Chaplain Henry Reid’s September Report

Brothers,

It’s times like this, when I do not know what to write. A part of it is deciding whether I am preaching to the choir, or if what I say continues to fall on deaf ears. 

While this goes out, many of our young people will be returning to school, whether elementary, secondary or higher ed, and they will be exposed to many things that we do not hold as truths or of value. Some of us may have influence over academic policies and what is taught, most of us do not, although we should all be taking an active interest and participate in our school board meetings, and whatever else we can. Whatever our position in educational ventures, there is one thing we can definitely do to influence the lives of young people: live our lives as examples. 

Before we begin condemning young people for what they have been taught, or what they are doing to change the world they believe it needs to be changed, we have to ask ourselves, “What have I done to live out my Faith? What actions of mine reflect the values I want my child/ the child next door to learn?” 

There are those, even in our Order, who are quick to criticize the Church for not being directly in line with their politics, while at the same time are critical about fundamental beliefs held by the Church. Our Faith is not a weapon to beat our political opponents with, nor is it something to be warped to fit your own political agenda, there are fundamental teachings which we are all sworn to uphold. There are also resources for each of us to learn more about the Faith, and what it is that we believe as Catholics, which is fundamental to being Hibernians. 

In other parts of this newsletter, there are announcements for Catholic Action, Right to Life, and Political Education, so there is no need for me to reiterate that information here. However, for those who are jumping on announcements of what the Pope said or didn’t, and what the Church teaches, before you listen to people with their own agendas, here are some links with real information from the Church:

The Vatican Website:  https://www.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html 

Osservatore Romano (Vatican Newspaper): https://www.osservatoreromano.va/en.html

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: https://www.usccb.org/

Aleteia (a reputable online Catholic magazine):  https://aleteia.org/

Hopefully the Hibernian Catechism will be reinstated on the state website soon, but there is also the Catechism of the Catholic Church available at: https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM

Please remember to be critical of what other media sources report as coming from the Church, and to behave in a manner respectful of the Church’s teachings, especially about the fundamental dignity of human beings.

Pax,

Fr. Henry