Fr. Louis Bulletin Letter - November 5, 2006 - Upcoming Elections, Marriage Amendment
Congratulations to our parishioners who received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Thank you to Phil Lawson and Jim Traynor who have worked diligently with those preparing for Confirmation. Thanks, too, to all those who assisted with the liturgy and the reception. “All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by water and the Holy Spirit you freed your sons and daughters from sin and gave them new life. Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their Helper and Guide. Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence. Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence” (Rite of Confirmation, 42). May the Lord renew in each one of us the graces of Confirmation!
This weekend we are happy to officially welcome to Saint Peter Haesi Fanizius, our new Director of Sacred Music and Organist. Please consider becoming a partner with him in this fresh start of sacred music at Saint Peter. Haesi will meet with current and prospective choir members, cantors, instrumentalists and any interested parties in the choir loft at 7:00 pm, Tuesday, November 7. Please be generous in offering your talents!
Bishop Listecki has written an important letter to all the faithful of our Diocese. Please take the time to carefully consider what our Bishop says with regard to two referenda placed before us citizens of Wisconsin this Tuesday. Bishop Listecki, in union with the other Catholic Bishops of our State, urges us to vote “YES” on the proposed amendment to the State Constitution to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. He also recommends that we vote “NO” on the advisory referendum to restore the death penalty. Our diocesan website www.dioceseoflacrosse.com has links to accurate information to assist you in the formation of your conscience and political judgment according to our faith – especially in what pertains to the natural moral order established by God in creation.
Out-of-state special interest groups have been pouring large amounts of money into Wisconsin hoping to make our State the first one to fail to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Early on their slick media campaign claimed that there would be dreadful consequences to all sorts of people if this amendment passed. Their most recent ads are now claiming that nothing will change if the amendment passes! Hmmm. That should be a tip-off right there that these people are up to no good and are not telling the truth!
If anyone has any doubt about how important it is to vote “YES” to amending our State Constitution to define marriage as a union of one man and one woman, just look at what happened last week in New Jersey. On October 25 that state’s Supreme Court ruled that the New Jersey legislature had to rewrite its laws within 180 days to make marriage (or something equivalent to marriage) available to homosexuals. In light of this development, an official within our State government rightly noted that “this is exactly why we’re doing the constitutional amendment because we have activist judges on our Supreme Court like Massachusetts and New Jersey have activist judges on theirs. If we do not succeed with amending our state constitution with a ‘YES’ vote on November 7, we are very likely to end up with a ruling like Massachusetts or New Jersey in the next few years” (as reported in the October 25 online edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). For the facts, please consult the enclosed Frequently Asked Questions sheet produced by “Vote Yes for Marriage,” a group dedicated exclusively to passing Wisconsin's Marriage Protection Amendment.
Please pray for Bishop Listecki and all the active priests in our Diocese who are meeting in Tomah November 9-10. The Bishop has called the priests together so that he might present to us the initial draft of the pastoral plan for the entire Diocese. This comprehensive plan was developed to establish a more equitable distribution of the clergy in order to meet the spiritual needs of the faithful of our Diocese. This meeting and discussion is only the first step of the process of consultation before the plan is finalized.
Saint Peter, pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!
Read Catholic Answers excellent position paper on Gay Marriage.