Entries for July 2021

A NOVENA from the 1st through 9th in preparation for the FEAST OF ST. LAWRENCE on AUGUST 10th Glorious St. Lawrence, model of Christian fortitude, I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God. To you I have recourse in the problems that daily surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and my neighbor. Inspire me to imitate your Christian virtues. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and work for His Kingdom. Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces...

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St Lawrence

Our Welcoming party for both parishes was held on Friday July 23rd, in perfect weather. We greeted newly registered parishioners. Sharing wine and cheese, 25 people came to know each other. Another reception  is planned for October 15th. 

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Summer Bazaars, Picnics And Festivals Need a day trip? Check out Bazaars, Picnic and Festivals at Catholic churches in the Diocese of Scranton all within driving distance!

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CHILDRENS LITURGY of the WORD Thankfully we will be restarting this highly successful prayer in September. Meanwhile, some new blood would be very welcome to this fun and necessary effort. Adults, college students and high school students would be a huge boon. We need you for arts and crafts, acting out the Gospel, and supervision of children ages 3 thru 11 years. We are only speaking of twice a month at the 9:30am Masses. Call Barb for more details: 570.398.0602 or brizzo55@verizon.net. You will love this ministry!

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CLOW

- July 14th is the memorial of St Kateri Tekakwitha, a woman of the Algonquin tribe who became a Catholic. She suffered huge discrimination from whites and natives alike. I thought of her as we literally unearth hundreds of graves of native children who were removed from their parents and placed in govt/religious institutions (many Catholic) for reeducation. Many died of tuberculosis far from family and were forgotten. As we discover the extent of that system in more investigations, we will be shocked and rightly disgusted. But the best response would be more support for Na...

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PRAYER FOR THE FIRST WORLD DAY FOR GRANDPARENTS AND THE ELDERLY I thank You, Lord, for the comfort of Your presence: even in times of loneliness, You are my hope and my confidence, You have been my rock and my fortress since my youth! I thank You for having given me a family and for having blessed me with a long life. I thank You for moments of joy and difficulty, for the dreams that have already come true in my life and for those that are still ahead of me. I thank You for this time of renewed fruitfulness to which You call me. Increa...

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Scam emails and texts are circulating again. PLEASE be advised: DO NOT respond to any emails or text messages from Fr. Bill requesting money or gift cards, these are scams. Fr. Bill will NOT send you a request for money by these methods. The Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker program added 47,567 separate text scams to its scam tracking program in 2019. Here’s how to identify a spam text to protect yourself, your friends and your family.: 4 ways to identify scam text messages Smishing, phishing that occurs over SMS, is often easy to spot...

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Faith & Science Resource Center - The Vatican Observatory Far from enemies, the two are very complementary. If you enjoy the mix, check out the website...www.VATICANOBSERVATORY.ORG     The Astronomy section of the Vatican has a group of scientists who write of new discoveries or insights. Led by Brother Guy Consolmagno (American Jesuit) this site offers tremendous food for thought and prayer. Enjoy. The Pope's Astronomer: Meet Br. Guy Consolmagno | EWTN News In Depth

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Bishop announces date for reinstating Sunday Mass Obligation The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, released a letter to the faithful of the Diocese of Scranton today indicating the Sunday Mass obligation will be reinstated August 15, 2021, in the Diocese of Scranton. This change will also occur in each diocese in Pennsylvania on the same date. In his letter to the faithful, Bishop Bambera emphasized that people who are seriously ill or have a serious health risk, as well as those who have significant fear or anxiety of being part of a large group...

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Congress is trying to force Americans to pay for abortion. The Hyde Amendment and similar laws have protected taxpayers from funding elective abortion for 45 years. Now, powerful members of Congress want to take away these laws that both Democrats and Republicans have supported for nearly half a century. Billions of taxpayer dollars could be used to pay for abortion. It is critically important for Catholics to send a strong message before Congress moves forward to impose taxpayer-funded abortion. The following tools can be used within your networks, to raise the...

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SAVE THE DATE-Sunday August 8, 2021 St. Boniface & St. Lawrence Parish Picnic Come join the fun at our Combined Parish Picnic, Sunday, August 8, 2021 at the South Williamsport Picnic Pavilion.  We will be serving hamburgers and hot dogs, please bring you favorite dish.  There will be some games for all ages, please bring your own for more fun. Volunteers are needed! If you can help with setting-up, contact Dianne Fisher 570-322-3278 or Judy Campion 570-323-6202. 

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July 11 - Now that we can sing in church, the joy is obvious. You raised your voices beautifully last week. While many of our musicians are on vacation, we can "pray twice" as we lift our voices in song. The second step is to remind neighbors and friends that we miss them. This is the time to return to the Lord. Mass on a screen doesn't equal what we have in person. The happiness was palpable especially as people received the Body of Christ and paused in silent gratitude. We are back!

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St. Boniface White Elephant Sale is coming up during the Parish Carnival on September 9th – 11th.  As you are cleaning out over the next few months, please set aside clean, salable items you no longer need.  Your donations help make our carnival a success and fun shopping for all.  We welcome household goods, jewelry, holiday décor, DVD’s CD’s collectibles, vintage articles and unbroken toys.  PLEASE NO GARBAGE AS IT ONLY ADDS EXPENSE TO OUR PARISH TO HAVE IT HAULED AWAY.  We cannot accept magazines, encyclopedias, VHS tapes, cloth...

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July 4 - During a tourist trip to Russia, I had a bad experience with two "policemen" who tried to roust me for money. Fellow tourists intervened and they scampered off. But that incident just fed the paranoia that I had regarding the former Soviet Union and everything connected with it. When our flight landed at JFK, I almost imitated Pope John Paul and kissed the tarmac. Despite all our warts, we are blessed. Happy Fourth of July. May our behavior justify this gift of freedom.

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Diocese of Scranton Guidelines for Public Masses During the COVID-19 Pandemic Updated-Guidelines for Mass Beginning June-28-2021 The Diocese of Scranton joyfully welcomes the faithful of the Diocese of Scranton to return to Masses at all of its parishes. Despite the challenges of the last year, we invite those who have not yet returned to Mass to rejoin us in person to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, the source and summit of the Christian life. The Pennsylvania Department of Health ended its mask mandate as of Monday, June 28, 2021. People who are not vaccinated from...

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