Dear Father,
First of all, I want to thank you for being a priest. You have sacrificed a lot to serve Christ and His Church, and your sacrifices often go unnoticed. I want you to know that I am grateful to you.
I value your leadership. It is not easy to live the Christian life today. We hear so many false gospels and alluring deceptions from the world. More than ever, we need strong leaders to teach us the truth and encourage us to follow it. More than ever, we need you.
I know there are many matters competing for your attention, but I want to point out the overwhelming urgency of one of them: abortion. I am very concerned about abortion. It is not a single issue. It is 4,400 issues a day, as another baby dies every twenty seconds. It is a moral problem, a spiritual problem. Because you are my moral and spiritual leader, I need to come to you about this problem.
I am so concerned about abortion because babies are dying. They have no voice but ours. We are their only defense, their last chance at living their one and only life on earth.
I am also concerned because women are being exploited, harmed, and killed by abortion. Former abortion providers publicly admit how they routinely deceived women in order to sell them an abortion and even falsified medical records to cover up the harm inflicted on these women by abortion. I cry out on the inside, wanting to denounce this injustice!
I am concerned, furthermore, because the average person is not hearing the truth about abortion, its harmful effects, and the many alternatives that are available. Neither the media nor the government are on our side on these matters, nor does the pro-life message come through in public education. Besides all this, those who promote abortion constantly try to silence and intimidate pro-lifers from bringing their message to the public.
We need the Church more than ever. Where else can we turn? We need your courageous leadership. Perhaps some of the ways this can be done in the parish or other ministry are:
•to preach and teach frequently about abortion;
•to include prayers about abortion in the General Intercessions at Mass;
•to include on the cover of the bulletin a phone number for alternatives for abortion;
•to put pro-life educational materials in the bookrack or in the bulletin;
•to encourage local pro-life groups and activities in the parish and school.
You may know that there is an association called Priests for Life, which assists priests nationwide to address the pro-life issues. This group has official Church approval and works in union with the bishops. It provides sample homilies, bulletin material, and contact with other priests experienced in pro-life work. You can contact Priests for Life and find information at www.priestsforlife.org.
Father, we your people are on your side. I represent many others who will be with you 100% as you lead us in the fight against abortion. Thanks to your ordination, Christ promises you the grace to tackle this problem. He will never abandon us.
Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for being our priest.
Sincerely,
A concerned pro-lifer