Well, we certainly can't forget our celebrant for Mass, Father Greg Galvin. Father Galvin is the Vocations Director for the Diocese of Norwich and has a terrific story of how he came to realize his vocation. Perhaps he'll work it into his homily ... hint hint.
Our second break-out session will feature three more great presenters. Our strategy as a group is to divide up and get members to all three sessions and then compare notes. Some of the saints have actually done bi-location (St. Padre Pio, for instance), but tri-location? Hmmm. So here are the choices for break-out session II:
Fr. Reggie Norman will be addressing the topic of Black Genocide. It's a harsh reality, but one that pro-lifers have been trying to point out for years. Fr. Norman will be putting the issue in terms that cannot be misunderstood or twisted as he has seen the devastation of abortion in the African American community.
Break-out session II has another fascinating choice: Two Lawyers Explain How Abortion is the Civil Rights Issue of Our Day. The two lawyers are Brian Hoeing (pictured) and Calum Anderson. They will be bringing all the legal reasoning and resources they can muster to show how denying the unborn the right to their very lives is an abuse of power that will eventually spill over to threaten the lives of those already born, the so-called "inconvenient" among us. History shows us over and over and over again that this situation has one outcome, and it isn't good if it isn't changed.
The third choice for this session is Nicole Peck (pictured speaking on the State Capitol steps in Hartford) with Missionaries for Life on Abortion: The Personal and Medical Perspectives. Nicole brings a message of hope and grace, besides letting us know that abortion is not the so-called option society and some health class curriculum would have us believe.
So there you have it. Don't forget, we are having a pizza lunch at noon, bankrolled by Connecticut Right to Life Corporation. Thank you, CRLC! And last, but by no means least, is the Holy Hour and Closing from 4 p.m to 5 p.m., with an opportunity for Confession.
See you on Saturday!
It's hard to believe that after months of preparation, the September 26th Conference is only a few days away. We are incredibly indebted to Holy Apostles College and Seminary and the Holy Apostles Life League (HALL) for partnering with us on this Conference ... without their help, the idea for the Conference would have remained just that ... an idea.
We are very excited about our speakers. Many of you have been to a Sean Forrest event, and those of you who haven't are in for a great time. To see what's new with Sean and all the great work he's doing, visit his website at http://www.mwts.org/mwts/Home.html.
Our speakers for the break-out sessions are also amazing ... too bad we can't hear them all, one after the other. But the issues they'll be helping us understand are the issues that will define our future and each of them is an expert on the topic they will be bringing to us. Today's blog entry features the choices you have for break-out Session 1 ...
Sister Nancy Marie Piecewicz of the Felician Sisters will be addressing the topic of Euthanasia, or so-called mercy-killing. Of lot of us, when we watch television or read certain writers, will be introduced to this issue as one where more and more people want the option to "check out" when they are not happy with their quality of life. Of course, the downside of the practice of euthanasia is never explored, and the nature of human suffering is completely swept under the carpet. Sr. Nancy works with the elderly and infirm, so she not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.
The program book we'll be handing out at the Conference will have the biographies of our speakers. There will also be blank pages for you to take notes if you want to! Some people do, and some don't.
Tomorrow's blog entry will have a brief description of break-out session 2, featuring Fr. Reggie Norman on Black Genocide, Brian Hoeing and Cal Anderson on Two Lawyers Explain How Abortion is the Civil Rights Issue of Our Day, and Nicole Peck of Missionaries for Life on Abortion: the Personal and Medical Perspective.
There is still room, so do not hesitate to email us at:
See you on Saturday!
Oh, and don't forget to pray a Memorare each day for the intention
of a successful (whatever God's idea of success might be ...) Conference.
Well, the Conference is only two weeks and a day away. Registrations are trickling in and we are hoping for a great event! The Break Out Sessions are first come, first served, so those of you who have already registered have your first choice locked in. Anyone needing registration forms or sponsorship forms, email us at:
We had this idea that if everyone would pray a Memorare each day for the intention that the Conference would be God's success and not ours, then how can we fail? The next few months are key for the pro-life movement here in Connecticut. 40 Days for Life are coming up, and we are fervently hoping the Conference will inspire a lot of people to support the 40 Days. So many babies are saved during this time, so many mothers are helped, so many people reach out to help ... a Culture of Life reveals itself as a real possibility for our suffering world.
It helps to remember that this month is also the month of Our Lady of Sorrows, especially on this 8th anniversary of September 11, 2001. Her intercession on behalf of anyone who suffers from grief or loss of any kind is loving and powerful.
Well, we finally have pictures to post from the Eduardo Verastegui event some of us attended on August 11 at Eastern Connecticut State University, thanks to the wonderful Sisters of Charity of Our Lady Mother of the Church. At right is Annie F. with Eduardo and below is Beth I. with Eduardo. Mr. Verastegui is an amazingly good sport, sitting for well over an hour to sign autographs and pose for pictures. His "keep-an-eye-on-the-movie-star" team were getting kind of antsy, but he stayed until the last person went through the room where he was. Thank you, Eduardo!
The event itself was wonderful and so much fun. Sean Forrest, who is the keynote speaker for our Conference on September 26, kicked off the evening, and we were really amazed at his talent and loved the message he had to give ... the thing that came through the most was joyfulness in serving others and that life is what it's all built on.
So, it was a pretty late evening, but so worth the trip to Willimantic and the late hour. It's great to know that there are some really brave celebrities out there. Being in Hollywood and being for abortion is not brave. That is being conformed to a peer group. Being in Hollywood and standing up for the unborn is brave. Eduardo Verastegui is a brave and generous man, and we hope he comes back to Connecticut again!
P.S. --- Happy Birthday, Blessed Mother!
It's the last meeting before the Conference! We are meeting in the Board Room at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut at 4:00 pm. We would love to have you join us. Our members range in age from 14 to 25, and we are all students. Youth Group advisors are welcome, as well. For more information about this meeting, email us at
:
before 2:30 pm on Sunday. You can also email us at the above address to get the registration form and/or the sponsorship form. Get your registrations in soon ... space is limited!
"While the deep concern of a woman bearing an unwanted child merits consideration and sympathy, it is my personal feeling that the legalization of abortion on demand is not in accordance with the value which our civilization places on human life. Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized -- the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old. When history looks back at this era it should recognize this generation as one which cared about human beings enough to halt the practice of war, to provide a decent living for every family, and to fulfill its responsibility to its children from the very moment of conception."
You will be very, very surprised. Since this person died August 25, we need to pray for the repose of his immortal soul. The words you see above are not the principles he ended up living by, but their truth is as fresh today as when he wrote them in 1971.
What campus pro-life group has this logo? Some hints: It isn't a dog paw, a bear paw, a tiger paw or a paw paw (since that is actually a piece of fruit.) It's a lion paw! And it isn't just any lion paw, but a Nittany Mountain Lion paw.
This is the last paragraph of this campus pro-life group's mission statement: "We are here to help. Our mission is to serve. And we will, one day, bring every person to realization of the truth that every human life is precious, to be treasured and held dear from the moment of conception to natural death."
Click here for the answer.
The next posting to this blog will be a report on the Eduardo Verastegui visit by a Y-Lifer (whichever Y-LIFE member gets the posting done first!)
