SCRANTON, Pa. — Easter Sunday for the faithful began at St. Peter's Cathedral in downtown Scranton.
Every pew was filled with parishioners ready to listen to Bishop Bambera's Easter sermon.
He begins by telling parishioners to reflect on the war taking place in what believers call the Holy Land. The war between Israel and Hamas, and also the war in Ukraine.
"And for as joyful as we are this Easter day. The struggles, the grief, and the sorrow that have enveloped so many of our lives as families and as individuals. If Jesus is Risen, where is he," said Bishop Bambera.
He continues with what the Roman Catholic faith says Easter is all about.
"Fisherman with no education, a tax collector suddenly goes forth to proclaim a message that has endured and given hope to people for millennia," said Bishop Bambera.
Bishop Bambera says although Easter is a reason most people use to mark the beginning of spring and gather with their family, he says, it is much more than that: "It's meant to give us hope and to carry us through life when we sometimes can't walk ourselves."
Jone Narcoonis and her husband Vince have been members of the church for years and never miss the Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Cathedral.
"Everything about the Mass, from the very beginning, from the beautiful music, from the Bishop's homily, everything that was, it was just, it touches your heart," said Jone Narcoonis, parishioner.
Jone says attending Easter Mass is something that gives her peace, "And you'll go home with this tenderness in your heart that Christ has been resurrected."