There are some lessons, learned from family, friends and school that we carry with us throughout the course of our lives. Defining moments that are integral to our country are among them. I do not remember what grade I was in when I learned about Dec. 7, 1941, a day that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said would live in infamy. I remember looking up “infamy” in the dictionary and learning that it referred to an extreme, publicly known criminal or evil act. The attack on Pearl Harbor had a profound influence on all Americans and continues to live on in the minds and hearts of many. There have been other days of infamy as well: Nov. 22, 1963 when President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was killed by an assassin’s bullet; Sept. 11, 2001 when, in a terrible act of violence, over 3,000 of our fellow human beings lost their lives. New York City will never be quite the same.

Unfortunately, there is another day of infamy whose anniversary we commemorate this week. I refer of course to the Supreme Court decision of Jan. 22, 1973. In the well known Roe vs. Wade case the Supreme Court rendered an infamous judgment that has resulted in the death of more than 45 million Americans.

It is encouraging, however, to note that public opinion is changing with regard to abortion. More and more Americans recognize the baby in the womb as a person. They wish that person to have, in the words of our founding fathers,  “the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Abortion on demand is against God’s law. Abortion on demand is contrary to the natural law, “do  good and avoid evil.”  Abortion on demand does not speak well of our country. Abortion on demand must be stopped.

We will continue to do all that we can in the Diocese of Syracuse and beyond its borders to protect the right to life for every person created in God’s image. It is from this fundamental right that all of our other rights and obligations proceed. In his Encyclical, The Gospel of Life, John Paul II reminded us that “it is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop.”

As Catholics, it is absolutely essential that we are people of life.  While our approaches to defend life may vary, all of us, and indeed all people of goodwill, must be willing to stand up and give witness to the sacredness of all human life from conception to natural death. The sanctity and dignity of every human being must be proclaimed, defended and treasured. This is the solemn and consistent teaching of the Church through the centuries. Men and women, young and old, from every walk of life must be living witness is to this teaching of the Church.

The goodness of life is as old as creation itself: “God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good,”(Genesis 1: 31). Today, as human life, the pinnacle of God’s creation, is threatened everywhere from the unborn child to the elderly, we must protect and reverence life at each stage of its existence. Life is a gift from God. God alone determines when our life on earth begins and when it should end. The culture of death is becoming all too prevalent. We need to uphold the culture of life.

I am delighted that so many young people from our diocese and so many adults will be making the journey from central New York to Washington, D.C to participate at Masses at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and at the Verizon Center, to take part in   various rallies and to walk in the March for Life. Many of our people will be there representing all of us in our efforts to reverence and respect human life. For those unable to travel to Washington, I will celebrate a special Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Friday, Jan. 22 at 12:10 p.m. I hope that you will be able to join us in this celebration.  If, however, that is not possible please join us in a spirit of prayer and penance on that day.  January 22nd is being observed throughout our country as a day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right of life.

The words of the psalmist, “For it was you who created my innermost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I thank you for the wonder of my being; for the wonders of all your creation,” (Ps. 139: 13-14), have always inspired me. The psalmist appreciates the beauty and mystery of life, especially the unborn child being formed in the mother's womb. The psalmist also has a profound understanding that God, the author of life, is intimately involved in each tiny detail in the development of the child in the womb. Life, from its beginning in a mother’s womb through every stage thereafter until natural death, is a daily miracle of God's tenderness. This divine tenderness stands in stark contrast to the infamy, the disgrace and scandal of abortion. Pope Benedict XVI has stated, “the freedom to kill is not true freedom, but a tyranny that reduces the human being to slavery.” May we exercise our freedom through choices which cherish every human life as a gift from God that bears His image and likeness. 
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Respect for life and its connection to proposed health care legislation is a continuing concern for all of us.  On Nov. 7, the U.S. House of Representatives passed major health care reform that reaffirms the essential, long-standing and widely supported policy against using federal funds for elective abortion coverage. On Dec. 24, the U.S. Senate rejected this policy and passed health care reform that requires federal funds to help subsidize and promote health plans that cover elective abortions. These two bills must now be combined into one and then both the House and the Senate will vote on its final form.  Provisions against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights, affordability and access to health care for immigrants must be part of a fair and just health care reform. The Bishops of the United States strongly oppose abortion funding, while calling for critical improvements in conscience protection, affordability for the poor and vulnerable, and access to health care for immigrants. Please join me in making our Representatives and Senators aware of our desire to support health care reform that will protect the lives, the dignity, the conscience and the health of all.  Health care reform should be about saving lives, not destroying them.

May the Lord keep all of us strong in our efforts to protect, defend and reverence human life at every stage of its existence.  May God grant success to this work so important to our country and to our Church.



Most Rev. Robert J. Cunningham
Bishop of Syracuse

One of the many gifts of being a bishop of a diocese is to learn about its history and about those who paved the way before us. Undoubtedly, there is a lengthy list of individuals in our own diocese that used their God-given gifts to serve those most in need. Some, like our own Blessed Marianne Cope, left such an indelible mark that we continue to benefit today from their work and example.   
I must admit that I knew little about Blessed Marianne Cope before my arrival in Syracuse. In recent months, I have become more acquainted with her and her life story. According to her biography, she was born Barbara Koob on January 23, 1838 in what is now SE Hessen, West Germany. In 1839, her family immigrated to the United States and settled in Utica, New York.  
The Koob family became members of St. Joseph Parish and the children attended the parish school. After completing her eighth grade education, her father became an invalid and Barbara, being the oldest, went to work at a factory to support her family. She felt a calling to religious life at an early age but waited to pursue it until her younger siblings were of age to provide for themselves. At 24 years of age Barbara entered the Sisters of St. Francis in Syracuse. On Nov. 19, 1862 she was invested at the Church of the Assumption and became known as Sister Marianne. One year later, Sister Marianne made her religious profession. From that moment forward, it seemed that everything in which she became involved  would leave a lasting legacy.
Here in Central New York, two hospitals, St. Elizabeth’s in Utica and St. Joseph’s in Syracuse, were established in the late 1800’s by the Franciscan Sisters, Sister Marianne being one of them. In keeping with the Franciscan mission, these two hospitals had a unique charter to accept all those who were sick despite the then accepted societal restrictions based on nationality, race, religion or color. As nurse-administrator at  St. Joseph Hospital, Sister Marianne introduced ways to maintain sterile, clean environments so sickness did not spread. This practice would prove to be most helpful to her in her later work on Molokai.  
Sister Marianne’s pioneering work in medicine was felt far beyond her Order and St. Joseph’s Hospital. Few may know that the reason for the transferal of the College of Medicine from Geneva to Syracuse was that Syracuse had St. Joseph’s Hospital which suited the needs of a medical college. This Medical College was the beginning of Upstate Medical Center. Also of note are the negotiations carried on between Mother Marianne and Dr. John Van Duyn in the early 1870s for incoming medical students of the Medical College at Syracuse University to receive clinical instruction. Mother Marianne continued making innovative plans with the medical community for several years. During her term of office as the Provincial Superior of her Order, a leading Protestant clergyman visited patients at St. Joseph’s Hospital and was inspired to begin Good Shepherd Hospital, the second hospital in Syracuse. Our community owes much to Mother Marianne’s vision and leadership.  
In reflecting on her life, it seems to me that God was preparing Mother Marianne for the last chapter of her life in Hawaii.  The skills she honed while in administrative positions for her Order and her leadership in the medical community made her open to a request to set up a system of hospital nursing in the Hawaiian Islands. No other religious order heeded the call. She wrote: “I hope that Fr. Provincial’s good heart will approve my wish to accept the work with leprosy patients in Hawaii in the name of the great Saint Francis.”  
Leaving their lives in Syracuse, Mother Marianne and six sisters traveled to the Hawaiian Islands by train and boat to begin a life of missionary service without fear of ever contracting the disease. From the moment the sisters arrived, the lives of those suffering with leprosy were deeply touched. Mother Marianne and her sisters took charge of the leprosy hospital, established a general hospital, and built a home for daughters of leprosy patients. She came to know Father Damien DeVeuster, canonized last year, who worked with the lepers on the settlement at Molokai. When he fell victim to the disease himself, it was Mother Marianne who cared for him and later assumed caring for the lepers on Molokai.
For 35 years, she loved and cared for those suffering from leprosy when all others shunned them and treated them as outcasts.  She became their mother and drew much strength and grace from their love. She looked for no reward, stating, “I do not think of reward; I am working for God, and do so cheerfully.”
Mother Marianne died of natural causes on Aug. 9, 1918 at the age of 80 years old. She never looked for accolades or honors, “I do not expect a high place in heaven. I will be very grateful to have a corner where I can love God for all eternity.”   
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints declared Mother Marianne heroically virtuous in 2003 and on April 19, 2004 Pope John Paul II issued the decree officially naming her Venerable.  After authenticating a miracle attributed to the intercession of Mother Marianne, she was beatified on May 14, 2005. Another verified miracle will lead to her canonization making her the first canonized Saint of Syracuse!   As I prepared this article, I recalled the Gospel reading for the day, the cure of the leper. The story recounts how Jesus “stretched out his hand and touched” the leper, thus healing him. During her long life, Mother Marianne stretched out her hand and her heart to the outcast, to those on the fringes of society and to those unwelcomed in many circles. This is not only a rich legacy but a challenge to all of us. May we follow her example.
On Jan. 23, I will be with the Sisters of St. Francis celebrating a Mass in honor of Blessed Marianne’s Feast Day. As the Bishop of Syracuse, I am grateful to learn of the fullness of her heroic virtue and the vast contributions she has left all of us in the Diocese of Syracuse and in the Universal Church. Please join me in making her feast day a celebration in the hearts of all people.

Most Rev. Robert J. Cunningham
Bishop of Syracuse


Bishops call on parishes to help prevent abortion
funding
WASHINGTON — In a nationwide call to Catholics to prevent health care reform from being derailed by the abortion lobby, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent bulletin inserts and pulpit announcements to almost 19,000 parishes across the country.
“As long-time advocates of health care reform, the U.S. Catholic bishops continue to make the moral case that genuine health care reform must protect the life, dignity, consciences and health of all, especially the poor and vulnerable,” the insert says. “Health care reform should not advance a pro-abortion agenda in our country.”
As Congress negotiates a final health care bill, the insert encourages Catholics to contact their Senators and Representatives, urging them to keep longstanding restrictions against federal funding of abortion and full conscience protection in the legislation. If these criteria are not met, Catholics are asked to urge Congress to oppose the final bill.
The bulletin insert and pulpit announcement can be found in English and in Spanish at www.usccb.org/healthcare. Catholics can contact their legislators online by going to www.usccb.org/action.