Dear Brothers and Sisters: 

I wish to share with you a letter I wrote on May 26th of this year. There are a countless number of issues that we as Catholics and Christians should speak up about, but this issue of gun violence in our country is one that strikes me to the heart because of my passion for youth and young adults.  I sent this letter to President Biden as well as Senate and House leadership of both political parties. I also attended the March for Our Lives against Gun Violence that was held on June 11th in Washington, DC.  My plea to those reading this letter is that you speak up for any issue that moves you.  As disciples of the Risen Lord let us be filled with his Spirit of courage to speak for those that seemingly have no voice!

Subject: Gun Control in the United States of America

Dear President Biden, [Senator Schumer, Senator McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, and Congressman McCarthy]:  I originally wrote this letter four years after the shooting in Parkland, FL and will continue to resend one to my elected officials after each new senseless act of gun violence in our country. I write you now after violence has once again shown up in Uvalde, Texas.

I have been an ordained Catholic priest for thirty-five years and my passion for ministry is with school children, teens, and young adults. In recent years I have had to comfort elementary school children and their parents while trying to explain the tragedy of Sandy Hook. I have had to walk with my youth group after the various high school shootings have occurred. I have stood for too many moments of silence after events like the Las Vegas, Orlando, and now the Buffalo and Uvalde shootings. I have stood in the pulpit too many Sundays in recent memory and tried to offer words of comfort to a congregation that is searching for a loving and compassionate God amidst these tragic shootings. As an ordained minister I am tired and weary of offering comfort to those not directly affected by these recent shooting tragedies but affected nonetheless because we as Americans care for one another. I am tired and weary that our elected officials refuse to stand up for these innocent victims. I pray and pray, and now I pray that you will have the courage to stand up and say enough!

After the tragedy this week in Uvalde, TX, I could no longer stay silent in the political forum. Would anyone care what I had to say? Is there anyone who would act on behalf of my voice, the voices of all Americans living in fear of another mass shooting, and the voices of those who grieve a lost loved one? I am hopeful you are the person who will hear us and help us make a difference. 

If I could get exactly what I wanted, I would ask that guns be removed from the hands of anyone outside of law enforcement. I realize that is very unlikely and we must start small. I am writing today to ask that you support legislation that would, at a minimum, support expanded background checks and ban military style weapons. 

Please be the person who will stand with all of us who are exhausted, saddened, and broken by the gun violence in our country. Be the one who will help us to begin healing our country. Help us bring peace and brightness back to this once great nation that is being darkened daily by gun violence. 

In the Spirit of the Redeemer, 

Paul J. Borowski, C.Ss.R.