Image: WSHERC
Earlier this year I posted a number of times on the damage done to Jewish-Catholic relations by the lifting of the excommunication of four "bishops" in the Archbishop Lefebvre-founded schismatic group known as Society of St. Pius X.
In one of those posts I recommended that concerned Catholics could take a constructive step forward on this issue by making sure to attend and participate in local Holocaust Memorial Observances in their communities this spring.
The official date for Yom Hashoah 2009 is April 21, while the memorial week runs from April 19-26. The theme for this year's observance is: Never Again: What You Do Matters.
On February 26, I posted:
I received a phone call this week from the folks in Concord who are planning the town's annual Holocaust remembrance this spring. This will be the 29th annual Holocaust Remembrance in Concord. As has happened a number of times in my 15 years here, the call came to invite me to give an invocation at the event on April 26th. I readily accepted, grateful that the news stories of the past several weeks had not ruptured what are solid ties between people of different faiths in my community.In Concord, Massachusetts, the town observance will take place on April 26 at the Town House at 7:30 p.m.
Then I began to think back to such services in years past... There are usually about 75, maybe 100 people in attendance, Jews and gentiles. Why not more people? I can't say that my parish has been heavily represented in those present. And that leads me to ask you, my readers, "Have you attended such services in the past?" (Many communities have such a remembrance service every spring.)
There's been a lot of noise made over the pope's lifting the excommunications and Williamson's denial of the Holocaust but making noise (or posting comments on blogs) is easy.
What a witness it would give, what telling testimony to our outrage over Williamson we would offer if we made every effort to attend the local Holocaust memorial observance in our communities this spring.
Our Jewish neighbors have never met Richard Williamson but they know us: we are the face of the Catholic Church in our communities.
Shoah: we must never forget...
When is your community's observance?
Will you be there?
Remember: What we do matters...
-ConcordPastor
Respectfully Fr., the Holy Father trying to help a group of Catholics learn and embrace the truth is as important as Jewish-Catholic relations.
ReplyDeleteEvery soul is as important.
MD: The two efforts (helping schismatic Catholics return to the Church and the importance of Jewish-Catholic relations) are something of the order of apples and oranges. Each is very important in its own way.
ReplyDeleteDid I write something that led you to believe that I fail to see the importance of the pope's efforts in returning the schismatics to the Church?
Not sure if this coincides with school vacation week every year, but there are lots of folks away...(still doesn't explain the sad numbers in attendance). We'll be in Washington D.C. and thanks to your post, will make it a point to take the kids to the Holocaust Memorial there.
ReplyDeleteMDR
I tried to get information online about services where I live...
ReplyDeletebut, maybe there is just too much information... ?
...because, I had trouble finding a date for an actual service.
...but, during my search, I did see a link to your blog... (it's not the first time, though, as you would imagine or know)
Powerful movie to watch involving the Holocaust: The Boy in the Stripe pajamas. It's "On Demand".
ReplyDelete