Putting your prayers where your vote it.
Drafted into the Catholic Church at birth, I attended “boot camp” for a dozen years of parochial school, considered “officer candidate school” (i.e., a religious vocation), and after a time being AWOL, going on active duty on a daily basis about my faith around age 30.
Over the decades since, I have heard a few pro-life homilies – in truth far fewer than should have been preached because, at least in this part of the world, controversial topics apparently do not make for good “box office” receipts in the collection basket. Sure, in the past couple of elections there have been a few voices from the pulpit reminding the faithful to vote for candidates (never mentioned by name, as a matter of law) who stand with the Catholic church’s pro-life, pro-family, pro-poor, pro-social justice teachings. But during the rest of the year, it seems as if many priests are concerned about upsetting some in the pews with sermons against the sins inherent in abortion, contraception, euthanasia and human-embryo research. So often there are either cloaked references, or worse sometimes sinful silence.
While there are probably several churches which are exceptions to this “politically correct” culture, one church in the neighborhood is taking it a step further. At 7:30 p.m., on election eve, St. John the Evangelist in Stamford (279 Atlantic St., next to the Rich Forum) is holding a rosary vigil to Our Lady of Victory for the success of pro-life candidates.
This is not surprising for St. John’s, where the priests have never been bashful about preaching the truth about the church’s teaching in an unguarded full-throated voice, 365 days a year. This parish prays for victory against terrorists, has courses in “natural family planning,” and is so dedicated to the sacraments that it even offers confessions on Sundays – probably the only church in the State to do so. And now, it is a parish which is putting its prayers where its votes are.