The following comes from a June 22 Pacific Justice email:
Dear Friends,
You might find this hard to believe, but we recently achieved a great outcome for one of our church clients … in San Francisco!
You read that correctly—a church … in the heart of the Bay Area … represented by Pacific Justice Institute … secured a unanimous decision in its favor from a local government body. How is that possible? The story gives us some insight into gaining ground in hostile territory.
About 5 years ago, we began working with a Chinese church in San Francisco that was concerned about a marijuana shop being proposed next door to the church. (Whatever you may think about the pros and cons of marijuana in general, I think most of us would agree that this isn’t the type of place we would want our kids walking by every time they go to Sunday school or a church summer program.) At first, the church’s concerns were rejected by the Planning Commission, but they made a strong showing on appeal and got a favorable decision that was later upheld in court. Fast-forward to this year, and the church found itself once again fending off the pot shop that seems determined to locate next door.
Just a few weeks ago church members networked with other believers and friends and packed out a Planning Commission meeting. Pacific Justice Institute attorney Kevin Snider sent a letter and also attended the meeting. We were told the Commission had never seen such a large turnout … and it made the difference! The Commission agreed with the church by a 6-0 vote that this was not a good fit for the neighborhood. The church did a terrific job of working with other schools and community leaders to ensure their neighborhood continues to be a safe place for kids.
Friends, if this can be achieved in San Francisco, it is possible anywhere. When people of faith don’t abandon the public square but show up in large numbers at local governmental meetings to let their voices be heard, good things can still happen. Of course, this doesn’t mean we will win every time, and more challenges lie ahead as a dispensary is now being proposed across the street from this church and another battle lies ahead. But we absolutely must persevere and step forward — like this church did — to support good proposals and oppose bad ones in our communities.
Next?
God bless the Pacific Justice Institute for all their diligence in pursuing justice for the Chinese church. It shows there can be justice, even in San Francisco. It helped their cause by packing the Planning Commission meeting.
Yes Sarah i agree God bless them. Its true too that there is power in numbers. I pray that people of faith will now unite to fight the same sex scandal.
Salt the ground. Spread holy salt around the neighborhood to get rid of the demons. Some friends of mine got rid of an occult book store that way.
LOL.
Very funny. They got rid of an occult book store by spreading holy salt.
Of course– I could always ask a priest to bless some salt proper for Sacramental use, by a layman!
Looks like Cal Catholic Daily reversed the order of my two posts, above!
Anne T good suggestions. God bless you.
I once slightly salted a witchcraft demonstration in a secular bookstore near me. The demonstration was taken down. Nevertheless, after about a year two of the same bookstores in my area closed down. That was not my intention. (Lots of laughs.) I am afraid to try it in the remaining one bookstore near my city since I do not want it to close down completely. (Some more laughs.)
Years ago, there was a secular bookstore in the city next to mine that even had the Satanic Bible, right along with good Christian books. After a while I noticed that two of the young women working there had strangely colored hair and wore pentagrams. They were always nice to me, but then I noticed that small books on witchcraft kept popping up in non related…
Continued: sections, such as photography and science. Evidently, the women in that bookstore were trying to make converts to wicca. It later closed down too. I do not know why. Perhaps because people did not like the atmosphere.
Where did your friends get the holy salt? From a Catholic religious supply store? I just wondered, because today, there are few Catholic religious bookstores, and few that supply traditional Catholic religious items– except for religious supply stores for the clergy, and churches! Where can a lay Catholic purchase holy salt??
You don’t buy blessed salt. You can ask your priest to bless any salt.
I did find (online) a traditional Catholic gift shop in Louisiana, that specializes in traditional Catholic items– and they will send you a free supply of blessed salt, if you place an order for it! Other than that– of course, one could simply ask a priest to bless salt! I am not sure what kind of salt may be used– iodized? non-iodized? sea salt? (Etc.) Does the Vatican II Church still use blessed salt, as part of the exorcism ritual– in Baptisms?? I am not sure. Anyway– San Francisco could sure use a lot of help, with sacramentals, as an aid to purification!!
Any Catholic priest can bless salt for you. Some people put it around the doors of their homes, etc. Just check with your priest as to whether he has it on hand or wants you to bring some for him to bless.
Well– my posts are not in order– so what can I say?! What a shame!
Maybe they’d have come out in order if you had added pepper with your salt.
Putting the salt aside, the above article is a good one. Success often comes in numbers when people support the right things.
I guess that is what one would call holy pepper spray, good for keeping attackers and rapists away. Anonymous you got me going, and now everyone probably wished you had not done so. Anyway we got some good laughs along with the seriousness.