Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Lord,

Before I go into writing my weekly column, I just wanted to give thanks to our Lord for giving us beautiful weather last weekend and a successful carnival. I also would like to express my gratitude to all of you being a part of the success of our 11th parish carnival, whether you have enjoyed attending, working or helping out in any capacity. Thank You!

You, the parishioners of Saint Francis Parish, are what have helped to make the carnival so successful! As you are well aware, it is the largest fundraiser we have and is vital to our community. It is so wonderful to see many people working together to bring this great family friendly event for all ages to enjoy and it isn’t just for the town of Weston, but also for surrounding areas.

In last week’s column, I talked about the month of October is the Month of the Holy Rosary. Well, October is also known as the month of Respect Life in the U.S. Catholic Church, as designated by our U.S. Bishops. We might ask ourselves: why would we have an entire month dedicated to that theme in our Church? As Catholics, we believe that every life is sacred, from the moment of conception until natural death. We believe that every person is made in the image and likeness of God. Thus, we believe that every person has inherent dignity, no matter his age or health or education or culture or status in life. In addition, this belief is the foundation of all Catholic social teaching. In the month of October, our U.S. Bishops ask us to consider more deeply why every human life is valuable and to reflect on how we can build a culture that protects life from conception to natural death.

Our respect for life includes many issues: abortion, prison reform, help for those battling addictions, affordable and accessible housing and health care, respect for the elderly and those in vulnerable stages of life, rights for workers, accessible education, euthanasia, assisted suicide, rights of victims, public safety, and the stewardship and protection of the environment.

Here are some quotes that I think get to the heart of the ways we can grow in our respect of life. Mother Teresa states: “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.” By encountering God in silence and in his creation here on earth, we will grow in our love of God and love of neighbor, helping us see God in others and in all his creation here on earth.

Have a blessed week.

Fr. Augustine