Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey suing President Donald Trump over new contraception coverage rule

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey suing President Donald Trump over new contraception coverage rule

Updated on Oct 06, 2017 at 02:52 PM EDT

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, center, takes questions from reporters during a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, in Boston. Healey is joining a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts challenging President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration. Martin Meehan, president of the University of Massachusetts, stands second from left. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
(Steven Senne)


By Gintautas Dumcius | gdumcius@masslive.com


Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is suing President Donald Trump over new rules allowing companies to opt out of contraception coverage.

Companies can claim an objection on religious or moral grounds, under the Trump administration's new rules, which are an effort to pare back a mandate in the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.


"The Trump administration's actions today are a direct attack on women's health and the right to access affordable and reliable contraception," Healey said in a statement.

"By gutting this mandate, the religious belief of employers will replace the basic right of a woman to care for herself and her family," Healey added. My office has been vigilant when it comes to fighting for health care coverage and ensuring equality in the workplace."

Healey said her lawsuit will seek to "stop this rule and defend critical protections for millions of women in Massachusetts and across the country."

Healey's lawsuit is the latest legal challenge her office has filed against the Trump administration. The other lawsuits have challenged the administration's Muslim travel ban and changes to environmental rules.

Employers can now opt out of providing low cost birth control by citing religious, moral objections


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Pope denounces porn and corruption of kids’ minds, bodies

By NICOLE WINFIELD


VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Friday denounced the proliferation of adult and child pornography on the internet and demanded better protections for children online — even as the Vatican confronts its own cross-border child porn investigation involving a top papal envoy.

Francis met with participants of a Catholic Church-backed international conference on fighting child pornography and protecting children in the digital age. He fully backed their proposals to toughen sanctions against those who abuse and exploit children online and improve technological filters to prevent young people from accessing porn online.


Francis said the Catholic Church knew well the “grave error” of trying to conceal the problem of sexual abuse — a reference to the church’s long history of having priests who rape and molest children and bishops who cover up for them. Several well-known cases have involved priests having child porn, or photographing their victims.

Francis said an international, cross-disciplinary approach was needed to protect children from the dark net and the “corruption of their minds and violence against their bodies.”

Using terms that are certainly new to papal lexicon, Francis denounced “extreme pornography” on the web that adults, and increasingly children consume, and the increasing use of “sexting” and “sextortion” among the estimated 800 million minors who navigate the internet.

“We would be seriously deluding ourselves were we to think that a society where an abnormal consumption of internet sex is rampant among adults could be capable of effectively protecting minors,” he said.

The conference was planned some two years ago, but it unfolded precisely at the time when the Vatican is facing back-to-back child sex scandals: One of Francis’ top advisers, Cardinal George Pell, recently took leave to face old abuse charges in his native Australia, while in August the Vatican recalled a senior diplomat from its embassy in Washington who got embroiled in a child porn investigation.

Canadian police have issued an arrest warrant for Monsignor Carlo Capella, accusing him of accessing, possessing and distributing child pornography during a visit to an Ontario church over Christmas. He is now in the Vatican, where prosecutors have opened an investigation.

The Vatican in 2013 criminalized child porn possession, distribution and production, with sanctions varying from up to two years and a 10,000-euro fine ($11,170) to 12 years and a 250,000-euro fine.

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Three Cheers for Globalism!

An unabashed defense of the Trump administration’s favorite object of ire.


5 HOURS AGO

Max Boot



The defining epithet of the Age of Trump is “globalist.” This is the all-purpose term of abuse that the president and his most fervent supporters hurl at anyone who dissents from their populist agenda. During last year’s campaign, Donald Trump tweeted that the choice was “between Americanism” and Hillary Clinton’s “corrupt globalism.” His former strategist Steve Bannon, who thinks that “the globalists gutted the American working class and created a middle class in Asia,” was said to call economic advisor Gary Cohn, a former president of Goldman Sachs, “Globalist Gary.” An National Security Council aide was fired by national security advisor H.R. McMaster after circulating a memo claiming that Trump is threatened by an unholy coalition of “globalists” along with “‘deep state’s actors,” “bankers,” “Islamists,” and “establishment Republicans.” (It would be fun to imagine a meeting of all these Trump enemies.)

It’s about time that someone spoke up for “globalism,” a term that is only insulting if you don’t ponder the alternatives. Sure, globalism has its downsides. But what, one wonders, is the opposite of globalism? Provincialism? Tribalism? Nationalism? None is appealing.

Provincialism, the dictionary tells us, is “the way of life or mode of thought characteristic of the regions outside the capital city of a country, especially when regarded as unsophisticated or narrow-minded.” That’s a pretty good description of Trump and his followers but presumably not one that they would embrace — no doubt they see this definition as emblematic of the disdain in which they are held by cosmopolitan elites.

Tribalism? That’s what gave us the genocide in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia and what is today responsible for the slaughter in Syria and Yemen and the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Myanmar. It is even leading to violence in Spain, where the national police cracked heads to stop a Catalan independence referendum. And, as Andrew Sullivan notes in a brilliant essay for New Yorkmagazine, tribalism is poisoning the political climate in America.

Filial Correction an act of loyalty to Pope: organizer responds to Opus Dei leader

Filial Correction an act of loyalty to Pope: organizer responds to Opus Dei leader

a katz / Shutterstock.com

Diane Montagna

Wed Oct 4, 2017 - 8:00 pm EST


ROME, October 4, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — The number of signatories of the “filial correction,” charging Pope Francis with permitting the spread of seven heresies, at least by omission, has risen to 216. That is up from 40 when the letter was delivered to the Pope’s residence at Santa Marta on August 11, and 62 when the document was made public on September 24.

But the Correction has also met with criticism, including from a high-ranking priest of Opus Dei.

On September 30, the Vicar General of the Prelature, Msgr. Mariano Fazio of Argentina, accused the authors in an interview with La Nación of attacking the pope, sowing disunity and using the “totally wrong method.”

“If it is a filial relation, a son does not ‘correct’ his father in public,” Msgr. Fazio said.

The second in command of Opus Dei continued: “Any faithful, bishop, cardinal, lay person has the right to tell the pope what he sees fit for the good of the Church. But it seems to me that he has no right to do so publicly and to scandalize the whole Church with these manifestations of disunity.”

We spoke to Joseph Shaw, Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at St. Benet’s Hall, Oxford University. Professor Shaw, who serves as spokesman for the filial correction authors, responded to charges that he and the other signatories are airing the Church’s dirty laundry in public. We also discussed why it was necessary to make the Correction public, and in what sense Catholics are called to always “be with the Pope.”

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President and First Lady Visit Calvary Chapel (in Puerto Rico)

OCTOBER 3, 2017

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited Calvary Chapel in Puerto Rico. While passing out supplies to those in attendance the president remarked, “There’s a lot of love in this room,” and later tossed paper towels into the crowd.
....

https://www.c-span.org/video/?435085-1/president-first-lady-visit-calvary-chapel-puerto-rico

Las Vegas Strip shooter prescribed anti-anxiety drug in June

America’s Immigrant History Refreshed for SCOTUS Justices at Red Mass

National News

October 2, 2017

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, who is vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, delivers the homily during the 65th annual Red Mass Oct. 1 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington. The Mass traditionally marks the start of the court year, including the opening of the Supreme Court term. (Photo: Catholic News Service/Jaclyn Lippelmann, Catholic Standard)

By Christopher White
The Tablet National Correspondent

WASHINGTON, DC. – Archbishop José H. Gomez used his homily at the 65th annual Red Mass to remind the country’s legal professionals of America’s strong tradition of welcoming immigrants and promoting religious freedom for all.

“In God’s eyes, there are no foreigners, there are no strangers,” said Archbishop Gomez. “All of us are family. When God looks at us, he sees beyond the color of our skin, or the countries where we come from, or the language that we speak. God sees only his children-sons and daughters made in his image.”

The Red Mass is celebrated each year for those working in law and government and dates back to approximately 1310 in England, following similar services in Paris.

The name of the Mass is taken from the red vestments worn by the celebrant to signify the fire of the Holy Spirit.

The Red Mass is traditionally celebrated on the Sunday before the first Monday in October, which marks the beginning of the new Supreme Court term and is held at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in the nation’s capital.

In attendance were Justices Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy, Stephen Breyer, Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice Roberts. Breyer is Jewish, while the other justices are Catholic.

Five of the nine justices on the current court are Roman Catholic.

“America’s first beginnings were not political,” said Archbishop Gomez. “America’s first beginnings were spiritual.”

“The missionaries came here first-long before the Pilgrims, long before George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Long before this country even had a name. These missionaries – together with the colonists and the statesmen who came later – they laid the spiritual and intellectual groundwork for a nation that remains unique in human history,” he said.

Archbishop Gomez hails from Monterrey, Mexico and has been archbishop of Los Angeles since 2011. He leads one of the most ethnically diverse dioceses in the country.

“The Church in Los Angeles is the largest Catholic community in the country,” said the Archbishop.

“We are a global church, an immigrant church, made up of people who come from all over the world. We have about five million Catholics in L.A. and every day, we pray and worship and we serve in more than 40 different languages,” he said.

The Archbishop recalled Pope Francis’s visit to Washington, D.C. two years ago where he canonized Junípero Serra, a Franciscan missionary to California.

“In his time, there were many in the California colonial government who denied the full humanity of the indigenous peoples living in this land,” said Archbishop Gomez. “St. Junípero became their champion. He even wrote a ‘bill of rights’ to protect them. And by the way-he wrote that bill of rights-three years before America’s Declaration of Independence.”

“Most Americans do not know this history. But Pope Francis does,” he added.

He noted that Francis’s decision to canonize Father Serra in the nation’s capital was an intentional decision to remind Americans that Serra, too, was one of the founding fathers of the United States.

Father Serra was canonized on the grounds of The Catholic University of America as part of Francis’s visit to Washington, New York, and Philadelphia in September 2015.

While the Archbishop praised America for being a place where all people have been historically welcome, he acknowledged that this is an ongoing challenge. In a nod to the current national tensions surrounding race relations, Archbishop Gomez said the country has yet to live up to its own ideals.

“From the original sins of slavery and the cruel mistreatment of native peoples, to our struggles today with racism and nativism – the American dream is still a work in progress,” he said.

In recent years Archbishop Gomez, who is the vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has become one of the leading voices on immigration in the American church hierarchy and often uses his major public addresses to make the Church’s case for welcoming immigrants.

“Let us commit ourselves to an America that cares for the young and the elderly, for the poor and the sick; an America where the hungry find bread and the homeless a place to live,” said Archbishop Gomez.

“An America that welcomes the immigrant and refugee and offers the prisoner a second chance.”

Source

Las Vegas bishop leads interfaith prayer service following shooting

Christopher White

October 3, 2017NATIONAL 

CORRESPONDENT

People mourn during an interfaith memorial service Oct. 2 in Las Vegas for victims of a shooting spree directed at an outdoor country music festival late Oct. 1. A gunman perched in a room on the 32nd floor of a casino hotel unleashed a shower of bullets on the festival below, killing at least 59 people and wounding another 527. (Credit: CNS photo/Lucy Nicholson, Reuters.)

Following the deadly massacre that killed 59 people and injured more than 500 others, Bishop Joseph Pepe led an interfaith prayer service at Las Vegas's Cathedral of the Guardian Angels where he issued a plea for unity and peace. "Where there is hatred and violence we must be the sign of love and of peace. Where there is division and uncivil speech, we must stand together as a sign of unity," he said.



NEW YORK - Following the deadliest shooting in United States history, Bishop Joseph Pepe of Las Vegas hosted an interfaith prayer service on Monday evening to mourn the 59 dead, to pray for the more than 500 injured, and plea for national unity.

“In the face of tragedy we need each other,” said Pepe.

On Sunday evening, a 64-year-old gunman, later identified as Stephen Paddock, opened fire at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas. The bloody massacre has prompted an outpouring of messages and prayers from religious leaders throughout the world, including Pope Francis.

RELATED: Pope Francis sends prayers to victims of Las Vegas massacre

As he delivered his tearful remarks, Pepe told the diverse crowd of over 800 individuals, “in the face of violence we stand together because we cannot let hate and violence have the last word.”

“We come together in unity across our religious traditions, across race, across gender to stand with each other as living signs of that hope,” said Pepe.

The bishop used the interfaith gathering to encourage people of different faith traditions to serve as an example of unity in a world marred by division.

Horror in Las Vegas polarises the world of religion

Guns and God

A massacre sends clerics in different directions

Erasmus

Oct 3rd 2017

by ERASMUS


SINCE the horrific massacre in Las Vegas, the word “evil” has been heard with unusual frequency, on the lips of political leaders as well as clerics. This evil-talk is not just a reflex response or a banal statement of the obvious. It has philosophical implications, and often places the speaker in a particular corner of the debate about guns.

In the first minute of his response to the killing spree, Donald Trump termed it “an act of pure evil”. Striking an unusually scriptural tone, he went on to quote a verse from the Psalms, proclaiming that “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted, He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” Even in that comforting passage, talk of evil is in the background. It comes a couple of lines after the declaration that “The Lord turns his face against those who do evil, He will erase their memory from the earth.”

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Five justices attend Red Mass with homily addressing immigration, religious freedom

Five justices attend Red Mass with homily addressing immigration, religious freedom

Posted Sun, October 1st, 2017 7:15 pm by Andrew Hamm


This morning Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer and Samuel Alito attended the Red Mass, a Roman Catholic liturgy held annually the Sunday before the Supreme Court’s new term to invoke God’s blessing on those responsible for the administration of justice. The justices sat – by seniority, as always – in the first two pews at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington. Noel Francisco, the newly confirmed solicitor general, and Jeffrey Wall, the former acting solicitor general, also attended the mass.

The homilist for the mass, Jose Gomez, archbishop of Los Angeles, indirectly referred to two issues before the justices this term – immigration and religious freedom.

In introducing himself at the start of his homily, Gomez noted that Los Angeles has the largest Roman Catholic congregation in the United States, which he described as an “immigrant church” with masses in over 40 languages. Although “the American dream is still a work in progress,” Gomez argued, “America is still a beacon of hope for refugees and all who long for freedom and equality under God.” “God doesn’t see color, the country we come from, or the language we speak,” Gomez preached.

Gomez also argued that “religious freedom is essential to America” because believers have led movements for justice and social change through America’s history – including movements for abolition, women’s suffrage, civil rights, farm workers, peace and the right to life.

Gomez is vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has taken positions on Supreme Court cases pertaining to both issues Gomez addressed. The USCCB filed an amicus brief in support of the challengers to the Trump administration’s entry ban in Trump v. International Refugee Assistance Project, which Wall argued in the lower courts and which was recently removed from the justices’ October calendar. The USCCB filed an amicus brief in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. V. Colorado Civil Rights Commission supporting a devout Christian baker who claims that Colorado’s requirement that he create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple violates the free speech and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment. Last term the USCCB also filed an amicus brief for the church in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer. In an opinion written by Roberts, the court in that case held that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ policy of denying grants to applicants controlled by religious entities violated the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.

Gomez was not the only priest at the altar with involvement in recent Supreme Court cases. Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, was the plaintiff in Roman Catholic Archbishop of Washington v. Burwell, one of the cases consolidated as Zubik v. Burwell, a recent challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s birth-control mandate. When he was still an attorney at Jones Day, Francisco was the counsel of record for the archbishop and the other challengers in that case.

The Supreme Court’s October 2017 term begins Monday at 10 a.m., with oral argument in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis.

Source

An End Times Ambiance

Volume XXXVI Issue X October 2017
Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Phone: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."

Luke 21:25-28

"And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows."

Mark 13:7-8

In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will examine the events of recent weeks which have left a foreboding impression that the world we live in is facing great peril in the days ahead. It is truly remarkable how much has happened in just the short time since I wrote the September issue of this newsletter. Against the backdrop of devastating hurricanes, heatwaves, massive wildfires, powerful earthquakes, and a growing possibility of war between the United States and North Korea, many people are starting to wonder if we could be living in the end times. In fact, even the New York Times published an article on September 8, 2017, with the headline, "Apocalyptic Thoughts Amid Nature's Chaos? You Could Be Forgiven." (1) The article cites science fiction writer John Scalzi who recently wrote that it "feels like the end times are getting a few dress rehearsals right about now." (2) Richard Hecht, a professor specializing in religious studies at the University of California in Santa Barbara was also quoted by the Times. "End of times fantasies have been a central part of American religiosity since the beginning, so it shouldn't be any surprise," Hecht stated. He further goes on to say, "It's one thing to believe the ministers' or preachers' calculations of the end of days. But now you have objective truths: Charlottesville, the solar eclipse, Hurricane Harvey, the earthquake in Mexico, Hurricane Irma. These are events no one can dispute. It's not the same order of a preacher saying that on September 8, at 10 o'clock, the world will end." (3) While the point of the article is to reassure the reader that the world is not really ending soon, the fact that it was written at all is indicative of the end time ambiance that many people are feeling today.

In Luke 21:25-28 we are warned by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." We are also told in Mark 13:7-8, "And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows." Jesus specifically told us to watch for "the sea and the waves roaring," "men's hearts failing them for fear," nations rising against nations, and earthquakes in divers or various places in the days leading up to His return. All of these things are happening now, and while we cannot say with any certainty that the world as we know it will end in the next five, ten, or even twenty years, it certainly feels like it could. In Matthew 24:35-36 we are told by Jesus, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." Therefore we continue to watch, pray, and wait for the great and notable day of our Lord's coming.

The Sea And The Waves Roaring

The rapid succession of tropical storms and hurricanes forming in the Atlantic Ocean over the last four weeks is a cause of great concern to scientists. While such storms are a normal fact of life and regularly appear each year during hurricane season, news outlets are reporting that these storms appear to be intensifying. First there was Hurricane Harvey, which became especially active in late August 2017, followed by Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Jose, Hurricane Katia, and Hurricane Maria, all within the month of September 2017. (4) In fact, the month of September was so active for hurricanes that Irma, Jose, and Katia were all churning at the same time. (5) Regarding the recent spate of hurricanes, meteorologist Bob Henson was quoted as saying, "The season has been an overachiever by almost every index. We've had more than a year's worth of named storms when you look at the long-term average, and that's being just past the midpoint of the season." Mr. Henson then warned that there will probably be more storms. "I would be shocked if we didn't get at least two more," he said. (6)

Hurricane Harvey, which first made landfall in Texas on August 25, 2017, as a Category 4 hurricane with 130 miles-per-hour winds, (7) was truly a storm of Biblical proportions. In fact, the storm dumped a trillion gallons of water on the state of Texas with Cedar Bayou, a city about 30 miles from Houston, receiving a record-breaking 51.88 inches of rain. (8) At least 82 people were killed in the storm (9) and between 30,000 and 40,000 homes in the Houston area were completely destroyed. (10) In total about 100,000 homes were damaged by the storm, which prompted Brock Long, the administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to say "The state of Texas is about to undergo one of the largest housing recovery missions the nation has ever seen." (11) The damage in economic terms is also mind-boggling. According to Accuweather founder Dr. Joel N. Myers, the losses caused by Harvey could reach a whopping 190 billion dollars. "This is the costliest and worst natural disaster in American history," Dr. Myers opined. (12)

On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in the state of Florida. This storm is notable for many reasons. With Hurricane Harvey previously hitting Texas, the arrival of Irma marked the first time since records have been kept that two Category 4 Atlantic hurricanes have hit the United States mainland in the same hurricane season. (13) Prior to hitting the United States, Hurricane Irma gained force and became a Category 5 hurricane after reaching a sustained wind speed of 185 miles-per-hour. This wind speed was the second highest ever recorded for an Atlantic hurricane, trailing only behind Hurricane Allen of 1980. (14) Not only did Irma have a wind speed of 185 miles-per-hour, but this speed was constant for 37 consecutive hours, which is another record. (15) Irma was enormous too. At its peak, the storm covered a distance of 800 miles. Irma made its way through ten different Caribbean countries and caused great devastation. According to the Prime Minister of Barbuda, Irma left the island "barely habitable" with 95 percent of its buildings suffering damage. (16) The island has been completely evacuated in the wake of the storm's destruction. "The damage is complete. For the first time in 300 years, there's not a single living person on the island of Barbuda - a civilization that has existed on that island for over 300 years has now been extinguished," the island's Ambassador to the United States Ronald Sanders lamented. (17)

In total, this brutal storm caused the death of 73 people in the Caribbean and the American states of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. (18) Amazingly enough, Hurricane Irma weakened significantly after making landfall in Florida. Although the state still suffered significant damage, the storm was diminished to a Category 1 hurricane by the time it reached the city of Tampa. (19) It could have been a lot worse, and I know that many of God's people were praying.

On September 18, 2017, Maria, another Category 5 hurricane, made landfall at the Caribbean island of Dominica. (20) The devastation was swift and severe. "The country is in a daze - no electricity, no running water - as a result of uprooted pipes in most communities and definitely no landline or cellphone services on island, and that will be for quite a while," said Hartley Henry, who is principal advisor to the island's prime minister. Henry then went on to say, "In summary, the island has been devastated." (21) Maria became the third hurricane to wreak havoc on the United States this year when it made landfall at the American territory of Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017. (22) So widespread was the damage that the entire island lost access to electricity. (23) In the aftermath of Maria's destruction, Puerto Rico's Resident Commissioner, Jennifer Gonzalez, was quoted as saying, "The devastation in Puerto Rico has set us back nearly 20 to 30 years. I can't deny that the Puerto Rico of now is different from that of a week ago. The destruction of properties, of flattened structures, of families without homes, of debris everywhere. The island's greenery is gone." (24) The hurricane season of 2017 will be remembered for quite some time. Without a doubt, the sea and the waves have been roaring.

America needs ‘a new sense of our common humanity,’ @ 65th annual Red Mass homilist says

Kelly Sankowski


Sunday, October 01, 2017 6:27 PM




CS PHOTOS BY JACLYN LIPPELMANN

Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez delivers the homily at the 65th annual Red Mass Oct. 1 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in northwest Washington.

CS PHOTO BY JACLYN LIPPELMANN

Cardinal Donald Wuerl talks with John G. Roberts Jr., the Chief Justice of the United States and one of five members of the Supreme Court to attend the Red Mass, as they leave the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington.


During the 65th annual Red Mass in the nation’s capital, Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez asked the Supreme Court justices, government officials, lawyers and other members of the judiciary gathered at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington to renew a commitment to a government that “serves the human person.”

The annual Mass, which is held the Sunday before the opening of the Supreme Court’s term, invokes the Holy Spirit upon those who are responsible for the administration of justice. The Mass is sponsored by the John Carroll Society, a network that aims to enhance fellowship among Catholic leaders in the Washington area and serve the archbishop of Washington.

Cardinal Donald Wuerl was the main celebrant at the Oct. 1 Mass, and the concelebrants included Washington Auxiliary Bishops Barry Knestout, Mario Dorsonville and Roy Campbell Jr.; Archbishop Gómez; Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge; Bishop Richard Higgins, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services USA; and Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria.

The distinguished guests at the Mass included five members of the Supreme Court: John G. Roberts Jr., the Chief Justice of the United States; and Associate Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Stephen G. Breyer, and Samuel A. Alito Jr.; and also U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco.

In his homily, Archbishop Gomez spoke about St. Junípero Serra, the newest American saint who was one of the founding missionaries of Los Angeles and was canonized by Pope Francis during the pontiff’s 2015 visit to Washington. By doing so, Archbishop Gomez said Pope Francis was making a point that “we should honor St. Junípero Serra as one of the founding fathers of the United States,” since the missionaries came here before the pilgrims and began their outreach before the nation’s first president was inaugurated.

Sunday worker? This little-known law could get you out of that shift

If you want to get out of working on a Sunday - read on



BYZAHRA MULROY
09:00, 1 OCT 2017



Sunday used to be well known as a 'day of rest', but for more and more people Sunday working is becoming a way of life.

Certainly, for some businesses, there's an expectation that employees will work on a Sunday.

But sometimes you need time off to deal with an emergency, or you may need to change shifts over the weekend due to a family event or commitment.

Sunday worker? You may be able to opt out using this little-known law (Image: Getty Images)

That's when, the Mirror reports,potentially, one little known law could come in handy.

Sunday workers' rights

Sunday workers in certain industries don't actually have to work on Sundays - and can opt out if they so choose.