Pray for Our Country and in Honor of Our Service Men and Women, Living and Deceased

Pray for Our Country and in Honor of Our Service Men and Women, Living and Deceased,

with a Special Novena of Masses

We are approaching our nation's Independence Day, July 4th, a day when we give thanks to God for the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But this year's celebration will come in the wake of the deadly shooting in Orlando which now bears the dreadful distinction of being the worst terror attack to occur in the U.S. since 9/11. At this moment in time, with our liberties and freedoms hanging in the balance, there has never been a greater need for people of faith to join together to pray for strength in the battles that lie ahead of us.

In addition to the threats we face here at home, our men and women in uniform daily stand in the gap for us by serving our country, both here and abroad. Daily, they put their lives on the line for the cause of freedom and they deserve our support. The greatest means of support we can offer them is the support of prayer, especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

For these reasons, we are offering a Novena of Masses for the healing of our country and for protection of our citizens, especially our service men and women.

Perhaps you have a loved one or an extended family member who has been impacted by the deadly shooting in Orlando. Or you may know someone who is serving or has served in our armed services, be they family, friend, neighbor, or fellow parishioner. Or maybe you just acknowledge the great gift of sacrifice these men and women make on your behalf, and want to demonstrate that. We want to offer you an opportunity to remember them by name at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout this Novena. It will begin July 4th, Independence Day, and will be offered by Fr. Phillip Apiya, Director of Youth Ap ostolate in the Archdiocese of Gulu . I can only imagine the number of graces you will obtain for them!

For most of us, this July 4th will be a more reflective time as we ponder the challenges that we, as Christians, will face in the coming days and months. Let us come together as the Mystical Body of Christ and remember those who, throughout the generations and even today, lay down their lives for the cause of freedom.

Click here to pray for healing in our country and remember our service men and women, living and deceased, in our special Novena of Masses.

In His Service and with gratitude,

Johnnette S. Benkovic

P.S. We received the following note from Msgr. Matthew Odong, also from the Archdiocese of Gulu, "Our prayers are with you, our dear American brothers and sisters, for healing and protection of the rights to life and freedom of the children of God. Courage! Evil will never win. God will never abandon those who trust in His Mighty power. Turning to God in prayers is the most urgent thing our world today needs to attain peace and live in harmony with each other for without God we can do nothing."