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Through the sacrificial efforts of faithful Catholics, the Church serves millions through diocesan ministries and agencies, Catholic hospitals and healthcare systems, immigration clinics, shelters, and Catholic schools and parishes. Read more about the Catholic Church’s stand on life issues and the threat to them and what can be done.

CALL TO ACTION

In response to the leak of a draft opinion in the Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, majority leader Sen. Chuck Schumer has scheduled another Senate vote to try to enshrine abortion on demand in federal law through the so-called Women’s Health Protection Act, S. 4132. The vote will be held next Wednesday (May 11) and is the second time this year that a vote on the bill will take place. The Senate held a vote on February 28 to advance this bill, and that vote failed.

This deceptively-named, extreme bill would impose abortion on demand nationwide at any stage of pregnancy through federal statute. Even worse, it would eliminate modest and widely supported pro-life laws at every level of government — the federal, state, and local level — including parental notification for minor girls, informed consent, and health or safety protections specific to abortion facilities. It would force all Americans to support abortions here and abroad with their tax dollars. It would also likely force health care providers and professionals to perform, assist in, and/or refer for abortion against their deeply-held beliefs, as well as force employers and insurers to cover or pay for abortion.

We need to send an unmistakable message to the Senate that this horrible bill must never be enacted. Join Archbishop Lori, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities and Cardinal Dolan, chairman of the Committee for Religious Liberty in urging the Senate to oppose S. 4132

Check out the chairmen’s letter and this fact sheet to learn more about this radical bill. Please also check out and amplify this statement, issued by Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and chairmen of USCCB committees serving women and families, in anticipation of the Supreme Court of the United States issuing its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/_49onmNb3BrnaxL_S-n2OQ

St. Matthias School & Parish YARD SALE

St. Matthias School and Parish will be hosting a huge multi-family yard sale on Saturday, April 30th, 2022, from 10 am to 2 pm in the rear school parking lot located at 170 John F. Kennedy Blvd. in Somerset. Rain or Shine. Hot Dog and Ice Cream Food Trucks will be on the premises. Raffle tickets will be available, and the winner need not be present to win.

Many school families and parishioners will be selling items during the event. In addition, the School will be selling older tech equipment that we no longer have use or space for, at bargain prices: Apple iPads (4th gen), Hitachi projectors, Dell 22 in LCD monitors, Dell monochrome Laser Printers, and other computer accessories and freebies. All items are out-of-warranty but in working condition, and priced to sell ($20 to $40).

Help support our school and community by attending this fun event and by spreading the word to family, friends, and social media accounts.  Thank you for your support.

Declutter your home • Recycle usable items • Sell or find a bargain • Earn extra cash • Help the school raise funds!

You can do all of the above by reserving space at our upcoming yard sale. Parishioners and school families are welcome to participate. Simply fill out the registration form below and remit it along with your check to the school by April 18th. You can either send it to the school’s main office, or you can mail it to St. Matthias School, 170 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Somerset, NJ 08873. Checks should be made payable to “St. Matthias School.” All sellers will be responsible for setting up and cleaning up their rental spaces.

The yard sale will take place on Saturday, April 30th, from 10 to 2 p.m. Set-up time for sellers will be from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in the rear parking lot of the school. Click here to register or go to www.stmatthias.info and click on the Yard Sale banner on first page. That will give you the registration form; just print, fill out & turn in to the school office with your check.

We are experiencing some technical difficulties with livestreaming the Masses on our YouTube channel.  Please be patient with us as we try to resolve the issue.

Thank you for your patience.

On February 28th, St. Matthias was fortunate to spend some time listening to the Rev. Dr. Dante R. Quick, Senior Pastor of 1st Baptist of Lincoln Gardens here in Somerset, share important background in a Zoom symposium on Critical Race Theory. He also offered his perspective on what CRT means for Christian education. The symposium was moderated by Dr. Sandra Donnay, parishioner ND and founder of the Racial Equity Initiative, and sponsored by the St. Martin de Porres Society of St. Matthias. First and foremost, Rev. Dr. Quick explained the history of CRT as an academic examination centered in legal studies which debuted in 1971 in the Harvard Law Review; however he put forth an explanation of CRT having begun far before 1971 as explained by forgone scholars and thinkers. He positioned CRT as nothing more than an examination of the relationship or “intersectionality” of race, economics, education, and health through the teaching of real and true American History, and the advocacy of equity vs. equality. You can listen to the full recording of the symposium on the St. Matthias YouTube channel by clicking here.  Also provided by Rev. Dr. Quick and the moderator, Dr. Donnay, is the list of resources below. We hope to have them both with us again sometime soon.

Recommended Reading/Books from Rev Dr. Danté R. Quick:

• David Walker’s Appeal by David Walker,
• The Meaning of July 4th For the Negro by Frederick Douglass
• black codes, by the Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica
• A Theology of Liberation by Gustavo Gutierrez
• The Strange Career of Jim Crow by C. Vann Woodward
• Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman
• The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois
• Letter from Birmingham Jail by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• City of God by St. Augustine of Hippo

Resources from Dr. Sandra Donnay (on how to talk to children about race): Pursuant to the request by one of the attendees, below are some resources for talking to children about race provided by Southern Poverty Law Conference (SPLC).

https://www.embracerace.org. (Support for parents who want to hold discussions with their children about racism).

https://www.teachingforchange.org. (Recommended Social Justice Books)

https://raceconscious.org. (Resources for talking with children about racism)