Pfeifer: Amnesty International has lost its heart

[The letter below, from Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI, to Mr. Larry Cox of Amnesty International was written in reply to a letter from Amnesty International appealing for financial help. It is being sent to all Texas diocesan editors with hopes of publication in upcoming editions.]

Mr. Larry Cox, Exec. Dir.    June 19, 2007                         
Amnesty International
5 Penn Plaza
New York, NY  10010

Dear Mr. Cox:

   You begin your recent letter with “I regret to inform you that we are faced with a severe crisis here at Amnesty International.”  Yes, there is indeed a severe crisis at Amnesty International, but not just the one you mention in your letter.  The huge crisis that I refer to is not primarily financial, but is of a grave moral nature and of perverting  the very mission of Amnesty International. How sad it was to receive the news that recently Amnesty International has made the decision to promote abortion rights, depriving the most vulnerable of humanity the right to life. How sad and tragic!

   I have always been a supporter of Amnesty International, especially when I served as a missionary priest in Mexico – Oaxaca, Mexico City and other places.  And now, sadly, I must let you know that has ended. 

Amnesty International has lost its heart

[The letter below, from Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI, to Mr. Larry Cox of Amnesty International was written in reply to a letter from Amnesty International appealing for financial help.]

Dear Mr. Cox:

    You begin your recent letter with “I regret to inform you that we are faced with a severe crisis here at Amnesty International.”  Yes, there is indeed a severe crisis at Amnesty International, but not just the one you mention in your letter.  The huge crisis that I refer to is not primarily financial, but is of a grave moral nature and of perverting the very mission of Amnesty International. How sad it was to receive the news that recently Amnesty International has made the decision to promote abortion rights, depriving the most vulnerable of humanity the right to life. How sad and tragic!      I have always been a supporter of Amnesty International, especially when I served as a missionary priest in Mexico – Oaxaca, Mexico City and other places.  And now, sadly, I must

Eucharistic consistency: The Sacrament of charity

By Bishop Michael Pfeifer

   On Tuesday, March 13,  Pope Benedict XVI issued for the entire Catholic world a beautiful and inspiring Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist entitled, “On The Eucharist As The Source And Summit Of The Church’s Life And Mission.”  This statement of the Pope is a follow-up to the Eleventh Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that was held in the Vatican in October 2005.  At the Synod  of Bishops were representatives of Catholic Bishops from the entire world. Hence, this statement of the Holy Father on the Eucharist represents the reflections and latest teaching of the Catholic Church on the most wonderful gift that Christ has left the Church in  His Eucharistic presence. In his Apostolic statement, our Holy Father calls the Eucharist “The Sacrament of Charity and points out the gift that Jesus Christ makes of himself in the wondrous Sacrament of the Eucharist manifests the great love that Jesus has for the Church, even to the  point of “laying down his life for his friends.” [Jn.15:13] I encourage our priests, pastoral councils, all those involved in religious education and in every ministry of the Church, to study this inspiring document very carefully, as it has great meaning and importance for the life of all of us as co-workers in the vineyard of the Lord.

The medicinal dimension of Reconciliation, Penance

By Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI

   The Risen Christ gave to His Church through the Apostles God’s merciful forgiveness for our sins in what we call the great Sacrament of Reconciliation and Penance. 
   The Sacrament of Penance has a two-fold meaning and purpose:  It is for those who have broken away from God by mortal sin, and therefore stand in need of reconciliation in order to be restored to supernatural life. Then, it is for those who need or desire the healing power of grace in the daily struggle to lead a good Christian life. 

Bishop Pfeifer statement on Supreme Court upholding of partial birth abortion ban

Bishop Michael Pfeifer, of the Diocese of San Angelo, released the following statement Thursday in conjunction with the Supreme Court’s decision Wednesday to uphold the ban on partial birth abortions: 

“I was very pleased to learn of the Supreme Court’s decision of upholding a federal law prohibiting the brutal and inhumane partial-birth abortion procedure. This is a great day for the precious unborn, thousands of whom – as records show for the past several years – were destroyed almost in the very act of being born. 

“I thank God for this life-giving decision and congratulate the justices who had the moral and legal courage and the common-sense wisdom to uphold the ban on partial-birth abortion, which is a brutal and barbaric act. 

“The court’s ruling is a defining moment in the abortion debate and hopefully will awaken the conscience of all Americans to see abortion for what it truly is – the destruction of an innocent human being who, from the first moment of conception, has the complete genetic code of a human person. 

“This decision is a great step in bringing our legal position on abortion to be in accord with clear Scriptural messages about the sacredness of all human life from conception until natural death. 

“The Supreme Court’s decision will help foster a new appreciation for a culture of life in our country.”

Bishop: Resurrection gives totally new perspective on life

By Bishop Michael Pfeifer

   For Christians, Resurrection is not simply one among many articles of faith; it is the heart of the matter, the beginning of the Christian experience, the cornerstone of the Christian creed, the central premise of Christian liturgical cult.  We believe it on the witness of others as people do all things that they believe. But for those chosen in God’s providence to be the witnesses who we believe, the resurrection of Christ was an objective experience.  They not only believed, they saw the risen Lord.
   The prayers and scriptural readings for Easter Sunday and the Easter season proclaim the joyful message, “Christ has risen! Christ 

Sunday marks Catholic Relief Services Collection

A letter to all parishioners from Bishop Pfeifer

My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
   In the story of the Last Judgment, Jesus reminds us to care for those in need. If we ignore those who are hungry, thirsty, ill, without clothes, strangers, or in prison, we turn away from Christ. When we act with compassion, generosity, and commitment to justice for the “least among us,” we act as his true disciples.
  THE CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES COLLECTION is an important opportunity to express Christian compassion and generosity. The Collection is scheduled for March 18, 2007 in our diocese.

Bishop Pfeifer: West Texas in the throes of ‘drug epidemic’

A pastoral message on the subject of drugs 

By Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI
Diocese of San Angelo 

The Present Situation

The recent drug busts that netted some 50 drug dealers in the rural communities of Ozona, Big Lake, Rankin and McCamey—and perhaps others—have sparked comments by many that in these communities, and others, that the drug situation has reached epidemic proportions. From all reports that have been received, there is evidence that many youth in these communities are involved in heavy alcohol or drug use and other delinquent behavior that is detrimental to the well being of all the people of these communities. In these communities, linked to the drug situation, is domestic violence. In one school, all 9^{th graders indicated they had experienced or knew someone who had experienced domestic violence. Recent information received from the other cities and towns of the 29 counties that make up the Diocese of San Angelo indicate that we are dealing with the tip of a huge iceberg of evil, a serious drug problem throughout West Texas.}

Sadly, this is an issue that many people are not willing to address or feel helpless to take any action to help resolve. However, as responsible citizens and Christians, we are called to be more proactive and to take a community stance based on the Gospel of Christ against this evil that is having a serious detrimental effect on families and especially on our youth in West Texas. When I travel the Diocese to celebrate Confirmation, I always meet with the youth alone before Mass. As I ask them about the prevalence of drugs, usually about 75% say they know other youth who use or push drugs.

Good Samaritans practice corporal, spiritual works of mercy

On continuing to live out the Year of Reconciliation.

By Bishop Michael Pfeifer

   As a follow-up to our beautiful Year of Reconciliation for the Diocese of San Angelo, and as we remember and celebrate in our own lives the mercy that Jesus our King has manifested to each one of us, we are invited to have a new appreciation for the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, and to make a new commitment to be people of mercy, people of compassion — we are invited simply to be good Samaritans. Our merciful King reminds us in the story of the sheep and the goats that our eternal happiness depends primarily on how we reached out and helped our neighbor with their basic human needs.

Special Mass to mark anniversary of Roe v. Wade

SAN ANGELO — To mark the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion, Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI, will offer a special Pro-Life Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 12 Noon, January 22, in San Angelo.

In the Mass, the bishop will pray for all the unborn and for the unborn whose lives have been taken through abortion; for all women struggling with difficult pregnancy issues and for a new respect for human life at all stages of life.

“Abortion is a violation of human rights incomparable in magnitude and atrocity for the whole human family,” Pfeifer said. “Thank God our president has signed into law a ban on the brutal practice of partial-birth abortion, which is being addressed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Together with those from many religious communities, Catholics work to bring about a society that recognizes abortion for what it truly is — the killing of the innocent unborn.”

Each year, approximately 1.3 million abortions occur. Thousands of them are done in the sixth month of pregnancy or later, when the child would survive if born.

The bishop’s Mass for the unborn is open to the public.