I was reading a report from the Vatican News Service about recent developments in Haiti. Five Haitian and two French religious, as well as three laypersons, were kidnapped in Haiti on Sunday, April 11, as they were preparing to attend a ceremony for the installation of a new parish priest in the municipality of Croix-des-Bouquet, northeast of Haiti’s capital. Reports indicate that the kidnappers, suspected to have been part of an armed gang, have demanded a ransom for the release of the people in their custody. The local bishop, the Most Reverend Pierre-André Dumas of Mirogoâne, made the following comment after learning of the kidnapping, “This is too much. The time has come for these inhumane acts to stop.” The Haitian Conference of Religious (HCR) has expressed its deep sorrow, but also its anger at the situation. HCR noted that this kind of illegal activity has been going on for over a decade.

Today is the Second Sunday of Easter and also Divine Mercy Sunday. The feast of Divine Mercy is based on the devotion to the Divine Mercy that Saint Faustina Kowalska reported as part of her encounter with Jesus.

The Lord has risen as he said, Alleluia!

On this Palm Sunday I think that it would be good to remember twenty missionaries who experienced a violent death in mission lands in 2020. These priests, seminarians, religious, lay women, and lay men were witnesses to the passion and love of the heart of Jesus. Let me list the names of these twenty missionaries, their country of origin, and the country in which they were killed:

With the availability of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been asked for guidance by a number of parishioners about the morality of taking one of the vaccines. Even though I wrote about this several weeks ago, I am going to do it again because I think that there is a need to do so. Let me begin by quoting a statement that the Maryland Catholic Conference posted on March 9, 2021.

Our late and beloved Msgr. Ralph Kuehner (Fr. Ralph) was a tireless advocate for affordable housing in the District of Columbia and in the five Maryland counties in the Archdiocese of Washington. He also was a frequent champion for affordable housing in Annapolis. One thing of which he would wholeheartedly approve were he still here among us would be House Bill 58, which establishes the Workgroup on Minority Homeownership, Neighborhood Revitalization, and Household Wealth Equity. If the bill becomes law, it would require this Workgroup to study and make recommendations to promote homeownership and create wealth-building opportunities for minority households and promote community revitalization through targeted investments in homeownership. The Workgroup would be asked to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1, 2021.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, people have reached out to me because they are feeling anxious, frightened, depressed, but don’t understand why. For that reason I thought that I would write today to present some of the warning signs and symptoms of mental illness, according to the National Alliance for Mental Illness. First let’s review some common signs of mental illness in adults and adolescents:

Last week I was able to receive the first of two COVID-19 shots. When I told several people this, they asked if it really was all right for Catholics to receive these vaccines. They had seen various postings on social media urging people not to receive them for various reasons. In light of that I thought that I would include today in this column the joint letter the Catholic Bishops of Maryland issued on this subject in December, 2020. I think their comments are well worth reading carefully. ~ Fr. John

On November 11, 2020, Pope Francis released his Lenten message for 2021. He invites us to remember the One who “humbled himself and became obedient unto death, death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). He encourages us to renew our faith, draw from the “living water” of hope, and receive with new hearts the love of God, who makes us brothers and sisters in Christ. Fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, as preached by Jesus, enable and express our conversion. The path of poverty and self-denial (fasting), concern and loving care for the poor (almsgiving), and child-like dialogue with the Father. These make it possible for us to live lives of sincere faith, living hope, and effective charity.

Today is World Marriage Day. In observance of that occasion, I am offering an article on “Ten Pointers for Prayer” from the National Marriage Initiative, an initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to communicate the meaning and value of marriage life for the Church and for society.

Even though there is much discussion about what is going in the U.S. Congress these days, I want to focus attention not on that legislative body but on the Maryland General Assembly. I have admired the great work that the Maryland Catholic Conference (MCC) does year after year in highlighting priority issues for Catholics statewide. This year the MCC invites us to participate in Catholic Advocacy Day on February 16, 2021. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, this year this event will be virtual. In 2021 the issues that the MCC wants to highlight are: education, life, and human rights.

On January 18, 2021, we celebrated Martin Luther King Day. The Maryland Catholic Conference has posted on their website a statement from the Roman Catholic Bishops of Maryland. I want to share their statement for that occasion with you today.