Homilists asked to urge end to violence

Mike posted on a recent email Archbishop Dolan sent to all priests and staff. That email started with this.

1. Pardon the late notice, but I trust that you were able to read of my acceptance of Mayor Barrett's [Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's] invitation that we offer special prayers at all our parishes in the community this weekend for a restoration of peace, respect for life, and protection of our homes, neighborhoods and streets through an end to violence and murder in our community. I ask each of you to do what you can to see that prayers are offered for this noble intention this weekend, and that some reference might be made to this cause in our homilies. The Mayor is convinced that the churches have a major part to play in this effort ... and I think we all agree.

The request came from Mayor Barrett after some Memorial Day murders in South Shore Park in Milwaukee. Cheri Perkins Mantz reports in our Catholic Herald.

Archbishop Dolan also expressed hope for this deadly trend.

"Thank God we have not grown used to it," he wrote. "Thank God we still can muster a sense of horror, of shame, of outrage. Thank God thoughtful people are beginning to say this simply cannot continue."

From what I see, we have grown used to it. There was a time in living memory when Milwaukee, just as populous, had as many murders in a year as it now has in a month or less. Periodically the details of a particular murder cause the cry to arise that this can't go on. Yet it has.