The following is Father Strebler's Pastor's Column for the weekend of August 19 & 20, 2023.

Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants.
—St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta

Ohio Proposition 1 was defeated at the polls, for better or worse.  We must now look to November and the proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution that would open up unfettered access to abortion up until the time of birth as well as impacting parental consent  for abortion and transgender issues.

While Proposition 1 was not a moral issue, which allowed Catholic voters to use their prudential judgment, the proposed abortion amendment in November is a moral issue; therefore, Catholics cannot in good conscience vote in favor of it.  In fact, we must do all we can to defeat it.   We need to fast and pray—tools for the defeat of the diabolical.  We also have to work to defeat the amendment at the ballot box though our own votes and through our working for the defeat for this amendment.   I encourage all of you to register to vote if you are not registered already and to vote down this attack on the dignity of human life and role of parents in the family.

To be clear:  this is not a political issue--it is a moral issue.  It is not a matter of Right vs. Left but a matter of right vs. wrong. 

No parishioners should have signs in their yards supporting this amendment, nor should there be any financial or politicking support for it.

If you support this amendment, I am willing to sit down and talk to you to help you well-form your conscience, please contact me to do so.

Let us pray and work in support of life.

Sincerely,

Rev. Charles F. Strebler
Pastor