My People

TABLE OF CONTENTS

David Thelen, from N.Ky., and Fr. Mario Tizziani, pastor of St. Cecilia Church in Independence, Ky., attended the Friday, June 8, 2012, Rally for Religious Freedom held on Fountain Square in Cincinnati.  The guest speakers were Bishop Joseph Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati, and Bobbi Radeck of Concerned Women for America, who protested Pres. Obama’s HHS mandate requiring all employers, regardless of their religious principles, to provide health care coverage for free birth control, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs.

Proclaim Christ's Liberating Truth

In a meeting with Bishops from the United States on May 5, Pope Benedict XVI emphasized the urgent challenge that providing a sound education in faith continues to pose. The Pope was meeting with Bishops from Regions X-XIII. The Pope's address follows:

"I greet all of you with affection in the Lord and I offer you my prayerful good wishes for a grace-filled pilgrimage ad limina Apostolorum. In the course of our meetings I have been reflecting with you and your Brother Bishops on the intellectual and cultural challenges of the new evangelization in the context of contemporary American society. In the present talk, I wish to address the question of religious education and the faith formation of the next generation of Catholics in your country.

"Before all else, I would acknowledge the great progress that has been made in recent years in improving catechesis, reviewing texts, and bringing them into conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Important efforts are also being made to preserve the great patrimony of America's Catholic elementary and high schools, which have been deeply affected by changing demographics and increased costs, while at the same time ensuring that the education they provide remains within the reach of all families, whatever their financial status. As has often been mentioned in our meetings, these schools remain an essential resource for the new evangelization, and the significant contribution that they make to American society as a whole ought to be better appreciated and more generously supported.

"On the level of higher education, many of you have pointed to a growing recognition on the part of Catholic colleges and universities of the need to reaffirm their distinctive identity in fidelity to their founding ideals and the Church's mission in service of the Gospel. Yet much remains to be done, especially in such basic areas as compliance with the mandate laid down in Canon 812 for those who teach theological disciplines. The importance of this canonical norm as a tangible expression of ecclesial communion and solidarity in the Church's educational apostolate becomes all the more evident when we consider the confusion created by instances of apparent dissidence between some representatives of Catholic institutions and the Church's pastoral leadership: such discord harms the Church's witness and, as experience has shown, can easily be exploited to compromise her authority and her freedom.

"It is no exaggeration to say that providing young people with a sound education in the faith represents the most urgent internal challenge facing the Catholic community in your country. The deposit of faith is a priceless treasure which each generation must pass on to the next by winning hearts to Jesus Christ and shaping minds in the knowledge, understanding, and love of His Church. It is gratifying to realize that, in our day too, the Christian vision, presented in its breadth and integrity, proves immensely appealing to the imagination, idealism, and aspirations of the young, who have a right to encounter the faith in all its beauty, its intellectual richness, and its radical demands.

"Here I would simply propose several points which I trust will prove helpful for your discernment in meeting this challenge.

"First, as we know, the essential task of authentic education at every level is not simply that of passing on knowledge, essential as this is, but also of shaping hearts. There is a constant need to balance intellectual rigor in communicating effectively, attractively, and integrally, the richness of the Church's faith with forming the young in the love of God, the praxis of the Christian moral and sacramental life and, not least, the cultivation of personal and liturgical prayer.

"It follows that the question of Catholic identity, not least at the university level, entails much more than the teaching of religion or the mere presence of a chaplaincy on campus. All too often, it seems, Catholic schools and colleges have failed to challenge students to reappropriate their faith as part of the exciting intellectual discoveries which mark the experience of higher education. The fact that so many new students find themselves dissociated from the family, school, and community support systems that previously facilitated the transmission of the faith should continually spur Catholic institutions of learning to create new and effective networks of support. In every aspect of their education, students need to be encouraged to articulate a vision of the harmony of faith and reason capable of guiding a life-long pursuit of knowledge and virtue. As ever, an essential role in this process is played by teachers who inspire others by their evident love of Christ, their witness of sound devotion, and their commitment to that sapientia Christiana which integrates faith and life, intellectual passion and reverence for the splendor of truth both human and divine.

"In effect, faith by its very nature demands a constant and all-embracing conversion to the fullness of truth revealed in Christ. He is the creative Logos, in Whom all things were made and in Whom all reality 'holds together' (Col 1:17); He is the new Adam Who reveals the ultimate truth about man and the world in which we live. In a period of great cultural change and societal displacement not unlike our own, Augustine pointed to this intrinsic connection between faith and the human intellectual enterprise by appealing to Plato, who held, he says, that 'to love wisdom is to love God' (cf. De Civitate Dei, VIII, 8). The Christian commitment to learning, which gave birth to the medieval universities, was based upon this conviction that the one God, as the source of all truth and goodness, is likewise the source of the intellect's passionate desire to know and the will's yearning for fulfilment in love.

"Only in this light can we appreciate the distinctive contribution of Catholic education, which engages in a 'diakonia of truth' inspired by an intellectual charity which knows that leading others to the truth is ultimately an act of love (cf. Address to Catholic Educators, Washington, April 17, 2008). Faith's recognition of the essential unity of all knowledge provides a bulwark against the alienation and fragmentation which occurs when the use of reason is detached from the pursuit of truth and virtue; in this sense, Catholic institutions have a specific role to play in helping to overcome the crisis of universities today. Firmly grounded in this vision of the intrinsic interplay of faith, reason, and the pursuit of human excellence, every Christian intellectual and all the Church's educational institutions must be convinced, and desirous of convincing others, that no aspect of reality remains alien to, or untouched by, the mystery of the redemption and the Risen Lord's dominion over all creation.

"During my Pastoral Visit to the United States, I spoke of the need for the Church in America to cultivate 'a mindset, an intellectual culture which is genuinely Catholic' (cf. Homily at Nationals Stadium, Washington, April 17, 2008). Taking up this task certainly involves a renewal of apologetics and an emphasis on Catholic distinctiveness; ultimately, however, it must be aimed at proclaiming the liberating truth of Christ and stimulating greater dialogue and cooperation in building a society ever more solidly grounded in an authentic humanism inspired by the Gospel and faithful to the highest values of America's civic and cultural heritage. At the present moment of your nation's history, this is the challenge and opportunity awaiting the entire Catholic community, and it is one which the Church's educational institutions should be the first to acknowledge and embrace.

"In concluding these brief reflections, I wish to express once more my gratitude, and that of the whole Church, for the generous commitment, often accompanied by personal sacrifice, shown by so many teachers and administrators who work in the vast network of Catholic schools in your country. To you, dear Brothers, and to all the faithful entrusted to your pastoral care, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of wisdom, joy, and peace in the Risen Lord."

Gift Of Unity Is Essential To Mission

The importance of unity was discussed in Pope Benedict XVI's meeting on May 18 with Bishops from the United States. The Bishops from Regions XIV-XV and the Eastern rite were in Rome for their ad limina Apostolorum visit. This group completed the visits by Bishops from the United States.

In his address, the Holy Father said:

". . . As you know, over these past six months I have wished to reflect with you and your Brother Bishops on a number of pressing spiritual and cultural challenges facing the Church in your country as it takes up the task of the new evangelization.

"I am particularly pleased that this, our final meeting, takes place in the presence of the Bishops of the various Eastern Churches present in the United States, since you and your faithful embody in a unique way the ethnic, cultural, and spiritual richness of the American Catholic community, past, and present. Historically, the Church in America has struggled to recognize and incorporate this diversity, and has succeeded, not without difficulty, in forging a communion in Christ and in the apostolic faith which mirrors the catholicity which is an indefectible mark of the Church. In this communion, which finds its source and model in the mystery of the Triune God (cf. Lumen Gentium, 4), unity and diversity are constantly reconciled and enhanced, as a sign and sacrament of the ultimate vocation and destiny of the entire human family.

"Throughout our meetings, you and your Brother Bishops have spoken insistently of the importance of preserving, fostering, and advancing this gift of Catholic unity as an essential condition for the fulfillment of the Church's mission in your country. In this concluding talk, I would like simply to touch on two specific points which have recurred in our discussions and which, with you, I consider crucial for the exercise of your ministry of guiding Christ's flock forward amid the difficulties and opportunities of the present moment.

"I would begin by praising your unremitting efforts, in the best traditions of the Church in America, to respond to the ongoing phenomenon of immigration in your country. The Catholic community in the United States continues, with great generosity, to welcome waves of new immigrants, to provide them with pastoral care and charitable assistance, and to support ways of regularizing their situation, especially with regard to the unification of families. A particular sign of this is the long-standing commitment of the American Bishops to immigration reform. This is clearly a difficult and complex issue from the civil and political, as well as the social and economic, but above all from the human point of view. It is thus of profound concern to the Church, since it involves ensuring the just treatment and the defense of the human dignity of immigrants.

"In our day too, the Church in America is called to embrace, incorporate, and cultivate the rich patrimony of faith and culture present in America's many immigrant groups, including not only those of your own rites, but also the swelling numbers of Hispanic, Asian, and African Catholics. The demanding pastoral task of fostering a communion of cultures within your local Churches must be considered of particular importance in the exercise of your ministry at the service of unity (cf.Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops, 63). This diaconia of communion entails more than simply respecting linguistic diversity, promoting sound traditions, and providing much-needed social programs and services. It also calls for a commitment to ongoing preaching, catechesis, and pastoral activity aimed at inspiring in all the faithful a deeper sense of their communion in the apostolic faith and their responsibility for the Church's mission in the United States. Nor can the significance of this challenge be underestimated: the immense promise and the vibrant energies of a new generation of Catholics are waiting to be tapped for the renewal of the Church's life and the rebuilding of the fabric of American society.

"This commitment to fostering Catholic unity is necessary not only for meeting the positive challenges of the new evangelization but also countering the forces of disgregation within the Church which increasingly represent a grave obstacle to her mission in the United States. I appreciate the efforts being made to encourage the faithful, individually and in the variety of ecclesial associations, to move forward together, speaking with one voice in addressing the urgent problems of the present moment. Here I would repeat the heartfelt plea that I made to America's Catholics during my Pastoral Visit: 'We can only move forward if we turn our gaze together to Christ' and thus embrace 'that true spiritual renewal desired by the Council, a renewal which can only strengthen the Church in that holiness and unity indispensable for the effective proclamation of the Gospel in today's world' (Homily in Saint Patrick's Cathedral, New York, April 19,2008).

"In our conversations, many of you have spoken of your concern to build ever stronger relationships of friendship, cooperation, and trust with your priests. At the present time, too, I urge you to remain particularly close to the men and women in your local Churches who are committed to following Christ ever more perfectly by generously embracing the evangelical counsels. I wish to reaffirm my deep gratitude for the example of fidelity and self-sacrifice given by many consecrated women in your country, and to join them in praying that this moment of discernment will bear abundant spiritual fruit for the revitalization and strengthening of their communities in fidelity to Christ and the Church, as well as to their founding charisms. The urgent need in our own time for credible and attractive witnesses to the redemptive and transformative power of the Gospel makes it essential to recapture a sense of the sublime dignity and beauty of the consecrated life, to pray for religious vocations, and to promote them actively, while strengthening existing channels for communication and cooperation, especially through the work of the Vicar or Delegate for Religious in each Diocese.

"Dear Brother Bishops, it is my hope that the Year of Faith which will open on October 12 this year, the fiftieth anniversary of the convening of the Second Vatican Council, will awaken a desire on the part of the entire Catholic community in America to reappropriate with joy and gratitude the priceless treasure of our faith. With the progressive weakening of traditional Christian values, and the threat of a season in which our fidelity to the Gospel may cost us dearly, the truth of Christ needs not only to be understood, articulated, and defended, but to be proposed joyfully and confidently as the key to authentic human fulfillment and to the welfare of society as a whole.

"Now, at the conclusion of these meetings, I willingly join all of you in thanking Almighty God for the signs of new vitality and hope with which He has blessed the Church in the United States of America. At the same time I ask Him to confirm you and your Brother Bishops in your delicate mission of guiding the Catholic community in your country in the ways of unity, truth, and charity as it faces the challenges of the future. In the words of the ancient prayer, let us ask the Lord to direct our hearts and those of our people, that the flock may never fail in obedience to its shepherds, nor the shepherds in the care of the flock (cf. Sacramentarium Veronense, Missa de natale Episcoporum). With great affection I commend you, and the clergy, religious, and lay faithful entrusted to your pastoral care, to the loving intercession of Mary Immaculate, Patroness of the United States, and I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of joy and peace in the Lord."

In Defense of Life: Have The Bishops Compromised Their Authority?

Fred H. Summe is Vice President of Northern Kentucky Right to Life, P.O. Box 1202, Covington, Kentucky 41012

by Fred H. Summe

After the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) made recent statements on the threat to religious freedom by the Obama administration and its federal mandate that all employers provide health insurance which provides, free of charge, artificial contraception, sterilization, and some abortifacient drugs, the USCCB seems to have already lost focus. After making powerful statements indicating that religious freedom would be the focus of the bishops' efforts this year, "The USCCB has done what the USCCB always does: muddied the water, by issuing statements on a host of different political issues including many of which good Catholics have differing opinions, and on which Catholic bishops have no special expertise," points out Phil Lawler (CatholicCulture.org).

As Lawler points out, just within this year, the USCCB has issued statements on the federal budget, immigration law, a ban on land mines, affordable housing, a warning against the invasion of Iraq, a call to end the embargo on Cuba, budget cuts, the federal food stamp program, and nuclear weaponry. The USCCB also issued a list of legislative issues that the bishops are concerned with in this congressional session, including foreign policy, healthcare, climate change, mining, copyrights, and digital television.

As Lawler points out, the USCCB has been making statements on all sorts of political issues, many of which involve prudential judgment, making a claim that they are speaking as moral leaders. "Regrettably, this approach squanders the very authority that the USCCB so frequently invokes."

As with the issues stated above, reasonable Catholic minds can and do disagree. On such issues, Catholics need to base their positions on the social teachings of the Catholic Church, but they still differ on what may be the best form of legislation, expenditure, or approach to address such issues. These issues require a prudential judgment, for which there is not just one "Catholic" answer or approach.

For example, as with the issue of the death penalty, Catholics within the social teachings of the Church can well disagree on whether the government should or should not impose capital punishment for certain serious crimes. To say or imply that capital punishment administered by the state, under proper safeguards, is immoral, is to contradict the clear teaching of the Catholic Church. Such statements by Church authorities, or their bureaucracies, undercut the moral authority of the Church. Many Catholics who do support the state's right to impose capital punishment are misled into thinking that they can also disagree with the Church's clear teaching about the intrinsic evil nature of abortion, contraception, euthanasia, homosexual activities, and embryonic stem-cell research, which are moral matters on which Catholics cannot disagree.

Archbishop John Myers of Newark, New Jersey, noted that the "Church's social teaching is a diverse and rich tradition of moral truths and biblical insights applied to the political, economic, and cultural aspects of our society." He added, however, that "reasonable Catholics can (and do) disagree about how to apply these teachings in various situations."

He gave the example of the preferential option for the poor and how Catholics can legitimately differ on methods to assist the poor "both those who propose welfare increases and those who propose tax cuts to stimulate the economy may in all sincerity believe that their way is the best method really to help the poor."

Cardinal Dulles

In 1982, the renowned theologian, Fr. Avery Dulles, S.J., later made a Cardinal by Benedict XVI, warned the U.S. bishops:

"The bishops and clergy who write and issue the statements lack sufficient expertise to speak with authority about many of the questions addressed. While sometimes disclaiming a special competence, they nevertheless advocate positions that presuppose such competence.

"By issuing policy statements on matters that lie beyond their specific competence, and that pertain rather to experts in secular disciplines, the bishops diminish their own credibility in speaking about matters with which they are specially charged as spiritual leaders of the Church."

Cardinal Dulles with Pope Benedict XVI

Fr. Dulles continues with the observation:

"The bishops, or those who compose policy statements on their behalf, can hardly avoid introducing their own political and economic biases, which should on no account be confused with the teaching of the Church. By opting for certain positions on matters legitimately debated among committed Catholics, bishops tend to marginalize Church members who have different social or political orientations."

Next, Fr. Dulles quotes Lumen Gentium, n. 37:

"By framing official Church positions on social and political policy matters, the bishops and clergy arrogate to themselves functions that more properly belong to the laity, as persons regularly and continuously involved in secular affairs."

Archbishop Dolan

Writing The Wanderer, Christopher Manion relates an incident where New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, now president of the USCCB, realizes that in order to protect the moral authority of the Church, it is necessary for the bishops to realize the limits of authority.

As Manion points out, about a year ago two bishops sent a letter to members of Congress opposing what they called "substantial reductions" in the government welfare programs. The USCCB "Government Relations" office followed up by urging Catholics to lobby their representatives to oppose a long list of specific budget cuts.

Shortly thereafter, Archbishop Dolan issued a letter of his own in which he stated: "people of goodwill might offer and emphasize various policy proposals that reflect their experience and expertise. we bishops are very conscious that we are pastors, never politicians. As the Second Vatican Council reminds us, it is the lay faithful who have the specific charism of political leadership and decision (Lumen Gentium, 31; Apostolica Actuositatem, 13)."

Manion compliments Archbishop Dolan, stating: "He celebrates the laity's efforts and their distinct role in crafting political and social policy, rather than arrogating that role to himself and his episcopal colleagues."

Manion also relates the story that when a nobleman asked Cardinal John Newman's view on the laity, he responded, "Without them, my Lord, the hierarchy would look rather foolish."

Religious Freedom

As the U.S. bishops increase their statements and efforts to counteract President Obama's efforts to limit or eliminate religious freedom, the U.S. bishops would be well advised in their efforts to oppose this new federal mandate, to focus their moral authority on the issue of religious freedom and on the intrinsic evil of sterilization, artificial birth control, and drugs that induce abortion. For if they do not respect the role of the laity on issues of prudential judgment, the laity may soon grow weary and no longer respect the Church's clear and consistent teachings on the non-negotiable moral issues, e.g., abortion, euthanasia, artificial contraception, and same-sex so-called "marriage," to which Catholics are obliged to assent and adhere.

At the same time, faithful Catholics must assist others to the reality that even though they may disagree with the bishops on a number of the bishops' political positions, they must still accept the doctrinal teachings of the Church on moral issues.

It is crucial to the defense of religious freedom, that both the hierarchy and the laity understand, appreciate, and promote their different roles in the political sphere, and in the marketplace of ideas.

Patriotic Rosary Offers Prayers For Nation

by Michael Halm

With the 250th anniversary of the Civil War and the life-or-death battle for our country, many in the United States of America are uniting in praying the Patriotic rosary. Like other versions of the rosary, the Scriptural rosary, etc., some additional passages for intentions and reflections are added. This version was composed by "a friend of Medjugorje," the funder of Caritas of Birmingham.

Each of the five mysteries begins with an apt, even prophetic, quote by a famous patriotic American. A fuller version of the rosary and other links can be found at the website, patriotic-rosary.com/patriotic-rosary.html.

There are other very similar versions out on the internet. Some versions also include patriotic songs for singing between the decades, such as "America," "America the Beautiful," "God Bless America," "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," and "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Each has its own special intention and each of the ten Hail Maries of the decade are prayed for ten of the states, as listed in alphabetical order, "We plead the Blood of Jesus over ______ and every soul in that state."

The first mystery prays for Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, and Georgia and quotes George Washington (6/29/1788), "The Great Governor of the Universe has led us too long and too far on the road to happiness and glory, to forsake us in the midst of it. By folly and improper conduct, proceeding from a variety of causes, we may now and then get bewildered; but I hope and trust that there is good sense and virtue enough to recover the right path before we shall be entirely lost."

The second mystery prays for the Supreme Court, the states of Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, and Maryland and quotes John Adams (7/3/1776), "The furnace of affliction produces refinement, in states as well as individuals and the new governments we are assuming, in every part, will require a purification from our vices, and an augmentation of our virtues or there will be no blessings . . . But I must submit all my hopes and fears to an overruling Providence, in which, unfashionable as the faith may be, I firmly believe."

The third mystery prays for the Senators and Representatives and the states of Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.

It quotes future Supreme Court Justice James Iredell (5/1/1778), ". . . the glorious effects of patriotism and virtue. These are the rewards annexed to the faithful discharge of that great and honorable duty, fidelity to our country . . . I pray to God that the fair character I have described may be that of America to the last ages."

The fourth mystery is prayed for all the governors and the states of New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina. ?It quotes the pastor father of Samuel F. B. Morse, Jedediah Morse (1799), "All efforts to destroy the foundations of our holy religion ultimately tend to the subversion also of our political freedom and happiness. Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government, and all the blessings which flow from them, must fall with them."

The fifth mystery prays for all county and municipal offices and the states of South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

It quotes Robert E. Lee, "Knowing that intercessory prayer is our mightiest weapon and the supreme call for all Christians today, I pleadingly urge our people everywhere to pray. Believing that prayer is the greatest contribution that our people can make in this critical hour, I humbly urge that we take time to pray to really pray.

"Let there be prayer at sunup, at noonday, at sundown, at midnight all through the day. Let us pray for our children, our youth, our aged, our pastors, our homes. Let us pray for our churches.

"Let us pray for our nation. Let us pray for those who have never known Jesus Christ and His redeeming love, for moral forces everywhere, for our national leaders. Let prayer be our passion. Let prayer be our practice."

Lee prayed this prayer for "our nation" in 1863, the year of the tragedy at Gettysburg, while he was fighting not so much against the United States as for his state of Virginia. Lincoln, the nation's leader, always contended that Virginia and the other Southern states had really never left the Union, because they could not legally do so.

Prison To Praise: Teach Me

by Trudy Norman

(Editor's note: Ms. Norman writes from Georgia. We welcome contributions from prisoners. We would like to hear from a variety of prisoners.)

Teach me to love, O Lord
The Way that only You do
Love beyond all understanding
The love that comes from You.

Teach me to live, O Lord
The life You want for all
Through the trials and tribulations
Once maybe twice I expect to fall.

I know You'll be there to pick me up
Like I know You'll always do.
That's why out of all the rest
O Lord, my favorite teacher is You!

Book Offers Tips For Pro-Lifers

by Leiann Spontaneo

(Editor's note: Leiann Spontaneo is a lay associate of Priests for Life.)

Joseph Scheidler offers suggestions for pro-lifers in his book, Closed: 99 Ways to Stop Abortion. He reports on page 96 that some people customarily use pro-life stickers on their envelopes when they pay their bills and mail letters so that others are reminded that abortion is still a hot issue. Since every letter is seen by at least 14 people before it reaches its destination, this is cheap publicity. One way of buying stickers is from: Heritage House, 919 S. Main Street, Snowflake, AZ 85937, 1-800-858-3040.

The author states on pages 57 and 58 that a letter to the editor in any publication is both a valuable source of information and free. You may have to write a dozen letters before one appears in print, but if it takes that many, then resign yourself to write that many. We are the voice of the unborn and we must keep speaking for them.

On pages 35 and 36, Scheidler discusses use of the leaflet or handout as an effective means of getting information about the pro-life movement to the public. Leafleting should be considered an essential form of communication. If we want to tell our side of the story, we often have to write it and present it to the public ourselves. The leaflet or pro-life tract has been a powerful force in promoting our views and is becoming an even more important educational tool as the movement grows. There are few laws restricting leafleting; however, placing them in mailboxes is illegal. Handing them to people is free as people may accept or reject them; a poor man's way that has been used successfully by many groups throughout the country, throughout history. The author states on page 38 that there are many groups that print excellent leaflets. One of these is Priests For Life, P.O. Box 141172, Staten Island, NY 10314, 1-718-980-4400; ask for Liz Splendid in the Materials Department.

Getting books that deal with abortion from the pro-life prospective into public libraries should not be difficult (page 77). Go to any library and look in the catalogue files under "abortion." You will find that most of what is listed is pro-abortion. The first thing to do to remedy this situation is to get pro-life books yourself and then present them to the library. You may also suggest books for the librarian to offer. After all, it is your library too. One book to get into the library system is: Ending Abortion: Not Just Fighting It by Fr. Frank Pavone, M.E.V.

On page 332 the author points out that the power of prayer and the need for prayer cannot be stressed enough. Prayer is something that everyone can do to stop abortion and prayer works.

In conclusion, Scheidler points out on pages 336 and 337 that we must be careful not to do any of these things out of hatred. We do it as a witness to society and to the abortionists that there is a better way to solve problems than by killing children. We want the abortionists to be converted and return to God by loving them, not by hating them. We know that pro-life, non-violent direct action is based on love.

If you would like to be part of an activist effort for the pro-life movement, write or call: Priests For Life, P.O. Box 14172, Staten Island, NY 10314; ask for John Fagrindes in the Outreach Department.

Edge To Edge

Pray The News

Because we are sons and daughters of God, saved by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we do not merely read the news but make the news. We direct the course of world events by faith expressed in action and intercession. Please pray for the stories covered in this paper. Clip out this intercessory list and make it part of your daily prayer.

• We pray that the United States will be "one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all."
• We pray for an end to threats against religious freedom.
• We pray for much prayer for America lest it lose its soul (Blessed John Paul II).
• We pray for the victory of the civilization of love and life over the culture of death.
• We pray for an end to violence and war and for many to be peacemakers.
• We pray for an end to abortion, euthanasia, and all attacks on life.
• We pray for unity in diversity in the Catholic Church in the United States.
• We pray for the success of the Bible Institute.
• We pray for an end to hunger and starvation.
• We pray for the heart of Jesus and that we will reach out in love and compassion to the sick, suffering, and marginalized.
• We pray for the upcoming elections to be under the lordship of Jesus.
• We pray for all government leaders and officials to be open to the Holy Spirit.