Dear Parishioners,
As you all know, our Church is suffering from scandal that stems from the sins of the clergy. As Pope Francis himself expressed it in his letter to the people of God on August 20th:
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It is essential that we, as a Church, be able to acknowledge and condemn, with sorrow and shame, the atrocities perpetrated by consecrated persons, clerics, and all those entrusted with the mission of watching over and caring for those most vulnerable. Let us beg forgiveness for our own sins and the sins of others. An awareness of sin helps us to acknowledge the errors, the crimes and the wounds caused in the past, and allows us in the present, to be more open and committed along a journey of renewed conversion. Likewise, penance and prayer will help us to open our eyes and our hearts to other people’s sufferings and to overcome the thirst for power and possessions that are so often the root of those evils. May fasting and prayer open our ears to the hushed pain felt by children, young people and the disabled. A fasting that can make us hunger and thirst for justice and impel us to walk in the truth, supporting all the judicial measures that may be necessary. A fasting that shakes us up and leads us to be committed in truth and charity with all men and women of good will, and with society in general, to combat all forms of the abuse of power, sexual abuse and the abuse of conscience. |
In response, our bishop made the following request last month:
| As Bishop, I am asking every parish to set aside its own specific time for prayer and fasting within the parish — holy hours, rosaries, prayer services, etc. — to pray for all victims and survivors of the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by clergy; to beg pardon for the failures of bishops and Church authorities for any attempt on their part to cover up these atrocities and crimes; to ask that God might give the whole Church including our Diocese the grace to place our faith, hope and trust in Him. |
After praying over this request and consulting others, I have decided to make Thursday, October 11th the day of prayer and fasting for our parish. We will have our normal Adoration all day following the 9 am Mass to 9 pm at night. But, we will also incorporate devotions throughout the day for those who wish to participate. I will personally lead or delegate the following activities:
- Noon Rosary
- 3 pm Divine Mercy Chaplet
- 7 pm Meditation of the Way of the Cross
- 9 pm Traditional Latin Low Mass and Benediction
I hope that even if you cannot come to one of these devotions, you can spend some time with our Lord throughout the day. And if not that, you can at least lift up some sort of prayer or penance for healing within our Church. Ideally, I hope those who are able to fast will that day (which is defined as eating less than 2 meals in a day) because that is what our bishop desires and it is good for us to do.
God bless,
Father Carter