It was indeed a victory celebration that took 50 years to happen. While it was disappointing to see such a relatively small crowd, there was great enthusiasm in many who were there. I was standing in front of the state capitol building happy to see so many elected officials who have taken a stand and promoted laws that protect the life of an unborn child in the owmb of its mother while remembering past rallies where there were few elected officials up there, and more clergymen, including the bishop fo the Catholic Church of Arkansas. by the way, I was reflecting over the phone with Ann Dierks of our parish, who was the first "Respect Life" coordinator for the Diocese of Little Rock about the poor weather conditions for the "March for Life" in Arkansas (which was initiated around 1976 in large part by then Bishop Andrew J. McDonald) for some years of the "March". She recalled one year where there was a heavy snow that fell in Little Rock either on the day of or the night before theMarch too place AND it still took place! Bishop McDonald and about 250 people braved the elements (to the surprise of the police escorts) marched up Capitol Street and proceeded with the planned program. Patience, perseverance, AND much prayer has brought us to this point in Arkansas where state laws are in place that now are in affect (after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade) which makes it illegal for any entity to abort children from their mother's wombs. There is indeed much to celebrate here in Arkansas AND MUCH MORE TO DO! This means keeping our laws protecting the unborn child strong and providing (financially and in other ways) an outreach to pregnant women especially the poor who need help during their pregnancy and afterward (which, thankfully, is already happening in the pregnancy help centers). More challenging than that is having educational programs that emphasize the proper use of one's sexuality that can lead to far fewer unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, especially among our young people!

At the rally last Sunday, it was proudly said that for the third year in a row, Arkansas was declared (by some guage) the most pro-life state in the United States. While this is truly something to celebrate when it comes to the issue of abortion, my pastor's column next week will speak about other pro-life issues and where we need to move (and enact laws) to truly say that ALL human life is a gift from God that must be respected and protected at all stages and in all situations!

We all have days and weeks in our lives that are more filled with activities than others. Sometimes those "more" days or weeks can be overwhelming as we try to do justice to all we have to do. I believe that the argument could be made that this past week is one of those "more" weeks that included the commemoration of the birth of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" and the 50th anniversary of the Roe v Wade decision of the Supreme Court that made the abortion of an unborn child in his or her mother's womb a legal right (and has only recently been overturned by the current Supreme Court. The first and third of these three have to do with human rights which are "God-given" and God ordained and SHOULD NOT be left up to legislatures, courts or any individuals to decide as if they have a power or authority equal or even greater than God! The imperative of God in the Old Testament (Lev. 19:18; Dtr. 6 4-5) that was made ever more clear by Jesus Christ, (our Lord AND GOD) is that we love God with our entire being and love our neighbor as ourselves and that means respecting and (in the case of an unborn child, some elderly who are helpless because of mental and/or physical deterioration, and even the criminally convicted) protecting them from injury or harm from individuals and even from the state that might devalue their lives to the point of killing them or letting them die. As it is important that we act in ways that respect and protect the lives of people in their mother's womb, it is also important that we pray for conversion in those who need to change their thoughts and actions in the ways of God. We pray in this "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" that all Christians seek to be one, if not in devotional and liturgical practices, ALWAYS in protecting and promoting the "God given" rights of all who are created in the image and likeness of God! Sadly and even tragically, we have a great deal of needed growth in this area and in others. At the Mass on the day that commemorates the birthday of Dr Marting Luther King, Jr we sang two songs that had appropriate words that I hope convey the beliefs, feelings and actionsl of all of us who are reading this column and many more. The first one is the first verse from the song "In Christ There is no East or West" and goes, "In Christ there is no east or west, in him no south or north, but one great family bound by love throughout the whole wide earth." The second is the song "Companions on the Journey" whose first verse says this: "We are companions on the journey, breaking bread and sharing life. And in the love we bear is the hope we share, for we believe in the love of our God, we believe in the love of our God."

Normally when my pastor's column is devoted to our VIP of the month (which for January is Maureen Morgan), I begin by bringing up my own knowledge of the person and what I especially appreciate about them that has made (and in the case of Maureen still makes) them a blessing for this parish and others. Maureen and her husband, Colin, moved to Hot Springs Village and became members of our parish in 1993. She has been a longtime member of LOSH (since 2006) and chose to be active in the St Jude Guild because of its mission to support the youth of our parish through our REY (Religious Education for Youth). She has regularly helped as an "ice cream scooper" as this guild has a fundraiser(s) at Men's Club dinners to raise money to support our youth in special dinners, beginning and end of school year parties and receptions and gifts for those youth who are receiving sacraments at our parish. She has delivered food through Meals on Wheels, served and provided food for funeral receptions and contributed time and goodies for LOSH bake goods sales and food baskets. Maureen is best known for and is seen and appreciated by many for her beautiful singing voice which she has used over the years as a regular cantor at the 8:00 a.m. Mass, as a soloist and member of the funeral choir at Masses of Ressurection for parishioners, with special choirs for Christmas and the Easter Triduum and for special events like the Knight's Memorial Mass and LOSH May crowning service. She has entertained many by writing and leading a group of singers at deacons' retirement dinners and anniversary and birthday celebrations for me (which I truly appreciate). She honored and entertained Msgr Malone and us with a parody Irish song that brought a big smile to him and others there. I don't have space to mention all the ways she has volunteered and served the larger community of Hot Springs Village with her time and talents, but I can tell you it's impressive! Personally, I have been impressed and blessed by her perpetual smile, her positive demeanor, her high energy level, AND her willingness to communicate with me in person (or usually by e-mail) with compliments, questions, critiques, and information that I have found helpful to me and to the parish. I appreciate her and anyone sharing with honesty about what I'm doing (or could be doing) and ideas that could (and more often than not) will benefit our parish which Maureen loves deeply. I do want to also thank her dear husband, Colin who has supported, and I know will continue to support, the time and talent she has given and continues to give in so many ways to this wonderful parish and our Hot Springs Village community!