Dear Brothers in Christ Jesus and St. Patrick,
Hopefully you’re enjoying a wonderful and blessed Easter with your families, and you’re busy planning your summer activities and vacations. During the month of May, we celebrate Mother’s Day. If your mom is still alive, make the effort to spoil your mom, because nothing is too good for her!
In February, our family suffered the loss of a cousin, who was 66, and was under the care of her 91-year-old retired nurse mother for the last several years of her too short life. Cancer is a horrible disease that attacks without prejudice and frequently forces very difficult end-of-life decisions and situations. The relationship between my cousin and her mother, who is also my Godmother, was nothing short of miraculous, especially in the last weeks of my cousin’s life. My aunt moved with the strength and stamina of a woman one-third her age, even if her face was soaked with tears, as she tended to my cousin’s needs. As I witnessed this act of love, I gained a new appreciation for the powerful bond between mother and child. As sad as the situation was, my aunt and cousin were relieved, and so very happy, when Fr. Tom Burke came to their house and heard my cousin’s last confession, presented her with the Holy Eucharist, and anointed her with the Holy Chrism. They both felt blessed and fortunate to be Catholic and fully supported by their parish, pastor and the sacraments, as end of life became imminent. Although cut too short by cancer, and ending in sadness, my cousin had a full life from conception to natural death.
While my aunt is amazing, there are many more mothers like her, with powerful stories of their motherhood and how faith pulled them through impossible situations. Many of these mothers fill the ranks of volunteers for 40 Days for Life. These moms show up on the sidewalks around their neighborhood abortion facilities to pray and urge new mothers to avoid abortion and look to other options for their pregnancy, as they, like my Godmother, carry the intense pain of losing a child in their heart.
The AOH National Pro-Life Committee meets once a month by Zoom, usually the Monday or Tuesday before the First Friday of each month, which is when the Pro-Life Newsletter is published. We are gaining new attendees every month, usually Brothers who hold a Pro-Life Chair at the State, County or Division level, but also there are many brothers who are not Pro-Life Chairs but have a vested interest in Pro-Life activities. If you would like to join the Pro-Life Committee, please send me an email at lspittcmf@gmail.com. If you’re a State, County or Division President, and you need some assistance with filling a Chair, or wondering what’s involved in the office, send me an email, and we’ll schedule a call and get your Pro-Life Chair up and running! — May God bless you! In Our Motto! Larry Squires
