News - October 2021 RSS Feed

During the month of October we have been celebrating Respect Life Month. I want to talk today about a specific issue assaulting the right to life: Physician-Assisted Suicide. The next Maryland legislative session will open in January. Powerful out-of-state activists will try to bring physician-assisted suicide to Maryland. It is important for us to realize why this matters for us and our families. To answer that I am going to reproduce here and slightly adapt some points made in a Parish Resource Kit prepared by the Maryland Catholic Conference.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In support of this annual observance I am presenting in this column some material developed under the guidance of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. Catholic Charities Domestic Violence Priest Advisory Committee, of which I am a member. One message that our committee wants to communicate is this: You Don’t Deserve to be Abused!

Last weekend Pope Francis invoked the Holy Spirit on us as the People of God so that we will able to move forward together, to listen to each other, and discern our times in solidarity with the struggles and aspirations of all humanity. The Holy Father celebrated a solemn Mass in St. Peter’s Square in Rome last Sunday, October 10. Dioceses around the world will begin the synodal journey today. The Archdiocese of Washington has developed a pastoral plan to implement the Synod Pope Francis is convoking. The Archdiocese has provided priests with some briefing materials. They will be my source for the rest of this column.

October is both Respect Life Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month. There is certainly an important connection between the two events. In observance of both events I am finishing the overview of Domestic Violence that is based on an important statement entitled When I Call for Help. This statement was issued several years ago by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. At the end of the column I am including the statement for Respect Life Month by Archbishop Joseph Naumann.