CHRIST

       C - Compassion

H - Hope

R - Resurrection

 I -  Integrity

S - Salvation

T - Teacher 

.

image - St. Benedict Abbey, Still River, MA

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JESUS

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J - Just

E - Eternal

S - Sacrificial

U - Ubiquitous

S - Substantial, as in Tran

image - St. Benedict Abbey, Still River, MA

The Reality of Being Suicidal

**Contains Triggers**  Please check-in with yourself as you read, and stop if necessary.*

Suicidal? What does that mean? For people who have never experienced it, it can be quite graphic, so please, TAKE NOTE: You may not have the stomach to read or view this. Please check-in with yourself as you read and stop, if necessary.

At times, suicidal has basically meant having no desire to live, or wishing I was dead, but plugging forward. At other times, suicidal has meant planning a drive to the George Washington Bridge in New York City, or a flight to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, so when I really want to end my life, I would know just how to do it.

I am a woman devoted to the Catholic Faith, which considers suicide to be a mortal sin. Many people say, but that's your religion; it is out of touch with reality. No. At its core, without watering it down with mitigating circumstances, I consider suicide to be a mortal sin. It is an outright rejection of God and the life He gave me, the life I fight for for the unborn.

The pain and wearing down by my circumstances have resulted in my blowing off and outright rejecting Jesus and His Teachings, to entertain my "fantasies" and "plans." Suicidal tendencies are not rational. I have been a suicide prevention advocate for several years now, but in an actively suicidal state, I do not care. I throw all of  my own advice out the window. I can convince myself that God will understand how sick these people are, and as a result, how sick they made me. I can convince myself that I do not have to do the upright thing because God will have mercy on me.

And then, that's it. I am going to to the bridge, or I am going to take another overdose, etc. In my mind - and in my pain - it does not matter that my sons, and friends, and siblings, and now grandson, will miss me and be in an incredible amount of pain. I can convince myself that they have resources for healing that I never has when my Dad took his life on my birthday.

In my mind - and in my pain - it does not matter that I have been dedicated to stopping the killing of human beings in the womb. The screen goes blank....until something in my being eventually kicks in. That something is the Grace of God.

One time I felt incredible and what seemed to be uncontrollable pain, so I forced myself to reach out and I called around to psychiatric hospitals about their admission criteria. I did that because awhile ago, when I was in Canada and in distress, the hospital would not admit me because I was not actively doing something like slicing my wrists, or planning to go home and shoot myself. Suicidal consideration and the inability to cope were not enough. They made me leave.

So this time in the United States, I called to see if the mental health decline had reached our locale - and it had. Four hospitals told me I would not get admitted because I was not far enough along in my suicidal state. I gritted my way through it, but I easily have rapidly progressed in my suicidal state and  not have been able to do that gritting - and have taken my life. I would not have been around for my grandson's birth, or my other son's new steady girlfriend, or the anniversary of my mother's death when I go to her grave site and pray the Rosary for her, and my other relatives there.

I came to conclude that all the hospitals who claim to have Psychiatric Care in their list of treatment programs were misrepresenting themselves. One hospital listed Suicide Prevention, as an alternative, but when I called them, that was a misnomer too. It was only Imminent Suicide Prevention, i.e., one had to be slicing their wrists or going home to shoot themselves. If one was not far enough along in their suicidal state, oh well!

Our mental health system needs help. Even more so, our world needs Jesus in our hearts, our minds, and our souls. +

NOT SUICIDAL "ENOUGH" FOR HOSPITAL CARE

SUICIDAL "ENOUGH" FOR HOSPITAL CARE

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

OUR WORLD DESPERATELY NEEDS JESUS

*Updated 01/12/2024

images - https://media.sciencephoto.com/image/c0087590/800wm/C0087590-Suicidal_man.jpg

- https://il3.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/6633992/thumb/1.jpg

- https://article1000.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Management-of-suicidal-behavior.jpg

- https://ldsmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/MaryandJoseph.jpg

Staying the Course

Sometimes when I get heat for speaking the truth about abortion, suicide, the damage done by suicide advocates who support the killing of human beings in the womb, police reform that is needed, underhanded landlords and neighbors, deviant priests and bishops, etc., I think about creating a fake FB or Twitter profile and using that instead. Then I remember my commitment to standing strong for Truth, myself and those being harmed, and for Jesus Christ, and I stay the course. +

image - https://images.app.goo.gl/szxQnByZr7F3GoZ7A 

Can We #StopSuicide? Only If We #StopAbortion Too

Abortion Undermines Suicide Prevention

Whistleblowing in the Catholic Church: A Spiritual Trial for the Unborn

Reprint of blog post originally published on 07/21/2020.

Added 08/30/2020 - "The Catholic community has the right to expect the priests of the archdiocese and those entrusted with handing on the faith to be clear and unequivocal on the church's teaching concerning respect and protection for life from the first moment of conception to natural death," [Archbishop Sean] O'Malley said in a statement published in the Pilot. "This teaching is of the highest priority for the Church." Click here for the article.    

============== end of addition, start of original blog entry =================

NOTE: Personal stories (sharing of real life experiences) are considered a valuable resource in various fields of study, e.g., employee satisfaction, suicide prevention, and Church membership. Stories provide unique insight that cannot be captured by traditional science. The insight leads to improved advocacy efforts.

For example, my spiritual reversion story has inspired many Catholic converts and reverts to persevere in their spiritual pursuit of our faith. Here in this blog post, I share a personal story in hope of helping other parishioners, and clergy, if they find themselves on either side of a scandal, where chaos and confusion—and sin and redemption—often arise.

~~~~~ 

My Personal Story

A Real Life Experience

2019-2020

There comes a time when parishioners must call out priests, pastors, and even bishops on their ignominious behaviors. Being dismissive, ignoring parishioners’ flagrant opposition to Catholic Church teaching, evading or, worse, retaliating against the whistleblower, lying, unjustly protecting other clergy, and prioritizing headcount above preserving the Faith, are some of those behaviors. Victims of the Church’s sex abuse scandal would likely agree.

A whistleblower with perseverance is often needed. Look up synonyms for whistleblower, and you will be hard pressed to find a complimentary one. More readily you will find “snitch,” “rat,” “big-mouth,” and “betrayer.” Those words cause damage in whistleblower’s personal and professional relationships.

I am not talking about Judas Iscariot who outright betrayed Jesus for money. I am talking about upright, concerned parishioners who step forward on behalf of the Church. They frequently incur hostility from other parishioners and clergy, and often disappear from the parish, and even the Church. Breaks with family and employers are common. Many also develop significant mental health issues, beginning if their higher ups sidestep the concern brought forward, by claiming the whistleblower is unstable. [1] The virtue in a whistleblower’s attempt to right wrongs is painfully lost in labels like “informant,” “big-mouth,” and “betrayer.”

I had no idea I would be a whistleblower when I met my Melkite (Eastern Catholic) pastor to ask why he was not withholding the Eucharist from a particular parishioner. After all, this woman publicly claimed her ProChoice identity in a ProLife thread on the parish Facebook Page, and in parish emails. She also publicly vowed to fight me tooth and nail about the issue. And, she claimed other ProChoice Melkites exist—and are proud of their beliefs.

Our pastor oversaw and participated in our communications, thereby being a witness as it unfolded. This ProChoice woman’s status in our citywide community made the need to correct and educate her, more compelling. She counseled female teens, and women, potentially facing crisis pregnancies and considering abortion. She also gave a public talk at our parish without apprising the committee of her ProChoice affiliation.m

I prayed, did some research, and sought counsel with two trustworthy priests. The following statement of Melkite Bishop John Adel Elya (now deceased) left no room for ambiguity:, “Our Eastern and Western Tradition is unanimous in its teaching that any form of abortion is contrary to God's law and a serious offense against the Life-Giver. It is impossible to receive Christ, our Life, in Holy Communion and remain obstinately pro abortion. Indeed, politicians who, by their actions, promote abortion cooperate with evil. If they receive Holy Communion without sincere repentance they do so at the peril of their own souls. Such is cause for great scandal.” [2]

I thought surely my pastor would be grateful for this pertinent information. I was stunned when he told me he could never withhold the Eucharist from anyone. Even Eastern and Western Canon Law forbids dissenters from receiving the Eucharist. [3]

I reminded him: This ProChoice woman is a public figure in the community, openly sharing her parish membership and openly condoning abortion, which the Catholic Church—and our Faith—strongly oppose. My pastor appeared unmoved and I wondered if he were ProChoice also.

I sought more prayer and consults until too much time lapsed with no results. I wrote to the current bishop. He never replied to me with his thoughts. The situation was truly a scandal. I was embarrassed for the parish and Church—and for Jesus Himself. After more than ten years of service, I finally stepped down from my work for the parish and Eparchy (akin to Diocese).

As a well-known figure in the parish, I wrote to several parishioners explaining my actions. I included my research. Only two of those parishioners directly responded to me. They both supported and encouraged me in my efforts. Unfortunately, the intensity of my concern may have tainted my message for others, who became angry and distanced themselves from me. I felt isolated. Was it my message, my tone, or a combination of these two? I never knew.

I became disheartened.

Meanwhile, my pastor continued giving the Eucharist to this actively ProChoice woman. His lack of action with her scandal was indirectly condoning the killing of babies in the womb. He did not like hearing that. Again, I wondered if he were ProChoice. 

The ProChoice woman eventually responded to my letter with one of her own. It was addressed to the parish’s legal entity and copied to the bishop, the pastor, and me. However, I never received my copy directly from her, even after asking her for it twice. In her letter, she said she wanted the bishop, the pastor, or me, to issue a public correction of items she thought were false or defamatory in my letter to some of the parishioners. She also explained she will not participate in the ProLife movement because she advocates for human and reproductive rights. She then set forth the ProChoice position, saying it advocates for ongoing legalization of abortion. Her disclosures confirmed the soundness of my whistleblowing.

Continuing in her letter, the ProChoice woman repeated her claim that other Melkite ProChoicers exist (even more reason for our clergy to uphold our Faith). She presented an ultimatum: She gave the bishop, the pastor, and me, ten (10) business days or she would be compelled to take legal action. Halfway into the ten days, my pastor suggested that he and I meet. He did not mention the ProChoice woman’s letter, but when we met, he offered me a copy.

In our meeting, my pastor informed me that the bishop and he decided I should write the response to this woman—with his oversight. Given the tight deadline, I declined. He became unsettled and alluded to me being excommunicated. I reminded him that he could not excommunicate me. His facial expression changed to one of realizing I was correct. He then alluded that the bishop would certainly excommunicate me. I reminded him that the bishop could not excommunicate me either and I remained firm in the face of his inexplicable hostility.

I summarized my thoughts about the meeting and the situation at hand in a letter to my pastor and bishop. Among other things, I included a suggestion to establish a prolife education and ministry program in our parish and in the Eparchy. Neither of them responded to me.

In the end, which was five month’s after I first approached him, my pastor composed his own response to this woman’s letter. Whether he did this on his own, or because he was obeying an order from the bishop, is unclear. He copied it to all parishioners without mentioning the threat of legal action by the ProChoice woman. He also omitted dates. Their omission obscured the timeline for him and the bishop to take responsibility. His use of generic, broad-sweep descriptors masked the accountability of their actions. He averred that he does not agree with the woman’s views on abortion, which oppose Catholic Church teachings.

He said “after consulting the bishop,” he decided to withhold the Eucharist from her. “Consulting the bishop” is one of those broad-sweeping qualifiers that hides my pastor’s ultimate motivation for his action. As before, was his action stemming from his own free will, or was it stemming from being obedient to an order from the bishop to withhold the Eucharist from the ProChoice woman? After all, he had told me that he could never withhold the Eucharist from anyone.

Multiple times in his letter, the pastor mentioned that my letter to some parishioners could be construed as demeaning to the woman of concern. I get it. I was the whistleblower. He was likely accommodating her to avoid legal entanglement. It stung nonetheless. I sought spiritual solace by asking Jesus to unite my suffering with His salvific suffering on the Cross, to bring about conversions for all involved.

Concurrently, I learned of a public fundraiser—for Planned Parenthood—on the ProChoice woman’s personal Facebook page. Planned Parenthood is the largest single provider of abortions in the United States.[4] She had given the fundraiser the name, “BANS OFF MY BODY” [all caps hers], a catch phrase used by Planned Parenthood after several states enacted bans on abortion. Some donations had already been received. I was again validated on the soundness of my whistleblowing.

The ProChoice woman quickly responded to our pastor’s letter and copied all parishioners. In her reply, she reiterated the ProChoice position and affirmed to all of us that she is ProChoice. I felt further strengthened in my position.

The ProChoice woman mentioned another item. She said she emailed the bishop and requested a meeting with him. She said he did not respond to her. He did not respond to me either, so one wonders: Was he not making laity a priority? Was he covering up for his pastor? Was he not wanting to be involved? Or was it some combination of these? A brief explanation directly from him would have allayed, or maybe eliminated, our dismay.

Many people misunderstood my motive for all of this. Some suggested I should feel settled because “I got what I wanted.” A Melkite Tribunal priest, from whom I sought clarification of general Tribunal protocol, and who said he heard of the scandal from our former pastor, even suggested that. This myopic view commonly undermines whistleblowers, who are often treated as being self-centered. For me, my motive originated from a higher place. At each step, I talked with the wise people supporting me, and I did my best to discern what Jesus would have wanted, as in WWJD. I then did my best to carry that out.

Ultimately, my pastor and bishop did the right thing, but taking five months to do it was reprehensible. The ProChoice woman and her parents withdrew from the parish. I eventually did the same [due to backlash and mistrust]. Remaining parishioners must now rebuild their trust with the pastor and bishop, and each other.

With no known commitment to a program for prolife education and ministry in the parish, or in the Melkite Catholic Eparchy, prochoice ideology can continue to fester, and even take root, among clergy and parishioners. We all must therefore remain vigilant, and prepare ourselves to be whistleblowers if necessary.

"I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out (Luke 19:40)!”

Kathleen Laplante is an author, a mother of two, and a long time revert to the Catholic Faith. She writes articles about Catholic Teachings. She speaks as a member of the Catholic Church, not as the Catholic Church Herself.

                                                                  ~~~~~

REFERENCES

[1] “Whistleblower,” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistleblower, June 20, 2020.

[2] Elya, John Adel.“WHAT IS THE TEACHING ON ABORTION? WHAT ABOUT POLITICIANS WHO SUPPORT PRO-ABORTION STANCES AND LAWS?” https://melkite.org/eparchy/bishop-john/what-is-the-teaching-on-abortion-what-about-politicians-who-support-pro-abortion-stances-and-laws, February 25, 2003.

[3] a) Canon Law Society of America. “Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches: New EnglishTranslation,” 2001, p. 272, Washington, DC. "CAN. 712†Those who are publicly unworthy are forbidden to receive the Divine Eucharist."

b) The Vatican. “Code of Canon Law“ (Western Churches, i.e., Roman Catholic), http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_p39.HTM, July 20, 2020. "CAN. 915† Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.”

[4] Rovner, Julie. “Planned Parenthood: A Thorn In Abortion Foes' Sides, https://www.npr.org/2011/04/13/135354952/planned-parenthood-makes-abortion-foes-see-red, April 12, 2011.

IMAGES

Crucifixion Icon - https://www.facebook.com/olphmelkiteworcester/photos

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Icon - Unknown

Theophany Icon - http://tokandylaki.blogspot.com/2014_01_04_archive.html

Descent Into Hades Icon - https://www.orthodoxroad.com/christs-descent-into-hell-icon-explanation/

Faith Into Action with Pregnant Women in Crisis

I keep coming back to the idea that we need to put more focus on helping the pregnant women in crisis to make it through their pregnancies, to either give birth to their babies or give birth and then give for  adoption. So here is my suggestion for the day.

                    

Do something big or small. Be a friend. Invite a single mom to lunch. Offer to babysit some time. Talk to others - Is there a woman in the area who needs help with the challenges of her crisis pregnancy? Help your local pregnancy crisis center, maternity home, or homeless shelter.

~Added 09/04/2020 

I encourage everyone to use hashtags when it makes sense.

#BeHereTomorrow      #LetThereBeLife

#WeLikeThemBoth     #Pregnancy

#StopAbortion             #ProLife and #ProChoice

image - https://www.facebook.com/lettherebelife1/

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Claiming My Grandmotherhood, ProLife Style

When my son and his wife recently announced they are with child, I claimed my first-time grandmotherhood. So exciting! 

"But wait--that won't happen until after the baby is born."  Not so. 

1) Would we deny that Jesus's life on earth began at the Annunciation, when 

Angel Gabriel announced to Jesus's mother, Mary, that she was with child?  No. 

                                                            

2) Would we deny science's discovery and pictures of the sperm 

and egg uniting to initiate a new human being?  No.

                                                     

We therefore cannot deny that the life of every human being begins at the moment of conception. By His conception, that moment is consecrated for all of us. Science confirms it on the natural level.

I hereby hold to my claim: I am a first-time grandmother! 

+ St. Gerard, please pray for my pregnant daughter-in-law and our new baby! +

Source - Let There Be Life

Images 
- https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/prague-czech-republic-fresco-annunciation-church-kostel-svat%C3%A9ho-cyrila-metodeje-petr-maixner-october-134890726.jpg
- https://resize.hswstatic.com/w_907/gif/sperm-egg.jpg  

Edits

07/24/2020 - added "my pregnant daughter-in-law and" to St. Gerard prayers

ProChoice & ProAbortion Efforts Thwart Suicide Prevention

Suicide prevention advocates fight really hard to save human beings in daily life. Reason follows that they would fight just as hard to save human beings in the womb, yet they do not always do that.

Some are ProLife for suicide, but ProChoice or ProAbortion for crisis pregnancy. They forbid killing human beings in one instance, and allow – even encourage – killing them in the other. With this dichotomy, a suicidal person should push back on a prevention advocate with, “Why are you telling me not to kill myself? Life can’t be precious if mothers are legally killing their babies in the womb every day.”

Truth becomes precarious, which is a lie. The lie fractures the integrity of suicide prevention efforts. Trust between the suicidal and the prevention advocates then erodes. See Figure 1.

Both situations call us to raise up the dignity of human life, and we can only do that with congruent messages to those in crisis. Truth will then remain intact. Accord will be struck and it will strengthen the integrity of suicide prevention efforts. Trust between the suicidal persons and the prevention advocates will also flourish. See Figure 2.

* Those left behind after someone’s abortion: Mother, father, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.,

                      can experience grief, directly or indirectly. See Mourning My Loved Ones Lost to Abortion

 

Admittedly, we must overcome many socioeconomic and political challenges to keep human beings alive in both scenarios. However, we are fabulously capable of shifting minds and monies to conquer them. So let’s commit to activity that eliminates the scarcity mindset of abortion, and replaces it with the abundant hopefulness of ProLife, i.e., All Lives Matter.

RELATED LINKS

1) My Book, Unraveling My Father's Suicide 

2) My Facebook Page, Unraveling My Father's Suicide 

3) My Facebook Page, Let There Be Life. 

My email:  klaplante2@yahoo.com

Coming soon in a local newspaper near me. The Valley Patriot.

Abortion. Abomination.

I admit it. I watch a soap opera. Days of Our Lives. One of the dramas is about a woman breaking up with her boyfriend, having a one night fling with another man, getting back together with her boyfriend, finding out she is pregnant, finding out the extraneous man is the father, and lying to everyone by announcing her boyfriend as the father, and living it out that way. (Sounds like a soap opera, doesn't it?) 

Most viewers would classify this situation as an abomination. How can we call it anything less than that when a real-life woman kills her baby in her womb? Like in the soap opera, her child misses out on knowing her biological father, her mother and siblings, her grandparents and aunts and uncles on both sides of the family. And they miss out on knowing her. And what about all the friends God planned for this child who has been annihilated? 

It is total deprivation. This deprivation manifests as holes and vacuums in the souls of all those who are interconnected. As the holes and vacuums propagate through family and friend networks, they get passed down through generations. This far-reaching spiritual deprivation opposes God's plan for love, life, and family. 

We need help. Calling all prayer warriors! Let's pray that His Divine Providence provides us the grace and strength to persevere through so much sin, as we journey to reach the Gates of Heaven.

This is our future so many women are obliterating.

Related Posts

1) Mourning My Loved Ones Lost to Abortion

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