Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton
February 23, 2010
http://www.dioceseofscranton.org/News/PopeBenedictAppointsMsgr.JosephC.BamberaFebruary23,2010.asp
[News Conference]
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Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Monsignor Joseph C. Bambera to be the next Bishop of Scranton.
The appointment was made at the Vatican and announced in the Diocese of Scranton by Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Scranton. The announcement was made at a 10 a.m. news conference that was broadcast live by the Diocesan Catholic Television station. The news conference will be rebroadcast on CTV tonight (Tuesday) at 9 p.m. and tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11:10 a.m. A video of the news conference is now available for viewing on the Diocesan website: www.dioceseofscranton.org.
Bishop-elect Bambera will be ordained a Bishop and installed as the tenth Bishop of Scranton on Monday, April 26, at 2 p.m. in St. Peter’s Cathedral, Scranton.
Bishop-elect Bambera has been serving as Cardinal Rigali’s Delegate since Aug. 31, when Pope Benedict accepted the retirement of Bishop Joseph F. Martino and appointed Cardinal Rigali as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese.
A native of the Diocese, Bishop-elect Bambera has been a priest since 1983 and has extensive pastoral and administrative experience.
He was born in Carbondale, Pa. on March 21, 1956, the son of Irene Kucharski Bambera and the late Joseph Bambera.
He attended St. Rose of Lima Elementary School and graduated from St. Rose of Lima High School in 1974. Following graduation, he enrolled in the University of Pittsburgh and was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1978.
In 1978, Bishop-elect Bambera was accepted for studies for the priesthood for the Diocese of Scranton and entered St. Pius X Seminary in Dalton in September of the same year. During that time, he attended the University of Scranton, pursuing courses in theology and philosophy. In 1979, Bishop-elect Bambera continued his studies for priesthood at Mary Immaculate Seminary, Northampton, Pa., where he was awarded a Master of Divinity degree in 1982.
He was ordained to the diaconate on May 14, 1983 by the Most Reverend J. Carroll McCormick and was ordained to the priesthood on November 5, 1983 by the Most Reverend John J. O’Connor.
Bishop-elect Bambera’s first priestly assignment was as assistant pastor of the Church of St. Mary of the Assumption, Scranton. He served in this position until September 1987, when he was appointed assistant pastor of the Cathedral of St. Peter, Scranton. During the years in which he served as an assistant pastor, Bishop-elect Bambera also served as an Auditor in the Tribunal of the Diocese of Scranton, Diocesan Spiritual Director of the Legion of Mary, Campus Minister at Lackawanna Junior College and Diocesan Director of Pilgrimages.
In 1989, Bishop-elect Bambera was appointed to further studies in Canon Law. In 1991, he was awarded a Licentiate in Canon Law from St. Paul’s University, Ottawa, Canada and a Master’s degree in Canon Law from the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada. Following the completion of graduate studies, Bishop-elect Bambera was appointed a Judge in the Tribunal of the Diocese of Scranton.
Bishop-elect Bambera was appointed as the Diocesan Director of Ecumenism and Interfaith Affairs in January 1993 and served in that capacity for three years. During that time, he represented the Diocese of Scranton on the Pennsylvania Conference on Interchurch Cooperation. In July 1995, Bishop-elect Bambera was appointed by Bishop James C. Timlin to assume the role of Vicar for Priests for the Diocese of Scranton. At the same time, he became the Diocesan Director of Continuing Education for Priests.
While serving in numerous Diocesan positions, Bishop-elect Bambera was appointed administrator and then pastor of the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Scranton. He served the parish from January 1994 until July 1997, at which time he assumed the role of Director of Formation at St. Pius X Seminary, Dalton.
Bishop-elect Bambera was appointed pastor of the Church of St. John Bosco, Conyngham, in July 1998. In July 2001, Bishop-elect Bambera was appointed pastor of the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dickson City.
In June 2005 Bishop-elect Bambera was appointed by Bishop Joseph F. Martino to serve as an Episcopal Vicar for the Central Region of the Diocese of Scranton, a position that he maintained for two years.
Bishop-elect Bambera was appointed pastor of the Church of St. Thomas Aquinas, Archbald, and the Church of St. Mary of Czestochowa, Eynon, in July 2007. He was also appointed Canonical Consultant for Pastoral Planning for the Diocese of Scranton at that time.
On August 31, 2009, Bishop-elect Bambera was appointed by His Eminence, Cardinal Justin Rigali, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Scranton, to serve as his Delegate in the Diocese following the retirement of Bishop Martino.
Bishop-elect Bambera presently serves as an ex-officio member of the Presbyteral Council and is a member of the College of Diocesan Consultors. In June 2000, he was elected chairman of the Presbyteral Council and re-elected as chairman for a second term in June 2002.
He is a past member of the Diocesan Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission, the Diocesan Seminary Admissions Committee, the Diaconate Advisory Board, the Office of Continuing Education for Priests Advisory Board, the Diocesan Independent Review Board, the Priests’ Retirement Board, the Vocations Advisory Board and the Diocesan Liturgical Commission.
He is a past president of the Board of Pastors at the former Bishop Hafey High School, Hazleton and Bishop O’Hara High School, Dunmore. He continues to serve as a Judge on the Diocesan Tribunal and as Defender of the Bond for the Eparchy of St. Maron, Brooklyn.
In August 2000, Bishop Timlin appointed Bishop-elect Bambera moderator of The Diocesan Annual Appeal for 2001, 2002 and 2003.
The President and Trustees of the University of Scranton invited Bishop-elect Bambera to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees in April 2003, a position that he maintained until April 2009. In October 2004 he was appointed by Bishop Martino to serve on the Board of Trustees of St. Michael’s School, Hoban Heights.
Bishop-elect Bambera was made a Prelate of Honor by Pope John Paul II in March 1997.
Bishop-elect Bambera has one sister, Mrs. Karen Hoffman, who along with her husband Charles and their daughter Elizabeth and son Charles, live in Stroudsburg.
Statement of His Eminence Cardinal Justin Rigali
Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Scranton
News Conference – February 23, 2010
Good morning and thank you for being here.
With great joy and thanks to Almighty God, I announce to you that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Monsignor Joseph C. Bambera, as the tenth Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton. This appointment was made public today, the 23rd of February, 2010 at 12:00 noon in Rome. Bishop-elect Bambera’s ordination and installation will take place on Monday, April 26th at 2:00 p.m. in St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton.
I congratulate Bishop-elect Bambera on this appointment by our Holy Father. I offer him my prayers and the prayers of the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the Diocese of Scranton.
With the appointment of Bishop-elect Bambera, my time of service as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Scranton will soon come to an end. Although the time that I have spent with you has been brief and my presence in the Diocese has been limited, I have been richly blessed by this opportunity.
I have been privileged to come to know the vibrant Diocese of Scranton and to meet dedicated priests, deacons and religious who serve so selflessly. I have had the wonderful opportunity to join together in prayer and fellowship with many of the lay faithful of the eleven counties of northeastern and north central Pennsylvania during my pastoral visits. You have touched me deeply by the warmth of your welcome, by the depth of your faith, and by your obvious love of God and all those who share humanity with His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Church is called to offer the truth and the grace of Jesus Christ to all people through the concerted action of all her sons and daughters. By virtue of his apostolic mandate, it falls to the Bishop to call forth, direct and coordinate the evangelical endeavor of the diocesan community so that Gospel faith can grow and flourish, the lost sheep can be led back to the flock and the Kingdom of God can spread throughout the world.
Yet, for all of the noble responsibilities that relate to the office of Bishop in the Church, a Bishop is primarily called to pastor the People of God with the heart of Jesus Christ. Indeed, it is the image of the shepherd that illustrates with particular eloquence the breadth of the episcopal ministry. The model of Christ the Good Shepherd suggests to the Bishop daily fidelity to his mission, total and serene dedication to the Church, joy and patience in leading to the Lord all those entrusted to his care, gladness in gathering into the unity of the Church the scattered children of God, and earnest kindness in extending respectful friendship to all people of good will.
On my part, I ask that all of the faithful of the Diocese of Scranton work generously with the new Bishop as he proclaims the Gospel and commits himself to ecumenical and interreligious dialogue and collaboration, beginning with our Orthodox brethren, the members of the Polish National Church, all our Christian brothers and sisters, as well as all our fellow believers—Jewish, Muslim and others—whom we deeply respect.
We celebrate this day God’s blessings upon the Diocese of Scranton. As we begin a new era in the Church of northeastern and north central Pennsylvania, we give thanks that our Lord Jesus Christ has brought us to this day. We give thanks as well that the Lord remains with His Church—with us—and leads us forward in hope and in continuity with the ministry of Bishop Martino, Bishop Timlin and all their predecessors.
I ask you to pray with me that, through the ministry of Bishop-elect Bambera, God will pour out His Spirit upon the clergy, religious and laity of the Diocese of Scranton, and upon all the civic officials called to serve the well-being of the people.
May God bless you abundantly as you work together to build a civilization of love in which the life and dignity of every human being is defended, respected and cherished.
Thank you.
Statement of Bishop-elect Joseph C. Bambera
News Conference – February 23, 2010
Good morning and thank you for being here.
I’d like to begin my remarks by offering my sincere gratitude to so many who have brought me to this moment in my life and in the life of the Diocese of Scranton.
With deep humility, I offer thanks to Almighty God through whose providence and grace I’ve been called to serve the people of God in the Diocese of Scranton as bishop. I find great consolation in the words of Saint Paul as stated in his second letter to the Corinthians: “The Lord said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you.’ … So I willingly boast of my weakness, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
I offer my profound appreciation to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for this appointment. I pledge to him as Vicar of Christ and Successor of Saint Peter my loyalty and my resolve to exercise this office in the Church in union with him and with all of the Bishops in communion with him and in particular with my brother Bishops in the Province of Philadelphia.
I offer thanks as well to His Eminence, Cardinal Justin Rigali, who has shepherded the Diocese of Scranton for the last six months with wisdom, compassion and kindness. In the time that I have been privileged to serve as his delegate, he has shown to me the heart of a good shepherd and a faithful servant. We have been richly blessed by his leadership.
I am grateful to Bishop James Timlin, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Scranton and to Bishop John Dougherty, retired auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Scranton. They have generously given of themselves during this time of transition and I thank them for their time and efforts.
I also wish to gratefully acknowledge Bishop Joseph Martino, my immediate predecessor. In the six years of his tenure as Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton, Bishop Martino challenged all of us to strive for a deeper sense of holiness in our lives and to live out more authentically our mission as followers of Jesus. His words continue to challenge all who seek to live as faithful disciples of the Lord.
The role of any bishop, and my role now, is to call the people of God to holiness and mission. It will be my responsibility, as articulated in the Documents of the Second Vatican Council: to affirm that, through the visible Church, Jesus is present in the midst of his people; and then, with them, to proclaim and to spread the Gospel of Jesus, so that all may believe in Christ, find peace through his presence, and so come to eternal life.
How blessed we are that God provides the powerful means to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus right here in our midst. It’s not my task to proclaim the Gospel alone. I proclaim it with you, my brother priests with whom I’ve served for twenty-six years and who will now serve as my closest collaborators. I thank you profoundly for your support. I proclaim it with our deacons and with women and men in consecrated life. And I proclaim it with the wonderful faithful people of the eleven counties of northeastern and north central Pennsylvania that we know as the Diocese of Scranton.
Most of you are aware of the fact that my roots are here in the Diocese of Scranton. My mother still lives in Carbondale, my home town. My sister and her family reside in Stroudsburg. Throughout my ministry as a priest of this diocese, I’ve been privileged to serve in many and different diocesan and parochial assignments. Quite honestly, the assignments that have been most personally rewarding for me have been my assignments as pastor.
The people of this Diocese are our greatest blessing and I have been so privileged to walk the journey of faith with many of you. I’ve been blessed to share in your joys and hopes. And I am also keenly aware of the struggles that we have faced together. In addition to the personal losses and setbacks that touch everyone’s lives, as a diocese, we’ve struggled with change, parish restructuring and church and school closures. We continue to do so. But notice that through all of these challenges, despite the pain that so often comes from loss, life goes on.
The good news is that a meaningful and fulfilling life can go on because of our faith in Jesus. And such a life will go on if there is unity and communion among all of the members of the body of Christ. I pray that God will give me the grace to lead you on that journey.
Six months ago, I was happily serving as pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Archbald and St. Mary of Czestochowa Parish in Eynon. I couldn’t have imagined that today I would be in the midst of this gathering, following my appointment as the 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton.
As I find myself called through the power of the Holy Spirit to this office in the Church, I am reminded of words that Cardinal John O’Connor had inscribed on a prayer card commemorating his installation as the 7th Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton: “God writes straight with crooked lines.” I never quite appreciated those words until today. St. Paul shares similar words in his second letter to the Corinthians when he says: “Because we possess this ministry through God’s mercy, we do not give in to discouragement. … We proclaim the truth openly. … This treasure we possess in earthen vessels, to make it clear that its surpassing power comes from God and not from us.”
God walks with us, my brothers and sisters. The presence of Jesus is woven into the fabric of our daily lives and routine right here in the Diocese of Scranton. Jesus walks in the footsteps of committed priests, deacons, religious and laity. He lives in the hearts of His people who are strengthened by the Eucharist and so enabled to serve the needs of many. Jesus is proclaimed from our pulpits, in our wonderful Catholic schools and religious education programs. He speaks to us through the lives of the poor and in the voices of the faithful, from life-long members of our parishes to new immigrants who together make up the Church of our eleven counties.
Saint Augustine offered these words: “For you I am a bishop; with you I am a Christian.” My prayer is that together we claim the hope that is given to us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; that we come to appreciate the salvation that is ours through faith; that we celebrate our union with Christ and with one another; that we proclaim the Good News to all who have ears to hear; and that we embrace the mission of service that lies at the heart of the Church.
Please pray for me that as your Bishop, I may be vigilant in my defense of our faith, resolved to show kindness and compassion to the poor and to all who are in need, eager to seek out those who are lost and constant in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus.
As we begin a new chapter in the life of the Diocese of Scranton, may we continue to collaborate and to work together as we pursue charity and truth. May we look to Mary, the Mother of God for consolation and help. And may our thoughts be filled with the hope given to us through the presence of Jesus in the midst of his Church.
Thank you and God bless you.
Statement of Bishop Emeritus James C. Timlin
February 23, 2010
Bishop-elect Bambera has been a long-time friend and co-worker, and I am just delighted at the good news that he has been now raised to this important post of our servant-leader. I have no doubt he will be a great bishop, one who knows well our area and our people. I pray that God will bless him abundantly as he undertakes this important task.
For my part I pledge my loyalty and support for our new bishop and I will gladly be of whatever help to him that I can be.
Facts About the Diocese of Scranton
The Diocese of Scranton was officially established on March 3, 1868. It encompasses 8,466 square miles in northeastern and north central Pennsylvania and is comprised of 11 counties: Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming.
Currently, Cardinal Justin Rigali serves as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese. Bishops of the Diocese include Bishop Emeritus James C. Timlin, Retired Bishop Joseph F. Martino and Former Auxiliary Bishop John M. Dougherty.
Parishes:130
Catholics Registered with Parishes: 323,047
Total Population in the Diocese of Scranton: 1,091,320
Diocesan Priests active in the Diocese: 162
Diocesan Priests active outside the Diocese: 26
Diocesan Priests retired, sick or absent: 104
Total Priests of the Diocese 292
Religious Priests resident in the Diocese: 60
Priests from other Dioceses: 16
Deacons: 65
Brothers: 8
Total Sisters: 523
Seminarians: 8
Catholic Colleges and Universities: 4
Total Students: 13,190
Diocesan Catholic High Schools: 4
Total Students: 1,529
High Schools, Private: 2
Total Students: 924
Diocesan Catholic Elementary Schools: 21
Total Students: 6,019
Public School Pupils in Religious Education classes: 27,981
In High Schools: 4,885
In Elementary Schools: 23,096
Total Students under Catholic Instruction: 49,668
Priests, Teaching (full-time): 4
Brothers, Teaching: 0
Sisters, Teaching: 30
Lay Teachers: 483
Total Teachers in the Diocese: 517
General Hospitals: 5
Total Patients: 606,270
Health Care Centers: 2
Total Patients: 118,714
Homes for invalid and aged: 4
Residents: 526
Infant Baptisms: 3,484
Adult Baptisms: 81
Received into Full Communion: 111
First Communions: 4,014
Confirmations: 4,236
Catholic Marriages: 834
Mixed Marriages: 262
Total: 1,096
Deaths: 4,881
Bishops of Scranton
Rt. Rev. William O’Hara, D.D. 1868-1899
Rt. Rev. Michael J. Hoban, D.D. 1899-1926
Most Rev. Thomas C. O’Reilly, D.D. 1928-1938
Most Rev. William J. Hafey, D.D. 1938-1954
Most Rev. Jerome D. Hannan, D.D. 1954-1965
Most Rev. J. Carroll M. McCormick, D.D. 1966-1983
Most Rev. John J. O’Connor, D.D. 1983-1984
Most Rev. James C. Timlin, D.D. 1984-2003
Most Rev. Joseph F. Martino, D.D. 2003-2009
Cardinal Justin Rigali, Apostolic Administrator 2009-2010
Bishop-elect Joseph C. Bambera 2010 –
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