What is your Catholic Church and Bishop doing tonight? Holding an anti-gun rally? Peace yes, partisan politics no!

Parkland students kick off anti-gun tour with rally at Catholic church

• Joyce Duriga
  Jun 25, 2018
  CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

Hundreds gathered for a rally and peace march June 15 at Sabina Church in Chicago. The event kicked off a national anti-gun tour being led by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in memory of those killed in a mass shooting at the school in February. (Credit: Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic via CNS.)

CHICAGO - For the past 10 years, at the start of summer, Father Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina Church in Chicago, and St. Sabina parishioners have held a rally to kick off weekly marches for peace in the surrounding neighborhood.

This year, March for Our Lives and students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, used the rally to launch their national tour advocating for stricter gun laws and registering young people to vote.

Joining them at the rally, held June 15, were former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, entertainers will.i.am and Chicago natives Jennifer Hudson and Chance the Rapper. Chicago Cardinal Blase J. Cupich offered an opening prayer.

Instead of its usual location on the church steps, the rally took place in the church parking lot, where a large stage and sound system was erected. While the crowd was filled with people of all ages, the focus was on the young people.

Pfleger greeted the crowd at the start of the rally.

“Something is happening across this country. Young people are rising up, from the north to the south to the east and to the west, and they are taking control,” the priest told the gathering of several hundred people.

Young people are impatient with the gun violence in today’s society and they are unfiltered in their honesty, he told the younger people in the crowd.

“I love you because you say what is in your heart and what’s in your spirit. That’s what America needs right now,” Pfleger said.

Young people emceed the event and nine local youth leaders took the stage early on urging those in attendance to vote, to hold elected officials accountable for better schools and stricter gun laws and to gather together around a local organizing effort called “Chicago Strong.”

Giffords, who was seriously wounded in a 2011 shooting, followed the young people on stage and urged them to stand up for “what is right” and vote in the next presidential election so their voices are heard.

More than a dozen students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland took the stage and student Kyrah Simon said their voices matter.

“Everyone from Parkland is so grateful to be here with you today. We’re so grateful to fight with you, to stand with you, to rally with you,” Simon said. “Our voices united are stronger than anything else.”

Will.i.am., the front person for the Black Eyed Peas, said he has been inspired by the young people standing up and speaking out.

“I applaud you all. I bow to you all,” he told the young people. “Let’s inspire all the youth to wake up and do the same thing.”

Many of the major movements in U.S. history have been started by young people, he said, citing the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, who both died at 39 but started their activism much earlier.

“It has always been the youth stepping up and this time it isn’t just one or two or three,” he said. “It is millions.”

Hudson, who grew up in the city’s Englewood neighborhood and whose mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew were murdered there in 2008, told the young people to stay together not just in the bad times but the good times.

“One thing my mother taught me was to take care of home first. I think that’s why we’re all here,” she said. “I want to encourage the children to stay positive and know that there is so much more to life than the block you live on.”

She then led the gathering in singing “Amazing Grace” and encouraged everyone to pray for each other and those around them “because that’s the only thing that’s going to get us through.”

Chance the Rapper, who hails from the city’s West Chatham neighborhood, rounded out the speakers.

“We’re all here for the same reason,” he said. “We want peace. We want safety from gun violence and violence of all kinds.”

With this type of movement and the amount of people involved, change can come, he said.

Gabby Giffords meets the Pope

Former Rep. Giffords, astronaut husband meet pope at audience
By Catholic News Service

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly, a U.S. astronaut, met briefly with Pope Benedict XVI at the end of the pope's weekly general audience Aug. 8.

Giffords, who was shot and seriously wounded during a political appearance in Arizona in 2011, traveled to Rome with her husband after a visit to the European Center for Nuclear Research in Switzerland.

At the end of the audience in the courtyard of the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo, Kelly and Giffords, assisted by a papal aide, went up to greet the pope. Giffords kissed the pope's ring; after a brief chat with Kelly, the pope held Giffords' hand.

The personal encounter with Pope Benedict was the second for Kelly, who had joined other crew members from the International Space Station and the space shuttle Endeavour at the papal villa last September. The pope had spoken, via satellite, to the crew four months earlier when they were orbiting the Earth.

In his main audience talk, Pope Benedict focused on the lessons about prayer taught by St. Dominic, the founder of the Order of Preachers, whose feast day is Aug. 8.

Pope Benedict said those who knew the Dominicans' founder reported that he was always either "speaking to God or about God."

Especially while on vacation with one's family, Christians need to set aside time to pray, the pope said. "This also will help those close to you enter into God's radiant presence, which brings the peace and love that we all need."

The pope said St. Dominic was convinced that one's physical posture during prayer was an important expression of one's total commitment to a relationship with God.

"St. Dominic prayed on his feet bowing to express humility, prostrate on the ground to ask forgiveness for his sins, on his knees to do penance in order to participate in the Lord's suffering, (and) with his arms open, gazing upon the crucifix to contemplate the supreme love" of God expressed through Christ's sacrifice, the pope said.

Giffords resigns from Congress

Gabrielle Giffords will resign to focus on her recovery

By the CNN Wire Staff

updated 2:57 PM EST, Sun January 22, 2012

Rep. Giffords to resign from Congress

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Giffords will attend the State of the Union address Tuesday
• Giffords announces she will resign in a video on her website
• She was shot in the head on January 8, 2011
• Six people died and 12 others were injured in the shooting rampage

(CNN) -- Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords announced on her website Sunday that she will resign from Congress this week to continue her recuperation from the brain injury she suffered when shot just over a year ago.
"A lot has happened over the past year. We cannot change that," Giffords, 41, says in a video on her website, speaking in a halting manner.
"I don't remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice," Giffords continues. "Thank you for your prayers and for giving me time to recover. I have more work to do on my recovery. So to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week."
Giffords, a Democrat, will submit a letter of resignation during the week to House Speaker John Boehner and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who will set the date for special elections to fill the remainder of her term, which expires at the end of the year.

Giffords: I have to work on my recovery

A statement from her office said Giffords will attend the State of the Union address Tuesday as one of her last acts before stepping down.
She also will finish her "Congress On Your Corner" event that was interrupted by the shooting rampage of January 8, 2011, that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Giffords, the statement said.
House Democratic leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-California, called Giffords a "bright star" whose "message of bipartisanship and civility is one that all in Washington and the nation should honor and emulate."
"She will be missed in the House of Representatives, but her legacy in the Congress and her leadership for our nation will certainly continue," Pelosi said in a statement.
In her website video, Giffords says her public service career has not ended.
"I will return and we will work together for Arizona and this great country," she says.
Earlier this month, Giffords joined thousands for a vigil in Tucson, Arizona, one of several emotional events over the weekend to mark one year since the shootings.
Prosecutors accuse Jared Lee Loughner, 23, of carrying out the attack, which purportedly targeted Giffords during the constituent meet-and-greet event outside a supermarket.
Giffords is still recovering from her injuries, and her right side remains weak. She has made few public appearances since the incident with some rare exceptions, such as casting a vote in Congress to raise the federal debt ceiling and conducting an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer.
She has been undergoing intensive rehabilitation in Houston, Texas, but returned to Tucson several times, according to her office.
Pia Carusone, the congresswoman's chief of staff, said recently that Giffords had steadily increased her workload as her condition improved.
"As the year wore on, we were able to plug the congresswoman in more," Carusone said. "Now we talk regularly over video chats and telephone. She's gotten more and more involved the better she gets."
Loughner potentially faces the death penalty if convicted on charges of murdering six people -- including the chief federal judge of Arizona, John Roll. Loughner has been diagnosed as schizophrenic and has spent time on suicide watch while in custody and is undergoing treatment in Springfield, Missouri.
A federal appeals court in May cleared the way for him to be forcibly medicated over the objections of Loughner and his attorney.

One year anniversary of the shooting of Giffords and many others remembered in Tucson

Tucson Marks First Anniversary of Deadly Rampage

Published January 08, 2012

| Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. –  Bells rang out across Tucson on Sunday to mark exactly one year since a bloody morning when a gunman's deadly rampage shook a community and shocked a nation.

It's been a year of reflecting on lives shattered, of struggling with flashbacks and nightmares, of replaying the what-ifs before the deadly rampage. And in the middle of it: one woman, Gabrielle Giffords, forging one of the most grueling journeys back of all.

One year after a deranged gunman shot the Arizona congresswoman in the head and opened fire on dozens of others at a Tucson grocery store, the congresswoman and other survivors were gathering Sunday to reflect and move forward.

Many throughout the close-knit southern Arizona community began the day of remembrance Sunday by ringing bells at 10:11 a.m., the exact time the gunman shot Giffords and methodically moved down a line of people waiting to talk to her during a congressional meet-and-greet on Jan. 8, 2011.

Six people were killed, including a 9-year-old girl born on 9/11 and a federal judge. Thirteen others were shot, including Giffords.

Gail Gardiner, 70, who lives about a mile away from the Safeway where the shooting happened, came to the store Sunday along with about 30 others and tied a balloon with butterflies on it that says "Thinking of you" to a railing outside the store, next to a memorial.

"This is my backyard and this is where I want to be and show people that we remember this," Gardiner said. "It just hits so close to home and so many innocent people's lives were taken and changed forever."

People rang handheld bells, hugged each other and cried as the time of the shooting passed. Many bowed their heads in prayer.

Albert Pesqueira, assistant fire chief for the Northwest Fire District in Tucson, was one of the first responders to the shooting. He came to the Safeway on Sunday to remember and to heal.

The most vivid memories, he said, were the sounds of victims moaning, the crying in the aftermath of the attack.

"I can still hear them," Pesqueira said. "We'll never be the same. We'll never be normal again because of what occurred."

The 41-year-old Giffords has spent the last year in Houston undergoing intensive physical and speech therapy. Doctors and family have called her recovery miraculous after the Jan. 8 shooting; she is able to walk and talk, vote in Congress and gave a televised interview to ABC's Diane Sawyer in May. But doctors have said it would take many months to determine the lasting effects of her brain injury. The three-term congresswoman has four months to decide whether to seek re-election.

"She's making a lot of progress. She's doing great," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz, a close friend, said. "She still has a long way to go."

Giffords and her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, went to the scene of the shooting Saturday, and Kelly tweeted a photo and said Giffords was remembering where she had parked that day. They went to University Medical Center, where Giffords was treated after the attack, and visited a trailhead outside Tucson named in honor of slain staffer Gabe Zimmerman.

The couple will join thousands at an evening candlelight vigil at the University of Arizona. Kelly was expected to speak.

Close friends of Giffords and of the dead planned emotional reflections on their lives.

Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, who was born and raised in Tucson, will speak about Giffords, whose recovery has captivated the nation. Federal judge Raner Collins is remembering fellow judge John Roll; Christina-Taylor Green's two best friends will talk about the bright and ambitious girl born on Sept. 11, 2001.

Pat Maisch is set to speak on behalf of everyone who survived. The petite but feisty woman grabbed a gun magazine from Jared Lee Loughner after he was tackled during the shooting and believes she would have been shot next if he hadn't been subdued.

Loughner has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges in the shooting. The 23-year-old, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, is being forcibly medicated at a Missouri prison facility in an effort to make him mentally ready for trial.

Many of them also have lobbied for gun legislation in Washington in hopes of preventing similar shootings and started various nonprofits that award scholarships, help needy children and promote awareness about mental illness.

Some shooting survivors, including Giffords staffers Ron Barber and Pam Simon, plan to attend as many events on Sunday as possible, including an interfaith service at a church.

Others, like 76-year-old survivor Mavy Stoddard, whose husband, Dory, was killed as he shielded her from the bullets, plan to stay at home with family.

Sunday's events were designed to bring Tucson residents together much like they came together after the shooting last year.

The night of the shooting, more than 100 people showed up outside Giffords' office on a busy street corner in frigid temperatures, holding candles and signs that simply read "Peace" and "Just pray." Strangers hugged, most cried and many sang anthems like "Amazing Grace."

In the days and weeks that followed, thousands of people contributed to makeshift memorials outside the office, the Tucson hospital where Giffords and other shooting victims were treated and the grocery store where it happened.

The memorials turned into massive tributes of candles, cards, photos, stuffed animals and flowers that blanketed areas of up to 60-by-100 feet.

Others that came later include a 9-foot, 11-inch sculpture of an angel forged from World Trade Center steel in memory of Green.

Several of the shooting victims visited the memorials before they were dismantled and put in storage boxes for safekeeping until a permanent memorial is erected in the coming years. Items from the hospital alone filled 60 boxes.

Shooting survivor Susan Hileman called the memorials a "giant hug" from the community.

Her favorite memorial sign read, "Plant seeds of peace and love will grow."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/08/tucson-marks-one-year-anniversary-deadly-rampage/?test=latestnews#ixzz1iu84Hm9T

A really good news story for Thanksgiving; U.S. Representative Giffords

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords serves Thanksgiving dinner to servicemembers

Published: Thursday, November 24, 2011, 2:55 PM     Updated: Thursday, November 24, 2011, 2:55 PM

By The Associated Press The Associated Press TUCSON, Ariz. -- U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords helped serve a Thanksgiving meal to service members and retirees at a military base in her hometown of Tucson, Ariz. Giffords arrived in the dining hall at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base at midday Thursday wearing a ball cap and an apron with her nickname of "Gabby" sewn on the front. She was accompanied by her retired astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, who also donned an apron.

Matt York/Associated PressU.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and her husband, retired Capt. Mark Kelly, chat with service members after serving a Thanksgiving meal to troops at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz.

 

 

Giffords used only her left hand as she served, a sign that physical damage remains from the injuries she suffered when she was shot in January.
Kelly supported her from her left side as she worked the turkey station on the serving line. He served ham.
Afterward, she mingled with service members, exchanging pleasantries and mostly one word greetings and responses.
She did tell Airman 1st Class Millie Gray, of Kansas City, Mo., "Happy Thanksgiving, thank you for your service."
Gray said she had intended to only grab a plate and head back to her dorm to eat, until she heard that Giffords was going to be there.
"She's such an inspiration and her story is so inspirational, it really made me proud. I felt very proud and very humble," Gray said. "It just feels really good to see that she is out here supporting the troops, and just continuing to be an inspiration and a strong role model for Americans in general.
"She was very warm, asked how our meal was, which, of course, was amazing. The food is awesome," Gray said. "She and her husband were very, just delightful and asked a lot of questions. It was just very warm-hearted, and I told her she was an inspiration and she was very thankful for that."
Giffords and Kelly left after less than an hour.
Giffords has been undergoing intensive rehabilitation at TIRR Memorial Hermann in Houston as she recovers from a gunshot wound to the head. She was among 19 people shot Jan. 8 as she met with constituents outside a Tucson supermarket. Six people died.
The congresswoman arrived in Tucson on Tuesday evening from Houston for a private visit with her parents and other family members and friends.
"It's always special to have a member of Congress come and spend time with the troops and show support," said Brig Gen Jon Norman, acting commander of the Acting commander of the 12th Air Forces, Southern. "But after everything that she's been through, it's a little bit more special."
Giffords' staff said base officials originally asked a member of the congresswoman's staff to take part in the annual Thanksgiving dinner. When the staff member told Giffords about the event, the congresswoman decided she wanted to go herself.
Giffords previously returned to Tucson for the Father's Day and Labor Day weekends.

Some unexpected drama in the budget vote

Most of us who are paying attention know that the big budget deal, which prevents the nation from default, is in the process of final approval.  Tonight the U.S. House approved the plan with the Senate prepared to pass the deal tomorrow.  And President Obama promises to sign the thing quickly.

I don't pretend to know what the full impact of this comprise will be.  I have no way of knowing if this is truly meaningful or not so much.  I do know that we can't keep spending like we do, that some balance is necessary to the larger budget crisis and that the poor and marginalized can't be disproportianetly impacted.  I fully support the recent letter issued by the USCCB.

But today we also witnessed some unexpected drama; one very hopeful and inspiring and the other pointing out how far we need to go in civil discourse.  Rep. Gabrielle Giffords unexpected visit to the House floor to cast her vote was indeed inspiring.  Shot through the head and presumed for some time to be dead, the Democratic House member has come a long way baby in her recovery and therapy.  I'm sure if I drill deep enough I'm going to discover that her voting record does not always align with my Catholic faith, but tonight can it suffice that "Gabby" has helped inspire a nation and given hope to so many people, especially people who are recovering from