Beautiful Month of May.

My Dear Parishioners,

We are entering the beautiful month of May. Trees continue to fill out and plants continue to flower. Days are getting longer, and hopefully warmer. Frost warnings are thankfully giving way to planting season. New life is everywhere. It is such a joyful time of year.

This joyful time of year is a fitting time to celebrate the beautiful gifts that God bestows upon us. In a special way in May, we focus on the beautiful gift of life. It is fitting then that we honor our mothers in May, who carried us in our wombs. It is fitting that we honor the Holy Mother of God, Mary, who carried Jesus in her womb. It is fitting that we honor all human life as a precious gift of God.

We will be honoring our moms next weekend with a special blessing at each Mass and a little gift for Mom to take home. We also have that opportunity to lift up our mothers in prayer, whether living or dead, and ask for God’s continued blessings on them.

Next weekend we will also honor the Holy Mother of God with a May Crowning at our 4:00 Vigil Mass and our 11:30 Sunday Mass. At those masses, we will all have the opportunity to consecrate ourselves to Blessed Mother and to ask for her continued intercession for ourselves and our families.

We will also be praying for life throughout the month of May. We are saddened by the recent Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court (Allegheny Reproductive Health Center v. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services) decision allowing for the use of taxpayer funds for abortions. This court decision is a reminder that we can never become complacent, but must always be vigilant. As St. Peter warns, the devil is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

The devil seems to especially love abortion. The devil loves abortion because it is a direct violation of God’s Fifth Commandment. The devil loves abortion because abortion is a direct rejection of one of God’s most beautiful gifts to us, the gift of life. The devil loves abortion because it is a sin the causes only sadness and never joy.

So, the devil seduces and tempts with words like “choice.” The devil seduces with lies, such as telling women that they must take “ownership” of their bodies instead of entrusting their bodies to God and His Divine Plan. The devil seduces society into thinking that abortion is an acceptable “remedy” for a mistake. The devil seduces by convincing society babies are an obstacle to happiness instead of a source of happiness.

Yet, there is always hope and the devil never has the last word. As we celebrate mothers in general, the Mother of God in particular, and the beautiful gift of life, let us continue to lay siege to Heaven for mothers, for families, for right religion, and for the dignity of life from conception to natural death.

I am including a Litany of Life that you may want to join me in praying this month of May.

Most Holy Mother of God, pray for us!

St. Joseph, Foster Father of Jesus and Spouse of Mary, pray for us!

Fr. Michael J Pawelko, Pastor