Priests for Life
Newsletter
Volume 17, Number 6
November-December 2007
Click here for the PDF of the newsletter
Table of Contents
The Many Facets of
Gospel of Life Ministries
Frequently Asked Pictures
about Priests for Life
December Brings
Special Pro-Life Feasts
Humanae Vitae Almost 40
Years Later
Priests for Life Is
Supported Only by You!
Voter Registration -- All
Year, Every Year
Prayer Intentions!
Stay Connected With Us!
A Petition to the
Media: Show the American People what an Abortion is!
Featured Products
The Many Facets of
Gospel of Life Ministries
"Gospel of Life Ministries" is a family of ministries which coordinates,
supports, and/or works in collaboration with the following efforts. It was
created as the many outreaches of Priests for Life extended beyond the specific
needs of priests or even just of Catholics. The title "Gospel of Life" more
adequately expresses the broad outreach that these many ministries encompass -
priests and laity, Catholics and Protestants, and religious and secular efforts
to protect the unborn.
Healing After Abortion
www.RachelsVineyard.org
www.SilentNoMoreAwareness.org
Clergy Outreach
www.PriestsForLife.org
www.DeaconsForLife.org
www.SeminariansForLife.org
www.MissionariesoftheGospelofLife.org
Ecumenical Outreach
www.GospelOfLife.com
www.LifeOnTheLine.com
Youth Outreach
www.AbortionAborted.org
Washington DC Outreach
www.NPLAC.org
www.PoliticalResponsibility.org
Click here to see a medical
diagram of a Suction and Curettage abortion of a 9-week old fetus.
Frequently Asked Questions about Priests for Life
1. Is Priests for Life a “radical” pro-life group? Priests for Life is a
national pro-life organization that is highly respected by parish priests and by
Cardinals at the Vatican, by local ministers and leaders such as Dr. James
Dobson, by ordinary citizens and celebrities, by diocesan respect life directors
and by members of Congress, and even by those who disagree with us. Some of the
feedback we have received can be read at
www.priestsforlife.org/praise.
Priests for Life is recognized by the United Nations as a non-governmental
organization with all the rights that attach to such groups; is invited to
participate in and often lead national and international pro-life strategic
planning; is a valued friend of national pro-life groups everywhere; and has
been invited to hold Congressional briefings. The meaning of the term “radical,”
of course, is relative to the person who uses it. If by "radical" one means that
a group is committed to certain unchanging principles - like the sanctity of
life - and is willing to challenge anyone and everyone to observe those
principles, to go against the tide of public opinions and political correctness,
and even to die for the cause of life, then yes, we proudly wear the label,
because it is consistent with the demands of discipleship.
2. Does Priests for Life reject the use of violence? Yes. Violence is never an
answer to violence. We have publicly rejected violence against abortionists, as
can be seen by our public statements and articles at
www.priestsforlife.org/nonviolence.
3. Does Priests for Life have a position on the war? As a Catholic association,
Priests for Life aligns itself with the official teachings of the Catholic
Church on every issue. Therefore, in regard to any war, we hold that the
principles the Church teaches are to be applied. The practical focus of our
ministry, however, comprises the issues of abortion and, to a lesser extent,
euthanasia.
4. Does Priests for Life endorse political candidates? No. We are not allowed to
do so by laws governing 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt entities. We do, however, teach
what the Bible and the Church teach about political responsibility, and we urge
all citizens (including those who lead organizations) to speak up and work for
the candidates of their choice.
5. Does Priests for Life have a paid staff? Yes, Priests for Life employs
approximately fifty employees. The National Director, Fr. Frank Pavone, has
freely chosen never to take a salary from Priests for Life.
December Brings Special Pro-life Feasts
The liturgical seasons and feasts always provide insight and incentive to our
pro-life commitment, because they point to its source. The month of December, in
particular, provides several high points.
The Advent Season: In Advent, we focus on the first and second comings of the
same Christ, and on how to prepare for His arrival, namely, by repentance.
"Reform your lives! The reign of God is at hand." St. Paul urges, "Let us cast
off deeds of darkness" (1 Advent A), and "Live in perfect harmony with one
another" (2d Advent A). He speaks of faith as an obedience (4th Advent A). St.
James encourages, "Be patient .... Steady your hearts" (3rd Advent A). The Old
Testament prophets, furthermore, describe the results of the Messiah's coming,
"One nation shall not raise the sword against the other" (1 Advent A), "There
shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain" (2d Advent A). "Then will the
eyes of the blind be opened ... sorrow and mourning will flee" (3rd Advent A).
"Immanuel" (4th Advent A). Advent, in other words, points toward a world where
the violence of abortion is unthinkable, and repentant hearts welcome and
nurture every human life.
December 8 - the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary:
Scripture makes it clear that God chooses us from all eternity, and prepares us
for our mission even from the womb. In Mary's case, she is saved in advance from
original sin because of her unique role as Jesus' mother. The unique bond of
mother and child is therefore brought out by this Feast, as is the saving power
of Christ to deliver us from sin and its effects. All of this has important
applications for the fight against abortion.
Our Lady of Guadalupe: The patroness of the pro-life movement, Our Lady of
Guadalupe, is honored on December 12, and the one to whom her image was revealed
– St. Juan Diego – is honored on December 9. Our Lady’s image, in which she is
pregnant, converted Aztecs and ended human sacrifice. The image today stops many
abortions as it is brought to the killing centers worldwide.
December 28 -- the feast of the Holy Innocents: These children were martyrs
because they were killed as part of an attack on Christ. Today, though
opposition to Christ is not normally the intention of those who have abortions,
it is nevertheless a central part of the efforts of those who deliberately and
persistently work worldwide to assure that abortion remains legal. Mockery of
Scripture, Christians, the Church, and God himself is a common aspect of the
beliefs, writings, and activities of radical abortion advocates. The children
killed by abortion are the Holy Innocents of our day, and some theologians and
other members of the faithful are studying and advocating for the possibility
that the Church will claim these children as martyrs.
The Feast of the Holy Family: Falling this year on December 30, this feast
highlights the sanctuary of life, where life, both born and unborn, is to be
welcomed and nurtured. Without family, there can be no life, and without life,
there can be no family.
Humanae Vitae almost 40 years later…
Priests for Life has launched a special period of preparation leading to the
40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae, which was published on July 25, 1968, by Pope
Paul VI. The website
www.HumanaeVitae40.com has been established to promote study of this
document, and the Priests for Life pastoral team has produced a study guide for
this encyclical, as well as a pamphlet called "Preaching on Contraception."
On a previous anniversary of this encyclical, one diocesan newspaper had a copy
of the encyclical on the front page with the headline, "Why did this 25-cent
pamphlet cause so much trouble? ...Because it was right!"
Indeed, all the things which Pope Paul VI said would happen if the meaning of
human sexuality were not recognized and respected are in fact happening. In this
sense, the strength of the encyclical increases with time.
The encyclical's message is broader than the rejection of birth control. The
title means "Of Human Life." It is a declaration of the dominion of God over
human life, and of the full beauty of human sexuality. The problem of our age is
not that it is obsessed with sex, but that it is afraid of it - afraid of the
full dimensions of its claim on human commitment, self-sacrifice, and generosity
- afraid of the fact that authentic sex does not let us get lost in ourselves
and our pleasures, but demands that we give of ourselves for the good of the
other, including the children God may give us.
Finally, an aspect of the Church's teaching contained in the encyclical but not
so widely emphasized is that we do recognize the circumstances in which it is
quite legitimate for a married couple to avoid pregnancy. Such a judgment must
be based on objective circumstances and carried out within the moral law. But to
claim that the Church teaches that parents may in no way plan their families is
not only contrary to Catholic teaching, but opens the door to unnecessary but
all too common criticism from the world, who thinks we are out of touch with
reality. Pope Paul's marvelous encyclical is, on the other hand, quite in touch
with reality - with the full truth about human love and life.
Let us preach that truth with joyful confidence!
Priests for Life Is Supported Only by You!
Priests for Life is not subsidized by dioceses, the Bishops' Conference, or the
Vatican. We rely completely on donations from individuals like you! All
contributions are tax-deductible, and may be designated for specific projects if
you so choose. You may donate at
www.priestsforlife.org/donate,
or by making a check payable to "Priests for Life" and sending it to PO Box
141172, Staten Island, NY 10314.
If you wish to support us with a monthly donation, you may call us at
718-980-4400, ext. 232, and we will arrange to charge your credit card
automatically, in the amount you designate and for the time period you
designate. Those who donate in this way do not receive appeals by mail.
Voter Registration -- All Year, Every Year
Good Christians are called to be good citizens. Being a citizen of heaven does
not replace being a citizen of earth. Rather, we work out our salvation and
sanctification precisely through the exercise of our earthly duties, including
our civic duties.
And primary among our civic duties is the duty to vote. One of the tools we need
to carry out that mission is to register to vote. The Church's role is not to
set up or run the political parties. But the Church's role does include
equipping the people with the tools they need to be good citizens of earth so
that they can be citizens of heaven. Hence, Churches should register voters.
Now we normally hear about this only at election time. But we cannot afford to
wait until then to try to get all of the unregistered believers registered. We
are called to be proactive, not just reactive. There simply isn't enough time to
do the kind of persuasion, education, and outreach needed to activate all
believers if we only do it when a major election is on the horizon. Voter
registration is an activity Churches should do all year long, every year. The
call should go forth constantly: be vigilant, be ready, have your tools in hand.
Let's not wait until registration deadlines surprise us, or people realize too
late that because they have moved, they have to register in their new district.
And let us not tire of repeating the rather elementary legal principle that
voter registration is an activity perfectly legal for Churches to perform, as
long as it is non-partisan. In other words, we do not limit the opportunity to
register only to people of a specific political party. Rather, we open the doors
to everyone without regard for party affiliation. That's because the motive is
not to promote a party, but rather to equip Christians to do the work for which
the Spirit impels them.
All year long, every year, Churches can have voter registration forms available
at the rectory, and regularly have tables at the back of Church to give people
an easy opportunity to register. Mailings to parishioners can contain regular
reminders about this. The parish website can have a link to
www.VoterSunday.org,
which enables people to download the registration forms from their own computer.
That same website gives all the information you need to conduct voter
registration in Church or in a church-group meeting.
Don't wait! Let's register voters all year, every year!
Prayer Intentions
You are encouraged to remember the
following intentions as you pray the Liturgy of the Hours:
November intention: That the children who are now scheduled to be aborted may be
protected.
December intention: That God may give eternal rest to the women who died from
abortion.
Stay Connected with us!
Subscribe to our Email services:
Information and inspiration every two weeks from Fr. Frank Pavone:
subscribe@priestsforlife.org
Weekly email with pro-life liturgical resources for priests and deacons:
clergy@priestsforlife.org
Watch our TV Programs:
Defending Life on EWTN every Friday at 10pm ET (repeated Saturday at 2:30am).
Gospel of Life on Sky Angel’s "Angel One" every Monday at 3:30am ET, Tuesday at
2:00 am, Thursday at 8:30am, and Saturday at 7:30pm.
Listen to our Radio Programs:
Life on the Line is on every weekend on AM stations nationwide. Consult
www.LifeOntheLine.com
for stations and times.
Come to hear our speakers:
It won't be long before one of our speakers will be near your community again!
The schedule of most of the public talks given by our pastoral team is posted on
our website at
www.priestsforlife.org/speakers.
Please publicize this information in your parish bulletins and pro-life
newsletters to assist more people to come into contact regularly with the latest
pro-life information!
A Petition to the Media: Show the American People what
an Abortion is!
Abortion is the most common surgery in America, yet we never see what it looks
like. While the national debate over abortion continues to rage, most people
have never been given the chance to see what all the fuss is about. In an age
when we can broadcast images instantaneously across the country in order to
inform people about the realities of poverty and war, or to bring them in touch
with events of history or even trips to the moon and rovers on Mars, it stands
to reason that America should see the horrible results of abortion.
This information is available from neutral medical and scientific sources, can
be presented without polemic or "taking sides" in the national debate, and
furthermore can be portrayed in a way that respects the norms of public decency.
We also know, from daily experience, how quickly the images of aborted babies
change people’s minds on abortion. (See evidence at
www.priestsforlife.org/images.)
For years, Priests for Life has been challenging the American media: Show the
American people what an abortion is! We have said this publicly in press
conferences and ads, and privately to many media professionals. And many of them
have told us that this is a point we should press.
Now, Priests for Life wants to present millions of signatures to key
representatives of major media outlets, with whom we have developed
relationships over the years. We believe that the goal of having the results of
abortion aired on national television is a goal that can be reached. We ask you
to join that effort today by signing and mailing in the form below, or by
signing it online at
www.priestsforlife.org/media.
Full Name (Please print) __________________________________
Address _______________________________________________
City ______________________ State _______ Zip ____________
Phone _________________________________________________
Email _________________________________________________
I join in the challenge of Priests for Life to the media: Show the American
People what an Abortion is!
Signed: _____________________________________________________________________
Featured Products
You can order at our online store at
www.priestsforlife.org/products!
Or order from: Priests for Life, P.O. Box 141172, Staten Island, NY 10314; Or
fax (718) 980-3900; Or Email:
orders@priestsforlife.org.
2008 Priests for Life Wall Calendar
(#2010) - $10.00
This contains photos of some of our
activities out on the road. It’s an attractive and enjoyable way to spread
the pro-life message.
Redeeming a Father’s Heart
By Kevin Burke, LSW, David Wemhoff &
Marvin Stockwell
(#2004) - $12.95
In this newly released book, men share powerful stories of abortion loss and
recovery.
Spiritual Bouquet for the Living
(#1805-free of charge)
and Mass Cards for the Deceased
(#1708 - free of charge).
Make it possible for your loved ones and
friends to share in the fruits of all the prayers, Masses, and good works of the
priests of Priests for Life! We have Spiritual Bouquet cards for the
intentions of the living and Mass cards for the deceased. We will send you
a supply of cards free of charge. Keep them on hand, and when you use them, send
us back the name, with your offering.
