ABVM PARISH COMMUNITY

  IS THERE A MORAL OBLIGATION TO BE VACCINATED?   SHOULD IT BE MANDATED?             The great majority of scientists and physicians recommend one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines for most adults.   The consensus of medical science, it seems to me, should be the first place to start when considering whether-or-not to be vaccinated.   Getting our information from reputable sources, which have passed peer review by independent experts, will allow us to consider the advantages and risks of being vaccinated.   But neither the medical experts, nor the head of the CDC, nor any politician or talking head, has the competency to decide what is morally obligatory.   The Church is our teacher in faith and morals and has the competency to determine whether a particular treatment or procedure is morally acceptable.   So that the faithful are not led astray, the Church has declared some procedures to be impermissible, no matter what the circumstances.   For example, organ harvesting, physician-

      Brothers and Sisters in Christ,             We might be tempted to discouragement when we look around us and notice a decline in church attendance and a decrease in the number of vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and sacramental marriage.   This is not the trend in the Church universal.   The growth of the Church in Africa and parts of Asia is astounding.   By the photos above and below you can get a sense of the vibrancy of Catholicism in the Archdiocese of Onitsha, Nigeria.   The Archdiocese is served by over 500 priests, 117 religious men, and 498 religious women, who serve some 2,185,137 lay faithful.   It has 750 seminarians.               Christians in Nigeria have been the victims of horrific attacks by Islamic militants, and the government has been accused of not providing them with adequate protection.   Human rights organizations have accused some officials of complicity.   According to Genocide Watch, in the first four months of this year 1,470 Christian

  Is anyone among you sick?   He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up.   If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. – James 5:14-15             The first sacrament we receive is Holy Baptism.   It is the doorway to all the other sacraments, each of which confers a special grace of the Holy Spirit.   The last, and most important, sacrament we will receive, if we are able to consume it, is Holy Communion, which when given to one who will shortly pass away is referred to as Viaticum.   The word means “food for the journey” in Latin and originally referred to provisions provided to a Roman official for his travel.   In the Holy Eucharist the dying person is given the sustenance needed for the final steps of their earthly pilgrimage.   Christ is via tecum - with you on the way.           A priest should be ca

 UNMERITED SUFFERING The collapse of a condominium building on June 24 in Surfside, Florida, which could end up resulting in over 100 confirmed deaths, was a shock to the nation.   As with all such events, the news coverage was exhaustive.   At first, it was centered on the rescue of victims, but it soon became apparent that the brave rescuers were not going to find many survivors in the rubble.   Reporters then started speculating on the possible causes of the collapse.   Meanwhile, the nation mourns for the victims and their families, and we join our prayers to theirs.             One can’t help but wonder why such a thing should happen to those victims, whose only crime was to be sleeping in their beds at the moment of the collapse.   It makes no sense.   In another tragedy which gained national coverage a mother was killed by a stray bullet in Annapolis, MD outside the hotel where she and her family were staying.   They were there to celebrate with her son who in a couple of da