Dear Friends in Christ,
January 16-24, each year in our church is the “9 Days for Life” an annual novena for the protection of human life. Each day's intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. Please go to this link to participate https://www.respectlife.org/9-days-signup.
As the national debate over the right of the unborn to live is now being waged on a state-to-state basis, I think it is important for Catholics to unite around two equally important principles. The first is our belief that all life from the moment of conception to natural death is sacred and worthy of our respect. Abortion is never a good choice in the Catholic view, nor is war, capital punishment, crippling poverty, or inadequate health care that compels many women to decide to terminate a pregnancy.
The second principle is the responsibility we have as Catholics to generously support programs and policies that help families, in particular women, with the resources they need to carry a pregnancy to birth and to care for the child after it is born. This is the work of PREPARES which is a volunteer-run program offering meaningful, local, and unconditional support to mothers, fathers, and families as they nurture their children through pregnancy and early childhood. Services are available for families from pregnancy to a child’s fifth birthday. All families are welcome, regardless of their background. https://www.preparesforlife.org/
As we pray for an end to abortion in our world, let us also pray for and support programs like PREPARES that stand with vulnerable families to offer them the resources they need to give birth and to adequately care for their children.
To life!
Fr. William Heric, Pastor