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Solemn Novena Underway in Scranton

SCRANTON — In Scranton’s west side, the Catholic faithful have started a yearly tradition. The solemn novena in honor of St. Ann is now underway. Th...

SCRANTON -- In Scranton's west side, the Catholic faithful have started a yearly tradition. The solemn novena in honor of St. Ann is now underway.

The novena started at noon Friday at St. Ann's Monastery and Basilica with hundreds of the faithful coming to pray together.

This year's focus is on family. St. Ann was the mother of the Virgin Mary, and in light of the loss of one of Scranton's finest, this novena is more solemn than normal.

This is the 91st year for the solemn novena, all in the lead up to a celebration of the feast day of St. Ann a week from Sunday.

"My wife Mary and I have been coming here, God, since I'm a baby and never missed it," said Jair Novajosky of Scott Township.

He made sure to set up camp on a blanket outside the basilica with his wife and two children. For them, it's an important part of growing up Catholic.

"It's a miracle for us, every year for us. We have a special prayer every year and it's never been not answered."

This year, the focus at the novena is on the family and for the first time, also features a statue of St. Joachim, St. Ann's husband and the Virgin Mary's father.

"Now we have the full family unit of the Blessed Mother: her mother and father and herself are here, happy to have that," said Fr. Richard Burke.

The solemn novena has only just begun on the west side of Scranton. This year there's an especially heavy burden on a lot of folks after the passing of Officer John Wilding of Scranton Police Department. He and his family are weighing on many hearts here.

"He was just a wonderful man in the west side here, wonderful to all the people who looked to him to provide the kind of assurance they're safe and can go about their life without worry."

Diane Puhalla of Mount Cobb came to pray on the first day of the novena especially for Patrolman Wilding and his family.

"I think there's a lot of sadness in the air, you can feel it," Puhalla said. "It's a good time maybe for people to pray and try and get over what's happened."

The novena runs now through next Saturday with five masses a day, then the feast day on July 26.

st. ann

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