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A message from Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.
Occasionally, I receive letters recommending (sometimes even demanding!) that my brother bishops and I devote less time to the topic of abortion and focus on other things. People frequently characterize abortion as a divisive “political” issue rather than the “moral” issue that it fundamentally is.
For several years now, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has referred to abortion as “our preeminent priority” because it directly and deliberately attacks life itself at its most vulnerable stage.
The sobering reality is that, since 1973, according to the Guttmacher Institute, more than 63 million abortions have been performed in the United States, twice the population of the entire state of Texas. In fact, most countries in the world have populations under 63 million! Contributing to these alarming US statistics is the increased availability of abortion-inducing drugs (specifically mifepristone), first made officially available by mail in December 2021.
As Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, I endorse the leadership of the USCCB’s July 27 invitation that all Catholics in the U.S. join in a renewed and focused effort of prayer and action between now and the end of October (Respect Life Month) to stop the spread of abortion drugs. We bishops have urged Catholics to seek the intercession of St. Joseph, Defender of Life (https://www.respectlife.org/prayer-to-st-joseph and in Spanish, https://es.respectlife.org/prayer-to-st-joseph) and to send messages to pharmacies and pharmaceutical corporations involved in this latest tragic effort to promote abortion in our nation. St. Joseph, pray for us!
Dearest St. Joseph,
at the word of an angel,
you lovingly took Mary into your home.
As God’s humble servant, you guided
the Holy Family on the road to Bethlehem,
welcomed Jesus as your own son
in the shelter of a manger,
and fled far from your homeland
for the safety of both Mother and Child.
We praise God that as their faithful protector,
you never hesitated to sacrifice
for those entrusted to you.
May your example inspire us also
to welcome, cherish, and safeguard
God’s most precious gift of life.
Help us to faithfully commit ourselves
to the service and defense of human life
— especially where it is
vulnerable or threatened.
Obtain for us the grace
to do the will of God in all things.
Amen.
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Washington, D.C. All rights reserved.