The Independent News Source
Twitter - Facebook - Email Alerts - RSS
New pro-life Mass wins overwhelming vote by bishops
by John L Allen Jr on Jun. 18, 2009
Printer-friendly version
Send to friend
PDF version
Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF versionIn a signal of the U.S. bishops’ strong commitment to the pro-life cause, they approved this morning a text for a new “Mass in Thanksgiving for the Gift of Human Life.” Among other things,the Mass is to be celebrated each year on Jan. 22, the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
If Jan 22nd falls on a Sunday, the observance will be moved to Jan. 23. The proposal to approve the Mass passed by a vote of 183 to 3 this morning during the bishops' June 17-19 spring meeting.
The text requires approval from the Vatican before it becomes official.
The lone bishop who rose to discuss the "Mass in Thanksgiving for the Gift of Human Life" was Archbishop Michael Sheehan of Santa Fe, New Mexico, who said that it had long been a "source of wonderment" among his priests that there is no Mass in defense of unborn life.
"We have Masses for fair weather, for earthquakes, for prisoners, but nothing for ending abortion," Sheehan said, urging support of the proposal.
During a brief presentation of the Mass yesterday, Bishop Arthur Serratelli of Paterson, New Jersey, chair of the bishops' Committee on Divine Worship, said that the U.S. bishops had initially asked the Vatican to consider a Mass in defense of human life during the 1990s. The reply was that the idea was "interesting," Serratelli said, but nothing further came of it.
New liturgies that will be
New liturgies that will be participated in only by weekday worshipers are fine, but I hope that the US bishops read David O'Brien's NSR opinion piece while at San Antonio.
So, why not a votive mass for
So, why not a votive mass for forgiveness for all the children abused by the church? Could be held on the date when Cardinal Law was banished from the US?
Are we trying to convince God
Are we trying to convince God to join the anti-abortion cause?
Perhaps the bishops ought to
Perhaps the bishops ought to have a new Mass for bishops, abbots, priests, deacons, nuns, brothers, who control others and wish to retain power over others so they refrain from acting as Pharisees that put burdens on others while they will not take on those burdens themselves. Having a Mass is an excuse to put the onus on God so the bishops don't feel responsible to act correctly. When they have a Mass they leave the Mass in the church and don't take the correct actions needed. Out of sight out of mind. We laid it on the later so now it is up to God to fix. The clergy and religious and their lay supporters can just go back to creating more problems for God to fix the next time they gather for Mass.
This is a great move on their
This is a great move on their part, abortion is an intinsic evil and we should have a tradition to celebrate the "Sanctity of Life" that is from the womb to the tomb. Lonestar, Dennis and Ken, your showing your ignorance with your comments. Dennis God is already anti-abortion........
Post new comment