Quote
“The civil law must balance the rights and duties of all individuals and we must be vigilant to ensure the safety of all people, regardless of their position on this most serious issue.”
| Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, who in an Aug. 1 statement criticized the approval of a buffer zone around abortion clinics by Massachusetts lawmakers even though the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year struck down a law establishing such areas. (Catholic News Service)
Profile
Nora Maui‘a
Youth and young adult ministry team member, Blessed Sacrament Parish
- Favorite saint: St. Damien
- Food: Fried rice
- Holiday: Easter
- Island: Kauai
- Commandment: “Honor your father and mother.”
- Hymn: “Hear My Cry, Oh Lord”
- Potato salad or mac salad: Potato salad
- Most memorable priest: I would have to say our priest here at Blessed Sacrament, Father Steve Nguyen. I look forward to every Sunday Mass not only to receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist but also to hear Father’s homily.
Saints under 40
Change of heart
Blessed John Finch returned to his family’s Catholic roots with a fervor that eventually led to his brutal death. The farmer became a strong advocate for his faith and actively worked to aid those around him — even to the point of martyrdom.
Finch was born around 1548 in England, and was raised Protestant despite his family’s Catholicism in earlier generations. When he got older, however, a year in London revealed to him the stark difference between Protestants and Catholics, and he decided to go back to his family’s original faith.
After marrying, Finch became even more active in his faith and began to secretly help missionary priests live in and travel around England. His activities caught the eye of the Protestant monarchy, and in 1581 his activities were exposed. He was taken prisoner and tortured for two years, during which he steadfastly refused to renounce his Catholicism. While he was imprisoned, Finch continued to defy England’s rulers by preaching to other prisoners about his faith.
Finch eventually was sentenced to death for defying the Church of England, and in 1584 he was hanged, drawn and quartered. He was beatified in 1929 along with 135 other English martyrs. (www.catholicdaily.net)
