By Laura Legere
Times-Tribune
August 27, 2009
http://www.scrantontimes.com/cm/2.1188/news/bishop_martino_to_move_out_of_downtown_scranton_and_make_home_at_dalton_retreat?firstComment=20
 |
Bishop Joseph F. Martino is moving from his residence in the downtown heart of the 11-county Diocese of Scranton to the diocese's rural retreat and former seminary in Dalton.
Repeated efforts to reach the spokesman for the Roman Catholic diocese were unsuccessful Tuesday evening and Wednesday, and there has been no official statement of when the bishop will move to the pastoral Dalton campus, why he is moving there, or how long he plans to stay.
On Wednesday morning, a pickup truck packed with a desk and easy chairs was parked in front of the bishop's residence on Wyoming Avenue. Workers said they were relocating some of the bishop's belongings to Dalton in advance of a complete move, and the bishop will remain downtown "for a while yet."
Bishops in the Diocese of Scranton have traditionally lived at the rectory adjacent to St. Peter's Cathedral, the diocese's mother church - a relatively unique practice compared to dioceses in the rest of the country where bishops tend to reside in private homes, said the Most Rev. James C. Timlin, bishop emeritus of the diocese.
Except for Bishop Thomas C. O'Reilly, who lived in a Hill Section home during his tenure as bishop between 1928 and 1938, "all the other bishops have lived there up until now," Bishop Timlin said.
The diocesan directory continues to list Bishop Martino's residence as the St. Peter's Cathedral Rectory at 315 Wyoming Ave., where he has lived since he was installed as bishop in 2003. Other diocesan leaders, including Auxiliary Bishop John M. Dougherty, continue to live at the downtown rectory.
The former St. Pius X Seminary where Bishop Martino will make his new home was closed in 2004 because of a shortage of men seeking priestly vocations. The campus continues to be the site of the diocese's Fatima Renewal Center, which is regularly used as an education facility for teachers and catechists and a retreat for the diocese's laity and youth.
Sarah Mountain, program coordinator for the center, referred all questions to diocesan spokesman William Genello.
Recently, the center has been billed as an idyllic setting for private and group retreats for people of any faith or for business meetings "away from the hustle and bustle of the city."
 |
| Workers remove items from St. Peter's Cathedral rectory Wednesday. Photo by MICHAEL J. MULLEN |
"In the spirit of Jesus' invitation to 'Come away and rest awhile,' Fatima Renewal Center provides opportunities for individuals and groups seeking experiences for personal and spiritual refreshment," the diocesan Catholic Light newspaper said in a July 2 article touting the center.
"Amid a setting of open spaces, woodland paths and trails, a lake and outdoor shrines, the Center allows the individual to seek God in an environment of peace and contemplation."
Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.