A Note from Msgr. Todd
I begin with a word of gratitude for the outpouring of prayerful support on Priesthood Sunday. The reception, the kind words and the Spiritual Bouquets that we received was so generous and please be assured of our deepest gratitude for all that you do to support our priestly ministry. It is a great gift!
This past weekend we celebrated Respect Life Sunday and we were blessed to hear the personal testimony of Fr. Anthony. As a parish within the Archdiocese of Detroit, we share a common mission to preach the Gospel of Life in season and out of season. We are called to teach the truth and richness of the Gospel. We are called to personal conversion and to repentance, and to be inspired by the prompting of the Holy Spirit to grow in faith. And we are called to love with the love and mercy of Christ at all times.
With the significance of Proposal 3 on the ballot for November 8th, we received from the Archdiocese of Detroit resources so that we can make every effort to protect the dignity of life. Last week the Leadership Team of the parish prayed and then put together a full plan so that we could provide a whole range of ways in which we can all be informed and engaged.
First, you should have received an email with a letter from the Archbishop with a video message that he has for the whole Archdiocese. The first thing the Archbishop asks us to do is pray and fast, and we will certainly do that! To connect this with the Eucharistic Revival, the parish will begin having a community Holy Hour with Benediction every Wednesday evening from 6:30pm-7:30pm with the common intention of the sanctity of life. Additionally, we will have a full day of Adoration on election day, November 8th, starting after the 8:00am Mass and concluding at 8:00pm. An easy way to remember that will be 8-to-8-on the 8th!! Prayer will be essential as we move forward on this initiative, because without divine grace, our efforts will not bear fruit.
In terms of education, the priests will offer homilies to help form and shape us as disciples who are called to protect life, and Fr. Anthony’s testimony this weekend is a powerful reminder of that. Also, we will provide two different handouts during the month of October that will help everyone clearly see the dangers presented by Proposal 3. It will be important to be informed of the actual language in the proposal and to see the dissonance between that and the richness of Church teaching on the dignity and sanctity of life.
We will also provide information regarding the many resources available to support women and families, such as
Walking with Moms in Need, Project Rachel, and AAA Pregnancy Center. Our call to protect and support life will always include the full and compassionate response to women, children and families at all times, and these resources are often overlooked, but we need to keep highlighting them so that the love of Christ radiates through our ministry.
In the coming weeks, I urge you to pray and if at all possible, please join us on Wednesday evenings for Adoration and on November 8th as well. Also, please seek to be informed about the destructiveness of the proposal and engage in the blessed opportunity we have to vote against it, an action that protects life. And finally, as a people of faith we lean into God’s divine providence, confident that it’s His grace that gives life, His grace that sustains, and His love that has conquered sin and death. How blessed we are!
Peace,
Msgr. Todd