Priests for Life Column (In English and/y en español)
March 14, 2005
Dear Friends,
The column for this month could open a whole new chapter for the pro-life movement
within the Church. Please read it prayerfully. Please also give your feedback by means of
the new online poll question (found at www.priestsforlife.org), which is, "Cardinal
O'Connor established the Sisters of Life as a community of women religious who focus
on promoting the sanctity of life. Do you think it is a good idea that a similar community
of priests and brothers be established now?"
Your help is needed on three other matters.
1. Some of you have been contacted by our staff about what you can do to help assure
that more pro-life Federal Judges are put on the courts. Please contact your US Senators
(202-224-3121) and urge that they vote on all the President's nominees. You can also sign
up online to offer more assistance. More information:
www.priestsforlife.org/government/judges.htm
2. Terri Schiavo and her family need you to speak up for Terri's life. For updates and
action items on this situation, visit www.priestsforlife.org/euthanasia/terri.htm
3. As we know, progress on all these battles would be faster if we heard more from the
pulpits. A key to having active pro-life priests is intense training of seminarians. From
August 16-21 this summer, Priests for Life will have our annual Pro-life Conference for
Seminarians in Newark, NJ (not far from our Staten Island headquarters.) If you are a
seminarian, or know one, please spread the word. Information on the conference can be
found at www.SeminarianLifeLink.org/frontlines/conference2005.htm
Thank you for all you do!
Fr. Frank Pavone
Help Wanted: Priests and Brothers for Life
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
In a column he wrote called "Help Wanted: Sisters of Life," Cardinal John O'Connor
presented the idea of a religious community of women specially dedicated to promoting
the sanctity of life. He received hundreds of responses, and on June 1, 1991, eight women
entered the newly formed community. They now have over 45 members and several
convents in the New York City area.
Meanwhile, Priests for Life has helped priests become stronger in their pro-life work,
within their own assignments, and will continue to do so.
But is it not time to take yet another step, and create a community whereby priests and
seminarians can dedicate their entire lives completely to the defense of life?
Being pro-life is not a hobby. It is a vocation. It is, first of all, a basic aspect of our
vocation to be human, and a foundational element of our vocation as Christians. For these
reasons, it is integral also to the priesthood. Everyone is called to live out this aspect of
his or her vocation in one way or another; many do so by dedicating time to various
forms of pro-life activities and prayers.
In the Church, various communities focus on a particular aspect of the Christian vocation,
in order to strengthen the rest of us in our fidelity to that dimension of the Gospel. So, for
example, the Sisters of Charity focus on service to the needy and vulnerable around the
world. They are not the only ones called to exercise charity, but their existence reminds
all of us of that common call. Likewise, the Blessed Sacrament Fathers are not the only
ones who worship the Blessed Sacrament, but their focus on that aspect of our Faith
encourages us all to worship the Sacrament more fervently.
So it is with a community focused on life. Pope John Paul II has written, "No single
person or group has a monopoly on the defense and promotion of life. These are
everyone's task and responsibility" (Evangelium Vitae, n.91). The purpose, therefore, of
such a community is not to say, "We will take over doing pro-life work -- the rest of you
don’t have to worry about it." Indeed, the purpose of the community would be just the
opposite -- to raise a trumpet call to the whole Church to give the defense of life the
priority it deserves, at every level of Church life and ministry!
Some would wonder why, with such a shortage of priests, we would "divert" them to this
specialized work. The answer is that the pro-life movement is precisely the source of
many new vocations. Many will be led to the priesthood precisely because such a pro-life
community exists. And this community would serve parishes nationwide.
I am convinced that the time has come, and I have met numerous young men across the
country ready to devote their lives to their unborn brothers and sisters. And therefore I,
too, issue this "Help Wanted" call. Those who are interested can contact me at
vocations@priestsforlife.org
This column can be found online at
www.priestsforlife.org/columns/columns2005/05-03-14helpwanted.htm
Please support our work at www.priestsforlife.org/donate
Comments on this column? Email us at mail@priestsforlife.org, Priests for Life, PO Box 141172, Staten
Island, NY 10314; Tel: 888-PFL-3448, 718-980-4400; Fax: 718-980-6515; web: www.priestsforlife.org
Se busca ayuda: Sacerdotes y Hermanos por la Vida
El cardenal John O’Connor presentó la idea de constituir una comunidad de mujeres
dedicadas especialmente a promover la santidad de la vida en un artículo que escribió con
el título: "Se busca ayuda: Hermanas de la Vida." (Help Wanted: Sisters of Life) Recibió
cientos de respuestas. El 1 de junio de 1991, ocho mujeres ingresaron en la nueva
comunidad fundada. Hoy tienen más de 45 miembros y varios conventos en el área de
Nueva York.
Entre tanto, Priests for Life ha ayudado a fortalecer a los sacerdotes en el trabajo pro-
vida, mientras conservan sus propias asignaciones, y continuará haciéndolo.
Pero ¿no es este el momento de dar un paso más adelante y crear una comunidad en la
que sacerdotes y seminaristas puedan dedicar completamente su vida íntegra a la defensa
de la vida?
Ser pro-vida no es un pasatiempo. Es una vocación. En primer lugar es un aspecto de
nuestra vocación humana y un elemento fundacional de nuestra vocación como
cristianos. Por estas razones, es también parte integral del sacerdocio. Todos estamos
llamados a vivir este aspecto de nuestras vocaciones de una u otra manera, muchos lo
hacen dedicando tiempo a distintas actividades y oraciones pro-vida.
En la Iglesia existen comunidades que se concentran en un aspecto particular de la
vocación cristiana, con el objeto de fortalecer al resto de nosotros en fidelidad a esa
dimensión evangélica. Así, por ejemplo, las Hermanas de la Caridad se concentran en el
servicio a los necesitados y vulnerables del mundo. No son las únicas que están llamadas
a la caridad, pero su existencia nos recuerda ese llamado común a todos. Igualmente, los
Sacerdotes Sacramentinos no son los únicos que adoran el Santísimo Sacramento, pero su
énfasis en este aspecto de nuestra fe nos alienta a que adoremos el Santísimo con mayor
fervor.
Lo mismo ocurre con una comunidad dedicada a la vida. El Papa Juan Pablo II ha dicho
que "la defensa y la promoción de la vida no son monopolio de nadie, sino deber y
responsabilidad de todos." (Evangelium Vitae, 91) Por lo tanto, el propósito de una
comunidad de este tipo no es decir: "Nosotros nos encargamos de hacer el trabajo pro-
vida, el resto de Uds. no tiene que preocuparse de ello." De hecho el propósito de esta
comunidad sería exactamente opuesto: ¡hacer un llamado a toda la Iglesia a darle a la
defensa de la vida la prioridad que requiere, en todo nivel de la vida y el ministerio de la
Iglesia!
Algunos se preguntarán por que, dada la escasez de sacerdotes, los "distraemos" de su
tarea específica. La respuesta es que el movimiento pro-vida es precisamente fuente de
muchas vocaciones nuevas. Muchos se acercarán al sacerdocio precisamente porque
existe una comunidad pro-vida. Esta comunidad serviría a las parroquias de todo el país.
Estoy convencido que ha llegado el momento. Me he reunido con muchos jóvenes de
todo el país que están dispuestos a dedicar su vida a sus hermanos y hermanas por nacer.
Por eso, yo también lanzo esta llamada. "Se busca ayuda." Los que estén interesados
contáctenme a vocations@priestsforlife.org
This column can be found online at www.priestsforlife.org/spanish/05-03-14span.htm
posted by JesusFreak84 @ 11:57 PM
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Clearwater, FL (LifeNews.com) -- Terri Schiavo's estranged husband has rejected a California businessman's offer of $1 million dollars if he will turn over guardianship of Terri to her parents. Bob and Mary Schindler said the rejection shows Michael is not concerned about Terri's best interests. "After he has denied Terri therapy for so many years and denied our family any opportunity to help her, we can only come to the conclusion that he is not comfortable with the prospects of her regaining her abilities to speak and communicate to us the reasons for her condition," the Schindlers said. The Schindlers said "it seems clear" that Michael "has neither the inclination to discuss the matter with our family – as we have proposed previously." The Schindlers also said the rejection bears on the desire of George Felos, the euthanasia advocate who is Michael's lead attorney, to have his name associated with a case gaining international attention. "We are not at all surprised that Mr. Schiavo's lawyer, George Felos, will not allow him to entertain such an offer," the Schindlers said in a statement. "It seems to us that the case law has become far more important to Mr. Felos than making any attempt to mediate the matter outside of the courts." The Schindlers were heartened by the proposal made by Robert Herring, a wealthy electronics executive. Herring said his offer still stood until Monday in case Michael changes his mind over the weekend. 
The Vatican (LifeNews.com) -- With Terri Schiavo's painful starvation death scheduled in one week, leading Catholic officials are stepping up their efforts to speak out. Moving from speaking in general against euthanasia, they are now making a rare pitch on behalf of one person -- a disabled woman whose life hangs in the balance. Removing Terri's feeding tube and causing the 7 to 10 day long starvation process would be a "pitiless way to kill" someone Monsignor Elio Sgreccia said on Vatican radio Friday. Sgreccia, the leading spokesman for the Vatican on bioethics issues, said the level of internation al importance of the debate about Terri led the Vatican to step away from its normal practice of speaking about issues in general. "Still, the case of Mrs. Terri Schiavo goes beyond the individual situation because of its exemplary character and of the importance that the media have rightly given it," Sgreccia said. 
Hollywood icon Mel Gibson is weighing in on the national debate over Terri Schiavo and phoned her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, on Friday to tell them that he supports their efforts to save her life. Gibson, an actor and movie director, encouraged the Schindler family to "never give up and continue to pray." 
