pro life – Page 5

Phoenix hospital no longer called Catholic

A thorny matter of faith and morals between a bishop and a historic “Catholic” hospital has been settled: the hospital is no longer a Catholic hospital. Mass is not permitted to be celebrated there and the Blessed Sacrament can’t be reserved there. Phoenix’s St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center whose owner is Catholic Healthcare West (CWH) defied Catholic teaching and the authority of the Catholic bishop in whose diocese the hospital is located. St Joseph’s is one of several hospitals in Phoenix, Arizona. For Catholics, the bishop of the diocese is the final authority on matters of faith and morals; the bishop is not a branch manager, he is the successor of the Apostles.

Contrary to an editorial in the NY Times today, hospitals who claim to be Catholic are not agents of the state and therefore are not bound to comply with legalities to provide emergency reproductive care.

St Joseph’s Hospital was founded by the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1895.

In Catholic teaching we hold that no one, no institution is the authentic interpreter of faith and morals but the bishop. In this case, The Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmstead, Bishop of Phoenix, is the proper teacher and interpreter of Catholic teaching with regard to the faithful and Catholic institutions in the Diocese of Phoenix. But let’s be clear: it is not Bishop Olmstead’s isolated interpretation of Catholic teaching nor is Catholic teaching determined by him as a private body of teaching and interpreted arbitrarily. What we see in Bishop Olmstead is a man faithful to his word, a priest acting according to his calling and ordination. Catholic teaching is not a policy statement; Catholic teaching coheres to objective and divine truth not to positive law. Catholic teaching is based on sacred Scripture, sacred Tradition and the clear and consistent teaching of the sacred Magisterium through the years. It is the Church’s theological and pastoral patrimony that the bishop is responsible for because he’s responsible for the salvation of souls in his diocese. He’s responsible to see that the faithful and all others meet God face-to-face.

Continue reading Phoenix hospital no longer called Catholic

Pope Benedict XVI’s Prayer for Nascent Life

Lord Jesus,

You who faithfully visit and fulfil with your Presence

the Church and the history of men;

You who in the miraculous Sacrament of your Body and Blood

render us participants in divine Life

and allow us a foretaste of the joy of eternal Life;

We adore and bless you.

Prostrated before You, source and lover of Life,

truly present and alive among us, we beg you.

Reawaken in us respect for every unborn life,

make us capable of seeing in the fruit of the maternal womb

the miraculous work of the Creator,

open our hearts to generously welcoming every child

that comes into life.

Bless all families,

sanctify the union of spouses,

render fruitful their love.

Accompany the choices of legislative assemblies

with the light of your Spirit,

so that peoples and nations may recognise and respect

the sacred nature of life, of every human life.

Guide the work of scientists and doctors,

so that all progress contributes to the integral well-being of the person,

and no-one endures suppression or injustice.

Gift creative charity to administrators and economists,

so they may realise and promote sufficient conditions

so that young families can serenely embrace

the birth of new children

Console the married couples who suffer

because they are unable to have children

and in Your goodness provide for them.

Teach us all to care for orphaned or abandoned children,

so they may experience the warmth of your Charity,

the consolation of your divine Heart.

Together with Mary, Your Mother, the great believer,

in whose womb you took on our human nature,

we wait to receive from You, our Only True Good and Saviour,

the strength to love and serve life,

in anticipation of living forever in You,

in communion with the Blessed Trinity.

Solemn Vigil for All Nascent Human Life, 27 November 2010

Marking the beginning of Advent for the Roman Church,
the Holy Father invited the world’s dioceses (parishes & religious
institutions) religious communities, ecclesial movements and associations
throughout the world to join him in a Solemn Vigil for All Nascent Human Life (resources here).

On November 27^th, First Vespers for the First Sunday of Advent, the
Church will gather together with her pastor in prayer 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.

Day of Prayer & Healing for Teens who have experienced abortion – November 20th

Many of you are in parishes with schools and/or youth groups
and have teens who are suffering from the effects of abortion. Please promote this
unique opportunity for them to come to a Day of Prayer and Healing for Teens –
November 20th.

For confidential registration or more information, please call Theresa at Lumina Hope and Healing after Abortion at 718-881-8008 and visit the Lumina website.

Healing after Abortion

There is a light that can break through any darkness.

Lumina is a post-abortion healing network helping women and men adjust and heal following the trauma of having an abortion or being closely connected with someone who has had an abortion like a spouse, significant other, or sibling. We can’t overestimate the power of the affective and spiritual life when a woman has an abortion. Because many people who support abortion will minimize the impact an abortion has on a woman (and her husband or boyfriend) and the emotional effects are discounted or dismissed. The dignity of the human person tells us, we know about this real dignity in our heart: we are not merely flesh and blood, but we have a soul, a spiritual life that is intimately connected with our body and we are made for God. We are made for greatness and love and happiness in this world, and the next.

Health issues may be plentiful. Intimacy issues may arise and the beauty of sexuality is objectified. What is often overlooked is that in some case a woman can’t conceive and bring to full term another child after having an abortion (or in other cases having been using contraception). What to do?

Some women report they have suffered for years with the memories of having a child that they aborted. The death of a child, whether born or yet to be born, is painful, full of dark moments, and seemingly a sin that’s unforgivable.

And today we are finding that men have similar issues of the affect to deal with because of their close connection with woman who had an abortion. A few years ago the Catholic Information Service at the Knights of Columbus published a great little booklet, “Men and Abortion: Finding Healing, Restoring Hope.” I recommend it.

The work of the Lumina as a post-abortion network is assist women and men realize that they can be healed, that they are loved by God even with the sin of abortion in their past and there is light that guides us along the path of life.

Prayer, hard work with a professional counselor and friendship contribute to one’s healing. We are made for other people, why not let good people help the healing of the post-abortion pain?

There are plenty of opportunities in the Tri-State area.

Days of prayer and healing for men are being planned.

Days of prayer and healing for women in the coming months:

November 13, January 15, 2011, February 19, April 2, and June 11.

For more information:

Theresa Bonapartis

877.586.4621 (toll free)

lumina@postabortionhelp.org

or the Sisters of Life organize people through their Hope and Healing network:

866.575.0075 (toll free)

hopeandhealing@sistersoflife.org

40 Days for Life –get involved NOW!

The pro-life campaign 40 Days for Life begins today, Get involved to save an unborn life.

Being a part of the 40 day campaign is about prayer and fasting, keeping vigil at an abortion clinic and education in the community.

The use of the number 40 is a biblical metaphor: think of Noah, Moses, Jesus, who either spent 40 year days or years doing something for God the Father.

The 40 Days campaign runs until October 31.

Monthly St Gianna Mass at St Catherine of Siena Church, New York: June 17

On Thursday, June 17, there will be a St Gianna Mass celebrated for the intentions of couples dealing with infertility issues at St Catherine of Siena Church (411 East 68th Street, New York).

All are welcome!

The program for the evening is as follows:

6:00 pm: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confessions

6:25
pm: Litany and Prayers to Saint Gianna

6:35 pm: Mass

7:30 pm: Infertility
Support Group and talk by Dr. Anne Melnik on Napro – Technology

The celebrant of the Mass and devotions will be Dominican Father Bruno Shah.

The St Gianna Mass will be celebrated on the 3rd Thursday of each month. This Mass and program is a natural outgrowth of the spiritual activities held in May for the blessing and public inauguration of the Gianna healthcare ministry working infertility and women’s health.

Mark your calendar for the monthly St Gianna Mass:

July 15, August 19, September 16, October 21, November 18, December 16,

The St Gianna Mass is host by the Dominican Friars of St Catherine of Siena Church & Priory in close collaboration with the Dominican Friars Healthcare Ministry of NY and the Gianna Center.

Gianna Healthcare Center blessed and dedicated

Yesterday morning the founders, benefactors and friends of The Gianna Healthcare Center for Women joined Archbishop Timothy Dolan in dedicating and blessing the Center at 15 East 40th Street. We were joined by Saint Gianna’s son, Pierluigi Molla.

The Archbishop prayed the prayers written by Archbishop Raymond Burke for the enshrinement of the picture and relic of Saint Gianna. One very beautiful prayer composed by Saint Gianna was prayed by all:

O Mary, into thy maternal hands I place, commend and abandon myself entirely, sure of obtaining what I request. I rely upon thee because thou art my sweet mother; I confide in thee because thou art “Mother of Jesus”; I entrust myself to thee.

In this trust I rest sure of being heard in everything, with this trust in my heart I greet thee my mother, my confidence; I consecrate myself to thee, begging thee to remember that I am thine own; guard me and defend me, sweet Mary, and in every instant of my life present thyself, to thy Son, Jesus.

The video story of Archbishop Dolan blessing the Gianna Center.

My Mother Saint Gianna: an evening of conversation & prayer with a saint’s son

This coming Monday,
May 17, the Church of St Catherine of Siena in Manhattan will host a lecture by
Pierluigi Molla, the son of St Gianna Berretta Molla, as part of an evening of prayer
for couples struggling with infertility.

Please
join the physicians and staff of The Gianna Center
for Women this Monday, May 17 at 6:30 pm for a special Mass,
offered for the intentions of couples struggling with infertility and
pregnancy-related miscarriages.

The Mass will be
followed by a talk by Pierluigi Molla, the living son of St. Gianna Beretta Molla and
an opportunity to view and venerate her relics.

Location: St.
Catherine of Siena Church, 411 East 68th Street, NY (between 1st Ave and York)

Schedule of
Events

6:30 pm Mass,
offered for the intentions of couples suffering from infertility, recurrent
miscarriage and difficult pregnancies

7:30 pm Talk by
Pierluigi Molla, son of St. Gianna

8:15 pm Blessing
with St. Gianna’s relics

8:30 pm Light
reception and book signing

Physicians from
The Gianna Center in midtown Manhattan, which offers a highly effective,
ethically-sound approach to treating infertility, will also be present to
answer questions and offer support.

Tag: pro life