Youth Prayer for Lent

Transcription

1 March 2018 Rt. Rev. Bernard Nowicki, DD - Pastor Rev. Janusz A. Lucarz - Assistant Pastor Welcome again to our Cathedral Parish Newsletter for And welcome to the Season of Lent as we prepare ourselves for the glorious celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ at the start of April. Added to the Four Lenten Disciplines of Prayer, Fasting, Charitable Giving known as Almsgiving and daily Bible Reading, is another very beautiful and inspirational means of preparing for the Easter celebration. This is our time together in the Upper Room on Sunday, March 11th from 3:00 pm. The Upper Room is a special program of spiritual enrichment through song, scripture, poetry, prayer, nourishment and, importantly, silences. Participants begin their experience in the lower chapel of the Cathedral, then silently proceed to the room uniquely and strikingly configured for them in the Youth Center. All our parishioners are welcome, but reservations are necessary by signing the sheet in the lower auditorium. Reservations can be accepted through March 7th by also calling the Parish Office during the week ( ). By the time our Upper Room event on the 11th takes place, our bishops will have returned from Ireland after their three-day conference in Dublin with Anglican and Episcopalian bishops along with clergy from Norway together with their bishop, and with clergy from other countries in Europe. The Union of Scranton comprised of the PNCC and the Nordic Catholic Church has invited an international representation of jurisdictional heads to discuss details on the restoration of the undivided Church through a renewed Catholicity, in a word, non-papal Catholicism. This ancient model of church structure was once found in the Union of Utrecht, but is now authentically preserved in the Union of Scranton. The PNCC is already well known around the world including Africa and, together with the Nordic Catholic Church as the Union of Scranton, is favorably positioned to advance the fullness of catholic witness devoid of papal supremacy maintained by church in its first thousand years. Lent this year, then, is as much a reflective time for our Church in its desire to advance an ecumenical non-papal catholicity as it is a reflective time for all Christians approaching the greatest celebration of our faith, the Resurrection. Lent forecasts a rebirth, a reenlivening of our souls both individually and collectively as Catholics united in the structures of the ancient undivided church. Please fervently pray for the fruitfulness of your bishops efforts in Europe and enjoy this edition of our Cathedral Newsletter! -- Bishop Bernard Youth Prayer for Lent Lord, Teach me a new freedom. Freedom to reject comparison And to embrace uniqueness. Freedom to cut ties with greed And feast on love. Freedom to abstain from over indulgence And feast on self-control. Freedom to leave behind selfish thoughts And to focus on the needs of others. Freedom to fend off insecurity And to embrace grace. Lord, at this time of Lent, Thank you for the freedom you bring. Amen. (from

2 page 2 Baby Jesus Evicted! Baby Jesus has been evicted from the stable temporarily but there is no need to worry. Ed Borek, Walt Sadauskas and Mike Beggin have remedied the situation. They found a new home for Jesus and all of the newly refurbished nativity statues. After the Christmas season came the task of finding a place where these newly refinished and precious statues could be stored safely and stay protected. The perfect spot was found in the closet under the stairs leading to the choir loft. Ed, Walt, and Mike undertook the task of cleaning out the closet, fixing and painting the walls, installing carpeting and shelving and making a new door for that section of the closet. The statues were then wrapped in moving blankets, sheets and pads donated by Don and Sally Blackledge, June Sarnowski, and Connie Tellep. All this is to preserve our priceless and beautiful nativity statues until next Christmas season when a space in the stable might open up again. Love is In the Air Or maybe it is at the Buffet table! Saturday, February 10th, the YMS of R hosted the Annual Valentine Dance in our Youth Center. The basketball court was transformed into a romantic dance floor complete with red and white canopy, red and white lighted hearts, and white lighted trees. The ANS Catering provided a delectable buffet of garlic chicken strips, piggies, fresh and smoked kielbasa, pasta and meatballs, pierogi, mashed potatoes, baked beans and various jello molds and desserts. After everyone satisfied their hunger at the buffet table, the dancing began. The Jeffery James Band provided the music until midnight. The Cathedral UYA also lent a helping hand. They acted as servers and check-room attendants plus sold flowers for your sweetheart and took commemorative pictures with your Honey. Everyone had a great time and it was a wonderful way to celebrate Valentines Day with that someone special. Here We Come a Carolin Should we say here they come a caroling? The Cathedral United Youth Association once again reveled the St. Stanislaus Parishioners with Christmas carols as they wended their way through the streets of Scranton and beyond. Every year, the week after Christmas, the UYA members, parents and chaperones and clergy, meet in the evening to set off on their path to those parishioners homes who have requested to hear some Christmas songs of joy. Usually their endeavors are rewarded with monetary donations which are used for the UYA s many projects, which this year includes Convo 2018, and occasionally they also receive a sweet treat or two. At the end of the evening, they retreat to various homes for fellowship and a well deserved snack. If you want to be on the UYS s caroling list for next year contact any UYA member or the parish office. Heavenly Father, during this Lenten season, give me a new and expanded vision for my life. Help me to live full of faith. Teach me to find hope in the face of adversity.

3 page 3 YMS of R Swears in a New Member On Tuesday, January 9th, Joshua Notari, the newest and youngest member of the YMS of R Branch #1 was inducted. Joshua has been an honorary youth member for many years as he volunteers with the men every chance he can. Josh has built great camaraderie with the men while they prepare meals and set up decorations for various church events, like the annual Valentine s Dance, Bunny Breakfast and Santa Breakfast. He has helped along side of his father Lorne Notari. Joshua is a senior at Forest City High School. The YMS of R also held heir annual meeting. The officers for the 2018 year are: President Joe Nasser, Co-Vice Presidents Frank Gerardi and Jake Stankowski, Secretary Dr. Mike Umerich, Financial Secretary Stan Ocwieja, Treasurer Jerome Hughes, Sick Committee Bob Seliga, Refreshment Committee Ed Meleski, Assistance with financial duties Bernie Kalteski. Congratulations to all and may they have a successful year. After the meeting, the men took down the Christmas tree in the Youth Center and then gathered for refreshments and fellowship. If anyone interested in joining the YMS of R, the meetings are the second Tuesday of the month in the Youth Center. Come join them. Steeple Update Since the steeple project had begun in December, CJ Diirner and Sons have made progress despite the nasty winter weather here in Northeastern PA. The old metal cladding on 3 sides of the steeple has been removed; weather covering attached and new aluminum cladding is going up. Fortunately, critical repairs to the main structure holding the bells were discovered. Two support beams were split horizontally and hanging below the main structure inside the tower. Jake Dirrner had to bring on site two 20-foot telescopic jacks to lift the broken pieces into their proper location. They were then reinforced with 2 new beams which were secured with the proper hardware. God was truly watching over our bells so that this was discovered before a major problem happened. Bogu Dzieki! We will keep you updated on this project and will look forward to the new steeple when all is finished.

4 page 5 Ash Wednesday Services and Prime Bishop Hodur Memorial Mass This year Ash Wednesday fell on February 14th and something new was tried; Holy Mass at Noon and 7:00 in the evening. Although the evening mass has been in the past, it was suggested to have mass a noon this year to accommodate those who would rather come to church in the day time. It was reported that attendance this year was improved over last year. Attendance for noon was almost equal to 7:00 p.m. It was probably fortunate that mass was at noon and not early morning because of the unexpected ice storm overnight. Two days later, on February 16th, Bishop Nowicki celebrated a memorial mass on the 65th Anniversary of the death of Prime Bishop Franciszek Hodur. During the mass, John Andrzejewski did the readings and Prime Bishop Mikovsky gave an inspiring homily. In attendance were clergy from the Scranton Seniorate, members of the PNU and parishioners of St. Stanislaus. ANS Christmas Dinner January 14th was a joyous occasion for many members of The Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament Society...whom celebrated Christmas at Anthony s Restaurant in Old Forge, Pennsylvania. The sound of prayer echoed by our Prime Bishop Anthony Mikovsky...as well as smiles and laughter was enjoyed by all. Truly a very special day embracing the company of our Pastor Right Rev. Bernard Nowicki, Assistant Pastor Rev. Janusz Lucarz, and Sister s of the A.N.S. Society. A delicious meal with the touch of a cozy atmosphere was a beautiful ending to a Sunday in Northeastern Pennsylvania...celebrating the Birth of Our Dear Lord and Savior... Jesus Christ! LENT: Spring training for Christians EASTER: OPENING DAY Who Stole Jesus? The statue of the entombed Christ, used on Good Friday, is missing. Did someone steal Jesus or has He gone into the wilderness for Lent? Bishop Hodur mass from left to right Fr. Dennis Ruda, Fr. Janusz Lucarz, Prime Bishop Anthony Mikovsky, Bishop Bernard Nowicki, Very Rev. Zbigniew Dawid, Fr. Carmen Bolockm, John Andrzejewski not pictured Very Rev. William Chromey There is a rumor that the statue may be in hiding at Trinity Artisans in Mountaintop with artist Jody Dotzel. She did such a beautiful job on the Nativity statues, that an anonymous donor is helping the entombed Christ statue with a make-over also. Stay tuned to find out when Jesus will come out of hiding.

5 page 6 SOCL Learns About Instruments of the Bible Music flowed through the SOCL lessons in January as we celebrated the importance of music in our church. With Music Schoalrship Sunday as our focus, the students studied instruments of the bible, played games and made instrument crafts. We reviewed all the musical orgnizations in our church. The children had fun guessing "what's that sound" as instrument sounds were played. Do you know the sound a Didgeridoo makes? SOCL does! Birthdays & Anniversaries Feb 1 Stacey Crispino Feb 2 Michael Umerich Feb 3 Jake Stankowski Kylie Patrick Feb 4 Constance Stankowski Feb 5 Gloria Makowski Mary Coloma Feb 6 Jacob Gerardi Joanne Edwards Feb 7 Amy Lynn Thomas Feb 9 Jeanne Kowalski Michael Gorgol Feb 10 Rodney Osterstrom Feb 12 Eric Middleton Michael Meleski Feb 14 Susan Raub Christine Ostroski Donald Blackledge Feb 15 Caroline Golembeski Feb 16 Donald Godek Feb 18 Linda Umerich Marlene Yaron Michael Osterstrom Feb 21 Patricia Kanton Feb 23 Brenda Karsnak Feb 24 Kate Boczar-Matza Feb 26 Ernest Pettinato Feb 28 John Tempaugh Mar 1 Robert Serovinski Mar 4 Kyle Lennert Stacey Ostrowski Mar 9 Jordan Patrick Mar 11 Joseph Loyek, Jr. Mar 13 Angela Ostrowski Mar 14 - Jean Cwynar Mar 17 - Marcus Dermont Mar 18 - Jean Pucher Lindsey Jenkins Mar 19 - Gretchen Middleton Mar 20 - Katie Tempaugh Susan Nitch Mar 21 - John Kotula Mar 23 - Deanna McConnell Mar 27 Dorothy Partyka Mar 28 Jean Gontarski Mar 31 Matthew Osterstrom Jerome Hughes Music Scholarship Winner Every year since its inception in 1966 the National United Choirs of the PNCC awards music scholarships to adult and young adult members of the PNCC. These scholarships have uses which range from funding private music study to funding music studies in institutions of higher learning. Kaitlyn Gingerlowski is one of ten recipients of an NUC Scholarship for In addition to assisting with the St Stanislaus Cathedral Young Choir, Kaitlyn studies violin and guitar, having also studied piano for the past few years. She has been a participant in the string program at Marywood University and plans to use the scholarship to continue her participation in that program. Kaitlyn has occasionally played her violin in church and we look forward to hearing her play in the coming year. She has expressed interest in becoming a music teacher. We congratulate Kaitlyn on her scholarship! Anniversaries Feb 9 Robert & Susan Niedzielski

6 Lenten Services and Events A rich array of spiritual opportunities is listed below for all our parishioners to avail themselves of during the season of Great Lent which started with Ash Wednesday. Fridays 12 Noon Stations of the Cross in the Chapel, lower level of the Cathedral Wednesdays 7:00pm Stations of the Cross in the Cathedral. Various societies and parish ministries will read the meditations each week. Saturday, March 10 10:00am to 12:30pm Scranton Seniorate Lenten Retreat In the Wilderness at St. Mary s Church in Duryea Sunday, March 11 3:00pm Upper Room Meal in the Youth Center. All Parishioners are invited to attend. Please sign the attendance sheet in the Parish Hall or call the parish office Sunday, March 25 4:00pm Living Stations presented by the Cathedral UYA in conjunction with the Cathedral Chorale. Holy Tuesday March 27 4:00pm Chrism Mass in the Cathedral Holy Thursday March 29 7:00 pm Mass of the Institution of the Eucharist in the Cathedral Good Friday March 30th 12:00 Noon Holy Hour 1:00pm Litanies of the Passion and of Our Holy Mother of Sorrows 2:00pm Mass of the Pre-Sanctified 2:45pm Reflections on the Seven Last words of Christ followed by the opening of the symbolic tomb of Christ 7:00 pm Tenebrae chanted by the gentlemen of the Cathedral Holy Saturday March 31 4:00pm Vigil of the Risen One Easter Sunday April 1 8:00am Mass with Liturgy of the Resurrection 10:30am Mass of Easter Sunday 11:15am Mass of Easter Sunday Tripp Park Chapel Mark Your Calendars! Here are some of the upcoming events, so mark your calendars to keep them in mind. March 4 Annual Parish meeting in Church Hall March 11 ANS Upper Room Lenten Program A program of melody, meditation & meal will be conducted in the Cathedral & Youth Center at 3:00 p.m. Reservations are necessary. All are welcome & a free will offering will be taken. Sign up in the church hall or contact the parish office. March 18 Breakfast with the Easter Bunny YMS of R will sponsor the breakfast in the Youth Center. Tickets: Adults $8.00; Children $3.00 Please make reservations in the parish hall after 9:30am mass or call Frank Gerardi There will be a limited number of tickets for sale at the door so reserve yours by Thursday, March 15. March 24 Bread Making for Easter The Cathedral UYA is making bread again for the Easter Season. Plain or raisin bread will be available for purchase at $10.00 per loaf. There are a limited number of loaves sold, so please sign up on the sheet in the church hall or contact the church office. Pick up will be Saturday after 3:00pm or Palm Sunday after mass. April 14 Diocesan Council Meeting in the Youth Center May 26 1st Chicken Barbeque on the corner of Pittston Ave. and Elm St. Noon until sold out. June 2 Diocesan ANS Convention in the Youth Center July 23 to 27 Youth Convocation to be held at the University of Scranton. The Cathedral is the host parish. October 1-3 National Synod at Our Lady of the Snows in Belleview, Illinois. Registration should be approximately $200 & the rooms are $79 per night per room. There are a limited number of rooms at the retreat/conference center. Others will be housed at a nearby hotel for the same room rate.