Letter from the Pastor
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January 17, 2021
We enter the world by way of the family into a society that is governed. After God, we owe our lives and well-being to our parents and our country. As we can never repay our parents for all they have done and given us, we can never repay our country. Patriotism means giving due honor to our country which includes our fellow-citizens and allies of our country. Patriotism is a virtue flowing from piety, which in turn is from the cardinal virtue of justice (that which is due to another person).
Patriotism means having a reasonable love and esteem for one’s own country, showing honor and respect to the leaders of the State, whoever they may be. Certainly, we will disagree with certain policies and ideas and it is the patriotic thing to correct error and bring the laws into accord with the fullness of the truth found in Jesus Christ, “I am the Way, Truth and Life”
Patriotism has a fair and just realization of the past and a balanced pride in national identity. However, we must not confuse the virtue of patriotism with a blind, senseless and unreasonable form of nationalism. “My country right or wrong, or my country is right and everyone else is wrong.” The Nationalists see their country as having no past or present sins. Then, there are those who go to the other extreme of historical revisionism, which only sees the injustices and institutional sins of the past while forgetting the good. The only reality is the present, no appreciation of the past.
This Wednesday our 46th President will be inaugurated. Ever since 1937, it has taken place at noon on January 20th. Whether we voted for him or not, it is proper and a good thing to pray for the president and all our elected officials; it is an act of patriotism. We pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all their decisions, and that their decisions are just and true, protecting the Bill of Rights, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
When dealing with human beings, justice requires that all human life be treated with equal respect and dignity. People of good will, motivated by justice, seek the common good of every person. Every single human person, regardless of circumstance, sex, race, nationality, culture or any other characteristic, is made in the image and likeness of Almighty God. We are all sinners, and so even the worst sinners, are worthy of being treated justly.
So we ask Our Blessed Lady, the Immaculate Conception and all the American Saints to pray for us and all our fellow countrymen, our elected officials and all who serve us in the Branches of Government and particularly those who protect and serve us in the Armed Forces and our First Responders.
Mary, The Immaculate Conception –Pray for us.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton — Pray for us.
St. John Neumann — Pray for us.St. Marianne Cope — Pray for us.
St. Katherine Drexel — Pray for us.
St. Damien of Molokai — Pray for us.
St. Junipero Serra — Pray for us.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha — Pray for us.St. Mother Theodore Guérin — Pray for us.
St. Isaac Jogues and Companions — Pray for us.
St. Francis Xavier Cabrini —Pray for us.
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne — Pray for us.
The American Blesseds – Pray for us.
Holy Hour for Life
On Friday, January 22 at 7:00PM, our parish will offer a Holy Hour for Life: Prayers, Rosary, and Scripture, followed by Benediction. It was on January 22, 1973 that abortion became legal in our Country.Come and Pray.