St.Francis of Assisi Parish |
"The first right of the human person is his life... [It
is] the
condition of all the others. Hence it must be
protected
above all others. It does not belong to
society, nor does it
belong to public authority in
any form to recognize this
right for some and not for
others. It is not recognition
by another that
constitutes this right. This right is
antecedent to
its recognition; it demands
recognition and it is
strictly unjust to refuse it."
~ Declaration on
Procured Abortion, Sacred Congregation
of the
Doctrine of the Faith, 1974, n. 11 |
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Proposals are being voted on in Congress which threaten
human life, the family, and religious freedom.
The need to accompany and support the increasing number
of families struggling with infertility is real. But
members of Congress – including many who consider
themselves pro-life – are in a rush to promote access to
a new national “right” to in vitro fertilization (IVF)
and other such technologies that destroy preborn human
lives and treat people like property (like surrogacy,
gene editing, and cloning). Some of the current
proposals would also threaten Catholic hospitals,
charities, schools, and other organizations and people
that do not enable or cover these medical procedures.
They could even allow minors to receive the procedures
despite parents’ objections. Please tell your members of
Congress to oppose bills that promote so-called “rights”
to IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies
(ART) that cause the death of countless human embryos
and violate human dignity.
Take Action |
Say NO
to Physician Assisted Suicide in Massachusetts
LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD NOW!
The Massachusetts State Legislature is again considering
passing into law two deeply troubling bills this
session which would legalize Physician Assisted Suicide.
The bills, House 2246 and Senate 1331, are
identical
in text and titled “An Act relative to end of life
options”. To read more click
here
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Online child exploitation threatens the safety and
well-being of our young people and destroys families and
communities. In recent years, these abuses have
increased exponentially, in large part due to the
Internet and mobile technology.
Catholics are sadly
familiar with the grave consequences of a culture that
fails to give adequate attention to the problem of child
sexual abuse and exploitation, and we have a
responsibility to act to ensure children and the
vulnerable are safe.
Thankfully, members of both
parties in Congress are putting forward various pieces
of legislation that would address and help prevent the
destructive effects of online child exploitation. Your
voice is needed to urge Congress to use their authority
to protect children and vulnerable people online.
Join USCCB in asking your member of Congress to protect
children online today!
To learn more, read the
USCCB’s
letter outlining three moral principles Congress can
use to protect children online.
Messages in your own
words can be more effective. Please consider customizing
the message to Congress with your own story
.
Take Action Now
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The United Nations estimates that there are millions of
people across the globe who do not have a nationality
and are therefore stateless. According to international
law, as ratified in the 1954 Convention Related to the
Status of Stateless Persons, a stateless person is one
“who is not considered as a national by any state under
the operation of its law”. Consequences of statelessness
can include a lack of legal protection, limited or no
access to health care, education, and registration of
birth, infringements on the rights to marry and own
property, an inability to travel, and an increased
vulnerability to human trafficking.
In March 2024,
Representative Jamie Raskin and Senator Ben Cardin
reintroduced the “Stateless Protection Act of 2024”,
which would address statelessness in federal law for the
first time in U.S. history.
The bill would:
•
Adopt the international law definition of “stateless
person”, thus providing a definition of statelessness
for the first time is U.S. law;
• Afford protection
to stateless persons present in the United States
through a new form of relief and path to permanent
residency known as Stateless Protected Status;
•
Promote education and research on statelessness through
partnerships with universities, international
organizations, and nongovernmental organizations; and
• Encourage engagement with other countries to establish
stateless status determination and protection
legislation.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration and Committee on
International Justice and Peace formally endorsed the
bill in July. The committees affirmed the political
right to a nationality, stating, “motivated by our
belief that each person is endowed by God with an
inherent dignity that confers certain ‘universal,
inviolable, and inalienable’ rights, the USCCB is deeply
concerned for those who have been deprived of the most
basic of political rights—their national identity.”
Their comments echo those of the Holy Father in his 2018
message on the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. On
that occasion, Pope Francis discussed statelessness and
encouraged world leaders to adopt “nationality
legislation that is in conformity with the fundamental
principles of international law.”
Take Action Now
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Photo's of St. Joesph & St.Thomas Becket courtesy of
https://statues.vanderkrogt.net
Church of
St.Thomas-a-Becket and St. Joseph Chapel Are Wheelchair
Accessible
Diocese of Worcester ©Copyright St.Francis
of Assisi Parish 2013-2024. All rights reserved.
398
Vernon Ave., P.O. Box 186 South Barre, MA 01074
fax
(978) 355-0042 • Office phone
(978) 355-2228 |
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