Archbishop Mansell is very concerned and so am I !
Last week I attended a meeting with Archbishop Mansell and he expressed grave concern about the new federal government policy that mandates that all religious communities provide contraceptives and even abortificants, like the morning after pill, in the insurance coverage provided to their employees. While small institutions like our parish may be exempt, large Catholic Institutions like Universities or Hospitals or Catholic Charitable organizations will certainly be included in this mandate.
The matter is not about contraception as some would have us think, rather it is about our government asking, or rather demanding, that we violate our consciences and provide this type of coverage even when it goes against our religious belief. I can’t imagine contributing in any way to the death of an innocent child in its mother’s womb.
It is really important for us to understand the scope of this mandate. To my knowledge never before has our government inserted itself into the private religious lives of our citizens in this manner. This is not a just a disagreement between the Catholic Church and the government. This type of interference in the religious life of our country is an attack on good people of conscience no matter what their faith may be.
On Feb 10th a compromise was offered suggesting that the insurance companies and not the religious institutions would be mandated to provide the coverage. This is in no way a conscientious compromise. Those who offered it did not do their homework. If they had they would have known that many of our larger institutions are self insured to keep costs down. Also, everyone knows that if an insurance company is mandated to provide these contraceptives and abortificants, they will undoubtedly pass on the cost to the religious institutions purchasing their services.
If we allow the government to take this first step into our private religious lives, what will the next mandate be ?
I believe that it is important for us as a parish to find a way to respond to this very serious situation. If you feel the same way and would like to be a part of a committee to coordinate our efforts please email me at [email protected]. There is so much to be done. Let’s keep this important matter close to our hearts in prayer.
Thank You
Your applause and so many kind words after each Mass last week were so very much appreciated. I assure you that your support means a lot to me. I am not sure how we are going to figure out this parking problem, but we are certainly going to try. God Bless you all and thanks again.
The Epistle
The Epistle is due out next week and we are still looking for some volunteers to help us edit it. I have received a lot of constructive suggestions and I would love to be able to implement them. Do you like to write? Are you good with computers? We’d love to have your help on this important project.
Mark your Calendars..
March 2 (Fridays) Stations of the Cross
March 5 (Mondays) Play Date
March 7 (Wednesdays) Noon Mass & Lenten Lunch
March 9 St. Paul Men’s Retreat
March 11 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal Weekend
March 12 Registration Evening
March 17 Knights of Columbus Irish Dinner
March 24 Confirmation
March 25 Gathering of Women
March 27 Knights of Columbus Blood Drive..
March 31 Saint Paul School Annual Auction
Save these Dates
April 2 Parish Wide Confessions
April 21 Polish Supper
May 6 Spelling Bee
May 19 & 20 St. Paul Tag Sale
We will be saying Goodbye to Fr. Martin with Coffee and some refreshments on March 18th. Wow there is a lot going on here at St. Paul Church!