Lenten Holy Hour with Bishop Bambera

All of the faithful in the Diocese of Scranton are invited to a Lenten Holy Hour with the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, to commemorate the Diocesan phase of the 2025 Holy Year of Hope. These gatherings will take place in each of the twelve deaneries of the Diocese of Scranton.

The Lenten Holy Hour for our deanery, the Stroudsburg Deanery, will take place on Thursday, April 3 at 7:00pm at St Matthew's Parish, with a reception following in our Parish Hall.

Mark your calendars and plan on joining Bishop Bambera for this special Holy Hour Celebration.




"We invite our parishioners, neighbors, and friends to join us for a Holy Hour with Bishop Bambera, bishop of Scranton, on Thursday, April 3 beginning at 7pm. We will gather during this time of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and offer Evening Prayer of the Church (Vespers). Bishop Bambera will offer a homily on Romans 5:1-8, especially St. Paul’s encouraging words: “Hope does not disappoint.” This special time of prayer with our bishop is part of our diocesan and deanery-wide celebration of the Jubilee Year. The Church of Saint Matthew has been designated as an official pilgrimage site during this Jubilee Year. Jubilee Year indulgences are also available for pilgrims who undertake a pious pilgrimage to our church. We pray you will be able to join us for this time of prayer and reflection. More information on Jubilee 2025 can be found here and here."



"Fr. Clarke"

The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, has names eight churches in the diocese as pilgrimage sites for the Jubilee Year 2025. These sites include:

Cathedral of Saint Peter, Scranton; Saint Ann Basilica, Scranton; Saint Augustine Church, Brackney; Saint Boniface Church, Williamsport; Saint Gabriel Church, Hazleton; Saint John the Evangelist Church, Honesdale; Saint Nicholas Church, Wilkes-Barre; and Saint Matthew Church, East Stroudsburg.

The pilgrimage sites will be places where the faithful are urged to visit, pray, and participate in liturgies and events throughout the Jubilee Year. Jubilee Year indulgencies are also available for pilgrims who undertake a pious pilgrimage to any designated jubilee site.

In addition to designated jubilee pilgrimage sites in Rome and the Holy Land, Pope Francis announced that cathedrals in ecclesiastical areas would serve as local pilgrimage sites, along with any other sacred places chosen by the local bishop. 

The Jubilee Year will conclude in the Diocese of Scranton and other local dioceses on the Feast of the Holy Family, December 28th, and in Rome on January 6, 2026.

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