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Greetings and blessings! I hope you all fared ok during the relentless rains. As we welcome sun, we have two special opportunities this month especially for you: First -- on June 13, we celebrate everyone who makes our ministry possible at the annual CPLC Volunteer Appreciation Picnic and Swim Party at the home of Bill and Carol Orender. All Parish Pro-Life Coordinators, ministry volunteers, staff and their families are invited to enjoy this day of fun, food and fellowship. And Baby Bank prize winners will be announced! If you plan to come, please let me know by this Friday, June 5. Second -- on June 22, the CPLC will host a Day of Reflection for Parish Pro-Life Coordinators, ministry volunteers and staff. This day of spiritual renewal will begin with 8 a.m. Mass at St. Patrick, Dallas and continue in the Parish Center with presentations by Father Peter Hopkins, L.C., as well as opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, and more (full schedule here). If you can join us, please contact Susan Platt at 214-392-7545 or [email protected] by June 17. Also this month is a special first for our Spanish-speaking community -- a Theology of the Body Conference in Spanish this Saturday, June 6 at Immaculate Conception, Grand Prairie. The conference will feature Jake Samour, Director of the Office of Marriage and Family from the Diocese of Wichita; Patricia Hidalgo, Director of the Natural Family Center of Dallas; and Aurora Tinajero, Director of the CPLC's Spanish Ministry. More information is available at providadedallas.org or contact 972-264-1711. Next Monday, June 8, is the early registration deadline for the 2015 Youth For Life Pro-Life Boot Camp. We are again co-hosting two sessions at the University of Dallas, on June 26-28 and July 24-28. This is an opportunity for high school youth to learn the "nuts and bolts" of being an advocate for life and have fun doing it. This year's theme is "Be Not Afraid!" - St. John Paul the Great. Visit prolifedallas.org/bootcamp for more information. (We are also in need of safe-environment cleared adult chaperones.) Please don't forget to spread the word about our second annual one-day Project Joseph Retreat for men suffering from a past abortion experience offered in English on June 27 and in Spanish on October 10. Flyer is available here, and more details at projectjosephdallas.org. Finally, be sure to mark your calendars for the following additional events in June:
and Fortnight for Freedom beginning June 21 until July 4. This year's theme is "Freedom to Bear Witness". 2015 Fortnight resources from the USCCB are available in the left column. If your parish is planning any events during the Fortnight, please email the details to [email protected] so we can be sure to post them. At the end of the month, on June 29 we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. The scriptures clearly show that Jesus chose Peter to be the leader of the other apostles and to have a special relationship with him. Even so, his life was far from perfect. Peter walks on water in faith but sinks in doubt. He refuses to have Jesus wash his feet yet he wants all his body cleansed. He swears at the Last Supper that he will never deny Jesus, yet he does so three times. But Jesus forgives him, and even asks Peter to feed his lambs and his sheep, as a sign of his being the lead shepherd of all his flock. It is a great comfort for us mortals to know that though Peter had human weaknesses, he overcame them through God's grace. Let us ask God to strengthen our commitment to our pro-life mission and to continue in our ministry even with our human weakness. And may His blessings be on you and your family. Thanks for all you do for Life, and I look forward to seeing everyone at the Volunteer Appreciation Picnic on June 13 and Day of Reflection on June 22! Blessings, David Carr
Director of Parish Coordination [email protected]
P.S. If you haven't already, be sure to mark your calendars for the two "16th" events with Bishop Farrell in 2016: the 2016 Roe Memorial Events on January 16, 2016 and 23rd Annual Bishop's Pro-Life Dinner on April 16, 2016. |
