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Two
events worthy of special note
PRAISED BE JESUS
CHRIST!
(Now and Forever)
This weekend a special collection is to be taken up at all Masses
celebrated in our Local Church. It will be the 17th annual national
appeal for the Retirement Fund for Religious.
“Religious” is a technical term in the Catholic Church. It refers to men
(some of whom are priests, but not all) and women who take vows of
poverty, chastity and obedience as members of a religious order,
congregation or society. Most Catholics are familiar with sisters (women
religious). Here in Northcentral Indiana, we also have brothers
(Missionaries of the Precious Blood) as well as Precious Blood priests
and Dominican Fathers. The term “religious” does not apply to diocesan
priests.
These distinctions are important. Two years ago, this diocese conducted
a capital campaign for the retirement needs of diocesan priests. The
January collection does not benefit diocesan priests. It does benefit
priests, brothers and sisters who belong to religious communities/
orders, that is, men and women religious.
The numbers provided by the National Religious Retirement Office lay out
the challenge:
• Projected retirement liability of $6.1 billion for men and
women religious orders;
• Daily cost of $1.3 million for the skilled and assisted living nursing
care provided to more than 12,000 men and women religious;
• 40,000 Catholic religious past the age of 70. There are 14,729
religious priests in the United States, 5,504 brothers and 71,486 women
religious.
The heart of the appeal for religious is not so much the statistics
(overwhelming as they are), but the reality that their adult lives have
been devoted to service. They served tirelessly and for minimal stipends
in schools, hospitals and social agencies. The number of
income-producing members is now insufficient to care for the elderly.
They now find themselves having to rely on the generosity of others to
help provide the care needed in their disability and old age.
A very moving part of this picture is the fact the sisters themselves
help one another. For example, in our own state, the Sisters of St.
Joseph of Tipton, Indiana, do not accept a grant from the retirement
fund. Neither do our two monasteries: the Poor Clare Nuns of Kokomo and
the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood in Lafayette. The same is true
of the Franciscan Sisters of Mishawaka. They decline the assistance to
which they are entitled in order to provide additional funds for
religious in more dire straits than themselves.
The people of our diocese have been extremely generous in contributing
to this annual appeal. It is my hope that record will continue this
year.
The lives of the Catholic faith community and many of us individually
have been enriched by religious. This collection is a much appreciated
way to say thank you.
A Day of Prayer and Penance
The 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal directs the dioceses of
the United States to observe Jan. 22 as a day of penance for violations
to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion,
and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the
right to life.
Jan. 22 this year is a Saturday. A Mass for Peace and Justice is to be
celebrated with violet vestments in the parishes and chapels of our
Local Church on Jan. 22 at some time prior to the Sunday Vigil liturgy.
It was on Jan. 22, 1973, that the Supreme Court of the United States
issued its infamous Roe vs. Wade decision. Doe vs. Bolton
followed. Since these decisions, it has been legal (a constitutional
right) to take the life of the unborn.
Roe vs. Wade is the landmark decision. But, Doe vs. Bolton
is also a decision of major importance. It erased the limitations on
abortion that appeared to be written into Roe vs. Wade. It did so
by defining “health” in terms that effectively allow abortion at any
time prior to full birth. In the debate about abortion, there is often
insistence that restrictive legislation makes provision for the “health”
of the mother. Politicians who insist upon the insertion of the
health exception are, knowingly or not, arguing for abortion on
demand. The exception in effect allows abortion at any time as long as
the mother’s “health” can be said to be at risk. It is not that the
mother’s life is threatened. Rather “health” is judged to be at risk.
It may be a stretch to suggest that a headache constitutes justification
for an abortion under Doe vs. Bolton, but not much in a culture
where unborn children are judged expendable. In effect, in the United
States it is legal to abort a baby any time during pregnancy. It is also
immoral.
As the Day of Prayer and Penance approaches, it is well to reflect on
the horrific scene described in Matthew’s Gospel, the slaughter of the
innocents: “A cry was heard at Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentations.
Rachel bewailing her children; no comfort for her, since they are no
more.”
Abortion is the modern day slaughter of innocents. It begs for the
attention of every person who respects human life.
So, two important events to keep in mind: The first is the collection
for the Retirement Fund for Religious in the United States, while the
second is the Day of Prayer and Penance on Jan. 22. |
