Janet Morana, Associate Director of Priests for Life, was present for the signing ceremonies of two bills which have advanced in law the standing of the unborn child: The ban on partial birth abortions (signed on November 5, 2003) and the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (signed on April 1, 2004). In her words of greeting to President Bush, Janet expressed the gratitude of Priests for Life for the President's continuous call that "every child be welcomed in life and protected by law," and for not hesitating to do what can be done in the political and legislative arena.

The Feinstein amendment, defeated by only one vote, would have created a separate and additional federal crime for "causing the termination of a pregnancy," but would not have recognized the unborn child as a separate victim. All the Republicans except four voted to protect the unborn child; all the Democrats but four voted not to protect the child.

Dear Brother Priests and Lay supporters,

From the time Priests for Life was first established, our intention was not to found new structures, but to network and encourage people within the existing structures of the Church, to accomplish the mission laid out by our bishops.

That remains our task and vision today. Priests for Life does not come into a diocese in order to impose some "outside" plan or agenda, or to take away anything of what is already there. Rather, we want to lend an additional measure of support for what is already planned. We are an association of priests helping our brother priests work in union with their bishops and the pastoral plans of their diocese.

We are always ready to offer our perspective from a national level, and the many projects and strategies we have come to learn from pro-life groups in every state. We likewise are ready to connect you with others in different parts of the nation who are doing similar things. Finally, there are many people who come to us, saying that they want to help the pro-life movement. We meet them in our travels, they hear us on TV and radio. We want to channel them back to you, so that they can assist local efforts. So let us know what you are doing; alert us to your programs and plans, and we will be ready to help you!

With prayers,

Fr. Frank Pavone

National Director

Often we think that a political race is a contest between two candidates. It is not. It is, rather, a contest between two teams, and the team that has the greater number of effective activists is the one who wins. This winning is not accomplished by big money or media, but ultimately by people "on the ground" who actually show up at the polls. This is why the activation of our parishioners is the key to doing what the bishops call for in Living the Gospel of Life, namely, using the power of the vote to build up the culture of life.

To that end, our people need to be registered to vote. Registration deadlines for each state are posted on our website at www.priestsforlife.org/vote/deadlines and we ask you to alert your people to these dates. We also urge you to make voter registration forms available to your people in Church. This is consistent gospel activity -- we don't just preach nice words about "renewing the face of the earth"; we give our people the tools to do it!

If you have had an abortion…Please visit www.SilentNoMoreAwareness.org. The Silent No More Awareness Campaign is a project of Priests for Life and NOEL, and enables women to speak out about how their abortion hurt them. Also visit www.RachelsVineyard.org, to learn about retreats on which you can find healing. Rachel's Vineyard is also a ministry of Priests for Life.

Priests for Life has opened an office in our nation's Capitol, literally across the street from the Supreme Court! With the assistance of Dr. Paul Schenck, our pastoral associate, and his brother Rob, this office opened in April, and will be a companion office to our international headquarters in New York and our office in Rome. Our Washington office will serve as a center of communications with our nation's leaders in the White House, Congress, and the Court, as well as with the many organizations that are based in Washington, including the headquarters of the US Bishops' Conference. This new office will also serve as the headquarters of Gospel of Life Ministries, a partner organization with Priests for Life.

Announcing Gospel of Life Ministries

Many people want to spread the message of Priests for Life to their friends who are not Catholic. Now, we have given you a way to do that. Gospel of Life Ministries is a new organization that takes the writings, teachings, and television programs that Fr. Frank Pavone and Priests for Life have produced, and presents them in an ecumenical format.

Pope John Paul II calls for this kind of effort when he writes in The Gospel of Life, "Service of the Gospel of life is thus an immense and complex task. This service increasingly appears as a valuable and fruitful area for positive cooperation with our brothers and sisters of other Churches and ecclesial communities, in accordance with the practical ecumenism which the Second Vatican Council authoritatively encouraged. It also appears as a providential area for dialogue and joint efforts with the followers of other religions and with all people of good will. No single person or group has a monopoly on the defense and promotion of life. These are everyone's task and responsibility. On the eve of the Third Millennium, the challenge facing us is an arduous one: only the concerted efforts of all those who believe in the value of life can prevent a setback of unforeseeable consequences for civilization" (#91).

Dr. Paul Schenck, a pastoral associate of Priests for Life and a former Anglican pastor and priest, brings his extensive knowledge and experience of the Protestant world to his role as Executive Director of Gospel of Life Ministries. We encourage you to invite your friends or relatives who are not Catholic to visit www.gospeloflife.com for more information.

The entire set of General Intercessions for each Sunday may now be obtained from us at www.priestsforlife.org/prayers. The intercessions contain a pro-life petitions, and are in English and Spanish.

Suggestions for bringing the respect life theme into your homily are now given for every Sunday of the year at www.priestsforlife.org 

August intention: That medical students and nurses may resist any pressure to take part in abortion or euthanasia.

Respect Life Petitions

In order to help parishes fulfill the request of the bishops that "parishes should include in the petitions at every Mass a prayer that ours will become a nation that respects and protects all human life, born and unborn, reflecting a true culture of life," Priests for Life is happy to make available our booklet "Respect Life Petitions," which will put on your desk, in a single place, all the respect life petitions you will need for every Sunday of the three-year liturgical cycle. Each of them is based on the readings assigned for the Mass of that particular day. A more limited section of petitions in Spanish is also included.

Original Intent

This is one of the best books in existence about the relationship between the Constitution, the Courts, and religion. Learn how to explain what "Separation of Church and State" means and what it doesn't mean. Read about how the Founders of our Country were religious men who praised Jesus and proclaimed his Gospel. Learn why our Founders did not establish a "Democracy." Learn what the Founders really thought about the role of the courts and who has the right to interpret the Constitution. Great gift for students, teachers and clergy!

Order form

(Please mail to Priests for Life, PO Box 141172, Staten Island, NY 10314 or fax to 718-980-3900)

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