Dear Parishioners and Friends of Saint Patrick,
This first weekend of October offers us a unique opportunity to make connections between the Season of Creation and Respect Life Month.
Our Holy Father had introduced a non-liturgical Season of Creation for Catholics and other people of good will to reflect upon the importance of understanding how we are to consider theological and practical reasons for respecting creation.
Through caring for God’s creation we take seriously this call which has been entrusted to the human family, as grounded in the Book of Genesis. As faithful stewards, we recognize the connections between serving the common good and things like economic structures, making every effort not to exploit the planet of its resources so that it may serve the needs of all people. Furthermore, when we embrace the care for creation, we recognize the fruits of solidarity and how connected we are to one another.
Of course, caring for God’s creation is to serve one primary purpose: to offer a stable and thriving environment for us today and for all future generations until the end of time.
As we transition into Respect Life Month, I intentionally make this connection between caring for creation and human dignity because a healthy environment can properly serve God’s well-ordered plan. This is why the Church contains both of these pillars within the core of Catholic Social Teaching. With the right to life and the promotion of human dignity as paramount to everything else, the care for creation contributes to promoting a Culture of Life.
As we further explore this Culture of Life, we are invited to reflect on four specific themes during the month of October: our unborn, our incarcerated, our brothers and sisters with developmental challenges, and our beloved elderly. Similar to today’s special bulletin insert, each week will feature a different flyer during the remainder of the month. I invite everyone to prayerfully read and reflect on the importance of each topic. I also invite you to join us in the church each Sunday at 5pm to offer a Rosary for Life and Peace.
I thank those who have been involved with the Season of Creation and those who have contributed to our Respect Life 2021 reflections. May we continue to grow in the light, truth, and charity of the Lord.
In Christ,
Fr. Gurnick