 |
Dear Parish Pro-Life Coordinator:
As we continue our journey through the Easter season, we are reminded of new life as our surroundings bloom and grow around us.
You've been hearing a lot from us in the past few months about the USCCB initiative, Walking With Moms in Need, in which Catholic parishes and communities "walk in the shoes" of local pregnant and parenting women in need. The Catholic Pro-Life Community serves as the Dallas Diocese's designated contact on this critical effort to work with parishes to more effectively communicate and support women in desperate situations. Please read more about Walking With Moms In Need below and be sure to ask any questions you have when we present more details at our May 8 Parish Pro-Life Coordinator meeting.
On another note... I would like to take this opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to Mary Borchard, St. Gabriel - McKinney, and Mike Cole, St. Anthony - Wylie. Mary and Mike are stepping down after many years of service as Parish Pro-Life Coordinators. So many babies have been saved because of all the work these dedicated pro-life warriors have done. May God continue to bless your lives. Welcome Mary Reddan and Meg Fowler who will be taking over for Mary and Mike.
As always, thank all of you for your dedicated support of the Gospel of Life and I hope to see all of you on Saturday.
|
PARISH PRO-LIFE COORDINATOR MEETING
|
This Saturday, May 8th.
Our next VIRTUAL Quarterly Parish Pro-Life Coordinators' Meeting is May 8. And, it's the return of door prizes! But you have to be present to win.
Spanish Meeting
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
| English Meeting
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
|
or use ID: 752 280 3375 If you cannot attend the meeting, please send a representative. For more information, contact Hector Carrasco at hcarrasco@prolifedallas.org.
Overnight Pro-Life Boot Camp is back! Pro-Life Boot Camp for teens will be held July 11-15 at the University of Dallas. This camp offers teens a total pro-life immersion, including opportunities for peaceful prayer and public witness, powerful presentations on current topics affecting our youth, testimonies, Mass and service projects. More details here.
|
WALKING WITH MOMS IN NEED
|
As your parish's pro-life coordinator, you are integral to the success of this effort in our diocese to establish or enhance parish services to assist pregnant and parenting mothers facing difficulties. As Archbishop Naumann says in his statement: "The Church will seek to help fill the gaps in services and resources to mothers facing challenging pregnancies and those parenting young children in difficult circumstances."
The first critical step is to complete and return these two documents: - Inventory of Local Pregnancy Help Resources: Parishes have already received the diocesan-wide resources inventory, however, each parish, is best able to identify parish-based or other local pregnancy help resources that are available and would be useful to pregnant and parenting moms. This inventory must be returned to the CPLC.
- Parish Respect Life Survey: The online survey can be found at prolifedallas.org/parishsurvey The survey gathers data about the ministries and activities in your parish that further a Culture of Life from conception to natural death. Please work with your parish staff and volunteers to complete this survey and return to the CPLC as quickly as possible.
Please note: The inventory and respect life survey information should consist of programs and resources your parish is able to provide during "normal" times, not now while we're under COVID protocols. If you limit it only to what you can provide under COVID protocols, the inventory will be skewed.
More information is available to the left or at www.prolifedallas.org/resources Please bring your questions to Saturday's meetings. We'll be further discussing the Walking With Moms in Need program.
 The 87th Texas Legislature continues to consider a number of pro-life and religious liberty bills. Two pro-life bills in particular will be heard and possibly voted on today.
- House Bill 1280 is the "Human Life Protection Act." It would allow Texas to prohibit abortion in the event that the United States Supreme Court overrules, in whole or in part, Roe v. Wade, or issues any other decision that recognizes the authority of the states to prohibit abortion, or in the event that the United States adopts a Constitutional amendment restoring to states the authority to prohibit abortion. The Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops supports this bill to allow Texas to prohibit abortion to the extent allowed under US Supreme Court precedent.
- Senate Bill 8 prohibits a physician from performing an abortion on a pregnant woman if the physician detects a fetal heartbeat. The TCCB supports this bill to protect human life.
It is critical that we contact our state representatives to advocate for these bills. Email your state lawmaker by clicking on this link. It takes less than 3 minutes and it could make a difference in their vote. Stay up-to-date on pro-life legislation by being part of the Texas Catholic Network and receive a weekly e-newsletter, The Texas Catholic Voice.
 On April 15, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a proposed rule on the Title X family planning program that would reverse the Trump Administration's 2019 Title X Rule (also known as the "Protect Life Rule"). On May 4th, the USCCB along with the Southern Baptists Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the Catholic Medical Association, the National Association of Catholic Nurses-USA, and The National Catholic Bioethics Center submitted joint comments pointing out several problems, including that the proposed rule would reintegrate abortion into what Congress intended to be a pre-pregnancy family planning program.
Voice your concern to HHS to keep abortion out of the Family Planning Program by clicking here. Deadline to submit comments is May 17.
|
SIDEWALK COUNSELOR TRAINING
|
 Did you know that 355 babies lives were saved last year in Dallas because there was a prayer presence in front of the three abortion facilities? And, at least 70 more moms left and didn't return.
On June 5, 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., at the Catholic Pro-Life Community office we will be offering a bilingual sidewalk counselor AND prayer partner training. Come join us and learn this very effective method that leads with love and compassion to provide options and resources for abortion-minded mothers. YOU can save a life! The training is free. A continental breakfast, lunch, and training materials are provided. For more information, contact 469-767-5785, email convert@prolifedallas.org or click here to register.
|
PRO-LIFE JOB OPPORTUNITES
|
Sidewalk Counselor - Sidewalk counselors provide one-on-one counseling intervention and prayer support on the front lines outside abortion facilities. Sidewalk counselors engage in the most urgent opportunity we have to help a mother and save her child. The person in this position reports to the Director of Convert-to-Life Ministry.
Sidewalk Counselor Summer Intern - The paid Sidewalk Counselor Summer Intern position varies from 10 - 20 hours per week. Sidewalk counselors provide one-on-one counseling intervention and prayer support at the very places where babies die daily. Sidewalk counselors and their prayer partners are truly on the front lines of the battle for life and engage in the most urgent opportunity we have to help a mother and save her child. The person in this position reports to the Director of Convert-to-Life Ministry.
Project Gabriel Ministry Director - The Project Gabriel Ministry Director is a 40 hours a week position that includes several evenings and Saturdays throughout the year. The person in this position directly supervises the activities of the Gabriel Angel Coordinator, Gabriel Resource Coordinator, and the GEMS Coordinator. And indirectly supervises the Gabriel Angel and Coach volunteers who befriend and mentor mothers facing an unexpected, stressful, or at-risk pregnancy as well as those registered in the educational program. The Project Gabriel Director reports to the Director of Ministries of the Catholic Pro-Life Community.
| May 6 |
| | May 7-9 |
| | May 9 | Mother's Day | | May 30 | Cemetery of the Innocents Memorial Service
| June
11-13 |
| June
22 - 29 |
|
"This retreat has led me on a journey that I didn't expect. It provided a space and time in which I was personally able to experience the Gospel message. Encouraged by the love and support of an excellent team of retreat leaders I was able to move through the past events of my life in a healthy and safe way. I was able to do down deep and reach back in my own history and address my choices. My pain and the challenging circumstances of my life that influenced those choices. I was then able to reach a beautiful turning point in which I could fully bring my entire self..my history, my mistakes , my anxiety, my loss and my hope to the Lord... to calvary. Like the amazing Father that He is, He redeemed me, healed my heart, filled me with His peace and set me free! I can feel the effects of His grace as I live each new day in my resurrected life with Him. I said yes to His invitation and He reached inside of me and worked a true miracle. Finally... I can FEEL again!"
Rachel's Vineyard
Retreatant
|
|
