Bishop of Scranton energized congregation at 50th anniversary Mass of St. Vincent de Paul

The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, entered the St. Vincent de Paul church followed by an entourage of the Knights of Columbus, other priests, deacons, and various others from the archdiocese of Scranton.

The congregation was exhilarated. Sue Casey, chair of the 13-month anniversary event exclaimed, “I am extremely grateful for what we have and who was present.”

The sanctuary was a sea of green filled with five priests and four deacons. This included Reverend Edward Casey, and Reverend Binesh Kanjirakatta, as well as other current and former priests.

Bryan Bolehala, Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, was conversing with the large number of Knights that were there. The Knights are the service arm of the church and provide things like the food pantry, financial support for families, disaster relief, and other charitable works.

The congregation at the Mass numbered about 250 people and embraced the moment with strong responses in prayer and song. Everyone was totally engaged from Lillian Grompone, chairwoman of the church council and the Mass committee, making sure everything thing at the Mass went off without a hitch, to Jennifer Martinez, chair of organizing the sumptuous pot-luck dinner after the Mass. The food was contributed by members of the congregation. There was huge variety of dishes from salads to desserts—enough for many of the people to go up for seconds and even for take-out boxes. Everyone was helping.

Many in this area may remember Tim Sohn, who used to give marketing seminars. Aside from being a parishioner for 15 years, he is now the Music Coordinator responsible for working with adult choir and helping to organize the youth choir. “We are always looking for new members,” Sohn says and encourages people to come and have fun. He selected the music for the Mass and it provided a strong background to the ceremony. St. Vincent’s is particularly well-known for its inclusive, friendly outreach to everyone. There is a true community spirit.

Bishop Bambera’s homily touched many, He asked people to think of a special memory they had about this church. He was a powerful speaker and very inspirational.

“The definition of evangelization is not about knocking on people’s doors, but about giving them a moment to experience what we did that day and going forward,” Sue Casey said. Those words will resonate with everyone.