Priests for Life Newsletter
Volume 7, Number 5
September - October 1997
Contents
Deacons for Life and Family
General Intercessions for use at Mass or
Prayer Services
Homily Starters
You're Never Too Old to Save a Life
Pilgrimages for Mary and Life
Respect Life Month
Annuities
Spanish Translations
Deacons for Life and Family
by Rev. Mr. Keith A. Fournier
Director
Receive the gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are. Believe what you
read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.
--Words spoken by the Bishop to the newly ordained Deacon at the reception of
the Book of the Gospel.
Deacons for Life and Family (DLF) is an association of Catholic deacons
dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel of Life, promoting the Culture of Life, and
serving the family. The Permanent Diaconate offers a great resource in our
struggle against the Culture of Death and our mission of rebuilding a Culture of
Life. Ordained for word, service, and sacrament, deacons often work in the arena
of social justice. Pro-life and pro-family work is at the heart of social
justice.
Deacons are a vital resource in the present struggle against the Culture of
Death. DLF, in the legacy of Human Life International, Priests for Life, and
Seminarians for Life, seeks to stand in the midst of this current darkness as a
beacon of light. We seek to proclaim and demonstrate the truth about life and
family in the midst of an age mired in selfism and the dance of death.
Among our goals, we make Church teachings, and spiritual and practical
resources available to deacons so that they can preach the Gospel of Life,
incarnate the truth in their ministry, and teach and serve effectively. St.
Francis of Assisi, a deacon himself, once said "I preach the gospel at all times
and sometimes I use words." DLF seeks to preach that Gospel of Life through our
homilies as well as our presence, our witness, and our dedicated service to the
Church in the midst of the world.
Additionally, because of the unique witness of the married Permanent Deacon’s
vocation, our members can effectively teach and demonstrate the Church’s
teaching on the family. The family is indeed the first community, and
sacramentally reflects the life of God in a profound and prophetic way.
The effective witness of the Catholic family in our age is an essential part
of the ongoing work of the Church.
Finally, deacon members of this movement need spiritual nourishment.
Recognizing our littleness and our need for the bread of life, we want to help
our brother deacons develop a totally formed conscience and a profoundly deep
prayer life in order to make their diaconal apostolate effective.
In order to help deacons in their vital pro-life and pro-family work, DLF
will institute a prayer network and provide information via the internet and
newsletters. This will assist them in their service on behalf of the unborn,
their mothers, the elderly, the infirm and disabled, and the family.
Lumen Gentium, reminds us that deacons "... strengthened by
sacramental grace.... are dedicated to the people of God, in conjunction with
the bishop and his body of priests, in the service of the liturgy, of the
Gospel, and of works of charity." In a very special way DLF seeks to be an
example in the world by effectively proclaiming and demonstrating the truth of
the faith by living out the Gospel of Life.
For
Respect Life Month...
Remember our Resources
We remind all clergy of the helpful resources we offer for parishes and
schools: homilies, bulletin inserts, brochures for the bookrack, audio and video
tapes for adult education groups, activity suggestions, and most importantly,
our network of clergy who have special experience in dealing with the pastoral
aspects of abortion. Call us at 718-980-4400 for details or for an order
catalogue.
GENERAL INTERCESSIONS FOR USE AT
PRO-LIFE MASS OR PRAYER SERVICE
CELEBRANT:
WE TRUST IN THE MERCY AND POWER OF GOD. THEREFORE, WE NOW PRAY WITH
CONFIDENCE.
DEACON (or Lector):
FOR THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, THAT SHE MAY CARRY ON HER
MISSION OF LIFE WITH FAITH AND JOY, WE PRAY TO THE LORD...
THAT GOD MAY PROTECT ALL BABIES, AND KEEP THEM SAFE FROM THE SCOURGE OF
ABORTION, WE PRAY TO THE LORD...
FOR ALL WOMEN WHO HAVE HAD ABORTIONS, AND FOR THOSE WHO FEEL TEMPTED AND
AFRAID, WE PRAY TO THE LORD...
THAT GOD MAY BLESS ALL DOCTORS AND NURSES, AND HELP THEM USE THEIR SKILLS TO
HEAL AND FOSTER LIFE, WE PRAY TO THE LORD...
FOR ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS, THAT THEY COURAGEOUSLY ADVANCE THE CAUSE OF LIFE,
WE PRAY TO THE LORD...
FOR ALL WHO WORK IN THE PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT, THAT THEY MOVE FORWARD WITH HASTE
TO THE GREAT DAY OF VICTORY, WE PRAY TO THE LORD...
THAT GOD STRENGTHEN ALL PRO-LIFERS WHO SUFFER RIDICULE, REJECTION, OR
IMPRISONMENT, WE PRAY TO THE LORD...
FOR ALL WHO HAVE DIED, THAT THEY SHARE THE FULL GLORY OF HEAVEN, WE PRAY TO
THE LORD...
CELEBRANT:
WE PRAISE YOU, O GOD, LORD AND GIVER OF LIFE, AND WE LOOK TO YOU IN THE SURE
HOPE THAT YOU WILL GRANT THESE PRAYERS THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN.
HOMILY STARTERS
As you prepare your homilies for Respect Life month and beyond, the following
"thought-starters" may provide some assistance. God bless your preaching!!!
Those who buy abortions do not do so because of freedom of choice,
but because they feel they have no freedom and no choice. The Church,
instead, offers help to find alternatives to abortion. Priests for Life
knows of a woman who had 22 abortions. Even for her, the doors of the Church are
open, and forgiveness is available. "Love your neighbor as yourself" means
to recognize the neighbor as a person like yourself. That is precisely where the
abortion mentality fails regarding our preborn neighbors. Signs on many of
our beaches alert people to the laws protecting sea turtles and their eggs, yet
children in the womb have no legal protection from abortion. Some say,
This is my body, so I can control it even if it means the baby must die! Jesus
says, This is my body, given up for you, that you may live! Which way do we live
those words. Being pro-life is more than saying you would never have an
abortion. It is saying that you care enough about mothers and their babies that
you will try to stop others from having one! Abortion is everyone's
concern. You may be too old to have a child, but you are never to old to love
and save one! We have more evidence than ever that abortion destroys the
lives and health of women. This country's abortion facilities are the
most unregulated surgical facilities in the nation, and former
abortion providers even admit to routinely using instruments that were
not sterilized. The pro-life message is not "love the baby and forget the
woman"; rather, it is, "Why can't we love them both?"
Pilgrimages for Life
Regina Tours was founded by Mr. James Adair when he was a volunteer
pilgrimage promoter. His goal has always been the same: to transport as many
Catholic pilgrims as possible to famous shrines throughout the world. Mr. Adair
started his personal apostolate of taking pilgrims to the Marian Shrines of
Europe in 1982. Regina Tours officially incorporated and began business in
November of 1985, It has become the largest Catholic-only pilgrimage operator,
transporting 4 to 5 thousand pilgrims per year. In January of 1997 Regina Tours
allowed itself to become part of the CHT group of Jersey City, NJ. Mr. and Mrs.
Adair are the parents of 8 children, the oldest of whom is the General Manager
of Regina Tours. One of their sons is presently a student at Borromeo Seminary
for the Diocese of Cleveland. An increase in priestly and religious vocations is
one of the special aims of this apostolate. Mr. Adair has witnessed the
conversions, healings, and emotion involved in these group pilgrimage tours, but
most important are the number of passengers who are drawn to the center of the
Catholic faith in the Eucharist. At its inception Regina Tours was dedicated to
Our Lady of Guadalupe as Patroness of the Unborn. As Mr. Adair says, "Maybe by
creating more devotion to her through pilgrimages, we can help stop abortions."
In communion with this goal, Priests for Life likewise encourages the faithful,
with their priests, to make pilgrimages of this kind. In fact, we invite our
priest members to become chaplains for such pilgrimages. Fr. Frank Pavone, now
working in Rome, will also meet with those pilgrimage groups who come there,
according to what his schedule permits. For more information, call
1-800-CATHOLIC.
Resources in Spanish available soon!!
Priests for Life is happy to announce that our entire range of brochures is
currently being professionally translated into Spanish. We hope to have them
available very soon. Please spread the word among those who minister to
Spanish-speaking persons. Inquire about availability at (718) 980-4400 or
888-PFL-3448.
Priests for Life Introduces Charitable Gift Annuities
Priests for Life is happy to announce that our friends and supporters now
have another way to assist us in our important work. In addition to your prayers
and regular contributions, you can now help us with a charitable gift annuity.
An annuity provides you with many benefits, and at the same time supports our
pro-life work in the United States and throughout the world.
In exchange for your gift (minimum suggested gift is $5,000), Priests for
Life will pay you a set amount each year for the rest of your life. Part of your
initial gift is tax-deductible and part of each year's payment is considered
tax-free income by the IRS.
So you get tax benefits and a guaranteed income for the rest of your life.
Perhaps most important, your gift will help spread the faith and help put an
end to abortion.
For additional information, contact our main
office at: P.O. Box 141172 Staten Island, NY 10314; (718) 980-4400; e-mail: pfl@priestsforlife.org
You're Never Too Old to Save
a Life!
People beyond childbearing age may tell us, "Abortion is not
my problem--I'm too old for that!"
While such people may be too old to have a child, they can
never be too old to save a child. By our active concern, any one of us can save
the life of a baby scheduled to die. To try to save our youngest brothers and
sisters is an expression of love. Are we ever too old to save a life? Are we
ever too old to love?
Parents and grandparents, furthermore, have a crucial,
sometimes decisive role in the attitudes of their children and grandchildren
toward abortion. Do they pass on a concern for life? Do they convey compassion,
so that if their daughter or granddaughter were to become pregnant, she would
know she could turn to them for understanding, rather than turn to the
abortionist?
Despite age, people can continue to make their voices heard
in arenas of public opinion and the political process.
Let nobody say they are too old to be concerned about
abortion. As long as we possess life, we have the duty to defend life.
Our members are encouraged to remember the
following intentions when they pray the Liturgy of the Hours:
September intention: For blessings upon all pro-life organizations.
October intention: That parish pro-life organizations may grow in numbers and
effectiveness.
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