Dear Parish Family,

As we prepare for the upcoming special election on August 8 regarding Issue 1, I want to draw your attention to the Church's role in political life, and offer my own reflections on the issue. I will do this as part of a two-part series. the first part this weekend will focuses on political participation in general, and next weekend I will focus on aspects of Issue 1 itself.

To set us out on the right footing, let's listen to Pope Francis' words from Evangelii Gaudium #182, "The Church’s teachings concerning contingent situations are subject to new and further developments and can be open to discussion, yet we cannot help but be concrete – without presuming to enter into details – lest the great social principles remain mere generalities which challenge no one…The Church’s pastors, taking into account the contributions of the different sciences, have the right to offer opinions on all that affects people’s lives, since the task of evangelization implies and demands the integral promotion of each human being. It is no longer possible to claim that religion should be restricted to the private sphere and that it exists only to prepare souls for heaven." 

Here, Pope Francis reminds us that the Church can and should be engaged in civil matters. This engagement in civil matters is a responsibility of all Catholics. In this vein, we can appreciate the necessity of all the members of the Church taking an active role in the public and political sphere discussing and drawing conclusions on the great societal questions of our day. We cannot retreat from our involvement in political and social life just because it may be uncomfortable for us to talk about, or because we fall into the trap outlined by Pope Francis that we feel our religion should be kept private and not be part of public discourse. 

Pope Francis also speaks of the responsibility of pastors to offer an opinion in keeping with Church teaching on these matters to inform and educate the faithful on important political participation and policy matters. To that end, I have had the opportunity to field some questions from parishioners about the Church's role in political life and taking stances on issues. I am grateful for these questions since they offer an important teaching moment to clarify what the Church can and cannot do in the political arena. One misunderstanding that I hear often enough is that the Church should refrain from engagement in civil matters due to separation of Church and State. The misunderstanding is problematic since separation of Church and State has absolutely nothing to do with the Church remaining silent on political issues. The separation in place focuses rather on limiting the State's interference of the Church's message and teaching. The Church has every right and duty to take a stance, sometimes very strongly, in support of, or in opposition to, political and social issues of our day, especially those that affect the integral development of human persons, families, and culture. While the Church has every right and duty to speak on issues, the Church as a non-profit organization does not have the ability to endorse political candidates for office.

I would encourage you to read more about the Church's participation in political life from the Vatican at https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html.

FOCUS Missionary: Parishioner Tori Soria
Last weekend, Tori spoke at our Masses asking for our support for this year as she prepares to be a missionary to the FOCUS group (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. In order to make it to campus and reach students for Christ, Tori needs to build a support of faithful and consistent financial and prayerful partners. To support Tori and FOCUS’ mission, follow the link (https://focus.org/missionaries/tori-soria/). If you prefer to send your support gift through the mail, address the check to “FOCUS,” write “Tori Soria 47444” in the memo line and address the envelope to “FOCUS PO Box 17408 Denver, CO 80217-9814.” To reach out to Tori, her contact information is (440) 226-6546 and [email protected]. Your generous gift is greatly appreciated, through it the young generation and our culture will be transformed in Christ!

It was a joy to celebrate my sister's wedding last month. Please see the photo below capturing that special day for Lizzy and Joel and our families. 

I am yours in Christ,
Fr. Scott Goodfellow