“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
(Matthew 28:16-20)

When I hear these words of Jesus before He ascends to the Heavenly Father, I can’t help but think of the many little ones who are graced with the gift of being baptized in the faith. God cooperates with the love between a man and a woman to bring life into the world, and He loves these little ones so much that He desires to free them from sin and dwell in them. I thank God for all the little ones God has blessed us with each day.

Just recently, on April 27, the Bishops of Ohio wrote a letter to all of the pastoral leaders of parishes in Ohio about their campaign to defeat the proposed amendment to Ohio’s constitution that would expand and enshrine abortion at the expense of protections for preborn children and women. From the Bishops’ letter...“The Church must not be silent and cannot remain on the sidelines when confronted with such a clear threat to human life and dignity. We must engage and mobilize Catholics statewide to defeat this proposed amendment and its potential grave consequences for Ohio’s future. To encourage faithful citizenship on the amendment, the Catholic Conference of Ohio, in collaboration with the dioceses and eparchies in the state, is launching a statewide Catholic campaign specifically to ensure Catholics register to vote and vote no if the amendment appears on the November 2023 ballot. Every parish in Ohio is asked to unite in prayer, distribute educational materials, and encourage voter registration to Vote NO on the abortion expansion amendment.”

We will be handing out the Prayer for Ohio which invites us to pray for the protection of our children – the greatest gift we have for our nation, state and community. Here it is for you to pray right now:

Prayer for Ohio
Ever-living God, You give life and desire a future for all Your children.
Take hold of our nation, state, and community and awaken in every heart awe for the gift of life.
Send Your Spirit to strengthen us with wisdom and fortitude as we defend mothers and children in Ohio
from laws that disregard their health and safety.
Mary and Joseph trusted in You and welcomed Jesus into our broken world.
Father, we ask their intercession to protect the preborn and their mothers,
and to guide all parents in raising their children.
May they help us build a civilization of love by upholding the sacredness of life,
preserving parental rights, and accompanying pregnant women in need.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

Our Lady, Mother of the Family, pray for us!

Fr. Jeremy

Ps. Don’t forget to come to Mass next weekend and celebrate the birthday of the Church as well as the birthday of our Parish! What a profound gift we have here!