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.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I am going to devote both this week’s and next week’s column to presenting an overview of Domestic Violence that is based on an important statement entitled When I Call for Help. This statement was published several years ago now from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Today marks the final day of National Migration Week. The Catholic Church in the United States has celebrated this event for nearly fifty years. It provides an opportunity for the Church to reflect on the circumstances confronting migrants, including immigrants, refugees, children, and victims and survivors of human trafficking. This year National Migrant Week began on September 20. Its closing today dovetails with the Vatican’s celebration of World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR). The primary theme for WDMR for this year is “Toward an ever wider ‘WE.’ When Pope Francis announced this year’s theme, he emphasized that “this focus calls on us to ensure that ‘after all this, we will think no longer in terms of ‘them’ and ‘those,’ but only ‘us” (Fratelli tutti, no. 35). And this universal us must become a reality first of all within the Church which is called to cultivate communion in diversity.’

Eight days ago we had the twentieth anniversary of that awful day when nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the plane crash in Shanksville, PA. Last Sunday about forty parishioners attended a Prayer Service here in which we reflected on Scripture, and prayed for special groups of people during a period of intercessory prayer. It was a very moving night for me, especially since I have ministered to families who lost someone at 9/11 in three of the parishes in which I have been assigned. For them 9/11 is always a sad and painful day of remembrance.

Last Monday we celebrated Labor Day which in my childhood marked the end of the summer vacation. The day after Labor Day marked the first day of school. It was a day of new routines, getting to know the new teacher—in most cases our classroom teacher was a Sister of Mercy, and seeing friends after the summer absence. It wasn’t until many years later I learned the significance of Labor Day. Now that I have a better understanding of why we celebrate Labor Day, I look forward to the annual statement by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for the occasion. Their statement follows in the footsteps of that great champion of the working man and woman: James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore from 1877 to 1921. The statement for Labor Day 2021 was issued by Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City in his capacity as the chairman of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. Archbishop Coakley makes the observation that these are both encouraging signs of economic recovery and ongoing hardships related to COVID-19.

On Sunday, August 29, 2021 Pope Francis addressed the people gathered to pray the Angelus with him. He told them that he was following the situation in Afghanistan with great concern, adding “I share in the suffering of those who mourn for the people who lost their lives in the suicide attacks last Thursday, and of those who are seeking help and protection.” The Holy Father commended the souls of the almost two hundred people who were killed in the suicide bombing at Kabul’s airport last week to the mercy of Almighty God. Pope Francis thanked everyone who was continuing to assist those in need and was praying that dialogue and solidarity may lead to the establishment of peaceful and fraternal coexistence and offer hope for the future of the country. The Holy Father reminded everyone that in historical moments like the present one we cannot remain indifferent, adding “I appeal to everyone to intensify prayer and practice fasting, prayer and penance. Now is the time to do it.”

Haiti is struggling to recover from the earthquake followed by Tropical Storm Grace. This has aggravated the devastation and long-standing civil unrest in the country. The people of Haiti will no doubt see ongoing hardship in the weeks ahead as they begin recovery and rebuilding efforts. On August 20, 2022, Archbishop José H. Gomez, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has sent a letter to all bishops in the United States to ask them to consider taking up a voluntary special collection in their dioceses for the Bishops Emergency Fund.

On Saturday, August 14, 2021, Haiti suffered a 7.2-magnitude earthquake. As of late Sunday, August 15, 2021, nearly 1,300 people have been killed, more than 5,700 people are injured, and more than 30,250 needed shelter as a result of the earthquake, which affected the southwestern part of the country, particularly the Dioceses of Jérémie, Les Cayes, and Anse-à-Veau Mirogoane.

Every now and then a solemnity like that of the Assumption falls on a Sunday. When this happens in Ordinary Time, the solemnity takes precedence. At the end of her earthly life, God assumed Mary into heaven where she reigns as queen until the end of time. From the beginning of her life on earth, when she was immaculately conceived, until the end the Blessed Virgin Mary conformed her life to God’s will. We can look upon her as we endeavor to discern God’s will in our own lives.