St. Francis de Sales Church

Fathers,

A national abortion advocacy group has called on supporters to protest at Catholic Masses around the country this weekend. While the Diocese of Crookston has no information that disruptions are planned locally, we wanted to make you aware of this trending topic on social media.
 
You may want to consider the following:
• Having extra parish leadership and staff present at Masses to watch for unusual behavior or disruptive activities.
• If protestors disrupt the Mass, prepare hospitality/usher staff to peacefully and respectfully escort protestors out of the church.
• Announce that the Mass is not the proper forum for protesting and encourage demonstrators to move outside the church to public property to express their views.
• Ask the faithful to pray quietly.
• Lead the faithful in prayer after demonstrators exit to calm parishioners.
• In the event a demonstration takes place, it may be upsetting to some in attendance. Please acknowledge that parish staff will be available following Mass to speak with them (if that’s possible). Otherwise, remind the faithful that they are welcome to call the parish office to make an appointment with the pastor. If you believe that a situation may become or is becoming unsafe, please contact your local law enforcement agency for advice and assistance.

In addition, Catholic Mutual Group has supplied us with the following comments:
In light of the potential changes from the U.S. Supreme Court on abortion, law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are issuing alerts for violence and civil unrest starting with this weekend, with the target of Mother’s Day.  Out of an abundance of caution, we ask that you inform your Pastors of this matter. They should remain vigilant and be prepared should protestors decide to show up in front of one of your churches.

1. Try not to engage with the protestors.  
2. Work with local law enforcement and follow their recommendations. They can also help manage the event. Police are the only ones with legal authority to deal with these protestors. They can assist by keeping protestors off of church property and making sure the protest remains peaceful.
3. If media shows up, make no comment or consider designating one person from the church to be authorized to talk with the media.
4. Please make your staff and volunteers aware of this potential fluid situation involving protesting at your church. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter.