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Cathie Jescavage and her friend Kathy Marinelli were early arrivals Saturday morning on the grounds of St. Ann\u2019s Basilica in West Scranton, where a special Mass for Grandparents and Grandchildren was to be celebrated outdoors as the 102nd annual St. Ann\u2019s Novena neared its end.<\/p>\n
The Plains Township women brought Jescavage\u2019s granddaughters, 6-year-old Charlotte Ruch and 4-year-old Magnolia Ruch of Wyoming, who, Jescavage said, \u201chave been coming since they were babies.\u201d<\/p>\n
When they were babies, the girls were too young to understand that the annual Novena honors St. Ann, who is revered by many as the grandmother of Jesus, because according to Catholic tradition, she and her husband, Joachim, were the parents of Jesus\u2019 mother, Mary.<\/p>\n
But now Charlotte and Magnolia are old enough to realize that Jesus had the same kind of relationship with St. Ann that they have with Jescavage.<\/p>\n
\u201cSt. Ann\u2019s is Jesus\u2019 GiGi,\u201d Jescavage explained to the girls, using the same nickname they use for her.<\/p>\n
As more and more people arrived, they assembled in hundreds of folding chairs that were in place for the outdoor Mass, some under a tent and some under the sun.<\/p>\n
Another family of early arrivals included Jennifer Soy of Moosic, accompanied by her 7-year-old son, Luke, and 9-year-old daughter, Bridget, and her parents, Darlene and Joseph Krysko of Clarks Summit.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom brought me every year when I was a little girl,\u201d Jennifer Soy said, explaining she is happy to continue the tradition by bringing her own children to the novena.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it brings them closer to the church,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The family sat near the front, which made it easy for Luke to become one of three kid volunteers from the congregation to come forward as Deacon Peter Lemoncelli gave his homily. They had a close view of some animals \u2014 a cat and a rabbit \u2014 whose visit the deacon had arranged so they could represent animals who might have been present in the stable where Mary gave birth to Jesus.<\/p>\n
Moments earlier, Deacon Peter had read the story of Jesus\u2019 birth from the Gospel of St. Luke in a Contemporary English Version of the Bible, which may have been easier for children to understand. In this version, for example, Mary \u201cdressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay\u201d as opposed to \u201cwrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Novena at St. Ann\u2019s Basilica was in its 102nd year in 2026 and has spawned many traditions within traditions, as people pray, sing and ask St. Ann to intercede for them. Over the years, some attendees have walked about eight miles to the Basilica, from Pittston or even farther.<\/p>\n
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