In the last few weeks in this newspaper, two members of St. Michael’s Parish have gone back and forth on the issue whether Catholics should consider voting for Democrats this fall. I say yes, Pat Truman says no.
Pat Truman and I are longtime friends. We lived next door to each other 40 years ago when I first moved to Hallowell. Her children babysat for my children. We attend Mass together, go to bean suppers together, pray for each others families together. I am writing this op-ed from a hospital bed in Boston where I treasure a lovely letter of support and prayers Pat sent. This means something, because God listens to Pat Truman’s prayers.
Pat and I are Catholics first, Democrats or Republicans second. But how can we find way to unite behind a Christian vision for our society?
On Saturday morning, Sept. 28, St. Michael’s Parish Social Justice Commission is sponsoring a regional event entitled “Politics aside, the conversation we need to have.” It will be opened with a prayer by Bishop James Ruggieri, and will feature prominent Catholic ethicists such as Dr. Brian Corbin of Catholic Charities USA and Suzanne Lafreniere, the director of Public Affairs for the Diocese of Portland.
The program will run 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Michael’s gym, 56 Sewall St., Augusta. The program is free to all. All are welcome to attend: Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, lapsed Catholics — anyone interested in developing a higher level of public dialogue. Just call 623-8823 to register.
I won’t be able to go, but if you see Pat or Michelle Truman there, say hi to them for me.
Frank O’Hara
Hallowell
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Related Stories
Latest Articles
Join the Conversation
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more...
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs.
You can modify your screen name here.
Show less
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your CentralMaine.com account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.