Pastor’s Corner — October 30th, 2022
Marijuana Dispensaries Planned for Right Next to St. Pat’s Church?
I’ve written before about the out-of-town Proposal 2 for Brighton City Residents to have unlimited dispensaries for marijuana. Recently I got news that the big marijuana companies are now in contract to purchase three properties adjacent to St. Pat’s Church:
• 702 East Grand River -Baby Envision Ultrasound / Deanna Spivey Photography
• 710 East Grand River -Two Roads Wellness Center / Evolve Behavioral Health
• 722 East Grand River - Mancuso & Cameron Legal Firm
These properties extend from the corner of Grand River and Church, and straddle the entrance into the parish parking lot from Grand River. Essentially, if Brighton City Proposal 2 Passes, we could have weed shops right outside our parking lot.
For all the reasons stated before as to why I think this proposal is a bad idea, the prospect of them having one or multiple dispensaries right next to our Church parking lot gives me another reason to encourage you to talk to people who live in Brighton City to vote down Proposal 2.
Proposal 3: MORE Signs Are In and A Friendly Social Media Push
We’ve purchased another $1,000 worth of signs for this weekend. We’ll place most of them out before the weekend but we’ll wait to put others out for the people who attend the 11:30am and 5pm Masses. (Both weekends we’ve had signs they were basically out by the time these Masses started) Special thanks for the parishioners who already have given some donations towards this purchase.
Here’s an idea for Prop 3 advocacy: do targeted social media messages appealing to moderate and strong pro-choice friends and family. Here is an example:
Attention Reasonable Pro-Choice Friends: While we disagree on the pro-life issue, I want to call your attention to Michigan Proposal 3, which is deceptively being promoted as “restoring Roe.” This proposal proposes to amend our constitution with radical positions that even we would agree about. I believe when you see how extreme it is, you will agree with me that there has to be a different way to come up with more common-sense abortion regulations in Michigan than enacting quickly a radical, and difficult to reverse, amendment to our constitution. Because of the language of the amendment, Proposal 3 would inevitably invalidate dozens of laws. According to lawyers and doctors Proposal 3 would:
• Protect sex offenders and traffickers
• Remove safety standards for abortion clinics
• Allow abortions to be performed by non-doctors
• Forbid consequences to anyone who harms or kills a woman in an abortion
• Create a new unlimited and unregulated right to abortion
• Allow abortion through all nine months of pregnancy including partial birth abortion
• Remove parental consent requirements for teens and preteens to get abortions
• Remove parental consent for teens to get sex-change hormones and be surgically sterilized
• Force all taxpayers to pay for abortions
• Completely remove the conscience protections for doctors and health care workers
If Prop 3 passes, Michigan will enshrine in its constitution abortion “rights” on par with North Korea and China. I think we can agree that a radical amendment to our constitution is NOT the way to seek common sense middle ground on abortion in Michigan. Here is more information on these claims www.prop3hurtswomen.com
Notice how the language is different because it’s written to a different audience. Please consider doing something like this (you can even use/or edit my text if you want) and post on social media targeting specific people you know who might be willing to change their mind when they find out extreme Proposal 3 is. You might even use this quote I found on Prop3hurtswomen.com:
“This amendment is not merely a return to the Roe v. Wade standard but a breathtaking removal of virtually all protections for life as well as the removal of existing protections for parents, victims of medical malpractice, victims of sex trafficking, especially minors, and of barriers preventing state funding of abortion.” ~Attorney Elizabeth Kirk, J.D.
Also, I found an outstanding fact sheet, The Perils of Proposal 3, written by several lawyers at the Great Lakes Justice Center that lays out all of this in clear legal language. It’s one of the best I’ve seen. If you run into misinformation and falsehood, this might help. When you click on that link it gives you an option to download the sheet in a printable one page form (front and back).
Staying Spiritually Focused In These Times
I know that all of this Proposal 3 stuff can feel so overwhelming at times. It’s devastating to think that something this extreme could become a reality here. I know how difficult this can be spiritually for us in this time. As beloved children of God, let’s remember to work for justice with Jesus, in Jesus and for Jesus. Never take your eyes off of him. Jesus is the not only the Justice of God, he is the Mercy of God. We act boldly on this proposal because he is the source of life and redemption. Because we know his love, we know everyone matters. I hope all of us will be able say two things after November 8th:
1) I’ve done everything reasonably in my power and by his grace to help people know the truth about this proposed amendment.
2) I will choose to trust and follow Jesus, my King and my Savior, because he’s already destroyed the power of sin and death. No matter what happens, I know the battle is not over. I continue by God’s grace to love him and seek justice and mercy for everyone in this life until I die and be with Jesus forever in heaven, where he will make all things new.
Jesus let your Kingdom come upon Michigan.
Your servant in the Lord,
Fr. Mathias