Dear Parishioners,
Today we celebrate a national holiday – a time to remember and a day to relax.
Two hundred and thirty four years ago, a nation “under God” was born and called the United States of America. An invitation of welcome was extended to every continent and country of the world. In the Declaration of Independence, our Founding Fathers presented a dream that here on these shores all people’s rights would be protected and their freedom respected. In the Constitution, they promised to insure domestic tranquility and to insure the blessings of liberty for all. The designers of our country realized that in the beginning this could only be an idea, but they trusted in the Creator to help and called upon all citizens to make it real.
The history of South Jersey is a reflection of America’s story. Immigrants of various backgrounds and cultures found their way to our area. We can be proud of our ancestors’ achievements but we cannot be unaware of the promises and hopes yet to be fulfilled. We must continue to build up our community and in doing so we make America strong.
While we all enjoy a sense of freedom and a certain mode of prosperity, some of our fellow citizens cry out for equal opportunity and seek their unalienable rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. The defenseless stand oftentimes convicted. The unborn die with protection. Minorities are overlooked in jobs, and crime and violence destroy property and harm lives. In the field of education, even though our nation’s motto is “In God We Trust,” the mention of God’s name is outlawed in the public school and financial aid is denied to parents who choose to send their children to a Catholic school simply because they believe, like the Founding Fathers, that our nation’s youth should learn to trust in God as well as themselves. All of these and more are injustices that seek to be remedied and call out to Americans, Catholics, and citizens of our local communities to help find solutions as we pass another year and write another chapter in our history.
As a nation that is still young but wise with experience, we must begin again to see visions and dream dreams. Our spiritual values must keep pace with our material progress. Our future direction must be guided by the vision of the Gospel. As the Vatican Council stated, “The whole human race faces a moment of supreme crisis in its advance toward maturity.” What a pity it would be if we were to discover new life on Mars, while at the same time diminish the beauty and lose respect for human life on earth.
As our nation celebrates another birthday, we pay tribute to America’s past and are proud to participate in America’s future. We should have no fear for in the words of the not often sung stanza of our National Anthem, “Conquer we must when our cause it is just, and this be our motto “In God We Trust!”
Happy 4th of July.
Sincerely yours,