Entries for April 2024

I'm happy to share with our community that I will be ordained as a transitional deacon on Saturday, May 25. Everyone is invited to witness and affirm this next step in my journey towards priestly service to the Church of Scranton! Before a man is ordained to the priesthood he first is ordained as a transitional deacon. It is in this moment that a man makes his promises to obedience, celibacy, and a life of prayer. "Transitional" means that he will be a deacon for a temporary period and will eventually advance to the order of the priesthood. Being a deacon i...

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We’re not quite pulling these questions randomly out of a box. This week once again I’m pairing a pretty everyday question with one that has a little more religious impact. First, where did you grow up? Two answers to that seemingly simple question. First, I was born in Northumberland, where my father’s family was from. (My grandfather was one of 15 children surviving into adulthood. Not all, but many remained near home.) When I was in the third grade, we moved to Montoursville. I loved both places. But, Montoursville was full of ranch houses with ...

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For centuries, the Catholic Church has set aside May to honor Mary, Mother of God—not just one day in May, but the entire month. In Ancient Rome, May was dedicated to Flora, the goddess of blooms, or blossoms. They celebrated ludi florals, or floral games, at the end of April and asked the intercession of Flora for all that blooms. It's a long-standing tradition to crown the statue of Mary during May, a custom known as May Crowning. “May Crowning” is a Catholic devotion recognizing Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth. As Ma...

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A heartfelt merci beaucoup to everyone who helped make this year's "Springtime in Paris" dinner a delightful celebration for our parishioners 65 and over! We're so grateful for your contributions that made it a special afternoon. Thank you to the Williamsport Millionaire Strolling Strings for providing live music!

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2024 Wedding Anniversary Mass His Excellency, the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, and the Office for Parish Life wish to invite couples celebrating their 25th or 50th wedding anniversary in 2024 to a diocesan Wedding Anniversary Mass on Sunday, June 23rd. The event includes a 2:30 PM mass at the Cathedral of Saint Peter followed by a reception. The registration deadline for this event is May 26, 2024.  To register, please go to https://www.dioceseofscranton.org  REGISTRATION FORM or contact Bridget Guarnieri (570-20...

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First Holy Communion will be held on Sunday, May 5th, at the 10:30 a.m. Mass at St. Boniface Church. We anticipate more visitors for this special Mass, so please arrive early for parking. To avoid congestion, kindly refrain from using the alley off Penn St. between 9:55 and 10:10 a.m. PREP classes dismiss at 10 a.m. and parents will be using the alley for pick-up. For easier parking, use the Harmonia Hall lot accessible from Franklin Street. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we celebrate this joyous occasion!

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As Fr. McCreary mentioned in his “Pastor’s Corner,” our Vocation’s Committee is hard at work in promoting an awareness of vocations in our community – the ways in which God has called each of us to witness to our Christian faith. My hope is that you can see how Christ has been at work in the life of Fr. McCreary and myself in our answers to these 20 questions! What did your parents do? My dad was the owner of McCarroll Pre-Cast, a family concrete business that my grandfather started in 1966. A lot of my childhood memories took place there si...

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This week you should have received a brochure introducing our “Joined by Faith, Called to Serve” program. On Commitment Weekend, April 20 & 21, you are invited to participate in this important program and help us respond to God’s great gift of love. We ask that you please review this brochure and prayerfully consider how you and your family can help the parish Families of St. Boniface and St. Lawrence by financially supporting our ministries, furthering our mission, and reinforcing our future. We ask that all faithful parishioners complete a co...

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Our spring cleaning is set for Saturday, May 4th, 2024. To ensure a beautiful and well-maintained cemetery, our crew will be removing leaves, branches, debris, and any broken decorations or dead plants. As a friendly reminder, please refrain from placing borders, stones, or brick chips around plots. These materials can damage our lawn mowing equipment and pose a safety hazard to our staff. They are also in violation of the cemetery regulations and will be removed. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our cemetery a peaceful and respectful space for all.

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Cemetery

For a few months, we’ve had a Vocations Committee forming in the parishes. We’ve been looking at ways to encourage vocations—to the priesthood, to religious life, to Christian marriage—among our people, especially our young with their whole lives ahead of them. One suggestion was to have Andrew and I answer a list of 20 questions about ourselves. So, let’s begin—just a few questions at a time. What did your parents do? My mother was a schoolteacher. She taught what we used to call home economics (largely cooking and sewing). Now ...

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Wednesday, April 17 at St. Lawrence Parish Hall at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.  Join us for a special presentation by Jack Houston, who will delve into the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the remarkable history of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits.  This talk will explore the enduring contributions of the Jesuits to the: Spiritual life of the Catholic Church Educational landscape Cultural tapestry of the world We'll begin with the founding of the Jesuit Order in 1540 and journey through time to see their lasting impact. Th...

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Make a Difference in Your Community: Join Our Social Concerns Ministry! We partner with incredible community organizations like Sojourner Truth Ministries, Senior C.A.R.E., Shepard of the Streets, Family Promise, and the YWCA to support those in need. Here's how you can get involved: Donate Food: We accept unexpired, non-perishable food donations at each of our churches. Volunteer Your Time: Contact our Parish Office at 570-326-1544 or email stboniface@comcast.net to learn about volunteer opportunities. Together, we can make a positive impact on...

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In this past Sunday’s gospel (John 20:19-31) we heard how the disciples hid in fear behind locked doors. Their teacher had just been betrayed, judged, beaten, and killed. Could the same thing happen to them? However, in their moment of fear and uncertainty, Jesus appears before them and proclaims: “Peace be with you. As the Father had sent me, so I send you!” We know how the story continues for the rest of Christian history. The disciples don’t let this message of the risen Jesus fizzle out. They move beyond the locked doors and proclaim the good ...

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Join us for Vacation Bible School at St. John Neumann Regional Academy High School (901 Penn St.) this June! Training to Be Champions for Christ is our exciting theme for this week-long program, designed for students in Pre-K through Grade 5 (current school year). Dates: June 24th - 28th Time: 8:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m Cost: $20 per student ($60 for families with more than 3 children) Early Bird Registration Discount: Register by May 31 and pay only $20! After June 1, the cost is $40 per student. Questions? Contact Karen Balestino ...

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Vacation Bible School

Look at the picture. Holy Thursday night’s adoration space: After the evening Mass we linger to pray, doing what chosen apostles couldn’t do in Gethsemane. We traveled to other churches to keep this as a night of expectant prayer. Half an hour before midnight those seats were filled for Night Prayer, with some folks kneeling or sitting on the floor. We responded to the Church’s call to pray! And we did it throughout the week. Palm Sunday, bearing our branches. Morning Prayer is beautifully attended and sung. Good Friday’s veneration of the cr...

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Since the year 2000, the universal Church has concluded the Octave of Easter by celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday. This great solemnity calls the faithful to rejoice in the merciful love of God as it is most profoundly manifested in the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ. But what exactly is the Divine Mercy? Where did this devotion to the Divine Mercy begin? Is this a new feast day in the Church? Learn more here:  A History of Mercy DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY APRIL 7th St. Joseph the Worker will host the Divine Mercy Sunday Devotions this year beginning with Exp...

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Join us to pray a Scriptural Rosary every Tuesday event at 6:30 p.m. at St. Boniface Church. Scriptural Rosary leads you to peace in your life! All members of the family are invited. There will be "busy bags" available for the little ones. how-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com/scriptural-rosary You can find, peace, joy, and happiness in your life through rosary scriptural meditations. What is a scriptural rosary you may wonder... All it is is the life of Jesus based on scripture from the Bible. The scriptural rosary prayer of the Joyful Mysteries, S...

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This Sunday we hear that familiar Easter story of the women coming to the tomb of Jesus only to find it empty. We all know the highlight of the story, but it doesn’t end there. These faithful women went out to proclaim what they had seen by their bold witness to the faith – encouraging us to do the same. But, how do we give witness to this faith? Although I could go down the list of how to live an authentic Christian life, I believe that it is pretty simple. We witness to our faith by following the unique path that God has given to every one of us. We call this ...

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