Entries for July 2023

Thank you to all of those who welcomed me back from my time in Ghana with Bishop Bambera and Seminarian Tom Dzwonczyk! Simply, it was a powerful experience that opened my eyes to the universality of our Church. However, as you read this I am once more on the other side of the globe – this time in Portugal for World Youth Day 2023. Throughout my time in Ghana, I saw a local Church that is new, energetic, and expanding. Some of the unforgettable highlights were participating in robust, elaborate, and culturally-rich liturgies; as well as an ordination for fourteen ne...

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Please pick up a carnival envelope in the back of either church that contains this year's carnival information letter and raffle tickets. We ask that each family take an envelope and either sell or buy the raffle tickets. Prizes this year include $1000 cash, a gold cross, a 65" television, and much more. Sold ticket stubs and money should be returned to either church in the envelope provided. Thank you for your support.  

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Carnival

The Saint Lawrence Parish Activity Committee has made the commitment to add flowers to the altar the first weekend of each month. The display will be simple and sometimes free if provided from a family’s garden. You are invited to assist with this parish environment commitment. For more information call Dianne Fisher at 570-322-3278 or Judy Campion at 570-323-6202 to let us know what month you wish to assist and arrange delivery. Thank you!

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Flowers

You might have noticed as we read through St. Matthew’s gospel that this evangelist loved to collect and organize his material. Where John might have alternated miracles with teaching, while Mark might have pushed forward quickly with the story’s action, Matthew groups things—especially Jesus’ teaching—according to genre or theme. For example, just before Lent began, Matthew gave us a lengthy Sermon on the Mount—an ordered collection of teaching about forgiveness and anger, marriage and sex, prayer, and repentance. Right now at Sunday ...

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IT’S TIME TO PICNIC! All Families of St. Lawrence & St. Boniface are invited! Mark your calendars for Sunday, August 13 (Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m.)  The St. Lawrence Parish Activity Committee will provide chicken, hot dogs, hamburger barbecue, rolls, drinks, games, and those famous prizes.  Bring your family, and your favorite covered dish or dessert, a folding chair if you desire to sit under the trees in the shade, and any lawn game you want to play or share. All are welcome as it is only fun if you are there! We will gather at the S...

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Parish Picnic

Our annual White Elephant Sale is just around the corner and will be held during the parish carnival. Your donations make our carnival a success and a fun shopping experience for all. Please consider donating clean, salable items. We welcome household goods, holiday decor, books, jewelry, DVDs, CDs, collectibles, vintage items, and unbroken toys. **WE WILL NOT ACCEPT MAGAZINES, ENCYCLOPEDIAS, OLD CELL PHONES, VHS TAPES, CLOTHING, OLD SPORTS/WATER BOTTLES, LARGE FURNITURE/EQUIPMENT OR COMPUTER-RELATED ITEMS.** Your donations can be dropped off at the alley entrance (East ...

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Carnival

Shortly after Fr. Bill was appointed Pastor, I came to visit him. Having never been to Williamsport, I was treated to the grand tour and was wined & dined. During that visit, we discussed the possibility of my coming here to assist him. The rest is history! I must say any apprehension on my part was quickly diminished by your bright smiles, kind words, and extended hands of friendship. But, as the scripture tells us, “for everything there is a season.” The time has come for me to reluctantly take my leave and start the next adventure in my life. My last d...

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The YWCA is celebrating 130 years of service to the community. Their mission is “to empower those they serve, educate the community, and provide a safe haven for some of our most vulnerable community members.” Often those community members come to the Y with no more than the clothes on their backs and no financial resources to reestablish their lives. The YWCA gives each new resident a “comfort” or welcome bag filled with items to make their new space feel welcoming and safe. Items include XL sheet sets, blankets, pillows, small rugs, towels, bath...

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Our social concerns committee is looking for additional volunteers to serve meals at Sojourner Truth Ministries soup kitchen on Fridays from 11 a.m.  to 12:30 p.m. The current need is for volunteers on July 21, August 18, September 8, 15 & 22.  Karen Fry is also looking for a parishioner to help schedule/contact volunteers on a regular basis. For more information, please contact Karen at 570-916-1565 or email Karen.fry11@gmail.com.

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Sojourner Truth

A few weeks ago now we celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi. As part of that celebration we invited you to an afternoon of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. One of the sacred hosts consecrated at 10:30 a.m. Mass was placed in the monstrance in the middle of the altar. We closed with Evening Prayer—a collection of psalms and scripture leading to the community’s singing Mary’s Magnificat.” That liturgy ended with Benediction—when the priest blesses the congregation, not with his own hands, but with the Sacrament, the Real Presence of Chr...

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Do you want to make a difference in the life of a teenager? We are beginning preparations for the upcoming year’s high school ministry program and are looking for adults to mentor our young people. You would work with a team of adults to supervise, guide, and share faith experiences with our high schoolers during a number of social and service events throughout the year. What we plan depends largely upon the number of volunteers we have. Contact Karen Balestino if you are interested in assisting in this important ministry.

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Youth Ministry

We are very fortunate to have a beautiful and historic parish cemetery just blocks away from our church, and we need help keeping the cemetery maintained in a condition that we can all be proud of. Our costs continue to rise and our revenues have not kept pace. Each July your church donation envelopes contain a special collection for the cemetery, but it generally goes unnoticed. We are asking everyone to consider making a donation this year to help address this shortfall. If you contribute through online giving, you can go online and look for the box to check for cemetery ...

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Cemetery

I know we’ve bounced the words “Eucharistic Revival” around. They’ve been part of our invitations to Lenten Holy Hours and Corpus Christi adoration. They’ve formed our decisions about adult faith formation themes. And they’ll shape some of our preaching, prayer, and bulletin-writing over the next year or so. But, why Eucharistic Revival? Why those words? Why now, why this particular moment in our Church’s history? Recently a national survey retrieved some distressing responses. Something like 2/3 of Americans who identify as C...

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