Special Mass Announcement

SPECIAL MASS ANNOUCEMENT
April 12, 2021 

Remembrance of Suffering and Death
in the Season of the Resurrection
Special Mass Announcement from Bishop Peter A. Libasci

For several years now in the Diocese of Manchester, we have celebrated an annual Mass of Healing for victims of abuse. We also remember those whose work and ministry is to help alleviate the suffering of victims and who aid in their healing. As April has been designated Abuse Awareness Month, this has been and continues to be an important identification with Jesus who, though innocent, suffered greatly at the hands of others. His Resurrection is the source of hope for all who have been wronged.

In recent years, April has also become a month to remember and pray for the victims of other evils as well. Internationally and locally, April has been pinpointed as Genocide and Holocaust Awareness Month because this terrible phenomenon has grown to unimaginable levels, and in the Twentieth Century April 1915, 1933, 1975, 1992, 1994, 2003, 2011, 2019, and 2020 heralded the beginnings of unimaginable atrocities that ensued in places around the world.

Intimidation, victimization, brutality and the taking of human life are sins against life and God Himself as seen in the children of our first parents: Adam and Eve’s sons, Cain and Abel. One becomes envious of another’s favor until the envy rises to anger and ultimately the desire to exterminate the brother he resents as his rival, though his brother has done nothing wrong, nothing to disparage him. From that moment until this, as is written in the Genocide Convention of 1948, “At all periods of history genocide has inflicted great losses on humanity.” The same document defines genocide as “the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic racial or religious group.”

Aware of all this, and in reparation and in faith, Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Peter A. Libasci at St. Joseph’s Cathedral at 6:00 p.m. the week of April 19 – 22 to remember the victims of the evils of Abuse, Abortion, The Holocaust, and Genocide, and to pray for the conversion of heart and mind of those who would be perpetrators of these evils.

The Masses will be livestreamed from St. Joseph’s Cathedral at 6:00 PM: (https://www.stjosephcathedralnh.org):

Monday, April 19th: The Armenian and Rwandan Genocides
Tuesday, April 20th: Those Who Have Been Abused and Those Who Care for or Mourn Them
Wednesday, April 21st: The Holocaust
Thursday, April 22nd: The Atrocities in Sudan and Darfur and all other Victims of Persecution

There are so many to name and recognize, but we must be able to entrust all to God and in God’s mercy, pray for Peace and the Progress of Peoples until all can live in peace as God’s children, Redeemed from such things, through Christ Our Risen Lord.

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The Diocese of Manchester is the Roman Catholic Church in New Hampshire, serving the needs of nearly 235,000 Catholics. For more information, please visit www.catholicnh.org/overview. St. Joseph’s Cathedral is located at 145 Lowell St., Manchester. Please wear masks and social distance for those who attend the Masses in person.