Dear Brothers and Sisters,
 
What is a 54-day novena? "Novena" is traditionally a nine-day prayer. 
 
In fact, it comes from the Latin word for nine, which is "novem." It is a series of days of prayer modeled after the nine days of prayer that our Blessed Mother Mary and the Twelve Apostles offered from the day that Jesus ascended into heaven until the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.  
 
So, why call it a novena if it is 54 days? This is because we are using the same model of imploring heaven for a very important cause - six times over! Essentially, six novenas in a row.
 
Sometimes causes are great, like preparation for receiving the Holy Spirit. At other times we pray because of the threat of something terribly grievous.  
 
In the case of this novena, we are begging God to help us prevent the validation of a constitutional amendment in our beautiful State of Michigan. The amendment is called "Reproductive Freedom For All."  
 
This amendment essentially names unborn babies, parental rights over their children,
and the conscience rights of health care workers as threats to individuals and to the State.
The amendment therefore gives individuals and the State a constitutional right to
eliminate these threats at will.
 
Hence, 54 days, because this is incredible evil. Yet, The Church has come against similar horrid evils and threats to humanity throughout all her history. Those evils eventually come to an end, but the Church has endured all of them and continues now as a clear source of light in a darkened world.
 
So, then what do we do for 54 days? Bishop is asking us to pray a Rosary every day for the intention of overcoming this threat as well as offering other forms of prayer.
He is asking us to offer fasting, such as limiting food intake, limiting, or forgoing sweets,
alcoholic drinks, or any other desirable but unnecessary pleasures.
 
He has asked that we give alms. This can be especially helpful to pregnancy help centers and social services that help mothers with children in need. This is expressly needed now as efforts have been made to prevent any State resources from going to help mothers keep and raise their babies while diverting all available State resources to abortive options.
 
Finally,  It is most dearly important that we pray for all who are involved in formal or material cooperation with these evil and misguided efforts. The peril to our babies, our parents, and to our healthcare workers is certainly terrible but, at the same time, it is only temporal, or earthly peril.
 
The peril that threatens those who are engaged in the promotion of this amendment and similar efforts is eternal peril. This is no light pronouncement because it is no light matter. Hence 54 days of begging Jesus and Mary and all the saints in heaven to help us all.
 
God will eventually prevail over all earthly perils and we with Him if we remain steadfast and do not seek easy ways to escape peril by causing harm to others.
 
I love you my brothers and sisters, just as I love every lost sheep and every found sheep in the world. God is who bound us together at our creation and is the one to who can make us whole once again. Nevertheless, may we always do our part for His kingdom with steadfast faith, hope, and love,  
   Fr. John