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PARISH OFFICE: 506 Fourth Street, Marietta OH 45750 PHONE: 740-373-3643 WEBSITE: www.stmarysmarietta.org www.facebook.com/stmarysmarietta EMAIL: [email protected]

SUNDAY MASSES - Saturday 5:30 PM; Sunday 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM CONFESSIONS - Saturday 3:30-5:00 PM (or anytime by appointment) BAPTISMS - Contact Parish Office WEDDINGS - Contact Parish Office six months in advance

Rector - Rev. Msgr. John Michael Campbell ([email protected]) Rev. Jeremiah Hahn, 740-373-3643 Ext. 11, Parochial Vicar - ([email protected]) Permanent Deacon - Rev. Mr. Lee Weisend Music Director - Mr. John Ontko (740-350-4224, [email protected]) St. Mary School - 320 Marion St, 740-374-8181 (www.stmaryscatholic.org) School Principal - Elizabeth Tokodi, ([email protected]) DRE - Cecelia Cottrill ([email protected]) Parish Council Chairman - Dennis Blatt K of C Grand Knight - Mr. Pete Saliba (304-494-6170) CWC President - Jenn Tinkler Hibernians - Mr. Tom Binegar, President (740-374-4559) Prayer Line - & Eucharistic Adoration, Mrs. Shelly Medley (740-525-6360) Pregnancy Assistance - Women's Care Center (740-374-7123) Health Ministry - Mrs. Janet Jaeger (740-374-6768) Daily Bread Kitchen - Mrs. Carol Henshaw (740-885-1181) St. Vincent De Paul - Help Line (740-376-1334) August 22, 2021 Welcoming Committee - Jim Naylor (740) 350-5510 Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time MASSES FOR THE WEEK SAT 5:30 PM - Vincent Huck Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the SUN 8:00 AM - Gertrude Baker, 17th Anniversary 10:00 AM - People of the Parish words of everlasting life. 12:00 PM - William & Betty Erb MON 7:45 AM - Liv/dec’d Members of the Walter READINGS FOR NEXT SUNDAY: and Mary Crum Family 12:05 PM - Diane White Dt 4:1-2,6-8; Jas 1:17-18,21b-22,27; Mk 7:1-8,14-15,21-23. TUE 7:45AM - Marilyn Morgan 12:05 PM - Clarence Roesch CONGRATULATIONS TO NEWLY BAPITZED: WED 7:45 AM - Richard Schneider II Daniel George Boyles, Bradley Reed Moore, Kyle Dwain Moore, 12:05 PM - Liv/dec’d Members of the Joe Gwendolyn Ruth Palmer. and Luada Wesel Family THU 7:45 AM - Joyce Lang 12:05 PM - Val Milsark RCIA INQUIRY SESSION: FRI 7:45 AM - Liv/dec’d of the John and There will be an RCIA Inquiry Session Monday, August 23rd at 7:00 PM in Debbie Karas Family the Basilica Social Hall. This session is open to anyone who would like to 12:05 PM - Bob Schoeppner th learn more about the RCIA process (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults). SAT 9:00 AM - John O’Grady,13 Anniversary It is not necessary to call ahead. Just stop by the Social Hall of the Church 5:30 PM - People of the Parish SUN 8:00 AM - Jim Albanese, 4th Anniversary and we will answer questions about the Catholic Faith and the process of 10:00 AM - Margaret Grubb, 7th Anniversary learning to become a Catholic. 12:00 PM - Billy LaBarre

WELCOME, MARIETTA COLLEGE STUDENTS We welcome all new and returning Marietta College students to our parish. We are happy to have you with us. Please introduce yourselves to Father Mike and Father Jeremiah when you come to Mass and feel free to call the parish office, 740-373-3643 if we can ever be of assistance. God bless you as you begin a new year of studies.

VISITORS WELCOME! We welcome any visitors who are joining us for Mass this weekend. We hope your stay in Marietta is enjoyable. Any new parishioners at the Basilica are asked to please register with the parish office.

MEETINGS AND EVENTS

TODAY 4:00 pm - 6:00 PM – Parish Picnic at the Williamstown Clubhouse. MON 6:15 PM - Our Lady of Perpetual Help Devotions. See announcement. 7:00 PM - RCIA Inquiry Session in the Basilica Social Hall. See announcement. WED 8:15 AM - 7:00 PM – Eucharistic Adoration in the Chapel of the English Martyrs. See announcement. 6:00 PM - Basilica Book Club Meeting. See announcement. FRI 8:15AM - 7:00 PM. Eucharistic Adoration in the Chapel of the English Martyrs. See announcement. SAT 3:30 PM - Confessions

SAINT MARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL

A Student’s Prayer for The Lord Will Never Be Outdone A New School Year In Generosity! Dear Jesus,

A new school year has begun after several weeks Total collection last weekend: $ 13,921.00 of summer fun. As I begin this new school year let

me always rely on you. As I study, pray and learn, Amount needed each weekend to allow me to see all the blessings You have meet the Basilica budget: $ 14,225.00 prepared for me this school year. Help me to be

the best student I can be, reaching out to others God bless those who support our Basilica Parish! and setting good examples to all I meet. Bless my

teachers and my principal too, bless my classmates in all they do. May this be a great year for all of ONLINE GIVING us. Online giving is available at the Basilica. For more Amen information, please visit this website:

http://www.stmarysmarietta.org and go to the left THIS WEEKEND’S FLOWERS side of the web page. Click on the GIVE ON LINE The flowers for the altar this weekend are in button to see more information or to sign up. memory of Maxine Best. If you would like to request flowers for a particular weekend, in memory BASILICA FOUNDATION or in honor of someone, please contact the parish A fund has been established by the Marietta office to reserve the date. You should contact the Community Foundation for the maintenance and florist of your choice to arrange for delivery. repairs of our Basilica. This fund is separate from

the monthly maintenance collection. Our goal is to PARISH OFFICE HOURS have at least One Million in the fund before using it. The parish offices are open from 1:00 PM until To donate, contact the Community Foundation. 4:00 PM on Mondays and from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM Tuesday through Friday with a lunch break CCD CLASSES from Noon until 1:00 PM. CCD classes will be starting on September 12. To

register your family or for more information, please SOLES 4 SOULS contact Cecelia Cottrill at: Giving your slightly used or new shoes is about [email protected]. more than cleaning out your closet. It’s about people living in poverty. People wanting a better BULLETIN ANNOUNCEMENTS life. Help us turn unwanted shoes into opportunities Bulletin announcements should be in by Wednesday by keeping them from going to waste, and by morning in order to be included in the following putting them to good use. Please place your weekend’s bulletin. Announcements should be in donated shoes in the bins at the basilica entrances. writing; we do not accept bulletin announcements Help break the cycle of poverty. by phone.

BASILICA BOOK CLUB NEWS SCHEDULING MEETINGS AND EVENTS The next book for the BBC: All organizations and committees must contact the In Praise of Bees, Kristin Gleeson. parish offices before scheduling a meeting in the A woman is found by a track, nearly dead from Basilica Social Hall, Conference Room or using the appalling wounds and remembers nothing. Her Basilica Kitchen. If you change the time or date of terror and her injuries are so great that she is given a previously scheduled meeting, please be sure the sanctuary in Mother Gobnait’s unusual community new time and date are available. All meetings and of nuns, while all around her a war is being waged events MUST be put in the Master Book in the in which she is a pawn. The women name her Aine. parish offices. Disturbing fragments of Aine’s memory begin to surface, and in desperation she asks to remain in the ST. MARY’S ALUMNI REUNION safety of the community, but is it really safe for her The next Saint Mary School Reunion will be held anywhere? 302 pages. July 9, 2022. Please mark your calendars!

Next meeting: August 25, 6:00 PM in the NEW ADDRESS OR PHONE NUMBER? Basilica Social Hall. If you have recently moved, please call the parish All are welcome! office and give us your new address. Also, many of our parishioners are just using cell phone numbers. Any questions or if you would like to be put on the Please let us know so we will be able to update our BBC email list serve (to receive information and parish records. Thank you for your cooperation. announcements), contact Debbie Lazorik, [email protected] 740-434-3769. PARISH LIBRARY Are you aware that the Basilica maintains a PRAY FOR THOSE IN THE MILITARY religious library for our parishioners? We have a Please pray for all of the men and women who are wide variety of books and videos. Our resources serving our country in the military. We especially include Bible commentaries, biographies of Saints remember those from our own parish and relatives and popes, reflections on the Eucharist, answers to and friends of our parishioners. May God watch challenges about the Catholic faith (apologetics), over them and keep them safe. prayer, spiritual healing, and much, much more!

PCHS GOLF OUTING The parish library is a wonderful resource to learn Parkersburg Catholic Athletic Association’s 46th more about the Catholic faith, or to be inspired by Annual Blue & White Golf Tournament will be held the lives of the heroes of the faith, or to feed your Saturday, September 4th. It will begin at 8:00 PM soul with prayers, reflections and devotions. The and is being held at the Worthington Golf Course. parish library is accessible from the Basilica Social This will be a 4-person scramble and lunch will be Hall. It is always open and ready for use – and it is provided. Cost is $85.00 per golfer or $340.00 per All FREE! st nd team. The 1 place prize will be $500; 2 place prize will be $250.00. DIVINE MERCY GIFT SHOP The Divine Mercy Gift Shop is located in the lower To register a team, email [email protected] level of the Basilica and is open after all weekend Or [email protected] or call 304-485-6341. Masses. Stop by after Mass sometime soon and look over their wonderful selection of religious 5th SUNDAY ROSARY items. You just might find that special gift you’ve The Knights of Columbus will be praying the been looking for! Rosary at 7:30 AM (before the 8:00 AM Mass) and at 11:30 AM (before the noon Mass) on Sunday, August 29th. Please join us.

THE TWENTY FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME AUGUST 22, 2021

NOTES ON THE GOSPEL

Jesus told the crowd his flesh was the bread God sent from heaven. He also said that anyone who ate of his flesh and drank his blood would live forever. "Truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever."

Jesus spoke words that so scandalized His Jewish audience, those words implicitly brought shame upon followers whose social status could be hurt by their association with Him. Not only did the words of Jesus cause division and scandal. Following Jesus brought scandal and shame. In the end, discipleship required total commitment, total loyalty.

After they heard what Jesus said, many of his followers complained, "The words of Jesus are hard to accept. Who can hear it?" Implicit in the rhetorical question "Who can hear it?" lay the rejection of Jesus as a teacher (and as Lord). From then on, many of his followers left Jesus. By asking the question, many who followed Jesus left him. The gospel today presents us with the problem of faithfulness.

Faith involved trust. Those followers who fell away only did so because they did not trust Jesus. Their reasons for joining the Christian community could have been temporal (i.e., prayer and fellowship brought temporary relief from a personal problem). Trust in Jesus would not be listed. Those who stayed remained because of Jesus.

Then Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you not want to leave?" Simon Peter answered, "Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have trusted You) and have known that You are the Holy One of God."

When the Gospel was written, there were many difficulties for the Christians of the Apostolic Church. In the face of controversy, why should a Christian remain faithful? From a practical standpoint, one remained faithful even through persecution because the alternatives have such a greater price. The ones left remained simply because they had found their hearts' true desire and there is no other place to go. For the Christian, the words of Christ led to eternal life. And the One who spoke them was God's Holy Son. Nothing else could replace Christ or his words.

In an era of "cafeteria Christianity" let us remember why we are Catholic. We must lead those in a faith crisis by prayer, compassion, and honesty - remembering that faith and faithfulness are gifts from God. We cannot impose them on others, so we must lead them to Christ by example. ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

Adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament takes place in the Basilica’s Chapel of the English Martyrs on Wednesday and Friday. Jesus stays with us in the Blessed Sacrament to refresh us in mind, in heart and in spirit. Take advantage of Eucharistic Adoration. Come and visit the Lord in Adoration this Wednesday and Friday. He waits for us! ______Special Events & Scheduled Pilgrimages at the Basilica:

Aug. - 22, - Basilica Parish Picnic Sept. - 27, - Diocesan Giving Society Mass & Reception (Bishop) Oct. - 8, - Rosary Congress Oct. - 12, - Pilgrimage – St. Nicholas, Zanesville Oct. - 13, - Pilgrimage from St. Agnes Church in Mingo Junction, Ohio Nov. - 21, - Diocesan Marriage Anniversary Mass (Noon – Bishop Monforton) ______Perpetual Help Devotions This Monday Evening

Perpetual Help Devotions will be offered this Monday evening at 6:15 pm. All parishioners are invited to participate in this beautiful devotion celebrated in our Basilica next Monday. We ask Our Lady to guide and protect our Basilica and each one of us. Jesus Christ Himself invites us to a personal visit with Him in our basilica. ______REVERENTIAL QUIET IN THE BASILICA

It is an ancient tradition in the Church to have a reverential quiet tone in a – especially in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. More and more, this tradition is being ignored in the Basilica. People are trying to pray before or after Mass – we need to respect them. Please observe a quiet tone when you are present in the Basilica. ______PILGRIMAGES TO OUR BASILICA

The Basilica of Saint Mary of the Assumption welcomes all visitors encouraging them to come, pray, and enjoy our beautiful church. If you are a member of a group who would like to tour our Basilica or make a spiritual pilgrimage, please let us know how we can be of assistance. ______D

Deceased Priests of the Diocese

On Monday, we remember the 19th anniversary of the death of Fr. George Voytko. On Friday, we remember the 38th anniversary of the death of Fr. John Turel. We pray for these two priests who served the parishes of our diocese, and we thank God for the service they gave to the Church. ______TODAY IS THE PARISH PICNIC =- COME AND ENJOY THE AFTERNOON WIT YOUR FELLOW PARISHIONERS.

EVENTS AND MASSES FOR THE WEEK

Monday, August 23, 12:05 pm. - Mass 7:45 am. - Mass 12:05 pm. - Mass Friday, August 27, 6:00 pm. - RCIA Inquiry Class 7:45 am. – Mass 6:15 pm. - Perpetual Help Devotions 8:20 am. - Adoration (Chapel) 12:05 pm. – Mass Tuesday, August 24, 7:00 pm. - Reposition of the Eucharist 7:45 am. - Mass 12:05 pm. - Mass Saturday, August 28, 9:00 am. - Mass Wednesday, August 25, 3:30 am. - Confessions 7:45 am. - Mass 5:30 pm. - Mass 8:20 am. - Adoration (Chapel) 12:05 pm. - Mass Sunday, Aug. 29, 7:00 pm. - Reposition of the Eucharist 8:00 am. - Mass 9:30 am. - Mass (St. Henry’s) Thursday, August 26, 10:00 am. - Mass (Bishop Monforton) 7:45 am. - Mass 12:00 pm. - Mass

______Haiti Earthquake Kills Nearly 1,300: Cardinal Injured, Priest Among the Dead

Cardinal Chibly Langlois of Les Cayes has been injured, while a Catholic priest died early in the morning of Aug. 14 after an 7.2- intensity earthquake shook . At least 1,300 people have been reported to have died, with hundreds of others either injured or missing. The reported death toll has been steadily rising. The Spanish- language news agency said that Cardinal Langlois “is hurt, but his life is not in danger.” Cardinal Langlois, 62, was created the first Haitian cardinal by on Feb. 22, 2014.

The earthquake happened at 8:30am local time, affecting all the country, but especially the region of Les Cayes, in the southwestern region of Haiti. The local public hospital has been overwhelmed by the number of emergencies and is turning away most of the injured.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed their sorrow at the news of the massive earthquake as the United States announced a new relief effort to assist the country. “On behalf of the bishops of the United States, I wish to express my heartfelt prayers for the people of Haiti who are mourning the loss of loved ones and are suffering from the destruction caused by the earth-quake that took place this morning.” José Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the USCCB added that the bishops are offering prayers to Archbishop Launay Saturné, the president of the bishops’ conference in Haiti, as well as “to all those who tirelessly serve the faith communities in Haiti. We stand in solidarity with the Church in Haiti in offering prayers, in a particular way.”

THE BASILICA OF SAINT MARY OF THE ASSUMPTION 506 FOURTH STREET MARIETTA, OHIO 45750 August 22, 2021 Dear Parishioners,

From the time that Jesus told Peter that he was the “ROCK” upon which He would found the Church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. For over 2000 years, the Church has faces and survived and faced persecution, heresy, wars, corruption, reformation, revolution and indifference. Yet the Church survives and remains. History reminds us that the Church has faced many problems and dark times throughout the years; yet She is remains because She is from God.

In our life time, we have lived through many difficulties for the Church and for culture in general. The clergy abuse, embezzlement of funds even in our own diocese, the problems caused by the virus have dealt a severe blow, and the devil is delighted. All of these problems have come at a time when our culture desperately needs the truth and strength of the Gospel. Life needs to be defended on all levels from the infant in the womb to the dying patient preparing to enter eternity. Marriage and the family need to be defended. Hundreds of children are being aborted. Migrants and asylum seekers from Central and South America continue to result in terrible conditions at the border. Experts are telling schools and parents that children need to have conversations about gender identity. Our culture dominates the conversation, and our culture is wrong.

The Church must be strong in defending the teaching of Jesus Christ! Who is the Church – we are the Church. Not only the Pope, bishops, priests, and deacons, but all of us are the Church. All of us at every level – all baptized people must defend the Church and Her teaching. All of are called to holiness and bear witness by all that we say and do. All of us are called to work in the vineyard of the Lord and work to bring the world back to Christ.

This means that all of us need to be re-converted and re-committed to Christ and His Church. We need a personal encounter with Christ., and we need to have a personal relationship with Him; only then will things begin to change for us as individuals, for the Church, and for our culture in general. We must always remember that “Christ is among us – He is and always will be”, and we must act accordingly.

In Christ Passion,

Rev. Msgr. John M. Campbell (Rector) clean,” Christ FEAST DAYS THIS WEEK Monday, August 23rd Saint Rose of Lima Rose was a Peruvian mystic. She was names Rosa because of her beauty. She was a Dominican tertiary who lived a life of penance and solitude, caring for the homeless, elderly, and sick. She died at the age of 31 in 1617.

Tuesday, August 24th, Saint Bartholomew (Apostle) Bartholomew was known as Nathaniel in John’s Gospel. He was associated with Philip who preached the Gospel in India and Armenia where he was fayed alive in the first century of the Apostolic Church.

Wednesday, August 25th, Saint Louis of France (King) Louis IX was the king of France. He was a model ruler and father of eleven children. He was a Franciscan tertiary who cared especially for lepers; built Sainte Chapelle in Paris as a reliquary for the crown of thorns.

Friday, August 27th, Saint Monica Monica was the mother of St. Augustine. She prayed for 30 years for the conversion of her pagan husband and under the guidance of Saint Ambrose, she won the conversion of her oldest son (Augustine). She died in 387 at Ostia.

Saturday, August 28th, Saint Augustine (Bishop) After a dissolute life, Augustin received baptism at the age of 33 from Saint Ambrose. He was elected Bishop of Hippo, and fought against the Manichean heresy. He is noted for his writings - “Confessions” and the “City of God”. Over 500 homilies are extant, and he is considered a founder of monastic life in the West. His rule is observed by 100 religious communities today. He is one of four great doctors of the Latin Church. He is called “Doctor of Grace”> ______THE FUNERAL While walking along the yard, a little boy discovered a dead bird. He remembered one of the prayers that he heard in church, so he decided to have a Christian funeral. The burial spot was dug, so with dignity he intoned, “Glory be to the Faaaather, and to the Sonnnnn and into the hole you go.!” ______“I am in the Church for the same reasons that I am a Christian in the first place. For one cannot believe alone. One can believe only as a fellow believer. Faith is by its nature a force for unification.”

— (Pope Benedict XVI)

______An Astonishing Miracle at Auschwitz

Auschwitz is not a place to visit. Auschwitz is a place one does not forget. Whether it is the large silent rooms with glass screens, behind which lie the stacked remains of the confiscated clothes and luggage, spectacles and identity cards or (worse still) the extracted teeth or hair from the inmates of that concentration camp; or, the still-lingering smell of gas around the chimneys of the camp incinerator; or the fact that what is said about birdsong not being heard at Auschwitz is true — whatever it is, Auschwitz is not an easy place to forget. Like a bad dream it lingers in one’s waking memory. Only this was a nightmare all too real for those unfortunate enough to be incarcerated within its razor-wire fences.

Maximilian Kolbe arrived in Auschwitz May 28, 1941. No longer a man with a name, he had become instead Prisoner No. 16670. Two months later, Kolbe offered his life to save another prisoner who was previously unknown to the priest but who had been sentenced to death by starvation. Kolbe’s offer was accepted. He was consigned to the starvation bunker in the basement of Block 11, known as the “Death Block.” Eventually, Kolbe died Aug. 14, 1941, after having been given a lethal injection.

Rudolf Höss, the former commandant of Auschwitz, was born into a devout German Catholic family. World War One followed an unhappy childhood. Aged just 17 years, Höss served in the German Imperial Army as a noncommissioned officer. In the national chaos that followed his country’s defeat, Höss returned home. Soon he was involved with right-wing paramilitary groups. It was in Munich in March 1922 that his life was changed forever. For it was then that he heard the voice of Adolf Hitler calling him once more to the cause of the Fatherland. It was also the moment when the 21-year-old Höss renounced his Catholic faith. Soon Höss was party to Hitler’s extermination camps. Another World War brought the eventual destruction of the Fatherland. A botched escape attempt from the advancing Allies brought Höss to a court at Nuremberg to face charges of perpetrating war crimes.

“I commanded Auschwitz until 1 December 1943, and estimate that at least 2,500,000 victims were executed and exterminated there by gassing and burning, and at least another half-million succumbed to starvation and disease, making a total of about 3,000,000 dead,” Höss admitted to his captors. The verdict was never in doubt. Neither was the penalty: In that same courtroom, the 45-year-old Höss was sentenced to death by hanging.

The day after the verdict, former inmates of Auschwitz petitioned the court that Höss’ execution take place on the grounds of the former death camp. German POWs were instructed to erect a gallows there. Somewhere, buried under the debris of his years worshipping a false prophet, there remained the fact of his baptism, his Catholic upbringing and, some say, his early desire to be a priest. Whether it was the residue of these things or simply fear, Höss, knowing he was about to die, asked to see a priest.

His captors struggled to find one. Desperate, Höss remembered a name: Father Władysław Lohn. This Polish Jesuit was the sole survivor of a Jesuit community that had perished in Auschwitz years earlier. On April 10, 1947, Fr. Lohn heard Höss’ confession, and the next day, the Friday of Easter Week, the condemned man received Holy Communion. The following day the prisoner wrote to his wife:

“Based on my present knowledge, I can see today clearly, severely and bitterly for me, that the entire ideology about the world in which I believed so firmly and unswervingly was based on completely wrong premises. … And so my actions in the service of this ideology were completely wrong. … My turning away from my belief in God was based on completely wrong premises. It was a hard struggle. But I have again found my faith in my God.”

On the morning of April 16, 1947, military guards stood around Auschwitz as Höss arrived. He was taken to the building that had once been the commandant’s office. There, he asked for and was given a cup of coffee. Having drunk it, he was led to a cell in Block 11 — the “Death Block” — the same block in which St. Maximilian Kolbe had died. There, he was to wait.

Two hours later he was led from Block 11. His captors noticed how calm the handcuffed prisoner was as he walked briskly through the camp to the waiting gallows. The executioners had to help Höss climb onto the stool placed above the gallows trapdoor. The sentence was read out as the hangman placed a noose around the neck of the condemned man who, at this site, had ordered the death of so many others. Then, as a silence fell, the hangman stood back, and removed the stool. After his death, a letter written by Höss was published in Polish newspapers. It read thus: “In the solitude of my prison cell, I have come to the bitter recognition . . . I caused unspeakable suffering … but the Lord God forgave me.” ______THE EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed their sorrow at the news of the massive earthquake as the United States announced a new relief effort to assist the country. “On behalf of the bishops of the United States, I wish to express my heartfelt prayers for the people of Haiti who are mourning the loss of loved ones and are suffering from the destruction caused by the earthquake that took place this morning,” said a statement released Saturday, Aug. 14, from Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the USCCB. Archbishop Gomez added that the bishops are offering prayers for Haiti, as well as “to all those who tirelessly serve the faith communities in there. ______El Paso Bishop Requires Vaccination for Catholic Church Employees, Ministry Volunteers

Citing the need for the Catholic Church to “lead by example” and to act responsibly to protect others during the coronavirus pandemic, Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, has said that all Church employees and ministry volunteers must be vaccinated. “Those who serve the Catholic community have, by the nature of their service, close interaction with many others,” Bishop Seitz said. “The Church has a responsibility to do all in its power to keep others safe. I could not live with myself if I did not do all in my power to assure that the Church’s ministry does not place others at risk. For the sake our brothers and sisters, I am requiring all those who are employed by the Church and all those who perform Church ministries including, but not limited to, catechists and Eucharistic ministers to be vaccinated,” the bishop wrote. California Cancels the Saint Who Helped Found It

St. Junípero Serra has been removed - erased by the mobs of the cancel culture. Father Junípero Serra, the Apostle of California, the 18th-century Spanish Franciscan who was a founder of this huge state and accomplished the monumental feat of evangelizing this vast territory and bringing Christianity here. He’s the reason that so many towns in the state bear the name of a saint.

Father Serra himself joined the ranks of the saints, canonized in September 2015 when Pope Francis visited the United States for the first time. “Junípero Serra left his native land and its way of life,” said Francis. “He was excited about blazing trails, going forth to meet many people, learning and valuing their particular customs and ways of life.” And rather than mistreating Native Americans, as so many other settlers had done, Father Serra was credited by Francis for having “sought to defend the dignity of the native community, to protect it from those who had mistreated and abused it.”

Father Serra had possessed a deep love for the native peoples he had come to evangelize. But unfortunately, this is not the view of St. Junípero by the woke, by those educated by our modern universities and by social media. In their collective judgment, the Franciscan saint and California co- founder was nothing short of a genocidal racist, a “white” European colonizer and supremacist and slaver whose men and missions subjugated the Indigenous tribes that they raped and pillaged and shackled.

St. Junípero’s statue was stalked throughout California last summer. It became the target of the mobs, which up and down the California coast went mission to mission vandalizing, desecrating, spray- painting, noosing, blow-torching and generally destroying monuments to the saint. The statue of St. Junípero that had stood outside the beautiful mission church he founded there was spray-painted red and beheaded.

Of course, one wonders why authorities in these situations couldn’t simply arrest those hellbent on destroying public property. The authorities apparently did not have the will to halt the aggrieved when it came to the Apostle of California.

Drive up and down the West Coast in California, and pretty much everything is named for a saint, from San Francisco to Santa Barbara to Ventura (St. Bonaventure). And really, none of that would be the case at all if not for one particular saint, St. Junípero Serra. Not that many Californians today will even learn that. This saintly priest has been purged throughout this state, including at nearly every mission that he built in not only founding Christianity in California but, actually, founding California. The mob got the saint. The mob won. St. Junípero Serra, canceled.