In the center of modern Rome, on the banks of the Tiber, there humbly rises a dilapidated ruin that once stood as a proud building of Imperial Rome. It is the Mausoleum of Augustus. The Greek historian Strabo records that Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, built this structure in 23 B.C. to house his remains and those of his family when they died.

Like the pilgrims who gathered with their neighbors at Plymouth Rock after their first successful harvest in 1621, the early American colonists celebrated days of thanksgiving. When a drought ended or a war won, they would set aside a day to give thanks for the favorable outcome. For example, after the victory over British forces in the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, the Continental Congress declared a Thanksgiving holiday. The 13 original colonies stopped their ordinary routine in order “to acknowledge with gratitude their obligation to [Almighty God] for benefits received, and to implore … farther blessings …”

In June of 1967, Pope Paul VI issued the Apostolic letter, Diaconatus Ordinem, re-establishing the permanent diaconate in the Latin Church. From her very beginnings, the Church has had the blessing of the ministry of deacons. Even before Luke writes in the Acts of the Apostles about the first deacons and their work, Paul is already mentioning deacons in his writings. In his letter to the Philippians (c. 54 A. D.), he addresses “all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.”

For the last 25 years, the moral landscape of our country has been changing. More and more people argue against the death penalty as a legitimate form of justice. Some strenuously argue that every individual has the right to determine when and how to end their life. Divorce has become more common. Many now accept cohabitation before marriage as an acceptable preparation for marriage. And, activist groups have been able to alter our laws to reflect their agendas on family, human life and the very notion of the human person.