Founders Feast of St. Joseph Day set

LAFLIN – The Congregation of the Oblates of St. Joseph will celebrate the Feast Day of their Founder, St. Joseph Marello, Thursday, May 30, at their seminary chapel, 1880 Route 315, Laflin.

The Mass schedule for the Feast Day is as follows: 8 a.m., noon and 7 p.m.

“Following the evening Mass, a reception will be held for all guests hosted by the Oblate Laity Association,” Fr. Paul McDonnell, OSJ, Oblates superior, said. “A triduum of Masses will be offered at the start of this week on May 27 through May 29 at 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. in preparation for the Feast Day celebration. Devotions to the Oblate founder will follow the Masses with the blessing of his first-class relic.”

St. Joseph Marello (1844-1895) lived in the Asti region of Italy and was ordained a diocesan priest in 1868. While serving as secretary to his bishop, ten years later he founded a small group of men dedicated to humbly serve the local church in imitation of St. Joseph.

This small group was the start of the Congregation of the Oblates of St. Joseph, which now serves in 18 countries throughout the world and has served in the Greater Pittston area since 1929.

Marello eventually was appointed Bishop of Acqui, a nearby diocese to Asti, and died at the age of 50 on May 30, 1895. He was canonized a saint of the Church by Pope St. John Paul II in 2001.

The Oblate priests have faithfully served for over 85-years at the former parishes of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel & St. Rocco’s, Pittston; and, St. Anthony of Padua (St. Barbara’s), Exeter.

“Celebrating St. Joseph Marello is also celebrating the generations of Oblates that served the devoted people of the Greater Pittston area and beyond for 95 years,” McDonnell added.

The Oblates of St. Joseph are located at Pennsylvania and California, united as one USA province in 2013, with the central headquarters based in Santa Cruz, CA.