Dear Parishioners:
Missionhurst Priests baptizing in the Missions.
Unfortunately, the priest from the Missionhurst Missions who was scheduled to be with us last weekend canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. No replacement was available from the Missionhurst Missionaries. However, in their name, I thank you for your generous support of last weekend's Second Collection in support of the Missionhurst Missionaries.
Each year every parish in the Diocese of Providence hosts a Missionary to learn more about their work and to offer our financial assistance. Even today, we remain a Missionary Church as the Gospel is preached in remote areas among peoples who know little of Christ and his Catholic Church. Pope Francis has stated:
"Would that all of us in the Church were what we already are by virtue of baptism: prophets, witnesses, missionaries of the Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the ends of the earth!"
Last week I was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to attend the Annual Summer Meeting of the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors (NASCCD). There were almost forty state directors in attendance from across the country. It is a meeting at which we receive updates from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop's staff on Federal legislation and actions by the Biden Administration.
Pro-Lifers react to the Supreme Court Dobbs Decision.
At the meeting, a young Dominican Friar, Fr. Henry Stephan, OP, a Sorin Fellow at the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at Notre Dame University, offered an excellent presentation entitled "Citizenship in the City of God and the City of Man." It was a great and very timely reflection.
We also had experts speak to us about the issues of concern to the Church, which we all advocate at local state houses. A panel of legal scholars discussed the recent U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs Decision on abortion.
Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, abortion has become a state issue primarily. Sadly many states, including ours, have codified Roe v. Wade in state law. Like Rhode Island, many states allow abortion on demand without any limit. This extreme position allows for the killing of unborn children up until birth. Such a policy mirrors the extreme abortion policies of China and North Korea.
The militant response to the Dobbs Decision by radical abortion extremists and their political allies is to expand access to abortion on demand by allowing the killing of the innocent unborn up until birth. They also demand public funding for this evil with tax dollars. Such a radical policy far exceeds nearly every country in Western Europe.
In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal entitled "A Catholic's Duty in Post-Roe America," Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City recalled the words of the late John Cardinal O'Connor of New York, 'If you are pregnant and in need, come to the Catholic Church."
While the reversal of Roe v. Wade is necessary for ending abortion and promoting the sanctity of life, as Catholics, we must also build a culture of life in myriad ways. As Archbishop Coakley stated:
"By virtue of our baptism, we are called to see Christ in every human life and to work and pray for a society in which laws reflect the inherent dignity of the human person. This commitment requires us to create alternatives to abortion and ultimately to make it unthinkable. The end of Roe challenges us anew to open our hearts, and our doors, to mothers and children in need —to what Pope Francis called 'he highest form of love, and of fatherhood and motherhood.'"
Our response must be to continue praying for more respect for life, especially for expectant mothers and their unborn children, continue advocating for life and supporting candidates who respect the right to life, and continue supporting expectant mothers and children living in poverty or crisis with Catholic Charity efforts like Gabriel's Call. Our duty as Catholics is to build a culture of life that counters the radical abortion extremists and their allies with our love and support of life.
The Fonzi Statue in downtown Milwaukee.
Unfortunately, the All-Star break meant the Brewers were not playing, and I had no chance to attend a baseball game at the new American Family Field! While Milwaukee is an interesting city to explore, it's good to be home!
Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless. Go Sox!!!