Patron Saint of Unions and Planned Parenthood?
You can’t deny the fundamental fact that the evil Left loves Pope Francis. Why not? He promotes most of their goals – as did many of his new saint causes. Was Cesar Chavez very religious?
SAN JOSE — Family members of labor leader Cesar Chavez led a march in his honor Saturday through the neighborhood where he once lived, and some supporters also used the birthday commemoration to revive a movement to make Chavez a Catholic saint.
Was it a procession or a ‘march’? Isn’t San Jose where they just got a new FrancisBishop?
“This is the beginning of a campaign to canonize Cesar Chavez,” said Rudy Chavez Medina, a nephew of the legendary California activist. “When you look at Cesar’s life — and all the lives he touched — that’s a miracle.”
Is that going to be the miracle?
Laying out a detailed case for Chavez’s canonization was the Rev. Jon Pedigo, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, whose proposal was met with surprise and elation from some veterans of the United Farm Workers movement.
The process of officially declaring someone a saint requires a long, complicated investigation by the Catholic Church, usually to prove that the person miraculously cured physical ailments. But Pedigo said it can begin with a popular movement.
It “can start anywhere in the world, in his birthplace in Yuma, Arizona, or the place where we believe his call came from, here in San Jose,” Pedigo said. “It’s a matter of where do people really want to organize around the question of sainthood.”
Is this about finding devotion to a saint and evidence of miracles, or just organizing for social action? Will this be the first ‘Patron Saint of Union Organizing’?
The sainthood campaign brought new energy to the annual San Jose event celebrating the life of Chavez, who died at age 66 in 1993 and would have turned 88 on Tuesday. Monday is a state holiday in his honor.
After a service at the Guadalupe Church, about 100 people, led by the labor leader’s siblings, nephews and nieces and a host of local politicians, began marching from McDonnell Hall, where Chavez gathered farmworkers in the 1950s.
“Here in East San Jose, one of our own community members raised the consciousness of our whole nation,” said Mayor Sam Liccardo, sporting a white guayabera shirt for the occasion.
He’s a consciousness-raising saint even the mayor can love. Guess who else loves Chavez?
“Planned Parenthood shares César Chávez’s belief in fair treatment for everyone; we believe that all women and their families deserve the highest quality of affordable health care no matter who they are and where they live – no matter what. We know that health disparities remain a serious issue that is undeniably linked to poverty, lack of access, racism, sexism, and discrimination in all of its forms. As we continue to be inspired by César Chávez’s legacy, we know that these structural inequalities can only be changed through collective action – that’s why we are committed to working together with our partners to break down these barriers and to transform our world from one divided by disparities to a world united by health equity.
“The Affordable Care Act has provided millions of Latinos with access to critical services and allowed us to make significant strides toward better health care outcomes for all, but there is still much work to be done. We know that enrollment was only half the battle. Now that many Latinos have insurance for the first time, we are committed to making sure that they know what they can do with it, and of course there are still a significant number of Latinos who remain uninsured, many of whom are undocumented. We honor César Chávez’s memory by continuing to provide and advocate for services that allow people of all ages, races, and walks of life – regardless of immigration status – to reach their fullest potential.”
So, Planned Parenthood is filled with esteem for the labor-leader saint. I guess a life of service can be a lot like ‘advocating for services’, and even though there isn’t a word about Him in either of these testimonials, we all know Jesus was all about service!
