Dear Fellow Disciples:

Many of us live with a tension between wanting to be accepted by others and remaining true to our individuality and uniqueness. In order to "fit in" we might feel pressure to abandon our distinctiveness. This is true about practicing our Catholic faith. For the most part, Catholics look the same as everyone else but we are also unique. If you see a statue of Mary in a front garden, a string of rosary beads hanging from a rearview mirror, or observe someone making the sign of the cross, you assume they are Catholic. Today we celebrate All Souls Day, which is a unique celebration of our connection with our deceased loved ones. These practices make us distinctive.

Among the many things that make us unique as Catholics, the most important distinction must be in the way we make priorities in our lives. One priority for us is connecting with our worshiping community every Sunday. We come to church every Sunday to benefit from it personally and to show that we are committed to the other members of the parish community. Together we are learning to model our lives after Jesus the Christ and to be compassionate to the poor and vulnerable. These are the ways in which we truly distinguish ourselves as Catholic. Many times our commitment to virtue makes us unique. It is something about us that we must never compromise in order to be accepted or "fit in."

Your brother,
Fr. Kevin Carlin Kennedy