The Great Crisis of Today
The recent film Lincoln features a remarkable portrayal of the title character during his final months in office, amid his efforts to end both slavery and the Civil War. In one powerful scene, President Lincoln says of the Thirteenth Amendment, which outlawed slavery in 1865, “This settles the fate for all coming time — not only of the millions living now in bondage, but of unborn millions to come.” Here, and in so many other places in the film, it is difficult not to draw parallels with the greatest civil rights issue of our own day: abortion and the right to life.
Many have noted the similarities between the 1857 U.S. Supreme Court decision Dred Scott v. Sandford — which ruled that people of African descent, whether slave or free, were not citizens and had no rights under the Constitution — and the 1973 decision Roe v. Wade. Both, for instance, were 7-2 decisions, both appealed to an idea of privacy and both argued that a certain class of human beings was excluded from the constitutional definition of “citizen” or “person.”
The Dred Scott decision in 1857 did not settle the controversy about slavery in the United States but instead magnified it. The case was followed by Lincoln’s election in 1860 and the Civil War one year later. That four-year armed conflict remains the deadliest in U.S. history, as approximately 750,000 Americans were killed, brother against brother.
As for Roe, it likewise did not settle the abortion debate. The court’s decision in 1973 has been followed by a four-decade cultural and political battle, a civil war of a different kind. And although the violence that the decision has wrought is largely hidden from public view, abortion has claimed more than 55 million innocent lives — and has wounded countless more hearts — in the United States since 1973. On average, more children are killed through elective abortion every year under Roe v. Wade than the American death toll of every war in the nation’s history combined and more innocent lives in America are lost to abortion every day than perished in the attacks of 9/11. Acknowledging this fact does not diminish the horrors of wars or terrorist attacks, but simply illustrates how utterly incomprehensible abortion’s impact really is.
Slavery was eventually overcome, and from the Reconstruction Era to the civil rights movement a century later, the nation made strides toward healing society and restoring justice. As President Ronald Reagan noted in a 1983 essay titled Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation, “At first, only a minority of Americans recognized and deplored the moral crisis brought about by denying the full humanity of our black brothers and sisters; but that minority persisted in their vision and finally prevailed. They did it by appealing to the hearts and minds of their countrymen, to the truth of human dignity under God.” Because “the sacred value of human life is too deeply engrained in the hearts of our people to remain suppressed,” he added, Roe v. Wade will eventually be overturned, whether by a Supreme Court ruling or a constitutional amendment.
In recent years, the Knights of Columbus and the pro-life movement have seen younger generations become increasingly pro-life. Ultrasound technology has made it impossible for people to refute the humanity of the unborn child. Post-abortive women have shared their personal stories about abortion’s devastating emotional and psychological effects. And a growing number of people inspired by faith and charity have brought hope to pregnant women who feel hopeless. As a result, more and more people are recognizing that abortion is an “unspeakable crime” (cf. Evangelium Vitae, 58; Gaudium et Spes, 51) about which they cannot be silent. Commemorating this solemn anniversary, we pray for God’s mercy and guidance, and we know that whether Roe v. Wade is overturned tomorrow or decades from now, our work to build a true culture of life has only just begun.♦
Alton J. Pelowski
Managing Editor
ON THE COVER
A tapestry of St. Gianna Beretta Molla and signs distributed by the Knights of Columbus are seen among participants at the March for Life. (CNS Photo/Bob Roller)
PK lA$ǵq OEBPS/Flow_1.htmlOur Moral Responsibility
Beyond questions of politics, abortion fundamentally remains a moral issue that Christians have a duty to oppose
by Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson
This month, we observe the 40th anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision. Of all the things that will be said about this court case in the days ahead, one thing remains beyond dispute: Abortion is the issue that will not go away.
Indeed, 40 years after the Supreme Court handed down its decision, most Americans consider abortion to be morally wrong, and a large majority wants significant restrictions on its availability. As long as this is the case, Roe v. Wade cannot be considered as “settled.”
There is another reason as well: The fundamental ruling of Roe v. Wade rests upon a falsehood, namely that we cannot tell when the life of a human being begins. Today, we know beyond doubt that a child in the womb is precisely that — a child. No constitutional system can rest secure when it is premised on what is widely believed by many to be a lie.
And there is a third reason: No legal system can be truly committed to human rights if it supports the principle that it is acceptable to intentionally kill the innocent. Roe v. Wade not only accepts this principle, but elevates it to a constitutional right.
During the recent U.S. elections, some pro-life candidates poorly articulated their position and lost, and some pro-abortion candidates embraced their position to an extreme and still won. For this reason, some have suggested that a candidate in the future cannot hope to be both pro-life and successful.
The grand illusion regarding the abortion issue is that it can be treated exclusively in political terms. Because abortion is fundamentally a moral question, we should expect it to be resolved in accordance with philosophical and ethical principles.
Certainly, many of those who voted in favor of abortion rights were acting according to their own principles. For nearly two centuries, philosophers of both the left and the right have laid the groundwork for society’s acceptance of abortion.
In the 19th century, Karl Marx and Frederick Engels argued that the traditional family structure oppressed women. The only way women could gain true equality, they said, was to be “liberated” from the responsibilities of motherhood and family, and by finding employment outside the home. For these writers, the demands of family life made true equality impossible.
On the other side, the libertarian philosopher John Stuart Mill likewise believed that the communal demands of family life made true individual freedom impossible.
Whether socialist or libertarian, both sides saw family as the problem and agreed that the solution was for women to escape motherhood and family. And so today, on both the left and the right, we find those who maintain that “liberation” depends upon the absolute power to control fertility and therefore depends upon the availability of legal abortion.
Within the Christian tradition, we understand that, in regard to the transmission of human life, we are called to cooperate with our Creator and that no person is entitled to claim absolute control over another human life already called into existence. The life of every human being is first and foremost a gift of the Creator.
In these circumstances, the responsibility of Catholics remains clear: It is to articulate a clear, consistent understanding of Catholic social teaching in regard to the dignity of the human person, marriage and the family. It is our responsibility to do this in season and out of season, regardless of which political party may benefit. As Catholics, our course must be set by our Church’s moral compass and not by partisan political calculation or advantage.
And what of the Knights of Columbus? We are called to be what our name implies — to be faithful, to be steadfast, to come to the defense of those who cannot defend themselves and to remain on the field until the field is won.
Vivat Jesus!
PK "lAn 4 4 OEBPS/Flow_10.htmlA Legacy of Heartache
After 40 years of anguish and sorrow in the name of choice,
Roe v. Wade is far from settled law
by Carolee McGrath
Thinkstock
Yvonne Florczak-Seeman is a busy wife and mother raising four children in the Catholic faith. She volunteers at her parish and in the community and, by all accounts, is just like many women trying to provide the best for her family.
“I’m normal,” said Florczak-Seeman. “I just don’t look like ‘that’ woman — the one who had five abortions.”
This heartbreaking part of Florczak-Seeman’s past shocks some people with whom she has shared her story. Others, she says, judge her quickly and harshly. Nonetheless, she keeps sharing her personal journey so that people will understand what abortion has really done to women in the last 40 years.
“Abortion destroys a woman inside out,” Florczak-Seeman said. “It affects her emotionally, physically, psychologically and spiritually.”
She said that in high school she was a straight-A student and had everything going for her — that is until her first abortion at age 16 changed her life forever. A pattern of destructive behavior and dysfunctional relationships continued for the next four years. She had four more abortions by age 20 and used alcohol and drugs to numb her pain.
“I was suicidal. Everything I loved to do didn’t mean anything. I didn’t understand the void in my life,” she said.
Florczak-Seeman said it was only because of divine intervention that she didn’t end her own life. Instead, she asked God’s forgiveness and pledged to be an advocate on behalf of the five children she had aborted.
“God met me face to face,” she said. “And as messed up as I was, he made me whole and brought me back home.”
THE DECISION
This January marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in all 50 states. Prior to 1973, abortion was prohibited in many states and limited in others.
Roe v. Wade was based on a legal “right of privacy,” which the justices claimed was implicitly found in the U.S. Constitution.
“Legally, logically, Roe should have never been issued. It misconstrued the way the Supreme Court is supposed to go about defining constitutional rights,” explained Helen Alvaré, an associate professor of law at George Mason University in Virginia.
Alvaré has spent her career promoting the sanctity of life and marriage. She worked for the U.S. bishops’ conference at its general counsel and pro-life offices, and has assisted the Holy See on pro-life and women’s issues. She believes that the pro-abortion agenda has hurt the women’s movement. Four decades later, abortion remains a divisive political issue.
“The question of ‘where do you stand on Roe v. Wade?’ has become this huge question,” Alvaré said. “It not only determines whether a particular person is nominated to the federal court, but it also is a big factor in who to vote for.”
On the same day that the court handed down the decision on Roe v. Wade, justices also gave the opinion on a companion case, Doe v. Bolton. That second decision overturned many of Georgia’s restrictions on abortion and stated that a woman may obtain an abortion after viability if her “health” was at risk. The decision broadened the definition of women’s health to include a wide range of categories — physical, emotional, familial, psychological and age — effectively legalizing abortion throughout pregnancy.
“They turned to abortion as the answer,” said Alvaré, “Any abortion, any reason, any time. From their perspective, this became the baseline.”
If Roe v. Wade is overturned, states would regain the power to implement greater restrictions on abortion, which would no longer be considered a fundamental right.
“Everybody knows from genetic science and ultrasound technology, and has for quite a while now, that what is in the mother’s womb is a human child,” said Alvaré. “Chillingly, that’s not the issue. The issue before the Supreme Court is whether there are five justices who think that the federal constitution simply doesn’t speak on abortion.”
THE IMPACT
According to the National Right to Life Committee, more than 55 million babies have been aborted in the 40 years since Roe v. Wade. That’s more than six times the population of New York City.
Norma McCorvey, who was Jane Roe, the plaintiff in the case, never actually had an abortion. Years later she became a pro-life advocate and converted to Catholicism. In a pro-life commercial produced by Virtue Media, McCorvey states, “Upon knowing God, I realized that my case which legalized abortion was the biggest mistake of my life.”
This feeling of regret and heartbreak is shared by countless women who believed “choice” was somehow going to solve their problems.
“Roe v. Wade was going to set everybody free,” said Vicki Thorn, executive director of Project Rachel, a Catholic post-abortive healing ministry that receives assistance from the Knights of Columbus. “We as women had the ‘right to choose.’ We could be in the workplace without this complication of a pregnancy.”
Inspired by a close friend who had an abortion, Thorn started Project Rachel in 1984 in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Today, it is a nationwide outreach, offering counseling to both women and men. According to Thorn, women often try to cover up the scars left by abortion.
“After the fact, there’s a great deal of grief, a lot of shame, even though this was supposed to solve the problem. There’s all this emotional baggage that happens,” she said.
According to the Elliot Institute, a nonprofit organization that researches the impact of abortion, post-abortive women are up to six times more likely to commit suicide in the year following their abortion than women who gave birth. Elliot Institute Studies also show post-abortive women are 65 percent more likely to be at risk for long-term, clinical depression.
“There are multitudes of unseen consequences that are emotional, spiritual and physical,” said Thorn. “Roe v. Wade is something that really put women into bondage under the guise of freedom. The reality is that women have been really hurt by that choice. This is not the best we can offer each other.”
THE ROAD AHEAD
After four decades of abortion on demand, many in the pro-life community have voiced their frustration and disappointment, wondering if the effort to save the unborn is an impossible mission. Shawn Carney, the 30-year-old national campaign director of 40 Days for Life, believes there is hope. “There has never been more enthusiasm for helping women at a local level,” said Carney, who is a father of four and a member of Fredericksburg (Va.) Council 4034. “We have to restore the basic view of human life, because if we do not have a right to life in our country, then the other arguments are meaningless.”
Carney said that one way to save lives is to pray in front of the very places where abortions take place. Eleven national 40 Days for Life campaigns have been conducted since 2007, focusing on prayer, fasting, community outreach and peaceful vigils at local abortion facilities. The campaigns coincide with Lent and with Respect Life Month, in October.
In the last five years, Carney said, 40 Days for Life has resulted in 75 abortion workers having conversions and quitting their jobs, and more than 6,700 babies across the country being spared from abortion.
“Culturally, [abortion] has ingrained itself in our communities as normal, as something good and necessary,” he explained. “The challenge for us as Catholics and Christians is to show that abortion is never needed and is not a good. That can only be swayed or changed at the local level, which is why we’ve used a peaceful way to change hearts and minds.”
Polls in recent years have shown more Americans identify themselves as pro-life. Last May, Gallup released a poll that showed 50 percent of Americans call themselves pro-life, compared to 41 percent pro-choice, a record low. A Knights of Columbus-Marist poll, also released last year, showed 79 percent of Americans would not allow abortion after the first three months of pregnancy.
“Still today, it is the most divisive and controversial issue in our society,” Carney said. “Despite legalizing abortion, it shows we ultimately don’t accept it.”
THE HOPE
Florczak-Seeman has spent the last 15 years telling her story. She became a sidewalk counselor at abortion facilities and started a ministry for post-abortive mothers and fathers. In 2000, she converted to Catholicism. She stresses that the pro-life movement needs to continue reaching out in love and compassion to post-abortive women and men, and let them know about Jesus’ love and mercy.
“There is nothing too broken for him,” she said. “I wasn’t broken — I was smashed. He was able to put all the pieces together. So, there’s hope.”
Florczak-Seeman believes that the testimony of women who have been left scarred by abortion will ultimately lead to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “I believe that God will raise an army of women just like myself who will find their voices and settle this debate once and for all.”♦
CAROLEE MCGRATH, a freelance writer and mother of five, writes from Massachusetts.
PK #lAvb- - OEBPS/Flow_11.htmlRunning for Their Lives
The national LIFE Runners team hits the pavement to raise awareness of life issues
by Jennifer Brinker
Lt. Col. Pat Castle, co-founder of LIFE Runners and a member of Blessed Sacrament Council 8844 in Rapid City, S.D., completes the St. Louis Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Oct. 21, 2012. (Photos by Jerry Naunheim)
It was 6:30 in the morning, and a brisk October chill still hovered in the air over downtown St. Louis as the LIFE Runners poised themselves for the start of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.
The sun had not yet risen over the horizon as Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Ill., gathered the group for a prayer and blessing. Each of them was clad in a royal blue team jersey emblazoned with the message “REMEMBER The Unborn” and a reference to Jeremiah 1:5, the Scripture verse that reads, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” The runners surrounded the bishop and bowed their heads. Their hearts, minds and spirits were prepared for the race.
Founded in 2008, LIFE Runners is a national running organization dedicated to raising funding and increasing prayer and awareness of pro-life issues. More than 250 LIFE Runners, including a growing number of Knights of Columbus, participated in the marathon in St. Louis.
“We do not run for ourselves today,” LIFE Runners co-leader Rob Rysavy reminded the group. “Today, by our presence, we are the voice for the voiceless.”
FROM COAST TO COAST
Launched five years ago by Pat Castle and Rich Reich — both active duty Air Force lieutenant colonels — LIFE Runners joins together those who share a passion for physical fitness and life issues. The name of the group stands for “Living In Faith Exchange.” It was conceived when Castle and Reich, who were faculty at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., trained together for the Pikes Peak Ascent — dubbed “America’s Ultimate Challenge” — in 2006.
“We spent a lot of that time in prayer and discussion,” said Castle, who is now stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, S.D. “Through that, Rich had a great conversion. We both came much closer to God, and our Catholic faith was integral to that.”
When Reich moved away to attend the University of Florida, he and Castle started trading daily prayer reflections via email. Their correspondence eventually grew into an email distribution list with a small group of their friends. Now those LIFE Runners Devotions, as they’re currently called, are shared daily with more than 3,000 people via the group’s website, liferunners.org.
By 2008, LIFE Runners had already amassed more than 300 individuals who were receiving LIFE Runners Devotions. But there was something missing. Castle and Reich decided there needed to be an “action arm” to the group’s efforts.
“Here we were encouraging people, but we needed to focus this encouragement — on something with deeds and kinetic movement — for the cause,” said Castle. “That’s when we had the ‘a-ha’ moment to bring our running passion together and form the first and only national pro-life marathon team.”
The men’s faith journey also led Reich to join the Knights of Columbus in 2006. Castle, who joined the Knights as an Air Force cadet in 1992, was his sponsor.
In 2009, while serving as the grand knight of Pope John Paul II Council 13900 at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Reich crafted the idea of working with the LIFE Runners team to raise funds for the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative.
“I saw it as a way to move my council to support pro-life [issues],” Reich said. “I saw that the Knights had an Ultrasound Initiative program, so my council threw pancake breakfasts and other little things, and we were able to raise the money together.” With the help of his LIFE Runners teammates and other councils in the Gainesville area, they raised almost $10,000, which was matched by the Supreme Council.
LIFE Runners has experienced rapid growth in just a few short years. Starting with about a dozen runners in the beginning, it now has more than 500 members in 37 states across the United States, as well as Canada, Turkey and Singapore. Runners range in age from 5 to 73 and have various running abilities, from walkers to trained marathon runners.
Chapters participate in local running events throughout the year and then converge in one city for a marathon each fall. They raise funding for pro-life beneficiaries, including pregnancy resource centers, agencies that help women and their children, and post-abortion ministries. To date, the group has raised more than $100,000 for pro-life causes and has set a goal to exceed that amount in 2013 alone, Castle noted.
This year, LIFE Runners will also be joining the national scene as sponsor of the inaugural March for Life 5K on Saturday, Jan. 26, in Washington, D.C. The event came about following a conversation between Castle and March for Life founder Nellie Gray, who passed away in August 2012.
Finally, LIFE Runners is holding its first A-Cross the Country Relay for Pro-Life during the Lenten 40 Days for Life campaign, Feb. 13 to March 24. The event is being organized with the help of Jeff Grabosky, who completed a four-month, 3,700-mile run across the country in 2011 to encourage people to pray. Runners will start at opposite coasts — the Brooklyn Bridge in New York and Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco — for a 4,100-mile journey that finishes in Sioux Falls, S.D., near the geographical center of North America.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Jeff Pauls, a member of Bauer Council 1028 in Belleville, Ill., and his father, Bill, a member of Columbia (Mo.) Council 1529, joined LIFE Runners in 2011. They had been running marathons together for 15 years. Bill never thought that running would be part of his lifestyle, but after Jeff confronted him about his weight and a longtime smoking habit, he reluctantly agreed to train for a marathon with his son in 1996. Bill quit smoking and lost 60 pounds. He has since run a marathon in every state and qualified for the world-famous Boston Marathon in 2000.
Jeff Pauls, who finally qualified for Boston himself at the St. Louis race, is now one of the five co-leaders of LIFE Runners, along with Castle, Reich, Rysavy and Steve Castle, who is Pat’s brother. All five are members of the Knights of Columbus. That wasn’t something intentional, but the five agreed that their K of C membership is a natural fit with the pro-life message that LIFE Runners is sharing through its efforts.
Local councils also have taken on a support role with LIFE Runners. Knights in Kansas City, Mo., and St. Louis, for instance, sponsored pre-race pasta dinners for marathoners at the last two national runs.
Bishop Paprocki, a member of Holy Family Council 4179 in Lake Springfield and the national chaplain for LIFE Runners, said the emerging connection between the two groups is no coincidence.
“I believe it’s by God’s providence,” said the bishop, a veteran marathoner who first joined LIFE Runners for the Kansas City Marathon in 2011. “In our diocese, the Knights are very active and have three main areas that they support — pro-life, vocations and campus ministry. [LIFE Runners] fits in very well with those, especially pro-life.”
The advantage of joining with other runners who share the same value for life makes all the difference, added Bishop Paprocki. “There is strength in numbers, and it helps when you have other runners to encourage each other. And that’s true not just for running a marathon but also in the pro-life movement. You need that strength and support of one another there, too.”♦
JENNIFER BRINKER is a reporter for the St. Louis Review, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Ill., LIFE Runners national chaplain, leads the team in prayer before the 26.2-mile race.
Upcoming LIFE Runners events
• March for Life 5K run/walk, with kids 1K fun run, Jan. 26, 2013, West Potomac Park, Washington, D.C.
• A-Cross the Country Relay for Pro-Life, Feb. 13-March 24, 2013
• Crazy Horse 1K/5K/half/full marathon, October 5-6, 2013, Black Hills, S.D.
To learn m
ore, visit liferunners.org.
PK #lAk餢 OEBPS/Flow_12.html
Columbianism by Degrees
Charity
Tom Matthews (center) of Star of the Sea Council 4245 in Hollidaysburg, Pa., looks on as Mike Sauserman (left) and Ernie Enedy, employees of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, load a crucifix into a moving truck for transportation to Florida. Pope John Paul II Council 13900 at the University of Florida in Gainesville purchased the used cross from the Pennsylvania diocese for St. Augustine Church in Gainesville. Raúl Fernández of Council 13900 took a three-day road trip to pick up the crucifix, and Knights and parishioners helped install it at the church.
Unity
Members of Father George J. Kuzma Council 11149 in Wilmington, Ill., sort through the debris of a garage they demolished at St. Rose of Lima Church. The 80-year-old garage was beyond repair and posed a safety hazard for a nearby playground. Knights dismantled the garage and removed the wreckage, salvaging a tin roof and several beams for future projects.
Fraternity
Members of St. Benedict Council 5449 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, construct a wheelchair ramp at the home of council member John LaViolette. When LaViolette, who has mobility problems, asked his fellow Knights if they knew a handyman who could build a ramp, council members volunteered to undertake the task themselves. In addition to providing manpower for the project, Knights also donated $500 in materials, saving the LaViolette family $2,000.
Patriotism
Joseph McDermott of Crusaders of St. Joseph Circle 5497 in Olympia, Wash., helps a young girl pull back on a slingshot during a circle-sponsored fishing derby to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. The afternoon included games and trout fishing at Columbus Park, and raised $182 to support wounded veterans.
Building a better world one council at a time
Dan J. Engel (right) of Tihen Council 1717 in David City, Neb., and Mike Novotny, owner of Sonora Carriage Company, drive a horse-drawn wagon during a council-sponsored “Wagon Train.” Eight horse-drawn wagons and several horseback riders gathered at the David City Fairgrounds for a ride to Garrison. The group recited the rosary at their destination before enjoying lunch together. Following the conclusion of the ride, participants gathered for a steak dinner. Proceeds from the event were donated to Aquinas & St. Mary’s Catholic School.
PK $lAm@ OEBPS/Flow_13.html‘Jesus wanted to be the one to fulfill my desires’
At age 17, I had a conversation with the Lord that I will never forget: “What do you want for me, Jesus? Just tell me, and I’ll do it.” The answer was inaudible, but I knew that the Lord was asking me to consider giving my life to him, totally.
Deep down, I longed to be seen, known and loved in a way that was self-giving, committed and entirely romantic. After freshman year in college, it was clear that Jesus was not trying to take these desires from me; instead, he wanted to be the one to fulfill them. The invitation to religious life came as a question after spending hours in eucharistic adoration: “Will you give me the love you’ve been saving for your husband? Will you let me love you as your spouse?”
Overjoyed and torn, I wondered how God could ever realize my desire to be a mother. His response was beyond my imagination’s reach: The unborn child, the frightened mother, those searching for authentic love, men and women suffering in abortion’s wake and seeking mercy — all are embraced by the spiritual maternity of the Sisters of Life, consecrated to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life.
Sister Bethany Madonna
Sisters of Life, New York
PK lA Z OEBPS/Flow_2.htmlFaith, Reason and Human Life
Reason and faith help us to recognize a person’s humanity and dignity from the earliest stages of life
by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori
In 1965, a famous issue of Life magazine featured time-lapse photos of the development of an unborn baby. It was the first time that technology had allowed such clear pictures of nascent human life. When my high school science teacher brought this issue of Life into the classroom as a teaching aid, none of us who saw those pictures doubted the humanity of that child.
Today’s technology enables us to see and to know so much more about the gestation of a child in the womb. We can detect the unborn baby’s brain waves, trace the development of genetic code and know when the baby can feel pain. The ultrasound machines that the Knights of Columbus has sponsored in so many places help expectant parents see for themselves the humanity of their tiny children waiting to be born. In other words, technology confirms what reason has always taught us: The unborn baby is a human being.
IN DEFENSE OF REASON
For decades, pro-abortion forces have tried to obscure what science and human reason clearly show. These abortion advocates often describe the unborn baby as “a mass of tissue” and studiously avoid using the words “unborn baby.” Instead, they opt for the word “fetus” and disguise the human features and characteristics of the child in the womb. They resort to saying that the beginning of human life is an unsolvable philosophical issue while ignoring the empirical signs of life.
More radical elements in the abortion camp admit that all the signs of the unborn child’s humanity are present and accounted for — but then go on to assert that a child only becomes human when he or she is allowed to be born. Only then is the child granted the right to life. According to this view, it is not the Creator who grants life and the rights that are a part of our humanity, but rather human beings and the government itself. This has poisoned the public discussion of human rights and dignity around the world.
The Church’s teaching on the dignity of the human person from the moment of conception until natural death is deeply rooted in what reason, science and sound ethics clearly show us. When the Church advocates publicly for the unborn and the vulnerable, she does not do so from a perspective of blind faith but from reason enlightened by faith. Faith sets in sharp relief what science and reason have already made plain, and this forms the only sound basis for public law and policy. That is why it is disingenuous for Catholic politicians to claim that they accept the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of human life, but solely as a matter of faith or doctrine that cannot be imposed on secular society.
There is a growing cultural prejudice claiming that faith is akin to superstition, that it is irrational and even dangerous. To the contrary, faith and reason work together. Blessed John Paul II taught that, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth” (Fides et Ratio).
The faith we profess defends the capacity of reason for truth — the capacity to arrive at scientific and technological breakthroughs, but also the capacity to arrive at philosophical truths about the existence of God, about the dignity of the human person and about right and wrong. To advocate for abortion, a person must disregard the unwritten law of God in their own hearts, a law that teaches that killing an innocent human being is always and everywhere immoral.
THE PERSPECTIVE OF FAITH
In today’s world, marked by so much skepticism and relativism, faith has become the great defender of reason. Please do not conclude from this that I have reduced the role of faith to that of being a mere cheerleader for reason. Faith is a door that leads us to Christ. When, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we open our hearts to Christ, he leads us to the Father and to the inexpressibly generous, creative and redemptive love of the Triune God. Faith is the door through which we pass to encounter that love for which we were created and for which we deeply long.
Whereas reason teaches us about the humanity and dignity of the human person from the first moment of conception, and ethics teaches us about our duty to respect and foster all innocent human life, faith gives us grounds for rejoicing in the gift of life as a gift of love, and to go out of our way to defend, foster, protect and cherish each human life in public and in private. Our faith teaches us that each human being is called to eternal life and love in the presence of God. It negates nothing of what reason teaches us about life, but rather sheds the light of God’s love upon it and gives us reasons for our hope. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10).
If religious freedom means anything, it means we are free to bring the truths and values that flow from reason and religious faith into the public square and to advocate for laws and policies that are shaped by those truths and values. As Catholics, our advocacy for life should always proceed from the perspective of a faith that defends and purifies human reason.
During this Year of Faith, let us resolve to redouble our efforts to advocate for the unborn and to defend the rights of private employers and churches to reflect profound respect for human life in their hiring practices and insurance benefits programs. May the voice of faith and reason cry out in defense of human life!♦
PK lAov OEBPS/Flow_3.htmlOffered in Solidarity with Pope Benedict XVI
CNS photo/Paul Haring
General: That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Mission: That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.
PK lAI3 3 OEBPS/Flow_4.html
Cardinal John Joseph O’Connor (1920-2000)
CNS file photo
John Joseph O’Connor was born Jan. 15, 1920, in Philadelphia, where he later entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary at age 16. He was ordained to the priesthood nine years later, in 1945.
Father O’Connor served as a diocesan priest until 1952, at which time he responded to Cardinal Francis Spellman’s plea for military chaplains. He joined the Navy as a Korean War chaplain and eventually rose to the rank of rear admiral and chief of chaplains of the U.S. Navy. In 1979, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.
Bishop O’Connor was appointed to the Diocese of Scranton, Pa., in 1983, and then as archbishop of New York in 1984. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals one year later.
Profoundly affected by a visit to the Dachau concentration camp, Cardinal O’Connor vowed to do everything he could to protect and promote the sacredness of human life. He became a leading voice within the Church on various human rights issues, especially abortion. Understanding that prayer was necessary for the pro-life movement to succeed, he founded a new religious community, the Sisters of Life, in 1991.
In 1994, Cardinal O’Connor received the Gaudium et Spes Award from the Knights of Columbus. It was he who suggested that Knights begin erecting memorials to the unborn to raise awareness of pro-life issues. Hundreds of these memorials were erected around the world between 1995 and 2001.
Cardinal O’Connor was known for strongly upholding the Church’s teachings in word and deed — often proclaiming moral truth in the face of harsh criticism and personally attending to the sick and the vulnerable.
He died May 3, 2000, at age 80.♦
PK lA)R23$ 3$ OEBPS/Flow_5.htmlMidyear Meeting Encourages Knights to Grow in Charity and Members
Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson addresses state deputies and state chaplains assembled for the midyear meeting in Dallas Nov. 16-18, 2012.
Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson and Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore addressed the Order’s assembled state deputies during their first full day of meetings in Dallas Nov. 16, 2012, urging them to find ways to do even more for the Church and for charity.
“The greatest enemy we have is complacency,” the supreme knight said. “We don’t have the right to say it’s good enough.”
Joined by their state chaplains, the state deputies attended three days of meetings designed to help them with the programming and membership needs of their jurisdictions. Talks stressed how evangelization in word and deed is key to the Knights’ efforts.
The supreme knight urged the state leadership to be “the strong right arm of the Church” and to react quickly when bishops need or request the Knights’ assistance. He also encouraged further membership growth, pointing out that an increase in membership not only enables the Order to engage in even greater acts of charity, but also provides those who join with the opportunity for growth in the faith.
One way members can grow in faith, the supreme knight suggested, is for each Knight and his family to pray together daily. He noted that the Order is distributing a “Prayer for the Family” written by the supreme chaplain that families can pray throughout the Year of Faith.
Following the supreme knight’s opening remarks, Archbishop Lori addressed the meeting and pointed out that a commitment to the new evangelization is fundamental to the Knights of Columbus.
“Father McGivney didn’t use the term ‘new evangelization,’ but that is exactly what he did,” Archbishop Lori said, adding that Father McGivney preached the Gospel in new ways and in a manner that related to everyday life. Father McGivney couldn’t do it alone, said the archbishop, so to help him in this work he needed partners, laymen, the Knights of Columbus.♦
Polish Knights Serve at Independence Day Mass
On Nov. 11, 2012, for the first time, a Fourth Degree honor guard participated in the Mass celebrated at the Field Cathedral of the Polish Army in Warsaw, marking Poland’s Independence Day. Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz of Warsaw celebrated the Mass, which was attended by President Bronisław Komorowski and other government representatives. State Deputy Krzysztof Orzechowski, who is also the Fourth Degree Master for the jurisdiction, served as a lector.
Past Supreme Knight Receives Gaudium et Spes Award
Virgil C. Dechant delivers his acceptance speech upon receiving the Order’s highest honor.
Past Supreme Knight Virgil C. Dechant received the Order’s highest honor, the Gaudium et Spes Award, at a dinner in Dallas Nov. 16, 2012. Established in 1992, the award is named for the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Dechant is the 10th recipient.
Prior to bestowing the award, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson noted, “Virgil Dechant was the model of Catholic fraternalism for an entire generation.”
Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, archbishop emeritus of Washington, and Cardinal Justin F. Rigali, archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia, joined Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore and Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City for the presentation. Also in attendance were Dechant’s wife, Ann, and a number of other bishops, priests and K of C officers, notably those from Dechant’s home state of Kansas.
Dechant said that he accepted the honor on behalf of all the Knights who have worked to implement the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. He informed those gathered that he would donate the $100,000 honorarium attached to the award to a K of C scholarship fund for seminarians.
Dechant served as supreme knight of the Order from 1977 to 2000, the longest-serving CEO in the organization’s history.♦
Two Knights Among New Cardinals
Cardinal Harvey (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Cardinal Tagle (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Benedict XVI created six new cardinals at a consistory held Nov. 24, 2012, in Rome. Among them are two members of the Knights of Columbus.
Cardinal James M. Harvey is a Wisconsin native and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Pope Paul VI on June 29, 1975. Pope John Paul II appointed him prefect of the Papal Household and consecrated him a bishop on March 19, 1998, later elevating him to archbishop on Sept. 29, 2003. He is a member of Milwaukee-Pere Marquette Council 524.
Cardinal Luís Antonio G. Tagle was born in Manila and ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Imus on Feb. 27, 1982. Pope John Paul II appointed him bishop of that diocese, and he was consecrated and installed on Dec. 12, 2001, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Archbishop of Manila.
Cardinal Tagle was a Columbian Squire and, as a seminarian, received a Father George Willmann scholarship from Filipino Knights. He is a member of Mother of God Council 15427 in Luzon.♦
K of C Thanksgiving Activities Serve Those in Need
For the 22nd consecutive year, Knights of Columbus Fairview Council 4044 in Chicopee, Mass., conducted a community Thanksgiving dinner. With the help of volunteers, the Knights welcomed more than 3,500 people Nov. 22, and delivered thousands more meals to the elderly and disabled.
The event was one of hundreds of charitable events that Knights of Columbus throughout the United States participated in to help families and others in need enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday.
A 30-second Knights of Columbus Thanksgiving Day television message also aired during the holiday weekend inviting the public to support the Knights in feeding those in need.
PK lA`W$6 $6 OEBPS/Flow_6.html
We March Onward
An interview with Jeanne Monahan about the history and future of the annual March for Life
by Alton J. Pelowski
March for Life participants make their way up Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court building in Washington Jan. 23, 2012. The annual pro-life demonstration marks the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion across the nation. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)
On Nov. 19, 2012, Jeanne Monahan became the new full-time president of the March for Life Education & Defense Fund, which organizes and runs the March for Life in Washington, D.C., each January. Monahan, who previously served in various positions as a pro-life spokeswoman and advocate, succeeds the late Nellie Gray, the founder and president, who died in August 2012 at age 86 (see sidebar).
Since the first March for Life in 1974, the annual rally has been one of the most significant pro-life events in the world, inspiring similar events on the West Coast, in Canada and elsewhere. Organizers are currently preparing for the 40th annual March for Life, which will take place Jan. 25 on the National Mall. Columbia’s managing editor, Alton Pelowski, interviewed Monahan about the event.
Columbia: What has been the legacy of Nellie Gray, the founder and former president of the March for Life?
Jeanne Monahan: It’s really because of Nellie that we have the largest pro-life event in the world annually in Washington, D.C.
Nellie was a woman of principle and was very staunch about not compromising even an inch on what she knew to be real, true and good. Her name is synonymous with the phrase “No exceptions, no compromise.” No baby is worth an exception.
This year, it’s so important to be grateful to God for the gift that Nellie and so many others, usually unpaid heroes, have been to the pro-life movement.
Columbia: How have the size and demographics of the March for Life changed throughout the years?
Jeanne Monahan: The number of people rallying each year can depend on weather, security and other issues. But we have had hundreds of thousands of participants in recent years and believe participation will increase this year.
Given the current political climate, the 40-year anniversary of Roe v. Wade and Nellie’s death, I expect this January to bring a lot of media coverage. We’ll warmly embrace it and do our very best to bring to light as much as we can about our movement — how positive it is, how youth-focused it is.
The vast majority of participants are 25 and younger, and that speaks volumes. We know polling is showing that being pro-life is the new normal in America. More Americans self-identify as being pro-life, and young people are the most pro-life of all age groups. We really see that reflected at the March for Life. Young people know that abortion is the human rights issue of our day, and they’re set to overturn Roe in their lifetime, to make things right. The other side is definitely afraid of us, because we have the young people on our side.
Columbia: What do you think accounts for this shift of perception about abortion in our culture?
Jeanne Monahan: I think that we’re winning in the court of public debate, which in some ways is the most critical victory. In part, this is because technology and truth are on our side. There have been so many advances in technology, such as ultrasound machines that can detect the sound of the heartbeat, that show that a baby is a baby from conception. We don’t ever have to manipulate or try to cajole people to believe what we believe, because the truth itself is so compelling. As we see more scientific advances and research, people become more pro-life.
A few other things have also happened, such as Congress’ debate on partial-birth abortion, which began in the 1990s. For the first time, many people saw abortion for what it is: a violent surgery that takes the life of a baby and harms the mother.
Columbia: How would you describe the atmosphere of the March for Life?
Jeanne Monahan: On one hand, you have the energy of the young people, who are the best pro-life ambassadors. They have this tremendous joy and energy that we all draw upon.
There are also a lot of women who have signs saying that they regret their abortions. And you see some heartbreaking pictures of abortion, for which not everybody advocates. There are mothers with their babies who have chosen life and are with the pregnancy center movement. And there are many religious communities, Knights of Columbus councils and families.
It’s an interesting mix between the recognition of the loss of 55 million human lives and this human rights atrocity of our time, and the joy, enthusiasm and energy of fighting for what we know is the right cause.
Columbia: What role has the Knights of Columbus played in the march?
Jeanne Monahan: The Knights play a huge role in the March for Life. They have been extraordinarily supportive in helping to make my work possible, and for that I’m very grateful. They also have, throughout the years, provided a lot of support in the way of security, serving as marshals at the March for Life and helping to run it. Each year, Knights of Columbus councils in the Washington area also assemble and distribute about 10,000 pro-life signs to distribute at the march.
A number of Knights are on the March for Life board as well. They’ve been intricately involved with the march. Without their support over these years it would be hard to see how we’d still be thriving as much as we are.
Columbia: What are some of the notable pro-life events associated with the March for Life weekend?
Jeanne Monahan: On Thursday, there is the annual March for Life Convention, which includes a large youth rally. There is the Law of Life Summit, geared to law students and pro-life lawyers. We also have the Rose Dinner on the evening of the March for Life. And for the first time ever, we are co-sponsoring a 5K run on Saturday, which I think is going to be quite popular.
Those are events formally affiliated with the March for Life. There are also numerous other activities, including the vigil Mass at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception the night before and two diocesan programs that gather thousands of young people. The Archdiocese of Washington hosts a Mass at the Verizon Center, gathering about 20,000 youth, and this year will host a second event at the University of Maryland. The Diocese of Arlington is hosting a similar event at George Mason University’s Patriot Center.
Columbia: What do you see as your biggest challenges as the new president of the March for Life Education & Defense Fund?
Jeanne Monahan: Of course, it’s hard to follow in Nellie’s footsteps, but I think God is really guiding our work. It’s all very much in his hands, and I ask that people keep us in their prayers.
The recent election results present challenges for pro-life people in America. Many of the legislative and political decisions being made today are not friendly toward the areas that we are most concerned about.
Our immediate goal is to organize an appropriate, somber memorial for this 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, recalling that we’ve lost more than 55 million Americans to abortion. Nobody thought that 40 years would pass and Roe would still be the law of the land. Long term, we want to be a voice in the community — impacting culture to become more pro-life.
The March for Life organization has changed in different ways throughout the years, but I think the largest change is what’s happening now. We are now going to have a few paid staff members and will build upon the foundation that Nellie has created. We want to grow to be a non-profit, pro-life organization that, instead of only having our voice heard on the anniversary of Roe, impacts culture to be more pro-life every day of the year. We really want to work ourselves out of a job.♦
Above: Young people carry the March for Life banner in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington Jan. 22, 2010. • Inset: Jeanne Monahan is the new president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund. (TOP: CNS photo/Leslie E. Kossoff-Nordby BOTTOM: CNS photo/courtesy Family Research Council)
Founding the March for Life
Nellie Gray
(1926-2012)
Born June 25, 1926, in Texas, Nellie Gray served as a corporal in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. She later earned a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s in economics. She worked for the federal government for 28 years, attended Georgetown University Law School and practiced law before the U.S. Supreme Court.
In a 2010 profile, Gray spoke of the origins of the March for Life, which has taken place annually since 1974. “I received a call from the Knights of Columbus,” she recalled. “I didn’t even know who they were, but they explained their stance against abortion and needed a place to meet to discuss plans for a march. That place was my living room. About 30 people gathered there and they asked if I could help get speakers for the event since I knew Capitol Hill well.
“What I couldn’t get was a master of ceremonies for the event,” she added. “Politicians didn’t want to get involved in a march, and people at that time weren’t interested in marches after the civil rights movement and other things. That left the emcee job to me.”
Gray remained president and emcee of the March for Life for the next four decades. She died Aug. 13, 2012, at age 86. Tributes poured in as news of her death spread. — Catholic News Service
PK lA_dM$ M$ OEBPS/Flow_7.html
The Blessing of New Life
The new rite of blessing for unborn children helps the Church to celebrate the gift of life and reach out to expectant parents
by Joseph Pronechen
Photo by Peter Wayne
Responding to modern cultural challenges, the Catholic Church is turning to its great tradition of prayer to publicly acknowledge the precious gift of human life with the new Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb.
According to Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., this addition to the Church’s liturgy not only “gives testimony to the wonderful gift of God’s blessings in new life,” but also has the potential to become an important element of parish life and to help advance the new evangelization.
The path to getting the new blessing approved began in 2007 when Father Frank Brett, a retired priest in the Diocese of Knoxville, Tenn., brought the idea to then-Bishop Kurtz. After they confirmed that the Book of Blessings contained no blessings for unborn children, Archbishop Kurtz introduced the concept at a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities.
A draft of the blessing was then composed and eventually brought before the full body of bishops at their general assembly in November 2008. It was overwhelmingly approved and sent to Rome for review.
The Holy See’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments officially approved the English text of the rite and blessing on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 2011. Approval was given to the Spanish text the following March, and the USCCB chose the Solemnity of the Annunciation, March 26, 2012, to approve the blessing for use in all U.S. dioceses.
Archbishop Kurtz, who is the current vice president of the USCCB, made a case for a wide use of the blessing at the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization last October. His brief intervention found great interest among the bishop delegates, many of whom asked for more information.
In the conversations that followed, one thing that became apparent was “the potential for the parish to embrace a vocation of supporting the child in the womb and the mother,” Archbishop Kurtz said. “I see this blessing has the potential of entering into the rhythm of parish life.”
He explained that, in today’s culture, baptism is increasingly deferred after the birth of a child. Some say this may be in order to give children a chance to make a decision for themselves as adults.
But from his own reflection and experience in speaking to people, Archbishop Kurtz said that “more often, not moving forward with baptism of a child is a non-decision” because of fear or embarrassment because they’ve been away from the practice of faith or simply because of a lack of priority within the busy life of a young family.
“Reaching out to Catholics who have fallen out of the habit or virtue of the Sunday obligation relates very much to the new evangelization,” he added. “This blessing is the gracious extension of Christ to welcome them.”
The archbishop finds this blessing an occasion to invite parents to begin preparing for the baptism of their child.
“For those who haven’t been active in the Church and fearful about the demands and obligations of preparing for their child’s baptism, especially those tempted to delay baptism,” he said, “this blessing would be first a joyful welcome and invitation.” In other words, the welcome, not the obligation, is the first thing they would see.
An important distinction remains between this blessing and baptism, Archbishop Kurtz noted. The blessing of a child in the womb is a sacramental, like making a sign of the cross upon entering church, and not a sacrament. Administered by a priest or deacon, the blessing is meant to move someone closer to baptism.
While preparing for his responsibility as a delegate at the Synod, Archbishop Kurtz convened several focus groups in the Archdiocese of Louisville. In each, he asked what they thought of this new rite of blessing. He posed this question after asking about the new evangelization, as some of those present expressed timidity about speaking to others about becoming active again in the Church.
“However, a whole different tone took over when I mentioned the blessing,” the archbishop recalled. “They said, ‘I could invite someone to that!’”
Archbishop Kurtz has urged the pastors in his archdiocese to consider offering the blessings four times a year — around the Immaculate Conception in December, the Annunciation of the Lord in late March, Mother’s Day in May, and at the beginning of Respect Life Month in October.
He called it a “privilege” to offer the blessing himself, which he has done twice now, at Louisville’s Cathedral of the Assumption and at the Basilica in Bardstown, Ky. Each time it has been well received — as it was from the very start.
“Now the task begins that this blessing is not just finding a comfortable place on the bookshelf,” he emphasized, “but actually enters into the rhythm of parish life in the United States.”♦
JOSEPH PRONECHEN is a Catholic journalist and staff writer for EWTN’s National Catholic Register.
Prayer of Blessing When Two or More Expectant Mothers Are Present
With hands extended, the priest or deacon blesses the children in the womb and all those present, in these words:
God, author of all life, bless, we pray, these unborn children; give them constant protection and grant them a healthy birth that is the sign of our rebirth one day into the eternal rejoicing of heaven. Lord, who have brought to these women the wondrous joy of motherhood, grant them comfort in all anxiety and make them determined to lead their children along the ways of salvation.
[For the fathers: Lord of the ages, who have singled out these men to know the grace and pride of fatherhood, grant them courage in this new responsibility, and make them examples of justice and truth for these children.]
[For the family: Lord, endow these families with sincere and enduring love as they prepare to welcome these children into their midst.]
Lord, you have put into the hearts of all men and women of good will a great awe and wonder at the gift of new life; fill this (parish) community with faithfulness to the teachings of the Gospel and new resolve to share in the spiritual formation of these children in Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
R/. Amen.
PK lAO1 1 OEBPS/Flow_8.html
Mom’s the Word
Assisted by the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative, Women’s Care Center helps women to choose life
by Alexandra M. Wright
Photo by Uyen Dugle/Courtesy of Women’s Care Center
In 1984, a college student approached her favorite professor at the University of Notre Dame with a concern greater than the grade on her latest exam. She had received the results of a different kind of test, and she feared what a baby would mean for her academic career and future.
When the professor, Dr. Janet Smith, set out to connect her student with local pregnancy resources, she found none. In response, Smith collaborated with the local Catholic hospital to open a pro-life pregnancy center next to an abortion facility in South Bend, Ind. In its first year, Women’s Care Center welcomed 300 pregnant women, offering them assistance such as counseling, financial aid, prenatal care and ongoing support after the birth of their children.
Smith, who now serves as the Father Michael J. McGivney Chair of Life Ethics at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, eventually passed the torch to long-time board member and current president Ann Manion. “I may have started the car back in 1984, but it’s Ann Manion who has driven us to become one of the largest pregnancy resource centers in the country,” Smith said.
Today, the initiative has expanded to 19 locations in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, with plans for more centers in the near future. Last year, the centers collectively served approximately 22,000 women, who accounted for more than 90,000 total visits.
In addition to counseling, staff members consider ultrasound machines to be one of their most effective tools in serving clients. They estimate that they will perform more than 6,500 ultrasounds this year.
LIFE-SAVING WORK
After an unsettling visit to a nearby abortion clinic, 19-year-old Jessica came to Women’s Care Center in Fort Wayne, Ind., looking for a second opinion. What greeted her was everything she didn’t expect: a welcoming reception area filled with quiet music and soft furniture, and a warm counseling room. A smiling counselor — who had been a teen mother herself 20 years prior — didn’t judge Jessica, but instead took the time to understand her predicament. Jessica received counseling and education at the Care Center that allowed her to understand that there truly was a life within her — a son whom she would eventually name Mason. Women’s Care Center staff even raised money to reimburse Jessica for the $200 deposit she had originally placed on her scheduled abortion.
This is just one example of how Women’s Care Center offers a unique and highly successful approach that is the hallmark of its life-saving work. Staff members recognize that if a young woman is armed with information, education and resources, and if she feels valued and loved, then she is empowered to choose life and love for herself and her baby.
“All of our programs take a non-judgmental counseling approach. The women make their own decisions,” said Manion. “We educate and empower, and they make good choices.”
Like many other women who visit Women’s Care Center, Jessica’s choice for life was affected by seeing an ultrasound image of her unborn child.
“From the first time I saw the ultrasound and heard the heartbeat — that is what changed my mind,” she said.
An astounding 97 percent of clients choose life after receiving Women’s Care Center counseling and an ultrasound.
“[The woman] often comes in a little hardened, but the minute she hears the heartbeat she becomes like a different person. The baby does all the talking for me,” explained Barb Nichols, one of the center’s ultrasound technicians.
Nichols has seen many situations where a woman’s mother comes in advocating for her daughter to abort the child. But often, after seeing the ultrasound, she leaves as a proud and supportive grandmother, ready to grow through the coming challenges with her daughter.
In recent years, Knights of Columbus councils have been instrumental in purchasing seven ultrasound machines for Women’s Care Center facilities through the Order’s Ultrasound Initiative (see sidebar).
For instance, University of Notre Dame Council 1477 has raised matching funds for two ultrasound machines through the council’s popular steak sales, which have become a tradition at Notre Dame home football games. The council hopes to purchase a third machine with the profits from this season’s steak sales, which exceeded $75,000 and will be used for other charitable endeavors as well.
“As much work as we have done to help raise money for the ultrasound machines, the real heroes are the employees and volunteers of Women’s Care Center,” said Bobby Thompson, past grand knight of Council 1477. “Their daily work has saved more lives than many can imagine.”
PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES
On the road to embracing her role as a new mom, each Women’s Care Center client earns incentives for keeping her prenatal care appointments and for attending parenting classes. The incentives, which are designed to promote a strong work ethic and self-sufficiency, include coupons for the Women’s Care Center’s “Crib Club,” which distributes new baby outfits, cribs and car seats, as well as more than a half million diapers every year.
“We are going to help you earn these things so you can concentrate on what is most important: loving yourself as a woman and loving that precious unborn baby that just needs time to grow,” said Bobby Williams, director of the Women’s Care Center Foundation. “All of a sudden, some of the fear and anxiety and the hurdles to choosing life are taken.”
Women’s Care Center client surveys showed that mothers who made three or more visits to take advantage of the counseling, prenatal care opportunities and educational programs were 64 percent more likely to give birth to a baby with a healthy weight.
At the suggestion of one its volunteers, Women’s Care Center has also started a literacy program. After each weekly parenting class, families are invited to take two children’s books home to add to their library. With a goal of breaking down the literacy challenges of poor communities and setting children on the path to lifelong learning and success, more than 10,000 books were distributed from the Care Center’s reading rooms and book bins in the program’s first year.
Most of the women served by the center are single and have an income below the poverty line. Approximately three out of every four of them come because of word-of-mouth referral from former clients.
“They know this is a place where you will be loved, cherished, respected and taken care of,” said Williams.
If she were to encounter another woman in her situation, Jessica would advise them to “stick it out and get the support you need.”
She added, “Two and a half years ago I never thought my life would be where it is right now. I thought my life was over.” But thanks to the care and assistance they received at Women’s Care Center, Mason is now a toddler, and Jessica is preparing to graduate college and to marry Mason’s father.
You can learn more about the Women’s Care Center at wccfoundation.com.♦
ALEXANDRA M. WRIGHT is a wife and mother to two toddlers. She writes from South Bend, Ind., and at HawthorneDiaries.com.
Barbara Nichols, an ultrasound technician at Women’s Care Center in South Bend, Ind., is pictured with a client. (Photo by Matt Cashore)
Knights Donate Life-Saving Ultrasound Machines Across the Map
Since its launch in January 2009, the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative has provided more than 300 ultrasound machines to qualified pregnancy resource centers around the United States. With matching funds from the Order’s Culture of Life Fund, local councils raise half the expense of ultrasound machines for qualified centers through a variety of ways, such as pancake breakfasts, golf outings, Life Saver sales, pro-life baby bottle drives and second collections at Mass.
“One of the greatest blessings the Knights of Columbus has given us is that they have helped to provide the latest and greatest technology,” said Bobby Williams, director of the Women’s Care Center Foundation.
Many of the ultrasound machines donated by the Knights include 3D/4D imaging, a Doppler feature for hearing the baby’s heartbeat, and/or the ability to sync with a large monitor, allowing others to experience viewing the baby.
For more information, visit kofc.org/ultrasound.
A map of the United States depicts the placement of approximately 300 ultrasound machines donated by the Knights of Columbus to qualified pregnancy resource centers since 2009. Red dots represent a city to which multiple machines were donated.
PK "lA3rf+ f+ OEBPS/Flow_9.html
A Home of Healing
The Father Michael McGivney Center provides physical, emotional and spiritual support for mothers in need
by Terese Bower McIlvain
Left: A young woman and her baby are pictured at The Well of Mercy, a Father McGivney Center for Hope and Healing. (Photo by Morgan Anderson)
On the north side of Chicago, an unassuming building made of tan brick is tucked within an old residential neighborhood, one block from a busy commercial street. The surrounding brownstones and the nearby Catholic church give the neighborhood a quiet dignity, and what is not apparent about this tired building from the outside is immediately clear upon stepping inside. The Well of Mercy, a Father Michael McGivney Center for Hope and Healing, may sorely need renovation, but spiritually, the center is filled with a palpable joy. The peeling paint, worn-out linoleum floors, poorly lit hallways and hodgepodge furniture are no match for the staff’s dedication to providing a loving home for residents.
A former convent, the building is now a home for women who have chosen life for their unborn children, despite feeling that they had no real choices. Many of these women have experienced homelessness, abuse or abandonment, and until finding a home here, they had no idea how they were going to provide for themselves, let alone a child.
“For the first time, I’m not rushed or worried. I can think beyond today and see a bright future for me and my baby,” said “K,” a resident who is nine months pregnant and has lived at the center since September 2012. “I need the emotional support and love I’m getting here just as much as I need a roof over my head. This isn’t a shelter; it’s really a home. I could have gone through a state program to get an apartment right away, but then I would still be struggling with the same emotional problems as before. Here, I am learning how to trust for the first time.”
COMPASSIONATE CARE
With the center’s help, K has enrolled in online college classes, something she never thought she would do. What has made her transformation — and the transformation of many other women — possible started in February 2010, when Mary Zeien used her life savings to found The Well of Mercy. A former victim of domestic abuse herself, Zeien spent nearly 40 years preparing to open the center, all the time feeling a deep calling to help other women and their children. When she leased the building, she invested every cent she had and spent several months cleaning and furnishing it with the help of volunteers before she moved into one of the dilapidated upstairs apartments in May 2010. One week later, she had her first resident.
Meanwhile, a new nonprofit organization called the Father Michael McGivney Center for Hope and Healing was looking to open a center that would provide material and spiritual support to women with difficult pregnancies. The organization was founded by Chicago-area members of the Father Michael J. McGivney Guild, which is dedicated to promoting the life, mission and canonization cause of the founder of the Knights of Columbus.
“We looked for a site for nearly three years before we found The Well of Mercy,” said Theresa Pietruszynski, president of the board of directors. “There were so many promising buildings that needed expensive renovations, or where we were told a center like this would ‘attract the wrong element to the neighborhood.’”
The McGivney Center joined forces with Zeien and The Well of Mercy in July 2012. Until that time, Zeien needed to work full-time as a hospice caseworker to pay the center’s bills.
“The help of the McGivney Center board was a godsend,” Zeien said. “Their assistance has made a world of difference to the amount of good that can be done here.”
The Well of Mercy was renamed in acknowledgement of the new collaboration and will serve as a model for others that the McGivney Center hopes to build throughout Illinois, one in each of the other five dioceses.
Larry Theirault, former president of the McGivney Center and current board member said, “This is what being a Knight is all about. Father McGivney had great love and compassion for widows and children, and we feel we are returning to our roots as Knights.”
Thanks to the cooperation of Mary Zeien and the McGivney Center’s board, 11 women are living at the house today, along with their 13 children. Although the women may stay at the center for several years, during that time they are required to save 70 percent of their income, and the center promises to help them furnish their apartments when it comes time to move on. The staff strives to not only give the women and their children a place to live in their time of need, but to equip them to live a better life when they leave.
“People don’t understand that abortion doesn’t solve anything for these women; afterwards they are still poor, still emotionally distraught, still vulnerable to the abuse that landed them in a crisis pregnancy in the first place,” said Pietruszynski. “Not only do we help them keep their beautiful babies, but we help them see the beauty with which God has naturally endowed them. It’s an honor to help these women see themselves the way Christ sees them.”
NURTURING BODY AND SOUL
One thing that makes the Father McGivney Center for Hope and Healing unique is its emphasis on spiritual growth. Many shelters are short-term solutions for residents who rapidly cycle in and out. Some have longer-term programs, but they normally focus on economic and emotional growth.
At the McGivney Center, women are given extensive support spiritually, emotionally, physically, educationally and economically. They receive weekly individual and group therapy, spiritual direction, and support in completing their educational and career goals. They also take classes on childbirth, parenting, child development, healthy living and theological topics related to chastity. Although residents are not allowed to date while living at the center, through these classes they are taught what to look for in a future spouse.
“Working here has been an amazing experience,” said Jamila Lang, one of the center’s social worker interns. “My previous internship was at a long-established shelter, but this is much more educational for me. We learn a lot as we go, but everything is done with so much love for the residents.”
Residents also participate in Bible studies, perform chores and work in the center’s boutique. The women are taught how to make gourmet bread by hand, and their love for each other is evident in the laughter and conversation they share as they work. This bread is then sold to raise funds for the women’s savings accounts.
The McGivney Center is run on Catholic principles, but the residents come from a variety of faith backgrounds. They are expected to attend the religious service of their choice on Sundays.
“If we fix everything else in their lives, but don’t help them connect with their Heavenly Father, we haven’t really fixed anything,” said Zeien. “Our dream for them is to know God’s will for their lives, which will obviously include basics like taking proper care of themselves and their children, but also so much more than we can envision.”
The women are also given the opportunity to finish their education or work toward an improved career, but are encouraged to balance these activities with plenty of nurturing time with their children.
“An important part of breaking the cycle of violence and neglect that these women have suffered through is giving them a relaxed and safe environment in which they can form strong bonds with their children,” explained Theirault. “They have to work toward becoming independent through school and work, but we don’t like to see them so busy that they can’t focus on their children. For many of these women, this may be the first time that they have had a stable home.”
Thanks to the vision of Mary Zeien, the generous support of the McGivney Center board and the work of countless volunteers, the Well of Mercy of Father Michael McGivney Center for Hope and Healing has become a sanctuary for these women and children and a witness to everyone else of the power of Christian charity.♦
TERESE BOWER MCILVAIN writes from Lake Bluff, Illinois.
PK f@f 9 9 OEBPS/horizontal_style.css/****************************************************************************\ ** ** horizontal_style.css ** ** CSS for horizontal story direction ** ** (c) 1986 - 2011 Quark, Inc. ** All rights reserved. ** \****************************************************************************/ /* Body is always applied as the default style even when no text tagging is selected */ html { writing-mode: horizontal-tb; -epub-writing-mode: horizontal-tb; -webkit-writing-mode: horizontal-tb; line-break: normal; -epub-line-break: normal; -webkit-line-break: normal; } span.vertical-tyc { writing-mode: vertical-rl; -epub-writing-mode: vertical-rl;; -webkit-writing-mode: vertical-rl;; text-combine: horizontal; -epub-text-combine: horizontal; white-space:nowrap; } span.horizontal-tyc { writing-mode: tb-rl; /* old style */ text-combine: tb-rl; -epub-text-combine: horizontal-tb; -webkit-text-combine: horizontal-tb; text-combine: horizontal; -epub-text-combine: horizontal; white-space:nowrap; }PK "lAV95 95 OEBPS/images/103.jpg JFIF C $.' ",# (7),01444 '9=82<.342 C 2! !22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 3J" } !1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w !1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ? RA\~VN&f\FORaң[PqW H^*҈qIb i S@ N4{S N.)q@8 RN4LR-8 P!hO \)sV zW !kVj3bj q[pB TpTTrHb#$ACma;]AK% PkT*@".N>R>(!\+rYn(2o^+Z$GOHxҡ{3![=< ҸUTQQ&|'8lnL4&ҿ7u(T>\ݢܿJ%[hA]ԑM JC% )@)Rx5jb P<(( 9G4( .(; RJ- RJ8 P .(K( bCuPK ΰĜ|7ƚv)E4FOlS "[4]( "̼D@C542܈SUX7 ՞^{dYI>%qOSᵚCn$P-wcU%q61 Y yx8jąާ4,E,-̮~\'ӓ#6fo&~axXUռ sr #Y i%3{ֻĖVD,aN=8iz?g[1I
#I= H.̰N2k𭽺9?1?:Ś;<*
MGT {Voq$I/|>.dE9DOW/m 7o<9&Nc\vQ>z_[J$,T=I" OPo54ȡih
l{<vS8^`1i0 NF?NvL^\[|>SSn̤vX:`~z?Q՟X"E+A Lcq*
WNI Lp`%[]ݳS/
sp^S*{JN/g Dk2 + Ey&?ks ֬sT\iw? b?Z+{i)J&{u sbSIv's&ԦjL,O]' <ּFS\I-ҽ77kWy%n9 k[[vϹCg_\Eެorm\T[+zCgm#)i6g_U$R 7T~,&x#*x>Ե}Fmq vQ\VqR7얁!6}YK
e_ f2:)wrG`+|+ܴ`z 8 {Ғ}GNe{p9ྥy*!gɁ1 Kx-.LB݃ϩ=&#s2! ĴG hںGi
=R}:Fɲ>D>ݻWi[4)+Ȗ [ W,Kjt_Iǧzym/எ eU(39u%fe4Kج*{k!s4~ aq(M#F y6U2,0Fcg;