Pastor’s Corner — October 23rd, 2022
Prop 3 Update: Polls are Changing, Reaching out Friends, Signs are In, etc.
•Good news! A poll released very recently shows a 9% drop in those who support Proposal 3 from a couple of weeks before. It’s not a statistical toss-up as to whether it will pass.
• I’m very pleased with parishioners who have called other people to talk about this and have gone door to door. Our parish Respect Life Committee has been especially outstanding in this effort. Thank you!
• Please consider using social media and email to get the word out about Prop 3. Please remember that it’s probably more effective to target individually those people who might not have heard about what’s in Proposal 3 and are moderately pro-choice. In that communication, it’s best to focus your attention on those extreme parts of the amendment that they would agree with you on. For example, if talking to pro-choice talk about the laws it would invalidate that protect women, children and conscience rights. Talk about common ground of late term abortion, partial birth abortion, zero consent required for parents for gender transition and abortion for children. Put all of this in the context of this being a constitutional amendment that would be very difficult to undo, etc.
• A moving video produced by a Lutheran group out of Grand Rapids is making its rounds and it is quite good. Please consider watching this and sending it to others.
• St. Mary Magdalene is hosting an event with Protect Life Michigan that will canvass all of Brighton about Proposal 3 on Saturday, October 29th. More details can be found on our website: www.stpatrickcatholicparish.org/vote-no Please consider helping out in this important work.
• We have more signs this weekend. After we were informed by the Diocese last week that there were no lawn signs left to distribute (because of supply chain issues we didn’t get nearly as much as we asked for), I approved the purchase to buy a little less than 100 signs for this weekend. Believe it or not the signs cost over $5/each. So in the gathering space you should find some signs this weekend. If you take one, please consider using the envelopes provided to give a few dollars to the parish to recoup the cost. (you can also write Yard Signs in the memo of a check)
K of C Membership Drive This Weekend
Men are called to serve our community. When men step up and live out their discipleship in service they will make a difference. I’m proud to be the pastor of a parish with a strong Knights of Columbus council. The Knights of Columbus is the largest Catholic Fraternal Men’s Association in the world with about 2 million members and 16,000 councils around the world. The Knights serve our parish and local community in many ways.
One of the chief ways it serves is they work to secure funds to give to worthy charities. Last year our council donated about $30,000 and our Knights gave 25,000 hours to promoting and accomplishing our service goals. Perhaps the most well-known way the Knights serve is through all of the service activities for the parish and our community from the tootsie roll drive last weekend to helping run our parish festival to the pancake breakfasts to hosting Holy Hours for vocations.
One of the most rewarding parts of being a Knight from my perspective is the friendships the Knights have formed with each other. Men serving alongside other men, living their faith and making a difference. When a Knight joins, he is free to choose one or more events or service opportunities in which to participate. Some Knights are more active than others, but everyone’s help matters.
Our Knights are very active and effective in serving our parish and community. I’d like to invite parish men to consider joining the Knights. Joining the knights is easy – you can join online today for free or see one of our Knights in the gathering space who can answer your questions and register you in person.
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias