Articles by Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila
St. Paul, Missionary of Hope
Mar 26, 2009 / 00:00 amTalk given by Most Reverend Samuel J. Aquila, Bishop of Fargo
With our Faith we have Great Hope
Feb 19, 2009 / 00:00 amVideotape message by Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, Bishop of Fargo, shared in Diocese of Fargo parishes in February 2009
All must understand the seriousness of the Freedom of Choice Act
Jan 27, 2009 / 00:00 amThe Freedom of Choice Act "violates the consciences of those who are opposed to abortion" and would, if it became law, force the Catholic Church to "enter into civil disobedience and refuse to follow the law", Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fargo, said Sunday, Jan. 25.
Support, in word and deed, the dignity of human life
Nov 18, 2008 / 00:00 amOn Nov. 4, 2008, the United States witnessed an historic event in the election of the first African-American president. With his election as president we have seen our nation take great strides forward in the civil rights movement and the rights for all peoples regardless of race. I congratulate President-elect Barack Obama and assure him of my prayers and the prayers of the faithful of the Diocese of Fargo in the immense responsibilities that he will undertake as president. One of those prayers will be for the conversion of his heart and mind to recognize the dignity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death and the truth that no government has the right to legalize abortion.
We are God’s first
Oct 28, 2008 / 00:00 amEditor's note: This is an edited homily given Oct. 19, 2008 at the Cathedral of St. Mary, Fargo.
No person who is truly Catholic can take a position of “pro-choice” or vote for a law supporting the so-called right to abortion
Oct 10, 2008 / 00:00 amAt a Sept. 28 Mass which preceded a Eucharistic procession of 1,000 people to the state of North Dakota’s only abortion facility, Bishop Samuel Aquila of the Catholic Diocese of Fargo said Catholics who are “pro-choice” are “pro-abortion and participating in an intrinsic evil and promoting an unjust law.”
Knowing Church teaching is essential to the exercise of faithful citizenship
Sep 30, 2008 / 00:00 amPolitics consists in the public conversations and decisions of how we ought to order our common life together. Even though there is a separation of church and state in America, this does not mean that there should be a separation of faith and public life. The truths of faith, enlightening natural reason, are a great gift to humanity as we decide how best to order our common life. Every four years the bishops of the United States issue a statement on "Faithful Citizenship" in which they call Catholics to "political responsibility" grounded in reason and faith. The statement "highlights the role of the Church in the formation of conscience and the corresponding moral responsibility of each Catholic to hear, receive and act upon the Church’s teaching in the lifelong task of forming his or her own conscience.(Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship[FCFC] 3, United States Conference of Bishops, 2007)." In this New Earth issue, Christopher Dodson’s column speaks to how Catholics are to form their consciences. I encourage you to read it.
To grow in holiness we must be reconciled with God
Mar 18, 2008 / 00:00 amMy dear brothers and sisters in Christ,