Fraternite Notre Dame is now in Scranton, Pennsylvania

The Heavens have chosen Scranton, a beautiful town of Pennsylvania, nestled in a pretty, wooded valley, surrounded with mountains, so that Fraternite Notre Dame may establish a new Mission there, at the service of the poorest of the poor.
After several months of preparation, on the eve of the Saintly Ars' Parish Priest's Feast Day, His Excellency Bishop Jean Marie, inspired by the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, arrived with his Religious Nuns, Friars and Priests from Fraternite Notre Dame, to settle in this South side Scranton neighborhood in need.

The place of this Foundation: an abandoned church, consecrated to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary: Saint Mary of the Assumption and its Convent.

Bishop Jean Marie, always concerned with those most in need, organized himself with the Servants and Handmaids of Our Lady, and they immediately started serving the poorest of the poor, and all those who suffer in their heart or in their body. Rapidly, good pantry boxes replete with an assortment of varied foods, including fruit, vegetables, meat, canned goods and dairy products are prepared. On a weekly basis, some families in need, elderly or persons isolated and in want have started lining up to receive this generous carton during the food distribution.

Immediately, a network of friendships has been weaved between all these people and Fraternite Notre Dame which, upon its installation, has brought about a feeling of peace and safety, a special inspiration which has triggered a new surge of courage in the area, thanks to the revival of this church, closed for so long.

The neighbors could not believe their eyes, as a new statue of Our Lady, the Mother of Tenderness, is being set up in front of the Convent, and another statue of Mary, as Mother of Mercy and Mother of the Church, holding her Divine Child into her arms, as she reminds passers-by that He is Her Blessed Child also. Bishop Jean Marie has understood the solitude of numerous people, who live by themselves or have special needs during the pandemic. Several times a week, our Religious pay visits to all these families.

The Religious have started bringing the Pilgrim Virgin of Our Lady of Frechou, Mother of Mercy and Mother of the Church, to families from the area, and praying the Holy Rosary with them. This good Mother, according to some of these very families that have welcomed Her, has already caused Her presence to be felt in a sweet, sensible way.

While we wait for the Shrine which Bishop Jean Marie and the Priests and Friars are fixing to be ready for its inauguration, Our Lord is already radiating His Real Presence, through perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. Help us through your prayers and support, according to your abilities and means, to return this Shrine to Our Lady, as it had always been consecrated to Her, under the beautiful title of Saint Mary of the Assumption!