The ongoing practice of separating children from their parents has already, as of May, left nearly 2,000 children separated from their parents. As Bishop Vásquez, Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, and Sister Donna Markham OP PhD, President and CEO of Catholic Charities, remind us - as a nation and people of faith, we can and must do better.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, We are hundreds of miles from the border, yet what has happened along the US-Mexico border over the past few weeks has a direct impact on many of our own people. Images of crying children, separated from their mothers, and the anguish of mothers whose infants have been taken from their arms has increased the anxiety and fear of mothers and children living here in many of our parishes and neighborhoods. I write to assure you that we stand with you, that we support Church efforts to keep families together and to reunite those that have been separated.

In 1911, in an effort to wrestle control of the legislature away from the railroads, California was one of the first states to introduce the initiative process. Allowing citizens to place policy directly on the ballot with an initiative is an “experiment” in direct democracy that the citizens of the Golden State still seem to hold dear.

Thank you to all parishioners who contributed in any way toward the recent Have A Heart collection. A total of $1,981 was donated which will help meet important needs of Opportunity Center clients as they arise over the coming year. A bag of new wrapped items was also donated which will be given to the Opportunity Center. The Human Concerns Committee

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance is an IRS-sponsored program to help low and middle income workers file an income tax return and receive the refunds and credits they are due. There is no cost to the taxpayer. To sign up for this volunteer program, go to: http://earnitkeepitsaveit.org/volunteer/

A highly controversial bill that would encourage California public colleges to provide abortion-inducing medicationA highly controversial bill that would encourage California public colleges to provide abortion-inducing medication to students is returning to the Legislature in 2018.

Unless Congress acts soon, the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will expire on March 5, 2018. According to a new Quinnipiac University poll, roughly 84 percent of U.S. voters said DREAMers brought to the U.S. as children should be allowed to remain in the country. Almost 77 percent said they should be allowed to apply for citizenship. Among Republican voters, 70 percent said DREAMers should be allowed to remain in the U.S. and fifty-seven percent said they should have a chance at citizenship. Let us therefore entrust all families to Our Lady and to St Joseph, so that they do not lose heart in the face of trials and difficulties.” Pope Benedict XVI

Now is the time to contact your members of Congress and advocate for the protection of life and freedom of conscience. The Conscience Protection Act of 2017 (H.R. 644) has been included in appropriations legislation that must pass this year to keep the government operating. The Conscience Protection Act is common-sense legislation that will clarify federal law and ensure that those who provide health care and health coverage can do so without being forced by government to help destroy innocent unborn children.

At a United Nations gathering in New York City, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States, stressed the need for a multi-pronged approach in the fight against human trafficking. "The issue of trafficking in persons can only be fully addressed by promoting effective juridical instruments and concrete collaboration at multiple levels by all stakeholders."

Pope Francis declared October 11 that the death penalty is “contrary to the Gospel.” He said that “however grave the crime that may be committed, the death penalty is inadmissible because it attacks the inviolability and the dignity of the person.”

Facts about Human Trafficking: There are an estimated 21 million victims of human trafficking worldwide, with the majority trapped in situations of labor trafficking. Each year, an estimated 17,500 men, women, and children are trafficked across U.S. borders and forced into slavery. Unfortunately, stakeholders have increasingly found that individuals in situations of forced migration, such as refugees and unaccompanied children, are particularly vulnerable to labor and sex traffickers.

The St. Thomas Aquinas team was one of several teams that attended the CROP Hunger Walk on Sunday, October 8, at Nealon Park in Menlo Park. The purpose of the event is to raise money for the Church World Service for the alleviation of world hunger. Our group combined to donate $1,150 for the cause.

The Santa Clara County Housing Authority (SCCHA) has finalized the purchase of the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park in Palo Alto, California, paving the way for the Housing Authority and the park's new operator, Caritas Corporation, to begin the design and permitting of infrastructure and other needed improvements to the site. The sale brings to completion the more than two-year effort to preserve the park as affordable housing, while enabling 400 low-income residents to remain in their homes.

To Live Each Day with Dignity: A Statement on Physician-Assisted Suicide To live in a manner worthy of our human dignity, and to spend our final days on this earth in peace and comfort, surrounded by loved ones - that is the hope of each of us. Christian hope sees these final days as a time to prepare for our eternal destiny. Today, however, many people fear the dying process. They are afraid of being kept alive past life’s natural limits by burdensome medical technology.

As a Catholic faith community we value the dignity and rights of all persons and we endeavor to educate, to influence public policy, and to engage our community for the purpose of eradicating human trafficking in all its forms.  We work in collaboration with other faith communities, law enforcement, and established organizations addressing the

Racism is an attack on the image of God that has been given to every one of us by the Creator (Gen. 5:1-3). Because each person has been created by God, we are all united together with the Lord and with each other. Racism rejects what God has done by refusing to acknowledge the image of God in the other, the stranger and the one who is different

On the anniversary of September 11, about 200 individuals gathered outside City Hall in Palo Alto for a Peace Picnic, hosted by American Muslim Voice, followed by a Peaceful Presence Prayers for Peace, sponsored by Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice (of which our parish is a member). Those of all faiths and no formal faith were more than welcome. Thanks to all who turned out, and who braved the rain and thunder (we got quite wet!) to witness together.

We echo the sentiments of the Bishops of California and the United States in expressing our disappointment with the decision to rescind DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). We call upon Congress to pass laws that protect these young people, many for whom the United States is the only place they have ever known.

East Palo Alto nonprofit Ecumenical Hunger Program is looking for help from the community to address a gap in back-to-school items for local students in need. At the start of each school year, Ecumenical Hunger Program provides students in East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, Menlo Park and surrounding areas with backpacks, school supplies, new uniforms and new shoes. A Redwood City organization that the nonprofit partners with, "My New Red Shoes," helped Ecumenical Hunger Program donate 460 pairs of new shoes this year, but 150 children still remain in need.