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Bishop Aquila and Jeff Cavins offer pilgrimage to Greece/Turkey
Oct. 15, 2009

Join Bishop Aquila on a memorable and inspiring pilgrimage to Greece and Turkey to walk in the "Footsteps of St. Paul". What a great privilege for the chance to travel to the lands where the first churches were established with Bishop Aquila, whose very position as bishop in the Church today stems from those early days of Christianity. He will preside over daily Mass and teach together with Jeff Cavins who is accompanying the pilgrimage along with his wife, Emily.

Jeff Cavins is a Bible teacher from the Minneapolis area who has inspired thousands of students to more fully understand their faith through the Great Adventure Bible studies, available through Ascension Press. Jeff has admired Bishop Aquila for his shepherding skills and concern for his flock.  Learn more here.

Guidelines for preventing the spread of H1N1 Influenza

On Sept. 30, the Diocese of Fargo issued liturgical guidelines for clergy and parishioners encouraging voluntary actions that should assist in preventing the spread of H1N1 Influenza. Read the guidelines here. Read the press release here.

Diocese of Fargo bishop calls upon Catholics to consider four principles when evaluating the moral value and justice of health care plans
 Aug. 29, 2009


In an Aug. 28 letter, Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fargo, encouraged priests, deacons, religious sisters and parishioners to “become engaged in promoting genuine health care reform” and presented four principles upon which the “moral value and justice of a given plan to provide health care” should be evaluated.

Health care plans must exclude any “provisions for actions which deny the dignity of human life, especially abortion, euthanasia, whether passive or active, and embryonic stem cell research”, he wrote. Second, “freedom of consciences” for both health professionals and the general public must be safeguarded. Third, access to health care “ought to be available to all people” and fourth, the principle of subsidiarity must govern any health care plan.
 


Bishop Samuel J. Aquila

On why health care reform cannot include abortion, Bishop Aquila wrote, “any attempt to provide greater access to health care without safeguarding human life from the moment of conception is inherently inconsistent” and that “the destruction of human life by abortion and other evils can never be a neutral question or one that is promoted by any faithful Catholic.

Bishop Aquila noted that conscience protection is important for everyone:  health care professionals as well as participants in health care plans. Concerning the general public, he wrote “In no way should taxpayers or policy holders be forced to participate in plans, whether private or public, which fund procedures that violate the moral precepts of the faith.”

Genuine reform, wrote Bishop Aquila, also means access for all. He noted that “finding ways to provide medical care to those who have none is a perennial priority for the Church” and that “we must ensure that the poor, the elderly, the handicapped, legal immigrants and the unborn, together with all citizens of our nation, have access to health care.”

Citing the Church’s teaching on subsidiarity, Bishop Aquila wrote that a diversity of social entities share the responsibility of ensuring access to health care, noting that “these various strands of community life within society build up a strong and cohesive social fabric that is the hallmark of a true communion of persons.” 

Bishop Aquila’s full letter can be found here.

Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila: All must understand the seriousness of the Freedom of Choice Act
Jan. 26, 2009

The 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. 

The bishop spoke about the Freedom of Choice Act (referred to as FOCA) during a Jan. 25 Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary, Fargo, N.D. Those attending the Mass, and other Masses throughout the Diocese of Fargo, which encompasses the eastern half of North Dakota, received postcards they were asked to complete for mailing to Sen. Byron Dorgan, Sen. Kent Conrad and Rep. Earl Pomeroy. The message on the postcards asked the Congressmen to “oppose FOCA or any similar measure, and retain laws against federal funding and promotion of abortion.” 

The Diocese of Bismarck, which includes Catholic churches in the western half of North Dakota, also participated in the postcard campaign by distributing the postcards through their diocesan newspaper.  The postcards were made available by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 

Bishop Aquila noted that FOCA threatens the freedom of Catholic hospitals and Catholic physicians to act according to Church teachings on abortion. If federal law required Catholic hospitals to perform abortions, “there is no bishop in the country who is going to permit a Catholic hospital to do that,” Bishop Aquila said. “Either the hospitals will be closed or we will enter into civil disobedience and refuse to follow the law. And if we go to jail, we go to jail. That is how serious this is.”  (Read more.)

When society abandons God’s law, it abandons humanity
Nov. 13, 2008

In a column written for the Diocese of Fargo newspaper, New Earth, Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, Bishop of Fargo, congratulated President-elect Barack Obama and said he is praying for him as he prepares to undertake “immense responsibilities” as president of the United States.

"One of those prayers,' Bishop Aquila wrote, "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."

Noting that President-elect Obama’s voting record and speeches have revealed that "he is one of the strongest supporters of legalized abortion, as well as the Freedom of Choice Act," Bishop Aquila said the future president "directly opposes the divine law of God concerning the dignity of each human life, and so he strongly disagrees with the position of the Catholic Church. On a purely political level, he even disagrees with the majority of Americans, who at least want some limits on abortion."  (Read more.)

Bishop Samuel Aquila on the fundamental right to life: “We will be judged”
Nov. 3, 2008
At a Nov. 2 Mass marking the completion of the 40 Days for Life North Dakota campaign of prayer and fasting to end abortion, Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, Bishop of Fargo, spoke of “the four last things…death, judgment, heaven and hell.”

“Judgment is real, just as heaven and hell are real,” Bishop Aquila said during his homily at the 11 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Fargo. “When the soul separates from the body and comes before God, we will be judged on how we lived. It’s important to understand the reality of that judgment.”

Bishop Aquila urged the nearly 200 people in attendance to reflect upon the four last things and how they apply to the 40 Days for Life effort. Read entire press release, click here.

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, Bishop Samuel Aquila said in a Sept. 28 homily
Oct. 8, 2008
 

At 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.”

Bishop Aquila referred to Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae in noting that abortion and other intrinsic evils can never be justified by human law. He quoted the encyclical:  “In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to ‘take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law, or vote for it’” (Evangelium Vitae 73). Bishop Aquila then expanded upon the quote. “In other words, if one is truly Catholic and truly faithful to the laws of God, to reason and to faith in Jesus Christ, he or she can never be pro-choice, because, if they are, they are pro-abortion and participating in an intrinsic evil and promoting an unjust law. No Catholic can take a position of pro-choice or vote for a law supporting a so-called right to abortion.”

Bishop Aquila countered three arguments that attempt to justify abortion. First, he said, the question of when life begins “is a matter of reason and science”, not faith or opinion. Life “begins at the moment of conception,” he said.
 


Bishop Samuel Aquila led an estimated 1,000 people in a Eucharistic procession to the state of North Dakota's only abortion facility Sept. 28.
(Photo by Ron Fischer for New Earth)

 

Second, the bishop said, some say that because we live in a pluralistic society that has many different points of view, people should be free to determine what they will believe and support. “Every human society recognizes that there are certain truths that can never be violated,” Bishop Aquila said. “We cannot use the lie of pluralism to justify intrinsic evils.” Read more.

A video of Bishop Aquila's homily, The dignity of human life is inherent and bestowed by God can be found here.  (Trouble with the video? Try the audio version, requires Windows Media Player.)

October 1, 2009: Diocese issues guidelines for preventing spread of H1N1 Influenza

August 29, 2009: Diocese of Fargo bishop calls upon Catholics to consider four principles when evaluating the moral value and justice of health care plans

May 15, 2009: Diocese of Fargo bishop addresses University of Notre Dame’s honorary degree for President Obama during Greta Van Susteren interview on Fox News

April 7, 2009: Bishop of Fargo addresses “gravity of Notre Dame’s error” in inviting President Obama to speak at commencement exercises and receive honorary degree

March 22, 2009: Bishop Samuel Aquila encourages prayer, assistance for those facing flooding

March 19, 2009: Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila:To transform society, we must be missionaries of hope

February 17, 2009: Diocese of Fargo Catholics send North Dakota’s three U.S. Congressmen more than 30,000 postcards urging opposition to FOCA

February 16, 2009: Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila encourages Catholics to reach out to others in their own time of need

January 26, 2009: Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila: All must understand the seriousness of the Freedom of Choice Act

Nov. 13, 2008: When society abandons God’s law, it abandons humanity

November 12, 2008: Monsignor Brian Donahue begins service as Chaplain at West Point

November 3, 2008: Bishop Samuel Aquila on the fundamental right to life: “We will be judged”

October 8, 2008: 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, Bishop Samuel Aquila said in a Sept. 28 homily

October 3, 2008: Bishop Samuel Aquila prays at abortion facility for 40 Days for Life North Dakota

September 24, 2008: Bishop Aquila to lead Eucharistic procession to abortion facility

September 10, 2008: Bishop Samuel Aquila cites Sen. Joseph Biden’s “lack of knowledge and understanding of Catholic teaching on abortion”

August 27, 2008: Bishop Samuel Aquila: Nancy Pelosi’s misinformed comments do not reflect the true teaching of the Catholic Church

June 26,2008:
National representatives of 40 Days for Life led rally in Fargo

June 1, 2008: Peter Sharpe ordained a transitional deacon on May 31

May 26, 2008: Father Kurtis Gunwall ordained May 24

May 21, 2008: Deacon Kurtis Gunwall to be ordained a priest May 24

April 14, 2008: North Dakota teenager creates video greeting for Pope Benedict XVI  To see the welcome video, click here. (4.0 MB)

April 11, 2008: Youth group from Native American mission parish in North Dakota to attend Papal Mass in Washington, D.C.

February 6, 2008: Monsignor Brian Donahue, Vicar General for the Diocese of Fargo, to return to active duty with the military as a Catholic chaplain

January 17, 2008: Fargo Bishop reminds Catholics that opposition to intrinsic evils is a non-negotiable requirement of Catholics

September 13, 2007: “God is calling us to put an end to abortion in North Dakota,” Bishop Samuel Aquila tells the faithful, encouraging participation in the national “40 Days for Life” campaign

May 1, 2007: Monsignor Brian Donahue to be Recognized May 4 For His Service as a Chaplain in the North Dakota Army National Guard

February 14, 2007: Catholic politicians must act upon the truth of the inherent dignity of the human person to be faithful Catholics, Bishop Samuel Aquila writes in newspaper column

November 13, 2006 Local bishop [Bishop Samuel Aquila] featured in national publication for his teachings on death penalty, Eucharist, marriage, natural family planning and other topics

August 31, 2006 Statement of Most Rev. Samuel Aquila, Apostolic Administrator of Sioux Falls and Bishop of Fargo, on the appointment of Msgr. Paul J. Swain as Bishop of Sioux Falls

August 29, 2006 Bishop Samuel Aquila notes death penalty rarely, if ever, justified in the United States.

August 24, 2006 Bishop Samuel Aquila calls FDA approval of over-the-counter sales of Morning After Pill tragic and a reflection of today's culture of death

July 14, 2006 Dunseith parishes to be united under new name - The Memorial of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

May 19, 2006  Bishop Aquila encourages faithful to participate in effort to support federal constitutional marriage amendment

April 9, 2006  Dozens of priests will renew commitment to priestly service and sacramental oils will be blessed at April 10 Chrism Mass

April 9, 2006  Bishop Samuel Aquila encourages faithful to pray Divine Mercy Novena for vocations to the priesthood, for reparation for the sins of the clergy, and for victims of sexual abuse

March 9, 2006  Diocese of Fargo bishop urges faithful to seek out the "real' Jesus, one who 'does not call us to what we want, but to what God wants"

November 2, 2005 Catholic radio station in North Dakota marks one year of broadcasting

October 13, 2005  Approaching the Eucharist without conversion is a crisis of love, Bishop Samuel Aquila notes in Year of the Eucharist reflection

October 2, 2005 A Poverty of the U.S. is its Approach to Life, Bishop Samuel Aquila notes on Respect Life Sunday

August 3, 2005 More than 100 area teenagers and adults to attend World Youth Day in Germany

July 18, 2005 Fargo Catholic Diocese Only Second Diocese in the Nation to Require Training in Natural Family Planning as Part of Marriage Preparation

April 2, 2005 DIOCESE OF FARGO BISHOP REACTS TO DEATH OF POPE JOHN PAUL II

May 24, 2005  FIVE MEN TO BE ORDAINED PRIESTS JUNE 4

May 24, 2005  TWO MEN ORDAINED TRANSITIONAL DEACONS MAY 21

April 20, 2005 BISHOP SAMUEL AQUILA OFFERS CELEBRATORY MASS FOR POPE BENEDICT XVI

March 31, 2005
 Statement by Bishop Samuel Aquila regarding Terri Schiavo's death

March 25, 2005  JESUS’ WORDS “I THIRST” ECHO STRUGGLE TO PRESERVE TERRI SHIAVO’S LIFE ON GOOD FRIDAY is Bishop Samuel J. Aquila's Good Friday homily at the Cathedral of St. Mary, Fargo, ND

March 15, 2005 Priests and bishops must surrender fully to God the Father if they are to be good spiritual fathers to the faithful, Bishop Samuel Aquila notes at Denver symposium

February 24, 2005
 Fargo Bishop named interim administrator for Diocese of Sioux Falls

March 1, 2005 Women’s Health Care Pioneer Presents Medical Conference in Fargo March 11

February 24,2005 Fargo Bishop named interim administrator for Diocese of Sioux Falls

Dec. 17, 2004  Bishop Aquila issues pastoral letter on truths of the catholic faith

Sept. 10, 2004  Rev. Msgr. Brian Donahue, Vicar General, called into active duty in Iraq.

August 21, 2004  Reorganization of parishes

June 11, 2004  Released from CWNews.com  Pope John Paul declares Year of the Eucharist


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