Notice Regarding Reporting Sexual Abuse of a Minor
It is the policy of the Diocese of Scranton to report any allegation of sexual abuse of a minor to law enforcement. If you are a victim of sexual abuse committed by a priest, deacon, religious or lay employee or volunteer of the Diocese of Scranton, you are encouraged to immediately report the matter to law enforcement. If any priest, deacon, religious, lay employee or volunteer of the Diocese of Scranton has cause or reason to suspect that a minor has been subjected to any form of abuse, including child sexual abuse, the matter will be reported to law enforcement. In accordance with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Child Protective Services Laws, reports of suspected child abuse should also be made immediately by phone to the 24-Hour Child Abuse Hotline (ChildLine) at 1-800-932-0313 or electronically at www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis
It is also the policy of the Diocese to adhere to all civil and state regulations. To this end, the Diocese is equally committed to adhering to the norms of the Code of Canon Law and to upholding the tenets of the USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which includes supporting victims of sexual abuse in their pursuit of emotional and spiritual well-being. As such, information regarding an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor should also be reported to the Victim Assistance Coordinator Mary Beth Pacuska at 570-862-7551 or to Diocesan officials, including the vicar General, Monsignor Thomas M. Muldowney, V.G., at 570-207-2269.
A Welcoming Community: You enter this Church … not as stranger, but as a guest of God. He is your heavenly Father. Come, then, with joy in your heart and thanks on your lips into His presence, offering Him your love and service. Be grateful to the strong and loyal ones who, in the name of Jesus Christ, built this place of worship, and to all who have beautified it and hallowed it with their prayers and praise. Ask His blessing on those who love His house of faith as the inspiration of their labor, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit, and may that blessing rest on you, both in your going out and your coming in.
Parish Registration: You must be a registered member of The Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish to receive Baptism, Confirmation, First Penance, First Holy Communion, Marriage and to receive sponsor letters from the pastor.
New Members: Please stop by or call the parish office and register. (If you are leaving the parish, please notify the office before you leave). Thank you.
Change of Address: Please notify the parish office as soon as possible if you have had a change of address.
Inactive Catholics: As a welcoming parish, we ask every parishioner to ask God to put in your heart people whose hearts we need to reach out and touch with God’s love. “Before you talk to men about God, you talk to God about men.” Please, call, write, leave in an envelope in the collection the name, address and phone number of the person. Father would be delighted to meet with them.
Parish Mission Statement: We, the Catholic faithful of The Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, in union with our Holy Father, the Pope, and our Bishop, are called through Baptism to share in the ministry which Jesus Christ has entrusted to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. As priest and lay faithful in a rural area, we utilize our energy to serve the spiritual needs of the Kingdom of God to promote a culture of life, justice, and peace to this generation and the generations that follow us.