ARCHDIOCESE KICKS OFF NINE DAYS OF PRAYER AND FASTING TODAY FOR THE ELDERLY, DISABLED AND TERMINALLY ILL

June 1, 2016  |  By: newsroom  |  Press Releases  |  1 comment

Bishop David O’Connell celebrated Mass at Santa Teresita, home for seniors in need of assisted living and nursing services,in the wake of implementation of assisted suicide law

 The Archdiocese of Los Angeles kicked off a novena – nine days of prayer and fasting – for the elderly, disabled and those nearing the end of life with a Mass celebrated by Bishop David G. O’Connell, Auxiliary Bishop of San Gabriel Pastoral Region,today at Santa Teresita, a home for seniors in need of assisted living and nursing services, operated by the religious order of the Carmelite Sisters in Duarte.

“We begin our Novena at Santa Teresita because it is a place where our brothers and sisters who are frail and elderly, and also those who are dying know that each one of them is loved and wanted,” said Bishop O’Connell. “They are surrounded by love and compassion shown to them each day by the wonderful Carmelite Sisters and the staff.”

The Mass and patient visit started nine days of prayer and fasting before the implementation of doctor-assisted suicide in California on June 9. The legalization of doctor-assisted suicide in California marks a dividing line in the way we care for our most vulnerable brothers and sisters – especially the poor, the elderly, the disabled, and those in our immigrant communities.

“The law now teaches that some lives are worth less than others, and it preys upon the fears and anxieties of the frail, the poor, and those in our immigrant communities,” said Kathleen Buckley Domingo, associate director of the Office of Life, Justice and Peace. “As a Catholic community, we affirm the inherent dignity of each person from conception to the last breath of life. We advocate for accessible, quality healthcare that promotes peace and wellbeing at the end of life. We stand against promoting death as a solution to human suffering. We pray for those who are ill or nearing the end of life, that they and their families find support and comfort.”

A St. John Paul II Novena Prayer Card, created by the Archdiocese’s Office of Life, Justice and Peace, has been distributed in parishes throughout the try-county Archdiocese of Los Angeles (Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura), the Archdiocese of San Francisco and Diocese of Orange. It is also available online Novena Prayer Card. For more information visit archla.org/endoflife.

 

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NOTE: PHOTOS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST