Children dying in Haiti, victims of food crisis

"The 5-year-old teetered on broomstick legs — he weighed less than 20 pounds, even after days of drinking enriched milk. Nearby, a 4-year-old girl hung from a strap attached to a scale, her wide eyes lifeless, her emaciated arms dangling weakly.

In pockets of Haiti accessible only by donkey or foot, children are dying of malnutrition — their already meager food supply cut by a series of devastating storms that destroyed crops, wiped out livestock and sent food prices spiraling.

At least 26 severely malnourished children have died in the past four weeks in the remote region of Baie d'Orange in Haiti's southeast, aid workers said Thursday, and there are fears the toll will rise much higher if help does not come quickly to the impoverished Caribbean nation."

From the Associated Press. The rest of this tragic story can be found HERE.

St. Therese in The Messenger

In case you missed the article in The Messenger about Bishop Foys' visit to the parish:

A good way to describe St. Therese Church, Southgate, may be through the spirit of its patroness St. Thérèse de Lisieux. Like their patroness, the people of the parish seem not to desire greatness through grand deeds, but instead choose a simple path to Jesus by finding joy and holiness in ordinary life — it’s their own “little way.” That little way includes a stewardship approach to Catholic education, a deep love and respect for their pastor, and dedication to parish life. That’s what Bishop Roger Foys discovered the weekend of his Episcopal visit, Sept. 27–29. (To view photos of the visit click here.)

"My visit to St. Therese parish in Southgate was a truly joyful one. This parish exudes a warmth and a joy from parishioners that is almost palpable," said Bishop Foys about his visit. "There is a great deal of cooperation from parishioners as regards to the sharing of time and talent for parish needs.”

The entire article can be read HERE.

Voting Pro-Life, Why?

Fr. Paul L. Berschied, Parochial Vicar

In last month’s Communications we explained the teaching of the Church regarding the sanctity of human life from conception until natural death. This teaching is not new but is to be found time and again throughout both the Old and New Testaments. The Church of our Lord Jesus Christ has never strayed from this teaching because it has been given to us by God the Father, reiterated by God the Son and is protected by God the Spirit.

Clearly then it is our duty to vote for candidates and issues that validate the pro-life message of God that is found in the Scriptures and the teachings of the Church. This is not a religious issue. This is an issue of creation which is grounded in God’s Divine Plan for all of humanity, which was recognized by our founding Fathers. Our Constitution states that we all have the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. As good American citizens and citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20) we must protect life at all stages.

When we vote for individuals who hold positions that favor killing babies in the womb, or allowing babies who survive abortion to die without medical help, or killing babies for the sake of stem cell research or killing adults who are sick and old, then we are not conforming our lives and wills to the Will of the Father. God has freely chosen men and women to be partners with Him in creation and salvation. He allows us to create new life with Him. God obviously prefers that children be born of stable marriages; however, He will not violate His own gift of freedom to us. Even if there is a conception of new life occurs outside a stable marriage, God will not deny that physical form the animating principle of life – the soul, which only He can give. Instead God favors life and grants to the child that is conceived all of His love and grace for happiness in this world and in heaven.

We sometimes forget that Mozart was the product of woman of ill-repute and that Oprah Winfrey is a product of rape. These two individuals are certainly great successes in human terms and they are not the only ones that can be cited. Have we killed by abortion the person who would have cured cancer or developed an alternative fuel for industry or found the cure for some other disease, or brought about a modern invention that would help the progress of human development? The average number of abortions in the United States alone is over 1.2 million every year – 1,200,000+ – every year!!

How can we ever achieve true peace and equality in our country if we seek to kill the most defenseless of God’s creations – children in the womb and old and infirm adults? Jesus has told us that we will be judged by every action and deed that we do. We must not violate the great gift of Life that is given to us by God the Father, in and through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When Does Life Begin?

Fr. Paul L. Berschied, Parochial Vicar

The Roman Catholic Church has always taught that life must be protected from the moment of conception. Recently the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Ms. Nancy Pelosi, has declared in a national interview that she “as a life-time, ardent member of the Catholic Church” can state that the Catholic Church does not know when life begins. She made this statement in order to support her reasons to be in favor of abortion in our country. Ms. Pelosi does not possess a degree in Sacred Theology and she is not a recognized theologian of the Roman Catholic Church. She therefore cannot speak officially as to the teachings of our Church.

In fact Ms. Pelosi is absolutely wrong about what the Catholic Church believes. The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly states in Article #2270 that: “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.” And in Article # 2271 the Catechism states that: “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.” The Didache (written by the Apostles) states: “You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.” The Second Vatican Council states: “Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.” The Catechism further states in Article #2274 that: “Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being."

In these days of moral decline it is most important for all of us to know the truths of our Faith that have been given to us by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Abortion was declared evil and gravely wrong in both the Old and the New Testaments. Our belief in the wrongness of abortion is not something that is questionable or even debatable. For a prominent Catholic to incorrectly state the teachings of the Catholic Church is a grave scandal and should always be denounced in the strongest possible terms. Belief in the sanctity of human life from conception until natural death is not popular in modern times, but it is a truth that has been consistently taught by the Church since Her founding by Jesus Christ. We must always strive to be faithful to the Creed that we profess each and every Sunday. We must pray for those Catholics who deny our Faith and try to lead others astray as well. Several Cardinals and Bishops, as well as many Congressional Catholics have reproached Mrs. Pelosi and given her the true teaching of the Church.

Much to everyone’s sadness, Mrs. Pelosi refuses to recognize her mistake and state the truth. She has only responded that she does not accept the correction of the Bishops of our Church. Can she truly say she is an ardent Catholic when she refuses to accept the truth of our Catechism and the teachings of Cardinals and Bishops in union with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict, in Rome.

May God continue to strengthen us in our Faith and maintain us in His Grace!!

St. Therese School in the news

The Enquirer ran a story this morning about St. Therese School's support of Molly McCord's efforts to build libraries in Honduras. Click here to read the article. Excerpt:

"St. Therese is participating in this project as a service learning," Boruske said. "The fourth grade and seventh grade are using the Enquirer's Folk Tales column as a springboard for this project. Our priest, Father (Clarence) Heitzman, gave the students $1,000 from the students' weekly contribution to church. The students are looking through Molly's list of books and choosing which books they would like to buy. They are then going to write a note to go along with each book. Finally, Molly's dad will come back to school to receive the books sometime before Christmas."

It's great to see our students "embrace the Gospel" as the school's Mission Statement says. If you'd like to send one or more books to support this cause, just click here to view the Wish List on Amazon.com.