Dear Parishioners:
On Wednesday, December 8, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which celebrates the dogma that Mary was preserved from original sin from the moment of her conception. The origin of the feast arose in the Eastern Church in the seventh century. It came to the West in the eighth century. In the 11th century, it received its present name, the Immaculate Conception. Finally, in the 18th century, it became a feast of the universal Church and is now recognized as a solemnity.
In 1854, Pius IX solemnly proclaimed: "The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin."
In 1846, while meeting in Baltimore, the U.S. bishops adopted a decree naming Mary, "conceived without sin," as patroness of the United States. Pope Pius IX approved the choice and placed the United States under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception in 1857.
This Solemnity is a holy day of obligation on which Catholics are obligated to attend Mass. A Vigil Mass is to be celebrated Tuesday at 5:00 PM, and on Wednesday, there are Masses are at 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM School Mass, and 7:00 PM.
And while we anticipate the joyous celebration of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, this past Wednesday, December 1, the U.S. Supreme Court considered the conception of unborn children as it heard oral arguments in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization concerning Mississippi's ban on most abortions after 15 weeks. The Court is considering the question of whether all bans on pre-viability abortions are unconstitutional.
Legal experts say the case presents an ideal opportunity for the Supreme Court to reconsider previous rulings that upheld legal abortion nationwide. The 1973 Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in the entire nation, Roe v. Wade, said that states could not ban abortion before the "viability" of the fetus. Viability is the point at which an unborn child can survive outside the womb. The Court determined it to be around 24 to 28 weeks into pregnancy.
Nearly 20 years later, the Court upheld that ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, saying that states could regulate pre-viability abortions but could not pose an "undue burden" in doing so. Mississippi's law bans most abortions after 15 weeks which is well before the point of "viability" established in Roe and upheld in Casey. Mississippi's law directly challenges the Roe and Casey decisions. Many legal experts suggest that these rulings were already vulnerable and ripe for reconsideration.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in its friend-of-the-court brief filed July 27, stressed that abortion is not a right created by the Constitution and called it "inherently different from other types of personal decisions to which this court has accorded constitutional protection."
Referring to the Court's major abortion decisions, the brief warned that if the Supreme Court "continues to treat abortion as a constitutional issue," it will face more questions in the future about "what sorts of abortion regulations are permissible."
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law."
As Catholics, we are called to pray for the protection of the sanctity of all human life. Prayer is the foundation of everything we do in defense of human life. So let us pray for the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court as they consider this case, and let us pray for an end to abortion in our nation and our world.
This weekend, I am in Washington, DC, attending meetings of the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. We will be updated by legal experts and USSCB Staff on the Dobbs Case and other issues, including religious liberty, vaccine mandates, immigration, refugee resettlement, poverty, and Catholic Education.
It’s Advent, so prepare the way with prayer, Mass, and Confession! Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Pats!!!!