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THE ABINGTON s
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Times-shamrock communiTy newspapers 149 Penn Avenue Scranton, PA 18503 Phone: (570) 348-9185 Fax: (570) 207-3448
August 13, 2015
www.abingtonsuburban.com
The Blessing of a Bell
ON THE INSIDE The lastest happenings in our area Page 2
SUBURBAN
Mass this weekend will celebrate its installation by Cathleen Lathrop
SPECIAL TO THE SUBURBAN
After 65 years of silence, a local church will celebrate the ringing of their first bell. Our Lady of the Abingtons will celebrate an outdoor Mass in their grotto on Saturday, Aug. 15, at 6 p.m. During the Mass, the bell that was recently placed in their church steeple will be blessed by Bishop Joseph Bambera. It has been a custom of Our Lady of the Abingtons parish for many years to celebrate mass outdoors on Aug. 15. On this date, Catholics observe the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven. The Mass is held in the Blessed Mother grotto as a way to reflect on the day, and to hold the hundreds of people expected to attend. When the church was built in 1950, it did not receive a bell in the steeple. For many years it was hoped that the day would come when they would be able to receive a bell. Then, last year, the St. Pius X Seminary closed, which was located right across the street from Our Lady of the Abingtons. “On the closing of the seminary, I approached Bishop Bambera and requested that the bell from the seminary be donated to the church, since we never had one. He agreed gladly to do this and preparations were made not only to take the bell from the seminary and bring it across the street, but also to renovate the steeple so that for the very first time we would be able to have a church bell,” said Rev. Thomas Petro, the rector of the Dalton church. The parishioners were able to work together and raised the $7,000 needed to install the bell. They contacted Wayne White and his son to schedule the renovation. Once the date of the project was set, the installation took only about four weeks. Thomas Petro, Deacon Paul Brojack and Bishop Bambera will all take part in the ceremony and the Mass. The Mass itself will occupy three aspects: There will be the blessing of the bell; then the church will honor and give thanks to the Dalton police. At the end of
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The bell, which formerly hung at St. Pius X Seminary, waits to be lifted into place in the steeple at Our Lady of the Abingtons.
the Mass there will be the veneration of St. Joseph’s relic, where people are able to come forward and touch it. Over two years ago the relic, believed to be from the cloak of St. Joseph, was stolen. It was recovered a few months ago because of the good work of the Dalton police. The parishioners anticipated that the bishop would come to this meaningful Mass, and have been tending to the grotto. They have been planting new flowers, fixing the masonry components and fixing the flagstone wall that surrounds the grotto. The soil was also leveled so that the grounds could be an open field for people to walk on easily.
Following the Mass at 7 p.m. there will be a potluck picnic in the pavilion. Admission is free. After the blessing of the bell, the next large event that the parish is preparing for is the 48th annual Fall Festival, to be held Sunday, Sept. 20, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the church grounds. It will feature a chicken barbecue dinner and other foods, as well as a silent auction, basket raffles, a book nook and a white elephant sale. For more information about events at Our Lady of the Abington, visit spolachurch.weebly.com.