The Respect Life Committee meets on the first Tuesday of each month
at 7:30 pm
in the
Bell Tower from September through May.
Anyone who thinks they may be interested in learning about and promoting life issues
is welcome to join our committee.
Please contact Debbie Buck at 847-784-1403 (thebucks5@comcast.net) or
Mary Armato at 847-501-2847 (marmato@cenzo.com)
All are welcome!
Pope John Paul II's Prayer for Life
"And as we, the pilgrim people, the people of life and for life, make our way in confidence towards 'a new heaven and a new earth' (Rev 21:1), we look to her who is for us "a sign of sure hope and solace".
O Mary,
bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life
Look down, O Mother,
upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women
who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed
by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of life
with honesty and love
to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace
to accept that Gospel
as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude
throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it
resolutely, in order to build,
together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and lover of life.
Prayer for Life-USCCB
Father and maker of all, you adorn all creation with splendor and beauty,
and fashion human lives
in your image and likeness.
Awaken in every heart
reverence for the work of your hands,
and renew among your people a readiness to nurture and sustain
your precious gift of life.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
SS. Faith, Hope and Charity Prayer for Life
I pledge to truly celebrate the gift of
each child conceived and born,
and fully mourn each miscarriage,
infant or child death,
to be a strong witness to my belief
in the dignity and worth of all life,
and a consistant voice for life
in my home,
my parish, my community, and the world.
Amen.
Fr. Pavone's Prayer of Commitment (Priests for Life)
Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,
and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.
I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,
Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death
by the Resurrection of Your Son.
I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.
Today I commit myself
never to be silent,
never to be passive,
never to be forgetful of the unborn.
I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement,
and never to stop defending life
until all my brothers and sisters are protected, and our nation once again becomes
a nation with liberty and justice
not just for some, but for all,
through Christ our Lord. Amen! |
House Bill 317 regarding Parental Notification for Minors before Abortion
www.catholicconferenceofillinois.org
2006-2007 Liturgical Guide for the USCCB Respect Life Program:
http://www.usccb.org/prolife
Chicago Archdiocese Respect Life Webpage:
http://www.archchicago.org/departments/respect_life/respect_life.shtm
Pope John Paul II's Encyclical on the Gospel of Life, Evangelium Vitae:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031995_evangelium-vitae_en.html
Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical Deus Caritas Est:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html
The Women's centers of Greater Chicagoland:
http://www.womens-center.org/
Aid For Women:
http://www.aidforwomen.org/
Rachel's Vineyard:
http://www.rachelsvineyard.org/
"Information about Adoption"
Illinois Dept. of Public Health / Adoptions:
http://www.idph.state.il.us/vitalrecords/adoptioninfo.htm
Catholic Charities Adoption Programs:
651 W. Lake, Chicago, IL 60661
Adoption Information Phone: (312) 655-7071
Individuals looking to adopt, call: (312) 655-7086
Email: ccadoptions@earthlink.net
Domestic Adoption Program: Pre-adoption counseling, adoption studies, licensing, placement and post-placement services are provided to families. Waiting Families Support Groups and Adoptive Family Clubs are available. The Adoptive Parents Guild provides annual social and religious events for adoptive families. Adoptive families receive the Adoptive Families Voice, a quarterly newsletter. Post-adoption services are available.
Inter-Country Adoption Program: Provides stability for children for whom a permanent home is not available in the country of birth. The ages of the children vary from infant to 16 years. Services to families include: preadoption counseling, adoption study and licensing of homes, education on cultural issues of international adoptions, etc. Travel and in-country supports are provided to families through established relationships with child-placing agencies in the country of origin of child.
Adoption Info. Center of Illinois:
http://www.adoptinfo-il.org
Phone:
312-346-1516
Sunny Ridge Family Center (Wheaton):
http://www.sunnyridge.org
Phone:
630-668-5117
October is Respect Life Month across the United States. The month serves as a reminder of the wonderful Gift of Life that God has given each one of us. None of us asked to be born. We are, each one of us, a product of the Love of God, made by Him and, ultimately, for Himself.
Our parish has several events planned this month which will focus on our respect for life at all stages, designed to engage both young and old alike in promoting and living what John Paul ll called “the culture of life”.
On Respect Life Sunday empty baby bottles will be distributed at all the Masses. Every family is asked to take one (or more!) of these baby bottles home, fill it with your spare change, and return it to church on the last weekend in October. All monies collected will be divided evenly between Aid for Women and The Women’s Center. Each of these archdiocesan-approved organizations provides medical, emotional, and spiritual care and support to pregnant women during their pregnancy, in addition to the practical/material support of clothing, baby supplies, furniture, etc. After birth, these organizations continue to assist the women and their families – they care for the whole person. You can learn more about these two organizations at http://www.aidforwomen.org/ and http://www.womens-center.org/
The work of the Respect Life Committee does not end with Respect Life Month. We meet on the first Tuesday of each month from September through May. Some of the parish activities/events which were sponsored by the Respect Life Committee during the last year include:
- Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn
- Cardinal George’s talk on Pope Benedict’s encyclical ‘Deus Caritas Est’
- Holy Hour for Life
- Expectant Parent’s Mass/Elizabeth Ministry commissioning
- Summer study group for John Paul II’s encyclical ‘Gospel of Life’
- We support the ‘Chastity Initiative’ of the Archdiocese of Chicago Respect Life Office
- Eucharistic Adoration and Elizabeth Ministry are two parish ministries that have grown out of the life of the Respect Life Committee.
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