My Dear Parish Family:

It is a long weekend for many of us as we pause to honor and pray in gratitude for our Presidents. Each man who has held the office of President has brought his strengths and weaknesses to the position. We, as a Nation, have loved them and been disappointed in them, but each of them deserves our prayers. Those Presidents that have died need our prayers for the continued salvation of their souls as all God’s children who have died need our prayers.

Those Presidents still alive need our prayers to remain good and solid citizens who should use their position to help all the people of the World.

Our current President needs our prayers so that he will carry out his duty of President to the best of his ability. We may not like a particular President, but we are encouraged, as Catholics, especially on Presidents’ Day, to pray for them all, living and deceased.

We also should pray for all our elected officials on Presidents’ Day weekend that they may serve our country well. There are many women and men who work hard for all of us as elected officials and in countless other positions in the government. All these women and men serving in our government are simply doing their job, but we should also remember them in our prayers and thank God for them as they, too, serve our Nation.

On this Presidents’ Day weekend, please join me in saying a prayer of thanks to Almighty God for all who serve in any capacity of our government.

Until next week, God bless America! St. Benedict, pray for us! Terence Cardinal Cooke, Servant of God, pray for us!

Fr. Stephen Norton