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Future Lawyers and Judges |
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I had the pleasure of speaking yet again at the Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor, Michigan recently. I spoke to these young men and women who will be the future pro-life attorneys and judges of our nation, and the topic I addressed was “Practical Ways to Help the Pro-life Movement.” A few weeks later, I met a family member of one of the law students, who told me that as a result of my talk, this law student had decided to devote his law practice to defending the free speech rights of pro-life activists and prosecuting abortionists for malpractice!
Above: Fr. Frank Pavone Addresses Law Students at Ave Maria
Listen to or
download Fr. Frank's talk at Ave Maria in MP3
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Volunteers |
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Fr. Peter West (above right) and Jim Pinto (above left) recently visited 52 parishes in the span of five days in Minnesota as part of the Priests for Life “Two by Two” personal visits to the nation’s parishes . “We were pretty exhausted,” Fr. West explained, but also said that the priests were very receptive to the personal visits and the material brought to them. “I don’t recall having any negative responses with any of the priests,” Fr. West said.
Fr. West continues to speak weekly in parishes and schools from coast to coast. He tells us, “Recently in one parish I spoke at nine Masses. I was aware of people in the congregation who occasionally shook their head, indicating their disagreement. But we are not expecting universal agreement. If we had universal agreement all the time for everything that we are trying to do, it wouldn’t be necessary for us to go out and preach the pro-life message. If everybody was on board with us, abortion wouldn’t be legal.”
What does Fr. West tell those parishioners who are beyond childbearing age? “One of the things I like to bring out to older people, is that if you care about your children, if you care about your grandchildren, if you care about the type of society that you live in, if you care about the legacy that you leave for the next generation, abortion is going to be an issue that you are going to care about, that you pray about, and that you will want to do something about; and if we can establish the principle that we have a right to choose to take an innocent human life, simply because that life is burdensome or unwanted, somebody may one day, some day choose to take our life as well.”
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The “Precious Feet” Lady |
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| On a recent visit to Arizona, I again had the pleasure of being with Virginia Evers, who several decades ago, came up with the idea of the “Precious Feet,” which has become the international pro-life symbol. This pin shows the exact size and shape of an unborn child’s feet at ten weeks of development. At Priests for Life, we distribute tens of thousands of these feet all over the nation. So it was special to receive a set from Virginia herself! On a different trip to Arizona this Fall, I took Fr. Capoverdi and Fr. Clarke with me to meet with other pro-life leaders. |
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Applause for Fr. Quinn |
Fr. Walter Quinn |
| Fr. Walter Quinn continues to enjoy the applause of audiences around the nation as he speaks in direct and encouraging terms about the priority of the right to life. In Westtown, PA recently he gave a talk at which all the officers of seven Knights of Columbus Councils were present, four area pro-life groups came with their displays, and clergy of various denominations were in attendance. Fr. Quinn cited some 30 life issues, explaining that not all have the same importance. Rather, he explained, as the bishops have stated, when one must choose between lesser human values that depend on life for their existence, and life itself, then human life must take precedence. At this, the audience broke into prolonged applause. |
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Photo Gallery |
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In
the photo gallery for this edition of Frontlines,
you will see a kaleidoscope of various other trips
and adventures on the road. From Alaska to North
Carolina, you will see Priests for Life interacting
with bishops, activists, pro-life leaders, and
youth, bringing them the message of hope and
encouraging them to keep their focus on the number
one priority for our day: restore full protection to
the unborn child!
Click here to see the gallery. |
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A Tale of Three Cities |
Fr. Denis Wilde, OSA, Priest Associate |
Fr. Wilde writes, “Dickens wrote about the best of times and the worst of times in his renowned Tale of Two Cities. In the culture of death and the Gospel of Life both the best and the worst mix like oncoming and receding waves. The challenges of a humanist world view balance with the love and concern of good, unsung warriors around the country coming to aid of the voiceless unborn - and these include YOU!"
Fr. Wilde traces a tale of three cities - in one week this past September. It began with the United Nations conference of NGO’s (non-governmental organizations). Some 1000 delegates gathered in New York, just before the international government delegates met. Priests for Life has had an NGO status in the UN for some years, and it was encouraging to see how many Catholic and pro-family organizations were represented, both from here and abroad.
“After a subway, taxi, ferry, car and plane trip from the UN to the second city - Chicago – Fr. Denis had an opportunity to spread the pro-life message to Chicagoland in Glen Ellyn, St Petronille Parish, Msgr Jim Dougherty, pastor. Besides the positive and thankful responses of the parishioners and pastoral leadership in this growing upscale suburb (actually Joliet Diocese), Father ventured into his apologetics and Q and A presentation at two Catholic High Schools, Driscoll and Montini. After this, the minds and hearts of young teens are engaged in typically animated discussion among themselves – for the rest of the day.
“After enjoying a good “apologetics” conversation with a fellow passenger winging across to the Pacific, Father Wilde spent a day with friends in N. Hollywood before driving up to the third city was Bakersfield, California, the hub of one of the nation’s breadbaskets, in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, California.
“St “St Joseph’s Church has a young, dynamic and savvy Pastor, Fr. Craig Harrison. Before he entered the seminary he adopted seven children. Now his “grandchildren” are welcomed guests in the rectory and often leaders in the church. This church, incidentally, a large building, is jam packed with people spilling into the aisles and loft. Their parish activities are off the chart in numbers. Father Denis received very favorable and excited responses from the homilies he delivered and from the piano concert he rendered.”
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Rachel’s Vineyard Progress |
Dr. Theresa Burke presents to priests in Iowa |
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One of the key
ways that Priests for Life carries on the work of
post-abortion healing is through its ministry of
Rachel’s Vineyard, of which I serve as Pastoral
Director and Chairman of the Board. Theresa and
Kevin Burke, who founded this healing ministry and
run it from day to day, have been crossing the
country, bringing training to therapists and clergy
alike. For example, the Association of Christian
Counselors had its 2005 conference in Nashville, and
for the first time ever, presented the topic of
post-abortion trauma, with Theresa and Kevin as the
guest speakers for a three-hour session. Likewise, a
Christian residential treatment facility for eating
disorders recently invited them to talk about how
post-abortion trauma manifests itself in eating
disorders. Theresa recently presented at Rutger’s
University, at the Catholic Leadership Conference,
and at various diocesan conferences. More and more
diocesan respect life and Project Rachel directors
are experiencing Rachel’s Vineyard firsthand and
obtaining a much clearer understanding of it than
they had before.
Meanwhile, the
Rachel’s Vineyard retreat programs continue to
spread around the globe. The retreat manual is being
translated into Chinese, and we are sending someone
to China to run the first retreat. Theresa Burke
also represented Rachel’s Vineyard and Priests for
Life at World Youth Day this past summer. Young
people came to the “Domus Vitae” (“House of Life”),
a special pro-life festival of information and
inspiration, co-sponsored by Priests for Life and
other pro-life efforts worldwide.
Vine and Branches is a publication that helps
you keep track of Rachel's Vineyard activities in
even more detail.
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Photo Gallery |
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In the photo
gallery for this edition of Frontlines, you will see
a kaleidoscope of various other trips and adventures
on the road. From Alaska to North Carolina, you will
see Priests for Life interacting with bishops,
activists, pro-life leaders, and youth, bringing
them the message of hope and encouraging them to
keep their focus on the number one priority for our
day: restore full protection to the unborn child!
Click here to see the gallery.
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