Action Advancing Life, A Catholic Obligation

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The following is an exerpt from the June 3rd Priest for Life Newsletter:

“The commitment to defend the weakest and most vulnerable human beings does not arise from a political party or platform, nor from any kind of personal or communal agenda. Nor does it arise from bishops, priests, or pastors. Rather, it arises from our humanity itself, fashioned as it is by the hand of God. God, who is life, writes upon our hearts its value, and He bestows on us both the gift of life and the privilege and duty to defend it. Nobody needs any kind of permission to defend life, nor can anyone excuse himself from that duty. Nobody has a monopoly on the defense of life, nor is the pro-life task a means to an end. Defending life is an end in itself, and has in itself all the justification it ever needs.”

Lets discuss the following questions in consideration of Fr. Frank Pavone’s above comments:
  • How have/are you advance/advancing pro-life?
  • How can we better advance the pro-life cause?
http://www.smilieland.com/graphics2/baby75.gif

http://www.priestsforlife.org/images/partbrt4.gifThis drawing was taken from the Priest for Life website regarding partial birth abortions. To see the full procedure, go here: priestsforlife.org/partialbirth.html#showit

Soldier for Christ,
Bob
 
Hi Bob. Excellent thread. I don’t have time to respond right now. I am getting ready to go to a Mass for Life. After that folks are marching to a nearby abortion clinic and saying the Rosary. Pray for us. Ani.
 
Ani Ibi:
Hi Bob. Excellent thread. I don’t have time to respond right now. I am getting ready to go to a Mass for Life. After that folks are marching to a nearby abortion clinic and saying the Rosary. Pray for us. Ani.
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I think you just did respond! I’ll say a prayer for your success! Thanks!

I am excited because I have gotten a speaker from Priests for Life to come to my parish on July 2nd & 3rd. I’m planning a radio interview, an ecumenical prayer service for mothers whose children have died, homilies at all masses, a talk on Saturday evening, and a meeting with the bishop, a senator, the local Right to Life Chapter, and members of Rachael’s Vineyard Ministry!!!
 
Wow! Things in your part of the world are rocking! Where did you say you live? Ani
 
Ani! I live on the far eastern end of Tennessee, and area called the Smoky Mountains. The Catholic population is under 5%, and my parish only has under 350 families. A couple of the towns, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinberg, are big summertime tourist towns. So, I am excited because the speaker will reeach key people in the area and lots of tourist from all over the US who might never heard a pro-life speech from their pulpits!

Lets see if we can get this thread active…its been kind of dead and I would really like to hear about what Catholics are doing to advance pro-life in their areas! It will inspire and give ideas to all of us!

Bob
 
One of the things I did after today’s March was to talk to Jim Hughes of Campaign Life Coalition. His opinion is that things won’t change until they change at the parish level. Perhaps we need something like the Franciscan revolution to start being Catholic again.

So while I was napping I thought: Parish Life International. LaitySomething participatory, once a month, including potluck suppers. Something useful to the people who come, so that would include a speaker, small group problem solving, planning on how to lead Catholic families. In exchange for very useful activities at the personal level, participants would commit to regular activism inside their churches and in the world.

For the clergy, there are Sisters for Life. We need to have more religious houses for them. We have Fr Pavone’s new priest order. We need to have more seminaries for them. We need a third order for more committed laity too. Thoughts?
 
Ani Ibi:
One of the things I did after today’s March was to talk to Jim Hughes of Campaign Life Coalition. His opinion is that things won’t change until they change at the parish level. Perhaps we need something like the Franciscan revolution to start being Catholic again.

So while I was napping I thought: Parish Life International. LaitySomething participatory, once a month, including potluck suppers. Something useful to the people who come, so that would include a speaker, small group problem solving, planning on how to lead Catholic families. In exchange for very useful activities at the personal level, participants would commit to regular activism inside their churches and in the world.

For the clergy, there are Sisters for Life. We need to have more religious houses for them. We have Fr Pavone’s new priest order. We need to have more seminaries for them. We need a third order for more committed laity too. Thoughts?
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Ani:

You’ve done a lot with the thing up in Canada. I imagine that you’ve found what I found with the campaign on the Senate - Organizing Catholics for political causes is like herding cats. and, Once the main Organizer/Rabble Rouzer is knocked down, that’s pretty much it for the effort. It’s like we don’t understand the importance of the issues well enough to step forward when “leaders” are knocked out of the fight.

I hope these structures wll help with some of that, but we have to realize that, if an issue is important enough to get worked up about, it’s important enough for someone to jump in the breach when a leader goes down.

During one battle of the Civil War, the Color Bearer for the Irish Brigade was shot 5 times (5 different men) but the Colors (the battle flag with a picture of an Irish harp on it) NEVER TOUCHED THE GROUND, because someone grabbed it as soon as the Color Bearer was shot, becoming the next Color Bearer. That happened 5 times, and the Colors never touched the ground, because the Irish just wouldn’t let them!

We have to become the same way with leadership of these different projects.

At St. Mary’s, we have “Brunch” together after the 10:00 am Solemn High Mass. This serves to bring the people closer together and, along with a few other parish quarks, helps to give a common sense of purpose. We also have Coffee after the 8 am Low Mass and a Bible Study in the Rectory at 9 am.

Of course, I tnink that something like that would be helpful at all Catholic parishes, but you would have to have MORE TIME between two or three of the Masses, so that people could go to Mass and to to Breakfast or “Brunch” without interfering with the ability of the next group of people to get to Mass. You might be looking at: (Sat) 6 pm Mass and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, (Sun.) 7 am Mass and Breakfast, 9:30 am Mass and Brunch, 12 noon Mass and Lunch, and 4 pm Mass and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. You’ll notice time for only 5 Masses (that allows 1-1/4 hours for the Mass, an hour for the meal, and 15 min. for the parking lot). You’ll also notice that I’m assuming that about 1/2 of the people won’t stay for the meal, but will go home to be with their families.

I think if people can get their parishes to just do ONE MEAL together and ONE ADORATION per week, you’ll develop a cadre of people who’ll want to do more.

I hope this helps with an idea or two.

Blessed are they who act to save God’s Little Ones. Michael
 
Traditional Ang:
Organizing Catholics for political causes is like herding cats.
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:rotfl:
Traditional Ang:
and, Once the main Organizer/Rabble Rouzer is knocked down, that’s pretty much it for the effort. It’s like we don’t understand the importance of the issues well enough to step forward when “leaders” are knocked out of the fight.
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God does not choose the qualified. He qualifies the chosen.
Traditional Ang:
I hope these structures wll help with some of that, but we have to realize that, if an issue is important enough to get worked up about, it’s important enough for someone to jump in the breach when a leader goes down.
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Gosh, if we could only know who is actually leading.
Traditional Ang:
At St. Mary’s, we have “Brunch” together after the 10:00 am Solemn High Mass. This serves to bring the people closer together and, along with a few other parish quarks, helps to give a common sense of purpose. We also have Coffee after the 8 am Low Mass and a Bible Study in the Rectory at 9 am.
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At the cathedral we don’t have any of these things. I will speak to my priest the next time I see him.
Traditional Ang:
I think if people can get their parishes to just do ONE MEAL together and ONE ADORATION per week, you’ll develop a cadre of people who’ll want to do more.
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Yes, even once a month.
Traditional Ang:
I hope this helps with an idea or two.
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Awesome! Thank you. Ani.
 
Hello Trailblazer,I would like to ask Father how he can get the people rallied to do something and be active.I think people are frustrated and feel defeated:confused:
 
You are right. Often I feel defeated. Then I remember the babies and something spurs me on. I’ll ask that question to Fr Woods when we interview him for the radio program.
 
Perhaps if I begin by listing the Pro-Life activities I have been involved in, we’ll get this thread moving
  • Worked with several people to begin a Tennessee Right to Life Chapter in my county
  • Wrote an editorial defending the bishops who denied communion to pro-abortion politicians that was published in my county newspaper
  • Had 2 atricles on the importance of life as a primary factor in deciding to vote that was published in the regional newspaper.
  • Had 3 editorials published in the Diocese Newspaper
  • Passed along information from Right to Life, Priest for Life, and others to my e-mail distribution list
  • Wrote state senators regarding 2 pro-life / abortion bills
  • Supported the senator in my area that was prolife and campaigned against the other who said he was prolife but voted against an important prolife bill.
  • Wrote 2 bishops about the primacy of the abortion issue, one who was on the committee looking at faith and politics
  • E-mailed my Washington senators and congressmen regarding prolife issues, and wrote my senator about not supporting A Spector
  • Organized a speaker from Priest for Life to come into my community. He will be on a radio station. He will meet the bishop and area senator. He will conduct an ecumenical prayer service, he with give homilies at all masses, and he will give a talk on a Saturday evening.
  • I teach pro-life in high school formation in my parish
  • As Confirmation sponsor, I will not recommend ANY STUDENT who is pro-abortion for Confirmation.
Please list some of the things you have done/ are doing. We can all learn from each other. Thank you.
 
What I think is needed are websites (for each country) which centralize action projects. The bulk of this can be email campaigns. We can add on Life meetings, talks, education seminars, conferences, walks, demonstrations and so on.
 
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