Entries for January 2023

A budget inserted presented in the fall. A five-year trend report published in January. Now "Faith in the Present, Hope for the Future". Isn’t this a lot of talk about money? Isn’t this the kind of thing that makes people say the Catholic Church only cares about the money? Yes, sometimes—certainly not always—we talk about money. But, that’s because you—the Church, the People of God—have a right to financial transparency. What if we didn’t talk about money at all? What if we let a deficit grow? Or what if we hid a dow...

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St. Blaise is the patron saint of ailments of the ear, nose, and throat. Come join us at Mass on Friday, February 3 at 8 a.m. at St. Boniface for the annual St. Blaise blessing of the throats.

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Come out for a day of fun and fellowship! Designer purse bingo will be held Saturday, February 4, in the St. Boniface elementary school gym. Doors open at 11 a.m. and bingo starts at 12:30 p.m. The cost is $25 for 20 regular games. There will be additional specials, a Chinese auction, a super raffle, and food for purchase. If you or your business would like to donate an item for the Chinese auction, sponsor one of the purses, or reserve tickets, please call Lorrie at 570-433-4464 or Deb at 570-220-2303. Note: If you are planning on attending the 4 p.m. Mass on ...

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Our parish pastoral council responds to a series of listening sessions with plans to invite parishioners to get more involved in the volunteer life of the parishes. The Diocese requires our parishes—and, in fact, all parishes—to offer transparent financial reports on a regular basis. Our Sunday gospels tell the story of Jesus proclaiming the gospel and recruiting disciples. Are these merely random events? Or can we see a convergence here? I certainly hope we can! Jesus calls us to a mission—proclaiming the kingdom of God to our world. That mission needs pe...

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In the coming week you will receive a brochure introducing our Increased Offertory Program. I am sure you are all proud to be part of the Saint Boniface and Saint Lawrence community. On commitment weekend, January 28 & 29, you will be invited to participate in this important program and help us respond to God’s great gift of love. Please prayerfully consider how you and your family can help by financially supporting our ministries, furthering our mission, and reinforcing our future. We ask that all faithful parishioners complete the commitment card included i...

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Sixteen youngsters will receive our Lord’s forgiveness and peace in the sacrament of reconciliation for the first time on Saturday, January 21, at St. Lawrence Church. The students have been very involved in their celebration by preparing readings and learning songs with motions. Many thanks to all who helped prepare for this memorable day. Special appreciation goes out to our 2nd grade catechist, Mrs. Jillian MacInnis, 2nd grade aide, Mrs. Jennifer Hubler, teachers at SJNRA, and all of our parents who have been working with the children to pr...

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PREP, Reconciliation

Tax season is approaching! If you would like your 2022 charitable contributions total mailed or emailed at the end of January, please contact the parish office for your name to be added to the list.

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Since the beginning of Advent the Sunday gospels have come from St. Matthew. That’ll continue to be the pattern—with a rather long interruption from St. John during Lent and Easter—up until the end of November. What should we look for from Matthew’s gospel? What would a one-time tax collector write about Jesus, his unexpected Savior? First, Matthew tells the most Jewish story of all the gospels. Now, all the evangelists write a narrative of the Jewish Messiah and his Jewish disciples. But, Matthew seems to take a particular care to show the continuit...

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The St. Lawrence Parish Activities Committee is sponsoring a pancake breakfast on Sunday, January 22 in the St. Lawrence parish hall. Tickets are being sold after Masses.  If your child needs service hours for school or another organization, or if they would just like to help out at this breakfast, this is the perfect opportunity. Any high school age parishioner is asked to volunteer for the early shift (approx. 8:30-10:30 a.m.). Our confirmation students will take the 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. shift since most of them are attending PREP that morning. We would love...

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The New Year is here and so is our next batch of 300 Club tickets. Tickets will be on sale in the rear of the church after all Masses starting January 7 or can be purchased from any activities member. Cost is $10/ticket. The first drawing will be February 12, with subsequent drawings once a week for five weeks. Winners will be announced in the church bulletin. If you would like a ticket but cannot pick one up at church, please call Deb at 570-220-2303 or Lenny at 570-772-0722.

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I know the print’s small, the numbers might be hard to read, and those financial pages in the bulletin don’t always offer exciting news: but, please take a good look at those financial trend reports. In light of Vision 2030, the Diocese wants us all—priests, parish leadership, the whole community—to be aware of the graces and challenges of being a parish today. Here you see the figures that talk about one piece of parish life—the money we’re given and the money we spend. All in all, for both St. Lawrence and St. Boniface these report...

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Are you interested in sharing your faith with teens? We are looking for a few adults to assist with our high school ministry program. We meet two Sunday evenings a month and need two adults in attendance each time. These adults would act as assistant mentors on an “as needed” basis. Prayerfully consider giving some time to make a difference in the lives of our young people. For more information, contact Karen Balestino.

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Youth Ministry

Adult education opportunities continue January 8 from 9:15-10:10 a.m. in the St. Boniface Rectory Basement (RAC) with our PREP Talks. Newcomers are always welcome, and If you missed any Wednesday sessions of the Symbolon video and discussion series, here is your chance to catch up. Our next three PREP Talk sessions in January will discuss: The Bible: God’s Love Letter to Humanity; The Story of Salvation: Creation, Fall & Redemption; and Who is Jesus? Just a Good Man or Lord of Our Lives? Hope to see you there!

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