RESPECT LIFE
tvc.dsj.org | October 10, 2017
3
Diocese Celebrates Annual Mass for the Dignity of Human Life
On October 3, hundreds of faithful
fi lled Saint Maria Goretti (SMG) Church
for Bishop McGrath’s celebration of the
annual Mass for the Dignity of Hu-
man Life. The Mass was celebrated in
the Parish’s three languages, English,
Spanish and Vietnamese.
In his homily, Bishop McGrath said,
“As Christians, we do not view life with
defeat and despair, but rather as a gift,
God’s gift to us.” He cited Luke’s Gos-
pel, where Mary proclaims the great-
ness of the Lord, and already carrying
the Christ child, journeyed into the
hill country to be with her elderly and
pregnant kinswoman, Elizabeth. “The
work of 40 Days for Life…is nothing
less than a continuation of what God
initiated in Mary...Your defense of the
defenseless, your care for human life
in every instance, follows directly from
Mary’s proclamation of the goodness of
our God. The defenseless unborn are
called to life by our Lord; they deserve
to see the light of day. Our prayers and
our work on their behalf can never, ever
diminish. ”
Quoting Pope Francis, the Bishop
also called attention to the plight of
our immigrants, refugees, DACA kids,
and the victims of natural disasters and
man-made tragedies.
According to Peggy Montoya, of
Sacred Heart Saratoga, “The Bish-
op’s homily really touched me. The
highlight of every 40 Days for Life
Campaign is the Bishop’s Mass. His
presence represents a strong statement
for the rights of the unborn and his
support for women who are pregnant.
This prolife issue is dear to my heart
and I thank Bishop McGrath for his
continued support for our eff orts to
show compassion and give help to
those in crisis pregnancies. ”
The Mass was the culmination of
the work of many hands at Saint Maria
Goretti, in cooperation with 40 Days
Bishop Patrick J. McGrath (center) with the Knights of Columbus Color Guard. Bishop Patrick J. McGrath celebrates Mass.
Bishop McGrath with diocesan priests who concelebrated the Mass for the Dignity of Human
Life at Saint Maria Goretti Parish on October 3. for their own friends and families. It
puts into action a desire to cooperate
with God in carrying out His plan for
the end of abortion. It draws attention
to the evil of abortion through the use
of community prayer and fasting, con-
stant vigil and community outreach.
“Each camp aign lasts 40 days, on
purpose. Forty days is a significant
time for purifi cation and transforma-
tion. It echoes biblical events like the 40
days of the fl ood, or Moses’ 40 days on
the mountain, or Jesus Christ’s 40 days’
fasting in the desert,” said Rilene Simp-
son. “During this time we are given
the chance to make a diff erence in the
lives of our most vulnerable: unborn
children, and their moms and dads.”
The 40 Days for Life campaign runs
through November 5, at two Planned
Parenthood locations: 1691 The Al-
ameda, San Jose and 225 San Antonio
Road, Mountain View. Volunteers are
needed at both sites to pray and be
a witness for life. People can sign up
at www.40daysforlife.com/sanjose or
www.40daysforlife.com/mountainview,
where you will also fi nd more informa-
tion about 40 Days for Life. Campaign
leaders can be reached at (408) 800-5498
or 40dfl [email protected].
and other ministries. In addition to the
Knights of Columbus Color Guard, fi f-
teen diocesan priests concelebrated the
Mass, and the SMG LifeTeen choir sang,
including a very moving rendition of
Sarah Hart’s, “Wonderfully Made.”
“Thank you Saint Maria Goretti par-
ish for hosting the Bishop’s Mass for the
Sanctity of Life,” said Glen Jones, one
of the 40 Days for Life planning team.
“It was wonderful to have so many
priests from the Diocese concelebrate
the Mass with our Bishop McGrath, af-
fi rming the lives of the unborn. Also, a
special thanks goes out to the Knights
of Columbus for providing a color
guard escort for the Bishop. We invite
all San Jose Diocese parishioners to
join our 40 Days Fall Campaign fast-
ing and beseeching Our Lord and his
Mother to protect all human life.”
The 40 Days for Life community-
based campaign takes a determined,
peaceful approach to showing local
communities the consequences of
abortion in their own neighborhoods,
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