|
First I'd like to say thank you to all of you who supported and attended the Mass of Remembrance for Children last month. With over 1,000 in attendance, it was a truly beautiful testimony to the sacredness of all lives, no matter how brief their time on Earth.
This year's
40 Days for Life-Dallas Kickoff Rally
is Tuesday, September 22, at
Gaston Christian Center
(formerly Gaston Oaks Baptist Church, across from the vigil site). We are incredibly excited to welcome, for the first time ever, former abortionist, now passionate pro-life advocate, Dr. Haywood Robinson, who will share his powerful testimony of conversion. Please help spread the word about what promises to be an inspiring night!
Also please mark your calendars for the following events in September:
And of course Respect Life Month comes in October!
Your pastor should soon be receiving
the USCCB Respect Life Program packet for your parish; I encourage you to make an appointment to sit down with your pastor to walk through the packet and determine what resources would best suit your parish. USCCB resources for Respect Life Month may also be found
online here
(and linked in the sidebar at left). On October 17, the diocesan-wide Respect Life Mass will be a celebrated at 8 a.m. at St. Patrick in Dallas, followed by Eucharistic Adoration and a Rosary Procession by bus to the Southwestern abortion facility. All are then welcome to enjoy a picnic lunch at the 40 Days for Life-Dallas Family Day beginning at 11 a.m. at Harry Moss Park (across from Southwestern).
Another fall highlight is the
Hike for Life
, Texas' oldest pro-life event. Beginning in September and continuing in October, pro-lifers will walk in various locations around Texas to remind us of the dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death. Your involvement in the Hike will benefit the CPLC's sidewalk counseling ministry as well as local pregnancy resource centers including the White Rose Women's Center and Birth Choice Counseling Center. Visit
hikeforlifetexas.org
for more information and to register for a Hike near you.
Of course, I would be remiss not to mention the most incredible event this month: the first U.S. visit of our beloved Pope Francis! On September 22 he will arrive from Cuba in Washington, D.C. The next day he will meet with President Obama. Later that day, Pope Francis will have Midday Prayer with the Bishops of the United States. That afternoon he will celebrate the Mass of Canonization of Junipero Serra at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
On Thursday, he will address a Joint Session of Congress and then depart for New York. On Friday, he will visit the United Nations and address the General Assembly. He will then attend a multi-religious service at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, World Trade Center. He will end the day with Mass at Madison Square Garden.
Saturday, September 26, Pope Francis will travel to Philadelphia where he will celebrate Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, visit Independence Mall, and then visit the Festival of Families.
On Sunday, he will visit with Bishops at St. Martin's Chapel, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He will then visit the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, celebrate Mass for the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families, and depart for Rome.
Let us pray for his successful visit to our nation. Let us ask God to speak through his servant to the open ears of our leaders.
Let us pray daily for the guidance of Our Father in Heaven. Ask Him to reveal the plan He wishes us to follow so that we may, by our example, bring many to His fold. Let us follow Pope Francis' example of humility and encourage others as God's people, especially those who are most vulnerable and marginalized in our society.
Thanks for all you do for life, and God bless!
David Carr
CPLC Director of Parish Coordination
|
