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Dear Friends, In a parish as diverse as ours, there are many
diverse points of view regarding the outcome of Tuesday’s election. Some of
us are very happy--elated, even--about the election of our new president,
and others of us are deeply concerned and saddened. In that regard, we
probably don’t differ much from the national landscape, although our
Catholic Christian values do give us a unique perspective. At this
early date, there is no way of knowing for certain how any of us will be
affected by the election, but this much is certain and I need to say it
clearly: the high priority St. James Cathedral parish has long placed on
serving the poor, the homeless, the marginalized and the mentally ill and
advocating on their behalf will not change; nor will our deep commitment to
reach out to immigrants, refugees, and their families, both documented and
undocumented; nor will our commitment to fight the evils of racism and
sexism; nor will our commitment to help our young people receive a quality
Catholic education. If anything, we will intensify our efforts in all these
areas. And as your pastor, I need to say that, in a time of deep
divisions in our country, it is essential that we be strongly united as a
parish - respectful of each other, respectful of our differences, willing to
dialogue, willing to learn from each other. There is no other way if we are
to be faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to pray, too,
for our President-elect and for all elected officials. Lastly, we
must continue to pray with each other and for each other as we draw comfort
from our faith and allow ourselves to be challenged by the often
uncomfortable demands of the gospel.
Father Michael G. Ryan
P.S. The Mass for the Deceased Homeless tonight at 5:30pm will be a
wonderful opportunity to be in prayerful solidarity with each other and with
the poorest in our midst.
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