Private Norman H. Clapper was a member of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was killed in action while engaged with the enemy near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea on December 2, 1950, nine days after he entered combat. He was 18 years old, one of the youngest to die in the Korean War.
Private Clapper was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.
Norman Clapper was a cousin of a friend of mine. Of course, I never met him, but from what I have heard of him, he was a kind young man who was exceedingly devoted to his divorced mother. He entered military service to lend her financial support. Decades after his death, he was awarded his high school diploma posthumously.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
St. Joan of Arc Parish exists so that God's children may develop, grow, embrace and live the faith and life of Our Lord Jesus Christ as revealed and taught by the Gospel and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
Canon 515 of the Code of Canon Law states:
A parish is a definite community of the Christian faithful established on a stable basis within a particular church; the pastoral care of the parish is entrusted to a pastor as its own shepherd under the authority of the diocesan bishop.
Furthermore, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
READ MOREIt is the place where all the faithful can be gathered together for the Sunday Eucharist. The parish initiates the Christian people into the ordinary expression of the liturgical life: it gathers them together in this celebration; it teaches Christ's saving doctrine; and it practices the charity of the Lord in good works and love.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am continually amazed at the love and care that so many mothers share. It is a profound calling from God that embraces an integral part of the dignity of women. Pope John Paul II wrote a beautiful encyclical called, On the Dignity and Vocation of Women, a great reflection for Mother's day.
The Holy Father's words are beautifully tender, most especially in light of the fact that his own mother died when he was a child. For example about pregnancy,he wrote: Motherhood involves a special communion with the mystery of life, as it develops in the woman's womb. The mother is filled with wonder at this mystery of life, and "understands" with unique intuition what is happening inside her. In the light of the "beginning,"the mother accepts and loves as a person the child she is carrying in her womb. What I love about the Holy Father's words is the deep spiritual nature of the role of mothers.
READ MOREDear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Easter Season is longer then the Lenten Season. What does that mean? I suggest that a longer celebration means a greater significance. Lent is 40 days while the Easter Season spans 50 days.
We also do a lot of talking about Lent and specifically what we have, "given up" for Lent. We talk about fasting and we give alms to the poor. I'm always amazed by the fact that Ash Wednesday seems to be as popular as Easter as we pack the church to begin our penance. Then, as Lent continues, there is a dramatic increase in daily mass attendance. Yes, it seems that during the Lenten season, we know what to do, how to express our faith, and what Holy Mother Church expects of her faithful followers.
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