150th Anniversary Commemoration of the Founding of the Diocese Of Scranton
Anniversary Sunday
Pontifical Mass for the Third Sunday in Lent
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Cathedral of Saint Peter
Main Celebrant
Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M., Cap.
Archbishop of Philadelphia
Homilist
The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L.
Bishop of Scranton
with Diocesan Presbyterate, Diaconate, Religious and Lay Representatives of all Parish Pastoral Councils and Finance Councils
Anniversary Prayer
Holy Spirit, at work in our lives and in the lives of our ancestors, You created the Church at Pentecost and made it a sacrament of Jesus for the world.
We thank you for creating the Diocese of Scranton 150 years ago and rooting it in faith, hope and love. We marvel at the journey you have traveled with our bishops, laity, religious, priests and deacons.
Continue to strengthen us as one family. Give us the clarity to focus on the things that last: faith in you and the Gospel, hope in the Resurrection, and the love of our God.
Amen.
Media Library
150th Anniversary Year Opening Mass
Pontifical Mass for the First Sunday of Advent
Sunday, December 3, 2017
Presiding
His Eminence, Justin Cardinal Rigali
Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia
Main Celebrant and Homilist
The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L.
Bishop of Scranton
The Journey Makes Us One
Part I
The special television presentation The Journey Makes Us One will air on WVIA during the Anniversary Year. Enjoy this preview of the rich history of our diocese and its parishes.
The Journey Makes Us One
Part II
The special television presentation The Journey Makes Us One will air on WVIA during the Anniversary Year. Enjoy this preview of the rich history of our diocese and its parishes.
The Journey Makes Us One
Part III
The special television presentation The Journey Makes Us One will air on WVIA during the Anniversary Year. Enjoy this preview of the rich history of our diocese and its parishes.