Dear brothers and sister in Christ,

Sometimes pro-lifers are accused of being only concerned about saving babies, as if that isn’t something worthy of our time, but the point of those who say this is meant to infer that we are only concerned about the baby and not the mother or any other issues of justice.  In fact, this could not be further from the truth.

​The Catholic Church’s teaching is that all life is previous and of value…. No exceptions.  We are concerned not only for the unborn child, but also for the mother and family and all those whose dignity is being undermined.  This means we are concerned with justice for workers, for those in bondage to human trafficking, for the refugee, the unborn child, the elderly person in the nursing home who is being abused or taken advantage of, for the respect and dignity of all life.

BUT we must also recognize that if we cannot guarantee the right to the life of the unborn child in the womb, then the truth is, all life is then vulnerable.  Is this not what we have seen in the decades since Roe vs Wade, a slow erosion of the rights of every human person?   Let’s not fool ourselves.  If the most vulnerable have no rights, then who decided which of us have rights?  We have seen this throughout history:  the Nazi scourge, the evil of Communism, the unbridled greed in the West among those who would trample human rights so as to have money and power, those who through history are willing to exploit others for personal gain.

Pope Francis writes:
“All life has inestimable value even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live forever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect.”  Pope Francis  (Message to Catholics taking part in annual Day for Life in Britain and Ireland July 28, 2013)

Statistics tell us that over 50 million children have been aborted (murdered) since 1973 and about 126,000 occur every day worldwide.  In 1869, One of the earliest feminists, Susan B. Anthony, said:  “I deplore the horrible crime of child murder. No matter what the motive-love of ease, or a desire to save from suffering the unborn innocent-the woman is awfully guilty who commits the deed.” 

The principal of  our secular culture has become the law of convenience.  We cherish the rights of others until those rights interfere with his infinite capacity for self-interest. Today, it is convenient for many to dismiss a fetus as something only partially human, just as it was convenient two centuries ago for plantation owners to dismiss blacks as merely three-fifths of a person. Measuring human life by race or by usefulness, or convenience is the blindspot of modern culture. 

Let us not deceive ourselves, we are not just in a political battle, but THE battle for our souls.  The future lies within our hands – hands that not only work to save the unborn, but also clasp together in prayer.  Satan and the forces of darkness are behind this evil of abortion and all offences to the dignity of human persons. 
We await the day when “all men are created equal” is truly the law of our land.

​Fr. Dennis

​State of the Parish
 
 
“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;  there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.  To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.”                                               1 Corinthians 12:4-11
 
 
Dear parishioners of Most Holy Trinity,
 
I want to take this opportunity to share with you how our parish has been doing this last year and give you a sense of what is to come.
 
From my perspective, I feel that the Scripture I quoted above from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians really speaks to what I see happening this past year.  I have always said that I believe that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, both ordinary and extraordinary are present here in our parish. I feel that I have been watching the Holy Spirit do this work here in our community of faith.  Not that we have “arrived” or that all the gifts have been recognized and nurtured, but rather, that the Holy Spirit is leading us. I see this through the Encounter Evenings with the Holy Spirit, our Adult Retreats, our Healing Services, our continuing work of Formation and Evangelization, our Youth Ministry and Catechesis and School.
 
Among a couple of notable examples, the Grade 8 Retreat and the High School Retreat this past fall were both really powerful times. The Lord really manifested His love and His power.
 
I see more and more people stepping up to help in all our ministry endeavors. We are always looking for more people who are willing to step up, but as we develop our parish ministries, I believe more people will sense the call to serve.
 
It’s important for us to remember why we’re doing all this.  Because God wants His Church to rise up in this time and culture, which seems to be moving away from Him and be the witnesses that the Lord has called us to be by our baptism.
 
There is a spiritual battle going on in our world.  As I mentioned in my homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, quoting St. Pope Paul VI’s pastoral exhortation on Christian Joy, speaking about our world that is more and more pushing God to the side the Holy Fathers says: “The meaning of life escapes him, that he is no longer sure of himself or of his transcendent calling and destiny. He has desacralized the universe and now he is desacralizing humanity; he has at times cut the vital link that joined him to God.” I believe that is why God is raising up a generation to respond to the call to evangelize and transform our culture.
 
Regarding Sacraments, one of the signs of life in our parish, this past year we had: 25 baptisms, 12 weddings, 20 first communions, 34 confirmations, and 12 funerals. We had also 2 catechumens in the RCIA.  We have 3 young men in the seminary and others discerning. We have several young women in religious life, which is uncommon these days. One of the signs St. John Paul II spoke and wrote frequently to young people. “Young people have you ever thought of committing your existence totally to Christ?  Do you think that anything can be greater than to bring Jesus to people and people to Jesus?”
 
Just a few weeks ago we published our financial statement online, and you can access this through our website. If you do not have internet service, please call the parish office and we can provide you with a printed copy.  In terms of our overall financial picture, things are going well. We were a little nervous to see how the success of Witness to Hope (WTH) would affect us over the past year.  Our fund balance continues to increase. Our Sunday collections took a slight dip over the last year, but that could be expected with influence of WTH. We have received just over half of the pledged money for WTH. This will continue to come in as pledges are paid over the remaining three and a half years of the five year campaign. We all saw the first fruits this summer when we redid the parking lot. This coming summer we hope to renovate the parish offices. We are also working with the committee to put together plans for the Activity Center.
 
Again I want to thank all our parishioners who are giving of their time, talents and finances to our parish.  The Church faces many challenges in our world today.  But I am convinced that with the power of the Holy Spirit, we can meet these challenges. I pray that we will continue to partner with all our brothers and sisters  so that the Gospel can be proclaimed to all.
 
God bless,
Fr. Dennis Howard
Pastor