SCRANTON \u2013 As the Jubilee Year of Hope draws to a close, the Diocese of Scranton is placing renewed emphasis on one of its quiet, but critical, ministries \u2013 the Diocesan Tribunal.<\/p>\n
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Diocesan Tribunal staff members met at the Chancery on Nov. 19, 2025, to discuss new practices being implemented to assist people seeking marriage annulments. Participating in the meeting were, from left: Myles McAliney, J.D., Father Neftal\u00ed F\u00e9liz Sena, Judy Myerski, Monsignor Neil J. Van Loon, V.F., Father Michael J. Boris, Father Thomas J. Petro, J.V., J.C.L., Father Michael S. Drevitch, Linda Price, J.C.L., and Father Fidel Ticona. (Photo\/Eric Deabill)<\/p>\n
Often working without fanfare or attention, the Tribunal assists the Bishop in matters of canon law related to marriage \u2013 including declarations of nullity (commonly known as annulments), dispensations, and permissions that help couples prepare for the sacrament of matrimony.<\/p>\n
Father Thomas J. Petro, J.V., J.C.L., the newly appointed Judicial Vicar, said a series of significant reforms and new staff appointments aims to make the Tribunal \u201cmore accessible, more pastoral, and more responsive to the needs of the People of God.\u201d <\/p>\n
Father Petro said the changes respond not only to pastoral realities in parishes but also to themes raised repeatedly during Synod on Synodality listening sessions \u2013 particularly the desire for greater accompaniment for those who are divorced, those who feel distant from the Church, and newly arrived Spanish-speaking Catholics.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are striving to put a more pastoral face on the whole process. We\u2019ve always joked that canon law is the \u2018dark side\u2019 of the Good News. But we all see ourselves as ministers of justice \u2013 serving the People of God in a ministry of healing. That is so important for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Tribunal is currently focusing on three major areas of renewal.<\/p>\n
1. Assigning Priest Advocates from Day One<\/p>\n
Recognizing that petitioners may feel unsure or anxious when beginning the annulment process, every person who applies for a declaration of nullity will now immediately be assigned a priest advocate who will accompany them throughout the process. That applies to both the petitioner and the respondent. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat is significant because sometimes people feel intimated by the process or they have questions, especially of a personal nature, and our priests who have proficiency in canon law can help,\u201d Father Petro explained.<\/p>\n
2. Reintroducing an In-House Assessor<\/p>\n
For the first time in more than a decade, the Tribunal will again have an in-house assessor, who will assist Tribunal judges by offering a psychological perspective that helps explain the circumstances surrounding a marriage at its beginning.<\/p>\n
Monsignor Neil Van Loon, V.F., pastor of Saint Paul Parish, Scranton, and a trained pastoral counselor, has been appointed to serve in this capacity.<\/p>\n
\u201cPetitioners and respondents will be able to meet with our in-house assessor and have a conversation about aspects of their lives and their emotions that can help us reach a decision based upon what was really going on in their hearts and minds when they said, \u2018I do,\u2019\u201d Father Petro said.<\/p>\n
3. Expanded Service to Spanish-Speaking Catholics<\/p>\n
Recognizing the growing Hispanic population throughout the Diocese, and that 25-percent of all Tribunal cases involve Spanish-speakers, two native Spanish-speaking priests have also been appointed as auditors and advocates.<\/p>\n
Father Neftal\u00ed F\u00e9liz Sena, Assistant Pastor of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina Parish, Hazleton, and Father Fidel Ticona, Assistant Pastor of Saint Nicholas-Saint Mary Parish, Wilkes-Barre, will help conduct interviews, assist with documentation from other countries, and help individuals navigate the process in their native language.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth priests are currently serving in parish communities that have sizable Hispanic populations, so oftentimes they\u2019ll know these people personally before they even apply,\u201d Father Petro noted.<\/p>\n
In addition to the two Spanish-speaking priests who will serve as auditors, two other priests have also been appointed to assist Tribunal judges by conducting interviews with people seeking annulments. They are Father Michael J. Boris, Assistant Pastor of Saint Ignatius Loyola Parish, Kingston, and Father Michael S. Drevitch, Assistant Pastor, Corpus Christi Parish, West Pittston.<\/p>\n
The Tribunal\u2019s leadership team has also expanded.<\/p>\n
Myles McAliney, J.D., a retired civil attorney and parishioner of Saint Paul Parish, Scranton, has been hired to serve as Moderator of the Tribunal Chancery. He will oversee day-to-day operations, manage archives, coordinate dispensations and permissions, and assist administrative notaries Judy Myerski and Heather Betts. In addition to currently serving as Diocesan chancellor, Linda Price, J.C.L., will continue to serve as a Judge on the Tribunal.<\/p>\n
A full slate of judges, auditors, and defenders of the bond \u2013 including Monsignor Patrick J. Pratico, Father Jeffrey D. Tudgay, Father Brian J.W. Clarke, Father Anthony J. Generose, Father Alex J. Roche, and Father Edward Shestak \u2013 will continue their service to the Diocesan community. <\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely think this reform of our Tribunal is part of Bishop Bambera\u2019s vision to put a pastoral face on the annulment process, that we have accessibility to our Spanish speaking parishioners, and we make the process as expeditious as possible,\u201d Father Petro added. <\/p>\n
People interested in learning more about the Tribunal\u2019s ministry or the declaration of nullity process may call (570) 207-2246 or speak to their local pastor who can direct them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SCRANTON \u2013 As the Jubilee Year of Hope draws to a close, the Diocese of Scranton is placing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":79662,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[178,180,179],"class_list":{"0":"post-79661","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scranton","8":"tag-scranton","9":"tag-scranton-headlines","10":"tag-scranton-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79661"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79661\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}