On January 12th, we celebrated the funeral Mass for Thomas Simonski. Tom worked as a laborer for General Motors for 30 years. He was remembered for his generosity, helping strangers to buy food and offering his help to others who needed him. He also served his country in the army. His wife feels blessed to have shared her life with him. We remember him in prayer as we ask for God’s mercy on all our beloved dead.
On January 15th, we celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial for Patrick Crean who was the oldest of 10 children. He had 4 children himself and 6 grandchildren. Pat was remembered as a joyful, grateful person who was dedicated to his Catholic faith, serving as a Lector, Usher and Eucharistic Minister at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Macedonia, as well as at his parish in Florida. He had a devotion to St. Jude and was generous to the Church. May the Lord welcome him home.
We also express our deepest sympathy to the Henry family on the unexpected death of Daniel. He attended our parish school and then discovered a love for photography and won several awards for his artwork. Daniel made lifelong friendships through the process of recovery and made a difference in the lives of others who shared his struggle. He was a skilled tradesman and welder and enjoyed many hobbies. We pray especially for his fiancé Mary, for his children and parents and for his siblings Amy & Kelly. May Daniel and all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
This weekend we sadly commemorate the anniversary of Roe v. Wade as the United States Bishops declare Saturday, January 22nd, the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. This yearly anniversary should bring deep sadness to all of us of the Catholic Faith, as it does with many others throughout the world of different faiths and even those of no faith. For this is when we pray for the victims of abortion and for those who have had abortions. We pray also for national leaders, many of whom praise the “freedom” that this law gives to kill the unborn (and even those who are already born). Since the first century the Church has proclaimed the moral evil of every abortion and this teaching has not changed and cannot change because of the sacredness of life which begins at conception. As someone tweeted, “If you are a devout Catholic, then you do not support abortion, If you support abortion, then you are not a devout Catholic.” This applies even to politicians who claim to be Catholic while at the same time supporting pro-abortion views.
I agree that we as members of the clergy do not preach on this important topic enough, perhaps only using this once a year anniversary to do so. For me, it seems so abundantly clear that abortion is morally and mortally sinful according to our long-standing Catholic belief that it would seem that we are preaching to the choir when we preach against it. But sadly, there are some Catholics who feel that this issue is up for debate. So allow me, in the strongest possible way, to express my own personal belief in the sacredness of all human life from the moment of conception and beg you who may not have the same belief to exam carefully your thoughts and hearts, for God will not allow the injustice of abortion to be argued for in the presence of His Divine Life, regardless of political affiliation or calls for liberty. We are never free to do what is gravely wrong in the sight of God. May we pray always for an end to this holocaust.