"Defending Life" Season 11 (2006)
The theme of each program is noted below.
Overview of Episodes of Season Eleven
Episode 1: Elections 2006
Action Segment: Voter Registration/Voter Registration
Sundays. It is legal and effective for Churches to provide their
congregations with the opportunity to fill out a voter registration form.
Priests for Life has designated
National Christian
Voter Registration Sundays and provides pastors and parish volunteers
the information and guidance they need to implement such a project.
The project should be conducted in such a way that the individual fills out
the form completely before leaving Church. The parish volunteers will then
mail the forms to their proper destination. Voter registration opportunities
should likewise be provided at pro-life and other Church events and
conference
Featured Product:
Living the Gospel of Life with accompanying
Study Guide.
Episode 2: Every Vote Counts in 2006 - Learn more about what Churches and
tax-exempt organizations can do regarding elections -- it's more than you think!
Guest: James Bopp, Jr.
Action Segment: Write political letters
to the editor and becoming politically active. We are called to be
politically active, and to help our fellow believers do the same.
Encouraging others to register to vote is a
helpful step to take. This should be discussed with people in our prayer
groups, Bible studies, and the parish in general. It is also a good
idea to volunteer to work on campaigns for specific candidates. Likewise,
every campaign can use volunteers to hand out literature prior to election
day.
Featured Products: Brochures:
Episode 3: Founding a New Society of Priests and Laity to
do Pro-Life Work -
Being pro-life is not a hobby. It is a vocation. Learn about the
"Missionaries of the Gospel of Life," a new community of priests, deacons, and
laity dedicated exclusively to ending abortion. Guest: Most Reverend John
Yanta, Bishop of Amarillo, TX.
Action Segment: Encouraging your Priests.
Priests are meant to encourage us in the practice of our Faith. But
it's not a one-way street. We are called to encourage our priests in the
practice of their priesthood! And part of the mission of the priest is to
speak out against the injustice of abortion, point out the help that the
Church gives to provide alternatives, invite people to the repentance and
healing that need to follow abortion, and mobilize the congregation to work
to end this tragedy.
Our brochures
How to Encourage Your Priest to be Actively Pro-Life,
A Letter to My Priest, and
A Ministry of Encouragement for Life provide helpful guidance to get you
started.
We send
our newsletter to every priest in the country, but you may want to
verify with your priest that he receives and reads it. Also, be sure to
point out to your priest that we publish on this website
suggested petitions for the General Intercessions, both in English and
in Spanish, that are geared to the readings of each Sunday of the Year.
Likewise, alert him to the
bulletin inserts that are available, both from the website and in
camera-ready format.
Featured Product:
Study Guide for Evangelium Vitae, The Gospel of Life
Episode 4: Reflections of Fulltime Pro-Life Work.
Action Segment:
Wear the Precious Feet pin.
Featured Product:
Addressing Abortion with Confidence Booklet
Episode 5: Reflections on What Really Happened to
Terri Schiavo. Guests: Bob and Mary
Schindler, Terri's parents.
Action Segment: Make out your
Will To Live.
Featured Product:
Reflections on Terri Schiavo - CD talk by Fr Pavone
Episode 6: What Are the Next Steps for the Pro-Life
Movement?
After the killing of Terri Schiavo, what must the pro-life movement do?
Guests: Bob and Mary Schindler, Terri's parents.
Featured Product:
Terri Schiavo's Final Hours: An Eyewitness Account (brochure)
Episode 7: Stem Cell Research & Cloning: Scientific Details
Made Simple and Pastoral Perspectives for the Church Part 1
Guest: Fr.
Tadeusz Pacholczyk
Action Segment:
Monitor Magazines. Our pro-life activity must reach people
who are not looking for us. One way to do that is to get the pro-life
message into popular magazines. A particular audience to target, of course,
is the teenage and young adult audience. Pro-life groups should have
individuals who monitor such magazines, and look for feature articles, news
reports, editorials, or advertisements that deal with or mention abortion.
If the magazine says something that is exaggerated, factually incorrect,
or insulting to pro-life people, that item should be countered with a letter
to the magazine and a phone call to the person responsible for publishing
it.
But beyond the correction of things that are wrong, pro-life people
should take the initiative to send to the magazine letters, stories, and
suggestions for features that highlight the fact that more and more people
in our country are becoming pro-life. Young people who work to end abortion,
or courageously say no to the temptation to abort their own child, can
provide the basis for excellent magazine stories. Getting teens to write
letters to teen magazines in support of the pro-life position is an
excellent project.
Advertising is critical as well. It would be money well-spent if a
pro-life group purchased an ad in a teen or young adult magazine, conveying
a powerful pro-life message.
And we are not just talking about magazines for teens and young adults.
All kinds of magazines provide a wide-open field for our message. The
attitudes of many people are being formed by these publications. Let's not
be on the sidelines lamenting them; rather, let's get informed about what is
in these magazines, and how we can get our message in them too.
Featured Product:
Declaration on the Production and the Scientific and Therapeutic Use of
Human Embryonic Stem Cells. A booklet produced by the Pontifical
Academy of Life, Vatican.
Episode 8: Stem Cell Research & Cloning: Scientific Details
Made Simple and Pastoral Perspectives for the Church Part 2
Guest: Fr.
Tadeusz Pacholczyk
Episode 9: Exposing the Abortion Procedure
Episode 10:
Sidewalk Counseling and the Rights of Activists.
Action Segment:
www.childpredators.com
Featured Product:
This Is My Body brochure and the Spanish version,
Este Es Mi Cuerpo; The Bible’s Teaching Against Abortion brochure and
the Spanish version, La Ensenanza De La Biblia Contra El Aborto.
Episode 11: Pregnancy Resource Centers Offering Women Real
Choices.
Episode 12: Latest Developments in the
Silent No More Awareness Campaign.
Episode 13: Living Proof of the Link Between Abortion & Breast
Cancer and Standing Up for Your Catholic Pro-Life Convictions.
Guests:
Lt. Commander Thomas Messe and Mrs. Charnette Messe
Action Segment: Responding
effectively to someone you know who had an abortion. If you know
someone who had an abortion, and she knows that you know, make it clear to
her that those who oppose abortion do not oppose those who have them.
Rather, we embrace them with love and healing. Let such people know that you
are always ready to listen, and to lead them to post-abortion healing
resources.
If the person who had the abortion does not
know that you know, you can approach the topic indirectly. "I heard a great
talk yesterday about healing and forgiveness for those who have had
abortions," you might say. Or you might leave a helpful brochure in her
path. Then give her a chance to raise the topic if and when she is ready.
Meanwhile, offer fervent prayers for her healing.
Offer a
Rachel’s Vineyard brochure
or the Silent
No More Awareness Campaign brochure.
Use the Silent No More bumper stickers, envelope stickers and mugs to
promote conversation.
Featured Product:
Abortion Breast Cancer Link DVD or VHS
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