FOUR - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, October 28, 2020
DEPOT VOTE
-Continued from PAGE ONE
what Umatilla County has
put forward and what the
director kind of put forward
as I understand it. I think
we add it in there, kind of
draws everyone back to-
gether.” Doherty went on to
urge members (of the CDA)
to “pump the brakes” on
taking votes that have not
been discussed or are not
on agendas. Russell said he
did not really want to weigh
in on what Umatilla County
does on their side. “This is
going to initiate discussion,
or it certainly should,” he
said. “Our goal tomorrow is
to undo the damage that was
done a couple weeks ago,
and again it (the CDA vote)
is awkward, but it started a
conversation that needed to
be started.” The commis-
sion voted unanimously,
without the discussion, to
send the letter to the CDA.
The CDA, on Oct. 22,
in response to the letter
from the Board of Com-
missioners, rescinded the
Oct. 8 motion. CDA board
member Rep. Greg Smith
deferred to Kim Puzey of
the Port of Umatilla who
first put forward the con-
troversial motion. Puzey
moved to rescind the mo-
tion. “For the good of the
region I move that we re-
scind the motion of October
8, because it was not on the
agenda,” he said. It was sec-
onded by Ryan Neal from
the Port of Morrow. There
was no discussion and the
vote was unanimous.
Smith then steered the
topic of the meeting on to
their efforts of preserving
Oregon Trail sites that pass
through the depot land, and
the preservation of an Igloo
Explosion site, also on U.S.
Army Depot land. In 1944
an igloo, that housed 264
bombs for the war, explod-
ed and killed six Army staff
that were maintaining the
igloo.
The CDA is work-
ing through the National
Historic Preservation Act
process, and the State His-
toric Preservation Office
(SHPO). Addressing con-
cerns of the Oregon Trail
Advocates and members
of Confederate Tribes of
the Umatilla Indian Res-
ervation (CTUIR) Smith
says, “One of the issues
that remains outstanding is
who’s going to make sure
that those properties we’ve
identified as the South Trail
and the 1944 UMCD Igloo
Accident get protected.”
Smith then proposed a re-
quest to the Morrow County
Planning Commission to
oversee the south portion of
the trail in Morrow County
and the Umatilla County
Planning Department over-
see the Igloo Accident site.
“The reason for this is to
make sure that those acts
of mitigation that we’ve
committed to are honored.”
Smith’s motion said,
“We authorize the executive
director of the CDA to reach
out to the two counties to
formalize this request.”
CDA board member Bill
Tovey said that he would
like SHPO to be involved
in the approval process
to work with the counties
in oversight of the trail
sites. In response to Tovey’s
comment Smith replied,
“One of the county’s folks,
depending on which side of
the line, would go up, take
a look, make sure we’re
honoring our agreement.
And, in the briefest of brief-
est manners, notify SHPO
we’re in compliance.”
Smith then said he would
talk to the counties about it
as a “policy decision.”
According to the CDA
agenda the proposition to
Umatilla and Morrow coun-
ties reads, “Morrow County
commits to assume respon-
sibility for the South Trail,
its perpetual oversight,
semi-annual monitoring
and enforcement, if neces-
sary, following dissolution
of the CDA or the sale of
a portion of property on
which the South Trail is lo-
cated.” And the proposition
to be presented to Uma-
tilla County would read,
“Umatilla County commits
to assume responsibility
for the 1944 UMCD Igloo
Accident site, its perpetu-
al oversight, semi-annual
monitoring and enforce-
ment, if necessary, follow-
ing dissolution of the CDA
or the sale of a portion of
property on which the 1944
UMCD Igloo Accident site
is located.” Bill Elfring
(Umatilla County) put the
motion forward. It was sec-
onded by Russell. The mo-
tion passed unanimously.
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Spiritually Speaking
Be Holy, Be a Saint
By Fr. Thankachan Joseph SDB, St. Patrick Church
The Church celebrates November 1 as All Saints’
Day. When we look at the Catholic calendar, we see that
on many days year-round we celebrate feasts of saints
– for example: Don Bosco, January 31; Francis Xavier,
December 3; Augustine of Hippo, August 28; Mother
Theresa of Calcutta, September 5; St. Martin de Pores,
November 3, Pope John Paul II, October 22, etc. Pope
Francis beatified a teenager from Italy, Carlo Acutis, on
October 10, 2020. This shows that the Church continues to
venerate holy people. Now we have the patron of the new
generation in Carlo Acutis. He used modern technology
and YouTube channels to spread Eucharistic devotion and
piety among believers. As we celebrate All Saints’ Day on
November 1, let us ask, why is it necessary to set apart a
day to celebrate the feast of all saints?
We can think of two important reasons for us to
remember all saints and martyrs, known and unknown,
throughout Christian history: The first reason is that be-
sides the handful of saints whose feast days we celebrate
on specific days in the year, there are countless other saints
and martyrs, holy men and women, virgins and children
united with God in the heavenly glory that we do not
celebrate. Many of these would be our own parents and
grandparents who were heroic women and men of faith.
Today the Church is bringing before us that honorable
memory. The book of Revelations (7: 2-4, 9-14) reminds
believers about the angelic vision of St. John the Evange-
list, with the Lamb of God and the heavenly beings. We
celebrate what Revelations calls “a great multitude that
no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes
and peoples and languages, standing before the throne
and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches
in their hands crying out in loud voice, ‘Salvation comes
from our God, who is seated on the throne’” (7:9). In
many ways, therefore, All Saints’ feast can be called the
feast of the Unknown Saint, in line with the tradition of
the Unknown Soldier.
The second reason for this celebration is that it gives
us a peek into our eternal destiny. The first letter of St.
John states, “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what
we shall be has not yet been revealed” (1Jn 3: 2). The
saints whom we venerate and honor today are the ones
who lived their call as children of God to the full. The
saints whose memory we celebrate and honor were men
and women like us. Where we are now, they used to be,
and where they are now, we hope to be someday. As
Christians we know that individuals’ life stories are not
limited to what happens to them between the day they are
born and the day they die. Our stories begin before we are
born, at our conception, and go beyond the day we die, to
all eternity. That is why we do not simply forget people
after they die. In the preface we use for the deceased,
we say life is not ended but changed. Didn’t St Theresa
of Lisieux say that she would spend eternity doing good
on earth? In our mortal eyes she is dead and gone. But
in the eyes of faith we know that she is alive now more
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than ever because she is
now fully alive in God.
She is now more alive than
we are because the life she
now enjoys can no longer
be diminished by suffering,
disease, sin or death. Noth-
ing of earth can affect the
present lives of the saints.
Fr. Thankachan Joseph
Unfortunately, our
reaching the fullness of
life with the saints does not happen automatically. “Not
everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will
of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). How do we
live a life of doing the will of our heavenly Father? The
answer is given us in the Beatitudes, in which Jesus gives
His followers a road map of sanctity and eternal life. All
the saints we celebrate today walked the hard and narrow
path of the Beatitudes to arrive at heavenly ecstasy. On
the feast of All Saints the church invites us and challenges
us to walk the walk, not just to talk the talk, of the saints.
In Matthew (5: 1-12), the Beatitudes suggest a way
of life, inviting every one of us to identify with the poor,
those who mourn, the meek and those who hunger and
thirst after justice. They challenge us to be compassionate
people, to be men and women who are pure in heart and to
become the peacemakers in our dealings with one another,
in our families, and in the society at large, even when this
approach to things exposes us to ridicule and persecution.
As we are facing our presidential election, there can
be differences of opinion and principles. Do you uphold
and promote Christ-like values that He insisted on with
His disciples, the values He addressed in His sermon on
the mount? None of the saints we celebrate today had as
their aim in life to amass wealth, to acquire power or to
gain popularity. Rather, they looked forward to the eternal
reward which God gives to His faithful ones at the end of
this short earthly life of illusion.
Today we are invited to walk the path of the saints,
the way of the Beatitudes. The way is narrow and hard.
We need faith and courage to walk it. The examples of the
saints and their prayers encourage us and help us on. St
Augustine found it hard to live the Beatitudes, but when he
read the lives of the saints he said, “What these ordinary
women and men have done, why not me?” Why not? Faith
assures us that all who heed the call of Jesus and live the
life of the Beatitudes, at the end of life, we shall, together
with all the saints, hear the consoling words of the Lord,
“Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joys
of your master” (Matthew 25:21). The solemnity of All
Saints invites us to turn our gaze to the immense multitude
of those who have already reached the blessed land and
points us on the path that will lead us to that destination.
The Church is inviting every one of us to walk the path
of the saints and become Holy like He is Holy.
Death Notices
Francine Mae Crawford – Francine Mae Crawford
of Hermiston was born July 16, 1930 in Portland, OR.
She passed away surrounded by her family on October
23, 2020 in Hermiston at the age of 90 years.
A celebration of life service following state guidelines
will be held Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 1 p.m. at
Burns Mortuary Chapel, Hermiston.
Please share memories of Francine with her family
at burnsmortuaryhermiston.com. Burns Mortuary of
Hermiston is in care of arrangements.
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A Reminder to Insulate Water Meters
The City of Heppner would like to remind everyone to insulate their
water meters this winter.
It is important to protect the meter from freezing before the tempera-
tures drop. Now is the perfect time. Pettyjohn’s, the local hardware
store stocks a piece of insulation that is a perfect fit. The cost is $2.00,
other building supply stores carry insulation as well. Anyone that has a
difficult time accessing their meter to insulate it is encouraged to
contact The City for assistance. The City charges $75.00 plus materials
for the repair of any uninsulated meter that becomes frozen.
If there are any questions or concerns please contact The City at
541-676-9618 or stop by City Hall.
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