A year-long celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Scranton began on the First Sunday of Advent, December 3, with a special Pontifical Mass in the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Scranton.
His Eminence, Justin Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia and former Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Scranton, presided. Bishop Joseph C. Bambera was the principal celebrant and homilist.
The connection to Philadelphia is noteworthy since our Diocese was part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia until 1868, when Pope Pius IX created the Diocese of Scranton.
His Eminence, Justin Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia and former Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Scranton
“We are certainly honored that Cardinal Rigali accepted our invitation to join us for this special Mass,” Bishop Bambera said. “We were all touched by the Cardinal’s sensitive pastoral care during the time he served as our Apostolic Administrator. On a personal note, Cardinal Rigali was a generous and gracious mentor to me while I served as his Delegate as we entered a period of transition here. On behalf of the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Diocese of Scranton, I offer our deepest gratitude to Cardinal Rigali for his friendship and the blessings we have received through our encounters with him.”
The Diocese of Scranton’s roots grew from the first Catholic presence recorded in northeastern Pennsylvania, dating back to 1793 in Silver Lake, Susquehanna County, where French refugees settled Catholic communities to escape the revolution in France. In the ensuing years, many different ethnic groups formed their own religious communities within the region. Missionary priests nourished the faith of these early settlers.
Pope Pius IX realized that the Catholic community in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania was steadily growing and made the decision to separate Bradford, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming counties from the oversight of Philadelphia.
The Diocese of Scranton was officially formed on March 3, 1868, when the Pope signed a decree to separate these 10 counties from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia into their own Diocese. Lackawanna County was formed 10 years later when carved from what was previously a larger Luzerne County, bringing the Diocese of Scranton to its current number of 11 counties.
For the special opening Mass on December 3, all 120 parishes were invited to send four delegates, and the Diocesan Catholic schools were represented by two students per school.
The music ministry was composed of choir members from the Cathedral of Saint Peter, Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Clarks Summit, and Saint Joseph the Worker Parish in Williamsport, as well as the Cathedral instrumentalists.
The cantor was Dana Cerminaro, director of music at Our Lady of the Snows. The altar servers were representatives of Diocesan Catholic schools and parishes’ Youth Ministry.
At all Masses, all parishes in the Diocese united their prayers with those of the Diocesan celebration at the Cathedral as the commemoration of this 150th Anniversary Year begins.
The 150th Anniversary theme, “The Journey Makes Us One,” reflects the Catholic faith as a unifying element for many people from various ethnic backgrounds and walks of life in northeastern and north-central Pennsylvania.
The Sesquicentennial will be celebrated through most of next year. In addition to the opening Mass, a Pontifical Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Peter will celebrate the actual Anniversary Sunday of the founding of the Diocese of Scranton on March 4, 2018, with the Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia, as celebrant. Then to close the Anniversary Year, the Most Reverend Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, will be the principal celebrant at the Anniversary Year Concluding Mass on November 25, 2018, the feast of Christ the King, at the Cathedral. Representatives from the parishes will be invited for each of these significant celebrations.
In addition to these three liturgical events, there will be numerous annually occurring and specially focused events throughout the year that will be spotlighting our Anniversary Year and the history of our Diocese. Among them is a Mass with the Hispanic community that Bishop Bambera will celebrate on December 9, 3 p.m. at Saint John Neumann Parish in Scranton for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and a Jubilee Year Pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. on September 22.
Each parish has received a parish participation kit, with suggestions and resources for commemorating the more local aspects of the 150th Anniversary in every part of the Diocese of Scranton.
In periodic issues of The Catholic Light, the Diocesan newspaper, beginning with the November 30 edition, a special center section will highlight various aspects of Diocesan history. Special segments will also be aired on the CTV program “Our Faith, Our Diocese,” beginning with the December show. A special Anniversary Year page has been posted on the Diocesan website at www.dioceseofscranton.org,
