FROM THE PASTORS DESK……                                 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2005



Dear Fellow Parishioners,

As November approaches, we are reminded by the advertisements on T.V., radio, and billboards of our civic duty to go to the polls and vote on Tuesday, November 8th. Our Scripture Readings for this 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time also remind us that we need to balance our civic duties with our religious commitments and convictions. This is exactly what Jesus teaches us in today's Gospel. He says: "Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." (See Matthew 22: 15-21)

It's with this in mind that I'd like to take this opportunity to call your attention to a very important proposition on this coming November's ballot. It is Proposition # 73. It is also known as 'THE PARENTS' RIGHT TO KNOW INITIATIVE."

As Catholics, we believe that God has given parents authority over their children. In the Old Testament Book of Sirach we read: "FOR THE LORD SETS A FATHER IN HONOR OVER HIS CHILDREN, A MOTHER'S AUTHORITY HE CONFIRMS OVER HER SONS." (See Sirach 3: 2) In the New Testament, St. Paul emphatically states: "...for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority opposes what God has appointed, and those who oppose it will bring judgment upon themselves." (See Romans 13: 1b-2)

As your pastor, I would ask you to carefully consider giving Proposition # 73 a "yes" vote when you go to the polls next month. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that the "family is the 'privileged community' wherein children are meant to grow in wisdom, stature, and grace. It also counsels us that public authorities should not usurp the family's prerogatives or interfere in its life." Proposition # 73 seeks to promote parental responsibility over the children. No abortion could be performed on a minor unless the physician notifies the minor's parent or legal guardian at least 48 hours before the procedure.

Jesus' words in today's Gospel quoted above are not to be taken as an excuse to separate our Christian lives from our worldly lives. For us as Catholics, being faithful citizens means being moral citizens. Our mission here and throughout the world is to bring the message of the Gospel into the public square, to challenge contemporary America to use its laws and institutions to protect human life from its very conception to its natural end.

    Sincerely yours in Christ,



                  Fr. Raymond Tintle, OFM
                Pastor