"Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not!" (from the first reading for September 6th)

 

"Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not!" (from tomorrow's first reading): Catholic elected officials and others who have told us that they are pro life / pro family need to oppose  HB 1510 / SB 974

• HB 1510 / SB 974 (i.e., the so-called "Fairness Act") appears to be a renumbered version of HB 300 / SB 300 (cf, AFA of Pa), which would "jeopardize many churches and their charitable outreach if they continue to adhere to their religious beliefs.  In other states, this law has closed Catholic adoption agencies and violated religious liberty. HB/SB 300 could mean that Catholic agencies would no longer be able to make our contributions to the common good of Pennsylvania without violating our religious beliefs....HB/SB 300 exposes even more Pennsylvanians to discrimination based solely on their religious beliefs. Simply put, this legislation is intolerant and prejudiced against people of faith" (Pennsylvania Catholic Conference).  
• From Bucks County, Representatives Santarsiero (D), Davis (D) Galloway (D), Petri (R) Quinn (R), and Watson (R) are original co-sponsors of HB 1510 (Equality Pa claims 26 co-sponsors for SB 974, but neither the legislation nor its co-sponsors has been posted on the web.).
• In its action alert, the Pa Family Council asks representatives and senators to: "Stand for true tolerance: oppose Senate Bill 974 and House Bill 1510."

"The fatherless and the widow the LORD sustains, but the way of the wicked He thwarts" (from tomorrow's Responsorial Psalm): Defund Planned Parenthood Now!

• While Senator Toomey deserves praise and Senator Casey deserves criticism for their recent votes on S. 1881 (In the House, Representative Fitzpatrick is NOT a co-sponsor of HR 3301.), the Family Research Council reminds us of what will be necessary to stop Planned Parenthood: "Voters must demand that at a minimum the House Republican leadership attach a funding moratorium to must-pass legislation in order to build momentum for the Senate to halt the federal complicity in this organization’s inhumane practices."  Fearful of being blamed for a government "shutdown," some "pro life" representatives and senators are NOT on board with a moratorium.  Email Representative Fitzpatrick, Senator Casey, and Senator Toomey, to urge them to get on board.  

• As per the Pennsylvania Family Institute, "the Administration, following what can only be described as a cursory review of Planned Parenthood abortion sites in Pennsylvania, stated that the organization’s hands are clean in the burgeoning nationwide scandal involving the gruesome procurement and trafficking in the remains of unborn children aborted in Planned Parenthood clinics....the taxpayers of Pennsylvania can have no confidence that Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration can or did conduct a fair and thorough probe, given his close ties with Planned Parenthood before, during and after his campaign for Pennsylvania Governor." Email all of Bucks County's representatives and senators in Harrisburg, to urge a moratorium on monies for Planned Parenthood.

 

"My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ" (from tomorrow's second reading): The Freedoms of Ordinary People are Under Assault

• As per the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "The First Amendment Defense Act (H.R. 2802, S. 1598) would bar the federal government from discriminating against individuals and organizations based upon their religious beliefs or moral convictions that marriage is the union of one man and one woman or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage. The Act provides broad protections against adverse federal actions directed toward individuals and organizations that act on such beliefs."  Representative Fitzpatrick is NOT among the 145 co-sponsors of HR2802; NEITHER Senator Casey NOR Senator Toomey are among the 36 co-sponsors of S1598.  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has an alert for contacts to Fitzpatrick, Casey, and Toomey, re: the First Amendment Defense Act (HR2802 / S1598): http://cqrcengage.com/catholicbishops/app/make-a-call?0&engagementId=113753
• "Congress has only one month to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Many human rights activists and religious leaders have stressed its importance, and the nation's bishops suggest the commission would help the U.S. fulfill Pope Francis’ call to protect religious minorities" (EWTN News/CNA, 9/1/15). 

 

"Jesus proclaimed the Gospel of the kingdom and cured every disease among the people."

• To aid us in applying the commandments to our modern world, the Pa Catholic Conference offers "alerts" and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops offers "ALERTS CENTRAL."  The USCCB also notes that "Action alerts for pro-life issues can also be found through our partner organization, the "National Committee for the Human Life Amendment" (NCHLA), and that "Action alerts for issues related to immigration reform can be found through the USCCB-led Catholic coalition, "Justice for Immigrants." 

 

“Ephphatha!”: Tomorrow's Gospel Recalls Jesus' Healing of a Deaf Man

Estimating the numbers of people with hearing loss is challenging, and how a hearing loss impacts a particular person depends upon the type/severity of the loss, available amplification, age at onset, and educational/ rehabilitation strategies, among other factors.  It is even more difficult to estimate the number of people who rely on American Sign Language (ASL).   As of 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau reported 0.5% of individuals over the age of 15 to have a severe hearing loss, while 0.6% of those under 15 had difficulty hearing conversations.  Less formal estimates of how many people utilized ASL varied between a half million and two million.  

Across the United States, there are extremely few priests who are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL).  Few Sunday Masses can be celebrated in ASL; Sunday Masses are also conveyed by sign language interpreters. 

Each Sunday, Mass is celebrated in ASL or conveyed by an interpreter in Northeast Philadelphia:

• 1st Sunday: Our Lady of Ransom, Philadelphia, 12:15 pm (celebrated in ASL)

• 2nd Sunday: Our Lady of Ransom, Philadelphia, 12:15 pm (conveyed by a sign language interpreter)

• 3rd Sunday: Our Lady of Ransom, Philadelphia, 12:15 pm (celebrated in ASL) 

• 4th Sunday: Our Lady of Ransom, Philadelphia, 12:15 pm (conveyed by a sign language interpreter)

• 5th Sunday: Our Lady of Ransom, Philadelphia, 12:15 pm (conveyed by a sign language interpreter)

And in Bucks County,

• 1st Sunday: St. Joseph, Warrington, 10:00 am (conveyed by a sign language interpreter)

• 2nd Sunday: Our Lady of Mt.Carmel, Doylestown 10:30 am (conveyed by a sign language interpreter)

• 3rd Sunday: St. Joseph, Warrington, 10:00 am (conveyed by a sign language interpreter)

And across the river in the nearby Trenton area,

• 1st Sunday: Holy Angels, So.Broad St in Hamilton, 8:30 am (conveyed by a sign language interpreter)

• 2nd Sunday: Holy Angels, So.Broad St in Hamilton, 8:30 am (conveyed by a sign language interpreter)

• 3rd Sunday: Holy Angels, So.Broad St in Hamilton, 8:30 am (conveyed by a sign language interpreter)

• 4th Sunday: St. Gregory the Great, Hamilton Square, 10:30 am (conveyed by a sign language interpreter)

• 4th Sunday: Holy Angels, So.Broad St in Hamilton, 8:30 am (conveyed by a sign language interpreter)

• 5th Sunday: Holy Angels, So.Broad St in Hamilton, 8:30 am (conveyed by a sign language interpreter)

The gifts of our few ASL-fluent priests certainly need to be shared across dioceses for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, special missions, and retreats.

Resources for Teaching the Compendium of the Catechism in American Sign Language:

Much of Part One focuses on what we believe, the Apostles Creed (Click the image for a video of Deacon Patrick Graybill, who is deaf himself.):

 

Much of Part Two focuses on how we celebrate, the Seven Sacraments (Click the first image for a video of Father Chris Klusman, who is deaf himself.  Click the second image for a video of Father Mick Depcick, who is deaf himself, discuss the Sacrament of Reconciliation):

Much of Part Three focuses on how we live, the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes:

Much of Part Four focuses on how we pray, the Our Father (the Lord's Prayer) ( Click the image for a video of Father Shawn Carey, who is deaf himself.):