A sign on the door of St. Mary's Catholic [...]

During serious illness conversations, some doctors will ply their patients with this question: “What is your minimally acceptable quality of life?”

“A baby is God’s way of saying the world should go on.” My mother spoke this truth a thousand times while I was growing up. She said it every time we heard news of a friend or relative expecting a baby, but also each time the world darkened with terrible suffering or personal tragedy. She saw in each human life a great possibility: the prospect of new beginnings meeting the promise of hope.

An unexpected headline in the New York Times recently caught my eye: “A Disrupted Thanksgiving Leaves the Turkey Business Guessing.” The article that followed discussed a question that is, according to the author, on the tip of everyone’s tongue – “Just how many whole turkeys will Americans cook this year for a holiday whose wings have been clipped by the pandemic?”

During the month of October each year, the Catholic Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month. We are called to spend time reflecting on the dignity of EVERY human life.

The third Sunday in June is traditionally observed in the United States as something we refer to as “Father’s Day.”