Dear Parishioners:

I wish you and your families a  Happy Independence Day! We rejoice and pray for our nation as we recall the Declaration of Independence and commemorate its ratification by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The Second Continental Congress declared that the Thirteen Colonies were no longer subject and subordinate to the monarch of Britain, King George III. We threw off the shackles of British imperialism and declared our independence. 

  The Continental Congress voted to approve independence on July 2 and adopted the Declaration of Independence two days later, on July 4, 1776. The Declaration states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

  Of course, these words take on new meaning in light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs' decision on abortion. As the U.S. Catholic Bishops stated after the decision: "For nearly fifty years, America has enforced an unjust law that has permitted some to decide whether others can live or die; this policy has resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of preborn children, generations that were denied the right to even be born.

  America was founded on the truth that all men and women are created equal, with God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This truth was grievously denied by the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling, which legalized and normalized the taking of innocent human life. We thank God today that the Court has now overturned this decision. We pray that our elected officials will now enact laws and policies that promote and protect the most vulnerable among us.”

Pro-lifer celebrating the Dobbs Decision, June 24, 2022.

Regrettably, the Dobbs ruling changes nothing in Rhode Island concerning abortion. In 2019, the General Assembly passed legislation that codified Roe v. Wade in an extreme abortion-on-demand bill that allows abortion up until birth. Now there is a renewed effort to force all Rhode Island taxpayers to pay for the evil of abortion with their tax dollars. While the Supreme Court has recognized that abortion-on-demand was never part of the Constitution and, thus, state legislatures around the country are no longer prohibited by the now-overturned Roe v Wade decision from passing and enforcing laws that protect preborn human life, there is much work to be done in Rhode Island.

A mother and child visiting St. Gabriel’s Call in Providence.

Bishop Tobin's statement on the SCOTUS decision stated: "While rightly insisting that abortion is evil, the Catholic Church also recognizes the particular needs that many women encounter when pregnant. For several years already, the Diocese has responded to this need with important programs such as St. Gabriel's Call, which provides personal and material assistance to pregnant women, new moms, and their infant children; and also the Cabrini Fund, which offers financial scholarships to assist parents with child care expenses. For many years, these programs have supported women and children, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. 

    In light of the ongoing needs of women and their children, I have directed our diocesan staff to increase the support we can offer to women and children through these already existing diocesan programs and be alert to other and new ways of assisting women, children and families in the days to come."

We, too, must renew our commitment to the sanctity of all human life with more prayers for an end to abortion and prayers for all expectant mothers, especially those in crisis pregnancy and those living in poverty. We must also redouble our efforts to support them with greater charity and more good works. Our call to build a culture of life that truly protects the sanctity of life of every human being has not ended with the Supreme Court decision but must be renewed with an even greater determination. Let us "pledge ourselves to continue our service to God's great plan of love for the human person, and to work with our fellow citizens to fulfill America's promise to guarantee the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all people," born and unborn. 

 Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless America! Happy Independence Day!