I’ll give it a try tomorrow morning. I really enjoy Letters to Leo and I have forwarded to friends, fellow members of the Order of Malta and our parish priest.
I’m a 52 y.o. (Almost 53) who over the last 6 years has embraced my faith. I also was raised by a Chicago Democrat mother, and have found myself becoming more liberal over the last 15 or so years. I had a conversation w a customer at work and it came up that I attend the Basilica here in Milwaukee, and she said she was married there, but found another parish when they started having security in the parking lot. The church is in a lower income neighborhood. I’m often approached by people on my way in to daily mass asking for food, money, anything, including a man the other day on a cold rainy morning standing there in socks. I was in tears that I wasn’t in a position to help him. But I admit that I judged her for her reasons for leaving the parish, and not kindly. I also know though, that I am attending Mass both Sunday and daily with people that didn’t vote the same as me. Conventual Franciscans run the parish and have for over 100 years. As a Franciscan myself, I know the Friars tend to be more liberal. My customer would be appalled to know they quietly hired more security to stand at the doors and exits as we are in a highly Hispanic neighborhood and ICE has been seen. The friars want none of their parishioners to be harassed. They leave politics out of their homilies, and focus on the love of Christ. It takes a ton of $$ to maintain a building that is over 100 years old, and is one of the top tourist spots in the city. They know not to upset the apple cart that’s bringing the dollars in, but if you listen closely you can hear the subtle messages in those homilies. It’s tough to be a liberal Catholic.
Is your church doing anything to support and help the people who stand outside asking for food, money, clothing? My church has a food window where people get a meal. There is another window where people can get clothes. A third window is a food pantry to help those who need more food to fix for their families. My church is in the downtown area. There’s a railroad bridge that is next to the church. It’s common to see 3-4 homeless people sleeping under there. If your church isn’t helping enough maybe find another one that does especially if it’s hard being a liberal Catholic.
Yes, we have a weekly food pantry that regularly feeds about 120 families. We also have a limited storage space to have some clothing we give away. While the church office is open they will give away $5 McDonald’s cards to anyone who is hungry. We collect supplies for the local pregnancy resource center. With Franciscans running the parish, the poor are well taken care of.
I feel you. Sometimes there are people I feel comfortable with,discussing Trump and his evils, other times there are people I don’t feel comfortable doing so. My whole family can’t stand him, and my dad used to express his criticisms of Trump with me. Mom wouldn’t want to talk about it, but I don’t think she approved of him either.
Thank you, for the article, my grandmother, always said when , I was having a bad time, oh yeah of little faith. She and I would pray together. Especially on days that were hard on her or myself.
I have a genuine question, what does it mean to be a Democrat left? Besides abortion, immigration and matters of the faith that one can never agree on.
What are some values of the left that are compatible with the Catholic faith?
Recognize employees rights to collectively bargain for wages and working conditions, providing more affordable care, making food accessible to people with insufficient money, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The Republicans want to cut all these, avoid making simple and manageable reforms, and cut taxes for the richest, who are often getting handouts from the government for their businesses. Some of the policies they encourage are designed to prevent advancement or keep barriers in place to keep people behind.
I will pray for you. I’m not a Catholic but a fellow traveler in Christ nonetheless. I have followed all news of Leo eagerly and am so glad to find this resource. Thank you!
How can I share and perhaps give gift subscriptions to Letters to Leo to my Catholic friends? I am a subscriber.
Hi, Richard. I'm not 100% sure how Substack does that, but I think you can do it this way: https://www.thelettersfromleo.com/gift
I’ll give it a try tomorrow morning. I really enjoy Letters to Leo and I have forwarded to friends, fellow members of the Order of Malta and our parish priest.
Let us know how it works! Thank you for your support.
I’m a 52 y.o. (Almost 53) who over the last 6 years has embraced my faith. I also was raised by a Chicago Democrat mother, and have found myself becoming more liberal over the last 15 or so years. I had a conversation w a customer at work and it came up that I attend the Basilica here in Milwaukee, and she said she was married there, but found another parish when they started having security in the parking lot. The church is in a lower income neighborhood. I’m often approached by people on my way in to daily mass asking for food, money, anything, including a man the other day on a cold rainy morning standing there in socks. I was in tears that I wasn’t in a position to help him. But I admit that I judged her for her reasons for leaving the parish, and not kindly. I also know though, that I am attending Mass both Sunday and daily with people that didn’t vote the same as me. Conventual Franciscans run the parish and have for over 100 years. As a Franciscan myself, I know the Friars tend to be more liberal. My customer would be appalled to know they quietly hired more security to stand at the doors and exits as we are in a highly Hispanic neighborhood and ICE has been seen. The friars want none of their parishioners to be harassed. They leave politics out of their homilies, and focus on the love of Christ. It takes a ton of $$ to maintain a building that is over 100 years old, and is one of the top tourist spots in the city. They know not to upset the apple cart that’s bringing the dollars in, but if you listen closely you can hear the subtle messages in those homilies. It’s tough to be a liberal Catholic.
Is your church doing anything to support and help the people who stand outside asking for food, money, clothing? My church has a food window where people get a meal. There is another window where people can get clothes. A third window is a food pantry to help those who need more food to fix for their families. My church is in the downtown area. There’s a railroad bridge that is next to the church. It’s common to see 3-4 homeless people sleeping under there. If your church isn’t helping enough maybe find another one that does especially if it’s hard being a liberal Catholic.
Yes, we have a weekly food pantry that regularly feeds about 120 families. We also have a limited storage space to have some clothing we give away. While the church office is open they will give away $5 McDonald’s cards to anyone who is hungry. We collect supplies for the local pregnancy resource center. With Franciscans running the parish, the poor are well taken care of.
I feel you. Sometimes there are people I feel comfortable with,discussing Trump and his evils, other times there are people I don’t feel comfortable doing so. My whole family can’t stand him, and my dad used to express his criticisms of Trump with me. Mom wouldn’t want to talk about it, but I don’t think she approved of him either.
Thank you, for the article, my grandmother, always said when , I was having a bad time, oh yeah of little faith. She and I would pray together. Especially on days that were hard on her or myself.
I have a genuine question, what does it mean to be a Democrat left? Besides abortion, immigration and matters of the faith that one can never agree on.
What are some values of the left that are compatible with the Catholic faith?
Our commitment to the common good of all, including the poor and people we have left out of our society.
Okay, but how does the Democratic Party achieve that in their policies and laws that is different from the Right?
Recognize employees rights to collectively bargain for wages and working conditions, providing more affordable care, making food accessible to people with insufficient money, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The Republicans want to cut all these, avoid making simple and manageable reforms, and cut taxes for the richest, who are often getting handouts from the government for their businesses. Some of the policies they encourage are designed to prevent advancement or keep barriers in place to keep people behind.
I will pray for you. I’m not a Catholic but a fellow traveler in Christ nonetheless. I have followed all news of Leo eagerly and am so glad to find this resource. Thank you!