Showing posts with label Pro Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pro Life. Show all posts

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Ontario MPPs pass anti-free speech bubble zones

https://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/press-room/id/195

Ontario MPPs pass anti-free speech bubble zones

Toronto, Oct 25, 2017 – Campaign Life Coalition condemns members of the Ontario Legislature for passing Bill 163, An Act to enact the Safe Access to Abortion Services Act, 2017 by an 86-1 vote. Campaign Life Coalition will pursue, if necessary, a challenge through the legal system to overturn this totalitarian law which directly attacks the freedom of speech, expression and assembly of Ontarians, and prevents pregnant women from having access to alternatives to abortion.
“This law, which was drafted by Planned Parenthood and their allies in the abortion business, using feeling-based anecdotes and hearsays, lacked any real evidence that backed their claims of the war-like atmosphere outside abortion facilities,” said Jim Hughes, national president of Campaign Life Coalition. “This law is the first step in silencing and criminalizing speech that is not the official opinion of the state. The whole process of fast-tracking this bill, and slandering pro-life people throughout, was a shame.”
“This law proves that the Wynne government and the fake opposition is kowtowing to Planned Parenthood,” said Mary Ellen Douglas, Ontario President, Campaign Life Coalition. “Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women and now this law will prevent women from receiving help and support from people who care deeply about the best outcome for both mother and child, something Planned Parenthood doesn’t care about.”
Leading up to this bill, Campaign Life Coalition attended consultations with the Attorney General, presented at the committee hearing, and delivered thousands of signed petitions against Bill 163. During third reading, MPP Yasir Naqvi suggested that all 17 speakers at committee hearings “confirmed for us that we struck the right balance." In fact, almost half of the speakers opposed this bill entirely. Additionally, during the same reading, MPP Lisa Maclead defamed pro-life people, claiming that they just want to harass vulnerable women.
About Campaign Life Coalition
Campaign Life Coalition is a national, non-profit organization involved in political action and advocacy for legal and cultural change in Canada with respect to protecting human life and the family. It is non-partisan and encourages voting based on principles, not party. For more information visit www.campaignlifecoalition.com.
Media Contacts:
Jeff Gunnarson, Vice-President, Campaign Life Coalition 416-204-9749 ext 249
Mary Ellen Douglas, Ontario President, 613-329-1488
Johanne Brownrigg, Campaign Life Coalition , 613-857-0236
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ADDENDUM:   VOTE RECORD ON THIRD READING, OCTOBER 25, 2017

AYES  (those who voted to suppress free speech, freedom of peaceful assembly and the right to protest)
Albanese, Laura (LIB)
Anderson, Granville  (LIB)
Armstrong, Teresa J. (NDP)
Arnott, Ted  (PC)
Bailey, Robert  (PC)
Baker, Yvan  (LIB)
Ballard, Chris  (LIB)
Barrett, Toby  (PC)
Berardinetti, Lorenzo  (LIB)
Brown, Patrick  (PC)
Chan, Michael  (LIB)
Chiarelli, Bob  (LIB)
Cho, Raymond Sung Joon  (PC)
Clark, Steve  (PC)
Coe, Lorne  (PC)
Colle, Mike  (LIB)
Coteau, Michael  (LIB)
Crack, Grant  (LIB)
Damerla, Dipika  (LIB)
Del Duca, Steven  (LIB)
Delaney, Bob (LIB)
Des Rosiers, Nathalie (LIB)
Dhillon, Vic  (LIB)
DiNovo, Cheri  (NDP)
Dong, Han  (LIB)
Duguid, Brad  (LIB)
Fedeli, Victor  (PC)
Fife, Catherine  (NDP)
Flynn, Kevin Daniel  (LIB)
Forster, Cindy  (NDP)
French, Jennifer K.  (NDP)
GĂ©linas, France  (NDP)
Gretzky, Lisa  (NDP)
Hardeman, Ernie  (PC)
Harris, Michael  (PC)
Hatfield, Percy  (NDP)
Hoggarth, Ann  (NDP)
Hoskins, Eric  (LIB)
Hunter, Mitzie  (LIB)
Jaczek, Helena  (LIB)
Jones, Sylvia  (PC)
Kiwala, Sophie  (LIB)
Lalonde, Marie-France  (LIB)
Leal, Jeff  (LIB)
MacCharles, Tracy  (LIB)
MacLeod, Lisa  (PC)
Malhi, Harinder  (LIB)
Mangat, Amrit  (LIB)
Mantha, Michael  (NDP)
Martins, Cristina  (LIB)
Martow, Gila  (PC)
Matthews, Deborah  (LIB)
Mauro, Bill  (LIB)
McGarry, Kathryn  (LIB)
McMahon, Eleanor  (LIB)
Milczyn, Peter  (LIB)
Miller, Norm  (PC)
Miller, Paul  (NDP)
Moridi, Reza  (LIB)
Munro, Julia  (PC)
Naidoo-Harris, Indira  (LIB)
Naqvi, Yasir  (LIB)
Natyshak, Taras  (NDP)
Pettapiece, Randy  (PC)
Potts, Arthur  (LIB)
Qaadri, Shafiq  (LIB)
Rinaldi, Lou  (LIB)
Romano, Ross  (PC)
Sandals, Liz  (LIB)
Sattler, Peggy  (NDP)
Scott, Laurie  (PC)
Smith, Todd  (PC)
Sousa, Charles  (LIB)
Tabuns, Peter  (NDP)
Takhar, Harinder  (LIB)
Taylor, Monique  (NDP)
Thibeault, Glenn  (LIB)
Thompson, Lisa  (PC)
Vanthof, John  (NDP)
Vernile, Daiene  (LIB)
Walker, Bill  (PC)
Wilson, Jim  (PC)
Wong, Soo  (LIB)
Wynne, Kathleen  (LIB)
Yakabuski, John  (PC)
Zimmer, David  (LIB)

NAYS (those who voted against the suppression of free speech and constitutional rights)
MacLaren, Jack  (Trillium)  

ABSENT OR ABSTAINED FROM THE VOTE
Bisson, Gilles  (NDP)
Bradley, James  (LIB)
Campbell, Sarah (NDP)
Dickson, Joe  (LIB)
Fraser, John  (LIB)
Gates, Wayne  (NDP)
Gravelle, Michael  (LIB)
Hillier, Randy  (PC)
Horwath, Andrea  (NDP)
Kwinter, Monte  (LIB)
Levac, Dave  (LIB)
McDonell, Jim  (PC)
McMeekin, Ted  (LIB)
McNaughton, Monte  (PC)
Nicholls, Rick  (PC)
Oosterhoff, Sam  (PC)
Sergio, Mario  (LIB)
Yurek, Jeff  (PC)
 

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Run With Life: Ottawa Citizen agrees to change policy regarding p...

Run With Life: Ottawa Citizen agrees to change policy regarding p...:

I think it's time we insist that newspapers use the word "pro-life" to describe us. Newspapers usually call us "anti-abortion". I took issue with this policy last week when I wrote a letter to the Ottawa Citizen after they changed a letter I wrote where I used "pro-life" to "anti-abortion".


I then contacted the Citizen and explained that I had a big problem with this change.

Then ensued a correspondence between myself and Christina Spencer, the editorial pages editor. She said they would review their policy of using the word "anti-abortion" instead of pro-life" after I explained how unfair this policy was to us, since we call ourselves "pro-life". And that, just like how editors call themselves editors and not "word-changers", we like to be called "pro-life" and not "anti-abortion".

In putting forth our position on calling ourselves "pro-life" I then explained:

"Cardinal Collins never used the word abortion in his homily. He used the words "Sanctity of Life", Gift of Life", "Cause of Life", "March for Life", etc. He also spoke about euthanasia and assisted suicide: our view is much broader than anti-abortion, it is about the sanctity of ALL life: 
"anti-abortion" is not what I wrote and definitely not what I meant. If it is the Citizens policy to use that word instead of the word we use ourselves--and the word I always use--the Citizen is manipulating my/our message. 
For someone to read my letter as it stands, who knows little or nothing about life issues, will believe that I/we call ourselves "anti-abortion" when this is simply untrue, misleading to readers, and unfair to us. 
Surely it is not the Citizen's goal to mislead/misrepresent their readers/letter writers? 
...another argument is this: It is one thing for the OC to use the word "anti-abortion" in articles written by staff members (and I don't agree with this either), but it is another thing entirely to change a letter that I have written to use the word "anti-abortion", when clearly the letter should be in my voice, not in the voice of the OC. And the same goes for Cardinal Collins: I was writing about what he said, it wasn't OC staff writing about what he said."
The Citizen has now agreed that:

"letter-writers should be given their own voices as much as possible, regardless of our other style protocols around the issue. As a result, I’ve gone in to our web file and updated your letter to use the term “pro life” where you used it."
I think this is very good news for us at the Ottawa Citizen. Now we need to educate other newspapers in Canada where this policy is practiced.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Pro Life Mass, Divine Infant Catholic Church Ottawa Ontario, November 24, 2012



Homily of Rev. Hezuk Shroff


My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today the Church celebrates the memorial of the Martyrs Andrew Dung-Lac and his companions. This feast day celebrates all those Vietnamese Catholics who were martyred in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. I think that it is rather providential that our monthly Pro-Life Mass falls this month on the feast day of these martyrs, for what we are doing in the Pro-Life movement today is in itself a type of spiritual martyrdom, in the original sense of the word.

What exactly is a martyr? The word “martyr” means “witness”. The martyrs are those who bore witness to Christ, the supreme witness that man can give to God: the witness of allowing one’s own blood to be shed, giving up one’s own life in order to remain faithful to the Lord. The witness of the martyrs is a heroic witness. Martyrdom is a heroic type of fidelity. Saint Paul tells us that Our Lord Jesus Christ was faithful: faithful to the very end, faithful unto death on the Cross. Our Lord could have made his life “easier” in a certain way, by either denying the truth of who he was, or even remaining silent in regard to that truth. He was crucified because he chose to bear witness to that truth, the truth of his identity as the Son of God, and instead of telling his persecutors what they wanted to hear (and thus probably sparing himself the ignominy of the Cross), Our Lord told them what they needed to hear.

In the Pro-Life movement, we need to have the courage to do the same. Telling people what they want to hear, watering down the message of the Catholic Faith and the inviolable dignity of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God …. watering that down in order to please the world is a compromise that we and the Catholic Church can never make. The world needs to hear the truth, and true charity means that we have the obligation to bring that truth to the world -- whatever the cost may be.

The holy Vietnamese martyrs, whose feast day we celebrate today, attest to Christ’s lordship over their whole lives by freely giving up for him the most fundamental gift that God had given them: the gift of life itself. They faithfully bore witness to the truth that is found in the words of Our Lord to his disciples, “No greater love is there than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and the holy Vietnamese martyrs did just that: they laid down their lives for their greatest Friend: their Lord and their Saviour, Jesus Christ! They laid down their life also for their own people, so that the sacrifice of their blood being shed in union with Christ’s own Precious Blood, may bring about the graces needed for the conversion for their people.

The readings at today’s Mass are proper to the feast of the holy Vietnamese martyrs. But in a certain way, these readings correspond fortuitously to our Pro-Life theme at this Mass. The first reading, from the Book of Wisdom, tells us that the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God. It tells us that no torment will every touch them, and that in the eyes of the world, they are destroyed, but in reality they are at peace. Their hope is filled with immortality, though in the sight of the world, they were somehow punished. Their lives were offered up to God and accepted by him as a sacrificial burnt offering.

Who can read these words, in the context of this Pro-Life Mass, without thinking of the unborn? To the eyes of many, they are useless; they have no “rights” until they have come forth fully from the womb. Until they are fully born, to many, they are just a part of their mother’s body, and so their mother can dispose of them as she chooses, much like she would dispose of a wart, or a cancerous group of cells -- as if to be pregnant were some sort of a contagious disease. How can today’s so-called “sophisticated” world look at the unborn in this way? When science has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that a foetus is indeed a living, human being, the forces that be insist that it is nothing but a group of cells, with no rights in the eyes of the law, and no rights from a moral perspective either. If they are only a part of the mother’s body, then surely the mother can do with them as she wills.

Such ideas defy human logic, human reason, human compassion. In the name of freedom, our society says that a mother can choose to kill her own child. Is this what “freedom” truly is? Is freedom the right to choose evil? Is freedom the right to kill? Am I more free when I choose to murder, to steal, to do what is morally unacceptable? If so, then there would be no one more free in our Western society than the murderer, the rapist, the thief. Does the power to do evil make man free? That is the fundamental question that must be answered.

The modern notion of freedom equates freedom with licence. Licence is about me being able to do what I want, how I want, whenever I want -- regardless of the consequences. But is that what authentic freedom is? Is that what makes a man truly free?

The Church’s answer is a categorical “No!” How does the Church, then, see freedom? The Church views freedom in the same way in which Our Lord sees it. In St. John’s Gospel, ch. 8., Our Lord is speaking to those who believe in him. When asked how to be a true disciple of his, Jesus replies, “If you continue in my word, then you shall be my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn 8:31-32) “The truth shall make you free.” Ever since those words were uttered, Jesus has made it clear beyond a shadow of a doubt what authentic freedom really is. Freedom and truth are inseparable. One is only authentically free when one is living in accordance with the truth. That is Christ’s definition of freedom; and so too it has become the Church’s. The Catholic Church emphatically states that freedom and truth can never be separated. To live in a way that is not in conformity with the truth is not to be “free from the truth”, but to be “a slave to untruth”. In fact, that is exactly what Our Lord says to his disciples. “Whoever sins,” he says, “is a slave of sin.” (Jn 8:34-36). And so we see very clearly that there can be no such thing as the “freedom to sin” or the “freedom to do evil”. Sin and evil, by their very nature, turn us away from God. They are anti-God, and because all freedom comes from God and from his truth, whenever we sin or do evil, we do the exact opposite of becoming free: we become slaves.

The Church is unconditionally and unabashedly pro-life. How can she be anything else? All life comes from God: that is a central truth of our Faith. If God therefore is the author of all human life, then he alone has absolute power over life. The great temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden was the temptation to “be like God”: to usurp the power and authority that God alone possesses. Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve with the false notion of freedom that reigns in today’s world. He tempted Eve with the ultimate temptation: “You shall be like God.” In other words, “you will be the one to determine what is good and evil. You will be the norm of truth.” Isn’t this what many in today’s society wish for? Do not many today seek to be the norm of all truth? “If I believe something, then it is true. Don’t tell me that I don’t have the right to do this or that: if I believe it is good for me, then it is good -- regardless of what you say.”

This attitude is what leads to the desire, in our modern Western culture, to re-define anything and everything according to our own “convenient truths.” We want to re-define marriage, to re-define life, to re-define even what it means to be human. And in doing so, we become less human. That is the great irony of it all. Ultimately, when man rejects God and the truths given to him by God, he does not become more of a man, but less. We see this very clearly in the movement that calls itself “Pro-Choice.” In reality, as we all know, it is not a movement that is pro-choice, but one that is pro-abortion, that is: pro-the-choice-to-kill. The pro-death or anti-life movement is founded on this false notion that somehow we are more free when we can choose evil. But in choosing evil, not only do we lose our freedom: we also lose our humanity. Man was created for God. He was thus created for the Good and for Truth. He was created for the Supreme Good, the Supreme Truth, and it is only insofar as he pursues that Good and follows that Truth that he will become truly free, and truly human. The Pro-Life movement, therefore, is a movement that is Pro-Truth, Pro-Goodness, and ultimately, Pro-God. One cannot be for God and against Life, just like one cannot be for God and against Truth. This is why the Pro-Life movement is not just an action of Social Justice. It is much deeper than that. It is a fight for all that is good, noble, just and true -- because it is a fight for the primacy of God. Life and Truth always lead us to God, for he is their very Author and Source. How many people, for example, begin in the Pro-Life movement, who are Pro-Life but not necessarily Catholic, and who end up through their service to Life by ultimately finding God and finding Christ in his Catholic Church? This is not a sheer coincidence. It is the Truth of God active and alive in their hearts.

 Last week, I went to a showing of a beautiful movie on the life of St. Augustine, and in that movie, the great bishop Ambrose confronts the early Augustine (before his conversion). And what he says to Augustine resonates in his heart, and eventually leads to the conversion of that great saint. In the movie, Augustine is speaking about truth and man’s search for the truth. He speaks about it in philosophical and abstract terms. “Man was made to search for the truth,” Augustine says. Saint Ambrose listens to him charitably, and then simply says these words: “Man does not search for the Truth; man allows the Truth to find him.” These words were one of the highlights of the film. How true they are! Yes, we do seek the truth, but ultimately it is the Truth that seeks us. Why? Because the Truth is not an abstract concept; the Truth is not a thought, an intellectual reasoning: the Truth is a Person, and that Person is Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity! This is why truth always leads us to Christ, who said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life!” To be pro-Christ means therefore to be pro-Truth and pro-Life!

In today’s world, we have the obligation to bring the message of that Truth to all those who have ears to hear. We must always do so with great Charity, of course, but we must never allow a false charity to lead us to watering down the Truth. And neither should we allow fear to turn us away from proclaiming the Truth. Remember Our Lord’s words in today’s Gospel: Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves. They will hand you over to councils; they will flog you in their synagogues; you will be dragged to bear witness before governors and kings because of me. But when they hand you over, do not worry about what you will say or how you should speak, for it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father in Heaven speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child [and today, we should add: And a mother, the unborn infant she carries in her womb]. You will be hated by all because of my name. But do not fear, for the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

  In other words, brothers and sisters, Our Lord is telling us that we have the obligation to proclaim the Truth -- charitably, but with boldness -- and that we should never fear the consequences, for it is God himself who will be our strength, and God himself who will be speaking and converting human hearts through our words. God is Truth, and God is Love. That is the heart of the message of the Catholic Church. And that is also the core of the Pro-Life message. We are Pro-Life because we are pro-Truth and pro-Love, and ultimately, because we are pro-God!

May God bless each and every one of you as you continue bearing witness to the Truth about the dignity of all human life, from the moment of natural conception to natural death. May the holy Vietnamese martyrs give you the courage to bear witness to the inherent sacredness of human life, even in the face of adversity and suffering. And may Our Blessed Mother intercede for you and for your ministry, may she lead you and guide you as you work unceasingly for the cause of Life. Our Lady will reward you greatly for what you do (you can be sure of it), for she is the Mother of the Pro-Life movement. Eve, whose name means “Mother of all the Living” sadly brought sin and death into this world. But Mary is the New Eve, the true Mother of all the Living. She brought Life into the world, by conceiving and giving birth to the Son of God. May God bless you all through the intercession of His Blessed Mother. And may the Holy Angels and Saints strengthen you in your resolve to be authentic witnesses to the very end, witnesses to the Gospel of Life, witnesses to the Gospel of the One who said, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.” In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Rev. Hezuk Shroff is the Associate Pastor: of Divine Infant Parish
6658 Bilberry Drive
Orleans ON K1C 2S9


Friday, October 12, 2012

40 Days for Life in Ottawa - October 12 2012

 The students of Saint Paul University were covering the times on the vigil roster today and when I arrived around 11,  Father Adrian was  proclaiming the Word.  During the 40 Days for Life here in Ottawa, the Bible is proclaimed between 11:00 AM and 1:00PM. 
In spite of the really cold temperature and heavy winds there were six people present when I was there.

for greater detail see Father Adrian's blog
http://adriansharp.wordpress.com/2012/10/13/day-18-of-the-40-days-for-life/

Also here is an excellent article written by Father James Whalen 
on Pro Life Stewardship
 
Fr. Jim Whalen, Former National Director of Priests for Life Canada died suddenly while conducting a Pro-Life Parish Mission  On Sunday, February 24, 2008, at the age of 68. 

PRO-LIFE STEWARDSHIP 
by Fr. Jim Whalen
Priests for Life Newsletter Issue 3 - 2005
Stewardship is not an option for pro-life disciples. It is a necessity. It means responding to a personal call to “choose life” and imitate Christ, no matter what the cost. Catholics have a duty to be stewards of human life - Jesus did not hesitate to carry out His mission and expects no less from his followers: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly...” (Jn 10:10). Living as a pro-life steward means collaborating with God in His work of creation and cooperating with God in His work of redemption. A pro-life Christian steward is one who recognizes, receives, and respects God’s gifts of life thankfully - taking care, cherishing them in a responsible and accountable manner, sharing them in love and justice with others, and returning them with increase to the ‘Giver of Life’. A pro-life steward recognizes God as the origin of life, the giver of freedom, and the source of all they have, are, and will be. Once human beings have accepted their lives as gifts, the Spirit can use them as instruments to spread the ‘Gospel of Life’.

It is difficult to be a pro-life steward in the ‘Culture of Death’ society that surrounds and suffocates us. The contraceptive mentality we live in is due largely to the strong influences of materialism, relativism, hedonism, individualism, and consumerism. There is a strong tendency to marginalize faith, confining it to hearts and homes, excluding it from the media and marketplace, from where policy is often formed, where many acquire their view of life and its meaning. There is a lack of charity, a lack of love, and a selfishness which pervades our world. There are extreme disparities in wealth and power that hinder unity and communion. There is a need for solidarity and contributive justice, for the measurement of productivity by fulfillment of basic needs, employment levels, patterns of discrimination, and a sense of community. There is a persistence of religious conflicts and divisions. There is a need for mercy, forgiveness, and truth,
Stewardship of life, the Lord’s way, is not about comfortable living, feeling good, or pleasant experiences. It means surrendering ourselves through grace and choice.

We become stewards of life by grace, starting with our Baptism, which makes us into a royal priesthood and members of God’s family. This means sharing in the priestly work of Jesus and acting on His behalf. This means imitating Him. “For in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile all things for Him, making peace by the blood of His Cross” (Col 1:19-20). It means putting aside the desire for possession, control and domination. It means seeking grace because it confers true liberation and eternal life. It also means the condemnation of sin and reparation: living a life of grace, reaching out, and accepting the call to greater conversion. It means accepting the divine mandate given to our first parents: “Be fertile and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). We are challenged to work, to cultivate, and to care for the gifts of creation, for life, and all living things. This is fundamental to our human vocation and necessary for human happiness and fulfillment. Vatican II emphasizes our task - the surpassing ministry of safeguarding life: “From the moment of its conception, life must be guarded with the greatest care...” (Gaudium et Spes, #51).

The principle of stewardship applies to all believers. In this age of unbelief we are asked to follow Christ, step by step, in the service of human life: “Each one of you has received a special grace, so, like good stewards responsible for all these different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others” (1 Pet 4:10). We must give to God all that is due to Him. We must in charity and justice give to human persons all that is due to them. This means not only giving of ourselves and embracing pro-life discipleship whole-heartedly and cheerfully, but also in realizing our responsibility, we must also give the full amount for which we are accountable. “I will demand an account of every man’s life from his fellowmen” (Gen 9:5).

As stewards our first and foremost responsibility is to give ourselves - our lives. Jesus made this very clear: “Whoever shall save his life [live for self], shall lose it, but whoever shall lose his life [live for Christ and neighbour] for My sake and the Gospel’s, the same shall save it [in following Christ]” (Mk 8:34-35).
Pro-life stewardship means giving priority to God and our neighbor. The Holy Scriptures point us in the right direction:

- Loving God and others ( Deut 6:5).
- Be found faithful (l Cor 4:2).
- Choose Life (Deut 30:19).
- Pray constantly (1 Thess 5:17).
- To Evangelize (Mt 28:19:20).
- Seek justice (Zeph 2:3).
- Put self on the altar of sacrifice (Rom l2:1).
- Be holy (l Thess 4:3).
- Resist and oppose evil to the point of shedding blood (Heb 12:4).
- Be forgiving (Eph 4:32).
- Imitate Mary’s Fiat (Lk l:38).

After Jesus, it is Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen and Mother of the Americas, Mother of Life, Star of the New Evangelization, Patroness of Life, who, by her example, teaches the meaning of stewardship. The essential elements are found in her life. She responded generously, creatively, and prudently to God’s call and gifts. She understood her role as handmaid in terms of service and fidelity. As Mother she was the first Protectrix of Jesus in the womb, and this continued on into infancy, childhood, and then adulthood - until the agony of Christ’s Passion and Death (Jn 19:25). As ‘Mother of the Church’ (Pope Paul VI, Discourse, 1964), Mary’s stewardship is articulated in the Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium). She is “clearly the Mother of the members of Christ” (#53). She is invoked in the Church under these titles: Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatix (#62). Pope John Paul II explained her role in Redemptoris Mater: “Mary is one of the first who believed and precisely with her faith, as Spouse and Mother, she wishes to act upon all those who entrust themselves to her as children” (#46).
The pro-life disciple is called to share all he or she possesses as gifts and blessings with others for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Good stewards of life live with joy and gratitude for what they have received, living in communion with Christ and the Spirit and strive through diligence and hard work to multiply these blessings so as to offer them back to the Father. They have come to realize and understand their personal responsibility: “To each individual a manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit” (l Cor 12:7).

Pro-life stewardship is a position of trustworthiness and faithfulness. In many cases it is a matter of life or death choices. Of necessity, it implies competence and commitment to God and our neighbours. It involves proper use of initiative, talents, and abilities. It also means hard work and tremendous efforts. At times it includes taking appropriate risks courageously. It means accepting a sense of responsibility for one’s personal development: spiritual dimension, discipleship, etc.; for relationships within the family, the workplace and the wider community: follow the ‘Golden Rule’; for certain entrusted material, financial possessions, and resources: keeping promises, fulfilling expectations, loyalty, integrity, etc.

Catholics advocate that pro-life stewardship be Trinitarian, Eucharistic, Scriptural, Marian, and Magisterial. It means giving thanks to God for the gifts received and sharing them with others, “leading to works of charity and mutual help, as well as to missionary activity and to different forms of Christian witness” (Vatican II, Presbyterorum Ordinis, #6). It means living the fundamental pattern of stewards: “Serve one another through love..., bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal 5:13; 6:2). It means service of life by doing all for Jesus, through Mary, by doing all with Jesus and Mary (True Devotion, St Louis de Montfort).
 
One method of pro-life stewardship is to volunteer
for pro-life work. These are some of the Board Members
and volunteers of Priests for Life Canada at a recent
appreciation luncheon (June 2005).
 
Pro-life stewards are called to share the life of the Blessed Trinity: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations: baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19). Pro-life disciples model their lives on their Master, Jesus Christ, who said: “I have come not to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28). +

NOTES: Information & Research
Stewardship, a Disciple’s Response, U.S.C.C.C.B. Publishing, 10th Anniversary Edition, Washington, DC, No. 5-465, 80 pp. See: www.usccb.org/publishing.
To be a Christian Steward, Summary U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral Letter on Stewardship, U.S.C.C.C.B. Publishing, No 568-2, 16 pp. See: www.usccb.org/publishing.

Go and Make Disciples, Evangelization Strategy, U.S. Catholic Bishops, No. 5-475, 104 pp. See: www.usccb.org/publishing.
Principles for Life, Robert Boyd, 1995, Chapter 12, Stewardship, pp. 109-114. +

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Crossroads Canada Walkers Come to Ottawa

Eleven young adults from Crossroads Canada, a cross-Canada pro-life walk in which two of our parishioners ( Annunciation of the Lord, Ottawa) have been participating, will be completing their journey on Saturday, August 11th in Ottawa. There will be a welcome rally at noon on Parliament Hill folowed by an informal luncheon at St. Theresa Roman Catholic Church, 95 Somerset St. West, at 1pm. All are welcome to attend. A pair of walkers will be speaking at the end of Mass in a few east-end churches Saturday evening and Sunday morning, including Annunciation of the Lord, giving a brief synopsis of their summer journey.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Working Towards What Is Possible by Mike Schouten

Working Towards What Is Possible

Written by Mike Schouten
"Together, through education and political action we can end the killing in Canada!"
Linking arms ed and politicaThe Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CCBR) has just completed its latest educational initiative. The New Abortion Caravan travelled from Vancouver to Ottawa making visible the injustice of Canada’s greatest human rights violation - the killing of 100,000 pre-born children every year.
The gruesome reality of abortion that was exposed by the New Abortion Caravan is inescapable. It doesn’t leave you. You go home with it. I know I certainly did. The result of this cross-country tour is that Canadians are increasingly uncomfortable as they see what decades of unfettered access to abortion has brought our land. Abortion on demand through all 9 months of pregnancy has become morally unacceptable for a majority of people living in Canada.

For more of this article click on the link below
http://weneedalaw.ca/index.php/blog/162-workingtowardswhatispossible

Saturday, June 2, 2012

2012 05-17 Dr. Anthony Levatino Statement



Testimony of Anthony Levatino, MD, JD before the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives on The District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 3803)

Read story on Lifesitenews
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/thank-goodness-i-can-still-cringe

Monday, May 7, 2012

March for Life May 2012



Above is a Youtube video I made of photos I took last year

will occur on Thursday May 10 in Ottawa, Ontario. We hope to break last year's record attendance of 15,300 pro-life citizens from across Canada. We hope even more pro-life citizens, young and old, will come to demand legal protection for children who are still in the womb. The main event is the actual march through the streets of Ottawa, but there will be a candle-light prayer vigil the evening before, on May 9, and a huge Pro-life Youth Conference on Friday May 11 for those who register.
For a full list of events see website http://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/index.php?p=Schedule_of_Events

Saturday, May 14, 2011

March For Life, Ottawa Canada, May 12, 2011

I made a slide show of some of the photos I took and uploaded it to you tube, complete with music from the Saint Louis Jesuits in the background.
Maureen



Monday, April 4, 2011

Pro-Life Mass & Rosary Procession

Helpers of God's Precious Infants (Ottawa-Gatineau)


Pro-Life Mass & Rosary Procession

From St. Patrick's Basilica to
abortion facility at 65 Bank St.
Lead by Fr. Daryl Kennedy (associate Rector Saint Patrick's Basilica)
Saturday April 9th, 2011
Times (approx.) are as follows:
8:00 am Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
Offered by Fr. Daryl Kennedy at St. Patrick's Basilica (corner of Kent and Nepean Streets)
8:30 am Holy Rosary Procession
Prayerful and peaceful procession to abortion facility at 65 Bank St.
Holy Rosary, Prayers and Hymns (Total walking approx. 12 blocks)
10:00 am Eucharistic Benediction
Return to St. Patrick's for Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament



Refreshments and social to follow.
Please join us - you really do make all the difference. Bring a friend. Those who are unable to join the procession may remain in the church for Eucharistic Adoration.


For further information contact:
The Helpers of God's Precious Infants (Ottawa-Gatineau)
info@helpersottawa.org
http://www.helpersottawa.org/
by phone - contact Campaign Life Coalition (613) 729-0379

Friday, November 26, 2010

SOLEMN VIGIL FOR ALL NASCENT HUMAN LIFE:

SOLEMN VIGIL FOR ALL NASCENT HUMAN LIFE: To mark the beginning of Advent and preparations for Christmas, the Holy Father has invited all dioceses, parishes, religious communities, movements and associations throughout the world to join him in a Solemn Vigil for All Nascent Human Life.  This will be celebrated on first vespers for the First Sunday of Advent. The vigil is to thank God for the Incarnation of his Son and for the gift of Life, and to ask for the Lord's protection over every human being called into existence.  In the Archdiocese of Ottawa, this prayer service will be held at Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica on Saturday evening, November 27, 7:00 p.m.  Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J. will preside at this Vespers Liturgy.  All are encouraged to attend.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Mass to Celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe



Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Pray for us
Mass to Celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe 
As we continue on our PIlgrimage of Masses to pray for the opening of a Pro Life Medical Centre in Ottawa and for an end to abortion, we invite you to join  us for the next mass on our journey which also coincides with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

Date: Dec.11, 2010

Chief Celebrant: His Grace, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast
Location; Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
400 St. Laurent Blvd
Time 9:00 AM
Refreshments to follow the mass

For more information on the pilgrimage of masses see the page on my blog at this link
http://teresa-httpsitesgooglecomsitefaithful.blogspot.com/p/pilgrimage-of-masses.html


There is a new book titled 'Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of The Civilization of Love' It is co-authored by Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of The Knights of Columbus, and Mgr. Eduardo Chavez, Postulator of the Cause of St. Juan Diego.
On Pages 47 and 48 they discuss the four-petaled Jasmine flower on the gown of Our Lady of Guadalupe. To the tribe of Indians to which St. Juan Diego belonged, this four-petaled Jasmine flower represented the 'unknown deity'. Some of the titles attributed to this 'unknown deity' were: 'Him for whom one lives', 'Creator of people', 'Owner of the near and close' and 'Lord of heaven and earth'.
The authors remark that "in a special way this harks back to St. Paul's address at the Areopagus, where he spoke to the Athenians about their worship of the 'unknown God', whom they detected but did not understand".There is only ONE four-petaled Jasmine flower on the gown of Our Lady of Guadalupe and this is situated over her pregnant womb. So Our Lady through this flower, strategically placed on her gown by The Great Creator, may be said to paraphrase both St. Paul and the Gospel of St. John by indicating in a poignant way "My son, The Word, is The True God”; He has come to dwell among you; He IS with you".

Truly, the Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is pregnant with meaning. Or we can say 'pregnant with Meaning'. That is, she is pregnant with Him who means everything!

Directions to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
By car:
Go North on St. Laurent Blvd. and cross over Montreal Road. You will pass Notre Dame Cemetery on your left. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church is is less than one km. away on the left side of the Boulevard.

By Bus:
For information re Bus from your Home to the St. Laurent Bus Station, kindly call 613-741-4390.
From upstairs at the St. Laurent Station take either a #5 or a #7 bus from bus stop 3A

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Project Truth : A Youth Defence Project

This pro-life advertizement was previously banned by the Irish government who said it was too 'political' for the airwaves. Now Project Truth, first produced by Youth Defence in 1996, has been set to some amazing footage of the unborn child in the womb. It's challenging, thought-provoking, beautiful and sad