New York, USA (CU)_ The 49-year-old newly ordained Indian-American Bishop Earl Fernandes addressed 500 campers and their families at the Damascus Catholic Mission Campus in Ohio and spoke on the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Bishop Fernandes was ordained as the Church’s first Indian-American bishop last month at the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio. After the former bishop of Columbus, Bishop Robert Brennan, was transferred to Brooklyn, New York, in September, the diocese was eagerly expecting for a new shepherd.
The news of the end of Roe was announced a few hours before the final Mass at Catholic Youth Summer Camp held in Damascus. Bishop Fernandes highlighted this momentous occasion in his sermon. Bishop Fernandes said, “I was born in September of 1972. Sadly, in January 1973, the United States Supreme Court legalized the killing of children in the womb. I have lived every day of my life waiting to see that injustice overturned.”
The bishop continued by saying that many attempted to eradicate the issue rather than seek out hope. Bishop Fernandes said, “But a child is never a problem. Jesus Christ gave himself on the cross for each and every person on the face of this earth: every child, born and unborn.” Bishop Fernandes stated that he frequently wondered how many more students would be in schools and seminaries if abortion did not exist. He said, “Changing laws does not change hearts. Only love does. And now we are calling on all of you to help us build that civilization of love as a response to the love that flows from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.”
Bishop Fernandes addressed sixth-to-twelfth-grade campers, and charged them with the duty of restoring life to our society. He said, “We are a people of life who cherish life, who nurture life, and who celebrate life. Our God is the God of life, and he gave us his only-begotten Son so that we might have life and have life abundantly. So let us live always in the love of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Let us be a people of life.”
