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St. Antoninus Pro-Life/Pro-Family Commission

 

Monthly Columns Pro-Life/Pro-Family Web Sites
How can teens make a difference and stand up for Life?
Federal Ban on Partial Birth Abortion "Thank You" Contact List

 

St. Antoninus Pro-Life/Pro-Family Columns

March 26, 2006 April 30, 2006 May 28, 2006
June 25, 2006 July 30, 2006 September 24, 2006
October 1, 2006 October 29, 2006 November 26, 2006
December 31, 2006  April 1, 2007  April 29, 2007
May 27, 2007   July 1, 2007 July 15, 2007 
August 26, 2007  September 30, 2007  October 28, 2007
December 9, 2007 January 6, 2008  April 5, 2008

 

March 26, 2006

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

Each month a different topic pertaining to pro-life will be addressed.  Please share them with your family.  Keep the hope that “together we can make a difference”.  As our parish family faces the attack today on life, we are ever mindful of God’s admonition:  “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse.  Choose life, then, that you and your descendents may live…”   Deuteronomy 30:19.

 

See you at The Way of Love www.TheWayofLove.org Lenten prayer walk at Burnett Woods on Sunday, March 26, April 2 and April 9 from 2 to 3 PM>

 

Check out some websites for pro-life information; the sites will also be posted on the St. Antoninus website: 

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro-Life, Pro-Family Commission

 

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April 30, 2006

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

At the beginning of our pro-life monthly columns, let’s reflect on the “foundation”:  God is love.  Out of love, God’s precious gift to each of us is Life itself.  He created us, for all eternity; making each of us in His own image and likeness, endowing us with intellect and free will. Beloved child. “‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you’ (Jer 1:5) God said to the Prophet Jeremiah…God intervenes directly in the creation of the soul of every new human being.  God does not differentiate between the newly, conceived infant still in his or her mother’s womb and the child or young person, or the adult and the elderly person.  God does not distinguish between them because He sees an impression of His own image and likeness (Gn 1:26) in each one.” (Pope Benedict XVI to the Pontifical Academy for Life 06)

As we continue to put our faith into action, let’s further develop our family’s education:  have our web-savvy family members check out:  www.Vatican.va  e-mail:  ornet@ossrom.va; www.HumanLifeInternational.com ; for all our referenced websites www.saintantoninus.org

 

God is good!

-Jane Hoffman, St. Antoninus Pro-Life, Pro-Family Commission

 

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May 28, 2006

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

Look at your own beautiful children and family! Continuing to reflect on the “foundation”, we recall that each person, lovingly created by God Himself, is gifted at the moment of conception with an immortal soul. From our beginning, each person is a beloved member of our human family.  “‘When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.  Male and female He created them and He blessed them.’ (Genesis 5)…the life of every individual, from its very beginning, is part of God’s plan...Expressions of awe and wonder at God’s intervention in the life of a child in its mother’s womb occur again and again in the Psalms. How can anyone think that even a single moment of this marvelous process of the unfolding of life could be separated from the wise and loving work of the Creator and left prey to human caprice?”  (The Gospel of Life, John Paul II’s Encyclical Letter)

 

The Gospel of Life is “therefore meant to be a precise and vigorous reaffirmation of the value of human life and its inviolability, and at the same time a pressing appeal to each and every person, in the name of God: respect, protect, love and serve life, every human life!  Only in this direction will you find justice, development, true freedom, peace and happiness!”(ibid)  Our families need us and the times demand us to become more informed and involved now.  Come to our next St. A’s meeting:  this Tues. 5/30, 7:30 pm

 

To help develop our Catholic intellectual life: read the encyclical, The Gospel of Life http://www.pauline.org/store/searchresults.php     Psalms 22:10-11 71:6 139 13-14

For all our referenced websites www.saintantoninus.org

God is good!

-Jane Hoffman, St. Antoninus Pro-Life, Pro-Family Commission

           

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June 25, 2006

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

Banning Abortion has been in our news both here in Ohio and across the country. 

Let’s take a look at it in light of our recent bulletin reflections: on the “foundation” (getting a better understanding of the basis for the sanctity, dignity of each human being from conception to natural death); on the vital need for each of us, “in the name of God:  respect, protect, love and serve life, every human life!” (The Gospel of Life, JP II’s ency.) 

 

God made the first chapter of our human life’s journey from conception to birth.  Our  new life has inherited 23 chromosomes from each of our parents…all the complex genetic blueprint for the person we will continue to be is there – our sex, hair and eye color, height, skin tone and more.  All that will be added to us is time and nourishment.  By a mere 21 days, our heart has begun to beat and the foundations of our brain, spinal cord and nervous system are already established.  As every parent knows, this continuum of growth is rapid especially now and even more so in their teen years.  But through each step of our journey along our continuum through life, whether pre-born, newborn, toddler, adolescent, teenager, young adult, middle age, “silver and golden ager” we are God’s Beloved, created with an immortal soul, “endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights…among these are the right to LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. (U.S. Declaration of Independence). 

 

“Abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law…formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense…and excommunication…not thereby restrict the scope of mercy...rather she makes clear the gravity.”  (Cathechism of the Catholic Church).   Parents, consider sitting with your teens and looking at www.TheologyoftheBody.org and dot net …click on links.

 www.saintantoninus.org/Church/Bulletins/c_bullet.htm (LIFE column is last week of each month since March.)

God is good!

Jane Hoffman, St. Antoninus Pro-life, Pro-family Commission

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July 30, 2006

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

Hidden wounds.  The knees of her jeans were damp from her bowed head’s falling tears.  The loss of her child in an abortion has filled Ellie’s life with secret grief.  She’s a client who now wants me to tell others how grateful she is for the hope of healing she has found in the outstretched arms of Christ at a local pro life pregnancy center.  For many years Brad had a difficult time with the abortion of his three lost children; sorrow is now replacing his anger.  Finding the unconditional love of Christ, he is supported in forgiving himself and grieving the loss of his little children. 

 

As these parish columns have been looking at the foundation of God’s sanctity of human life and our call to witness our Catholic faith, we also turn to welcome those who have been wounded by abortion.  Mother, fathers, grandparents, sisters and brothers…the entire extended family is touched and suffers…the Body of Christ grieves.

 

You or someone you know are not alone.  “Healing after abortion is a long road.  Few steps along that road are more powerful than Rachel’s Vineyard retreats.  In the name of the Lord of Life and Mercy, I invite you to enter this place of welcome and understanding.” (Fr. Frank Pavone, Natl. Dir. Priests for Life).

 

Consider clipping this column to lovingly share/mail:  a Post-Abortion Healing Ministry of the Catholic Church www.RachelsVineyard.org or call 877-HOPE-4-ME.  Note: our Cincinnati retreat is coming in October. www.HopeAfterAbortion.com Project Rachel: 513-784-0531. Pregnancy Center West’s pregnancy loss: 513-588-0080 All our services are strictly confidential.  More on this next month.         

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September 24, 2006
Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 
It's the unasked question.  It remains the hidden wound that longs to find healing.  A parishioner told me that she has never known anyone who had an abortion and she was certain that neither had I.  Sadly, wrong on both counts; we all know someone, somewhere…we just don’t know that we do.  We often have seen the pain, the change in someone without considering the question:  “is this someone wounded by an abortion?”
“My Dad never knew what happened to me, why I changed.  I used to do pretty well at school, student council and all.  My Mom took me; she was worried I was too young to have a baby. I didn’t really want that abortion.  I cried a lot.  So did my boyfriend. So did my Mom. We still do, inside.  Life has never been the same.  I wish I’d made an adoption plan instead.”  Emily’s family is like so many others who are misinformed: well meaning parents or friends are sometimes ‘the pressure’ not to give life but to abort the child. Consider clipping and lovingly sharing this and July 30 column www.saintantoninus.org:  Healing and hope after abortion for women and men:  call 513-588-0080 Rachel’s Vineyard Cinti. Retreat Oct. 13-15.  www.HopeAfterAbortion.com God is good!
          Jane Hoffman, St. Antoninus Pro Life/Pro Family Commission

 

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October 1, 2006

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

When Jesus founded the holy Catholic Church, He said that in listening to His church we are listening to Him “He who hears you, hears Me; and he who rejects you rejects Me.”(Luke 10:16).  So, what is Jesus telling us through His Church about setting priorities in celebrating and defending His loving gift of human life, especially the most vulnerable?   

Pope John Paul II :  “Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights – for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to culture – is false and illusionary if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination.”  (Christifideles Laici).  It is the underpinning of all concerns for social justice.  Pope Paul II and the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) made it clear that: “the fundamental right and the source of all other rights…is the right to life, a right belonging to every individual.  Consequently, laws which legitimize the direct killing of innocent human beings through abortion or euthanasia are in complete opposition to the inviolable right to life proper to every individual.” (Evangelium Vitae)

 

“Not all issues can be given equal weight:  the issue of life is paramount, different from all other issues of social import.  A failure to recognize that abortion takes priority over other issues at this point in our history is to misunderstand the social teachings of the Church.” (Cardinal George). “Today the recognition of human life as a fundamental value is threatened.  Nowhere is this clearer than in the case of abortion.” (Cardinal Bernadin) www.USCCB.org  (click on Life Issues link) www.priestsforlife.org

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro-Life, Pro-Family Commission

 

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October 29, 2006

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

The Nov. 7th elections are on the minds of most adult Catholics.  “Not all issues can be given equal weight:  the issue of life is paramount, different from all other issues of social import.  A failure to recognize that abortion takes priority over other issues at this point in our history is to misunderstand the social teachings of the Church.” (Cardinal Francis George). 

Let us continue to pray: may voters, using an educated conscience, seek to make a right judgment in accordance with reason and God’s law.  May we remember the Church has been given to us and teaches that the following are always morally wrong and our opposition to them must be non-negotiable:  abortion and infanticide; euthanasia; embryonic stem cell research; human cloning; the legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage.  Other important issues are then to be considered which allow “a plurality of morally acceptable policies and solutions”.  (Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life) 

Consider checking out resources:  www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations  Cathechism of the Catholic Church, www.saintantoninus.org (click pro-life)    

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro-Life, Pro-Family Commission

 

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November 26, 2006

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

Our parish school children recently completed a week “Everybody Counts”.  What an upbeat way to answer God’s call to respect and support each group represented on the logo of Right to Life!  “Everybody Counts” always cherishes the most vulnerable innocent in our human family, no matter how small or how old or how ill:  the very young person still in her/his mother’s womb, from conception on, who needs protection from dying in abortion or embryonic stem cell research or infanticide; those with disabilities (like Downs syndrome), the elderly, and the ill who each need protection from euthanasia; and each of us to be protecting human life from cloning.

 

As Advent approaches, let’s consider that Jesus was a human person: from His moment of conception in Our Lady’s womb; as He was in Mary’s womb when she visited her cousin and John the Baptist leapt to greet Jesus from his place in St. Elizabeth’s womb; Jesus was in Mary’s womb as she and St. Joseph found their way to Bethlehem; as He waited outside the inn when St. Joseph was told there was no room so they went to a stable awaiting His birth.  Everybody Counts…Jesus showed us the way, even from His home in Our Lady’s womb.  Check out www.saintantoninus.org (click on pro life).

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro-Life, Pro-Family Commission

 

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December 31, 2006

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

The week before Christmas I had the blessing of speaking at an assembly with 1000+ fantastic teens at Elder High School.  They want to “make a difference” … to “stand up” for God’s awesome gift of human life.  This means making a commitment, a resolution for 2007 we all need to consider:  I have decided that I will not be silent any longer, I will learn and speak the truth with love, and I will pray daily…this is the spiritual battle of our times.

 

More than 48,000,000 American children have been legally killed before birth in abortion…their parents and families wounded.  St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta made an imperative statement for our world, our nation: “The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between.”

 

Our St. Antoninus parish family can put Mother Theresa’s imperative into positive action by starting with a discussion at the dinner table, in the car ride home, or on the way to school.  Discussion begets action.  As a tool for starting, visit www.RockforLife.com, a site dedicated to the life movement for our youth.  Also, check our parish website for TEN WAYS A TEEN CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND STAND UP FOR LIFE.

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro-Life, Pro-Family Commission

 

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April 1, 2007

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

Today’s news has much about ‘pictures’.  So what about the pictures?  When and where are we compelled to bear witness to God’s truth:  a unique child of God, a fellow member of our human family, lives in the womb…and through abortion this child is willfully killed and these parents wounded?  “The Christian is not to ‘be ashamed of testifying to our Lord’ (Jn 18:  37).  In situations that require witness to the faith, the Christian must profess it without equivocation…Witness is an act of justice that establishes the truth or makes it known.” (Cathechism of the Cath. Ch, Life in Christ:  The Eighth Commandment, 2464…). 

In today’s life and death situations, where better to lovingly witness to God’s truth than 1.)  in ultra-sound images of life of the unborn child for her/his abortion-minded parents 2.) at the entrances of the benign-appearing death centers of Planned Parenthood and The Women’s Med Center+?  Surely a picture is still worth a thousand words. 

 

Questions for our family consideration: Would the evils of Auschwitz, Dauchau and Buchenwald have been believed by the world without graphic photos of mass graves?  Would the evils of racism and segregation continue to be tolerated without the graphic photo of a lynching and news footage of dogs and fire hoses unleashed on school children?  If a community remains silent, what is the complicity of its members in the lies of evil?  Jesus Himself tells us “you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:  31-32) More next month! www.priestsforlife.org www.silentnomoreawareness.org www.abortionNO.org 

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro-Life, Pro-Family Commission

 

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April 29, 2007

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold the federal ban on partial birth abortion is really ALLELUIA NEWS!!! A turning of the corner! This landmark legislation is the first abortion restriction in 34 years, since the passing of the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton Supreme Court decisions which legalized abortion on demand in this country throughout all nine months of pregnancy.

 

We’ve all prayed and  “asked” God so now, together let’s  thank God...and thank our devout public servants for their faithful, courageous leadership.  Let’s have an attitude of gratitude…”that when they see the good that you do, they’ll give glory to God.” 

 

Consider writing a thank you note to our local, national leader:

 

U.S. Congressman Steve Chabot     (author & prime sponsor of this historic ban)

3003 Carew Tower

441 Vine St.

Cincinnati Ohio 45202

 

Consider sending "Thank You" cards to supporting Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy (all five supporting judges are Catholics as well)

 

Here in Cincinnati appropriately we note this local Catholic connection:  Congressman Steve Chabot is a product of our Archdiocesan schools.  He attended Holy Family and St. Catherine grade schools and is a LaSalle grad.   He is an Our Lady of Lourdes parishioner.  Congressman Chabot has made an historical contribution on behalf of the Church's teachings on social justice.  With more than 48 million deaths and the wounding of parents and families, abortion is the civil rights issue of the century.  (see www.SaintAntoninus.org pro life page).

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro life Pro Family Committee

 

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May 27, 2007

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

Memorial Day:  America pauses to honor those in the armed services, protecting our nation both currently and as veterans.  We offer our heartfelt prayers of gratitude for their courage, their sacrifice and their faithful fulfillment of their civic duty with honor and integrity.  Courage, sacrifice, faithfulness to duty, honor, integrity…we are inspired by such people, such qualities, hoping to emulate them in our own Catholic vocation:  “The love of God compels me.” (2 Corinthians).

 

Pat, a volunteer at a pregnancy center, told me, “I have always wondered what I would have done in World War II to stop the holocaust.  Well, a holocaust in far greater magnitude is happening EVERY day in this country (4000 innocent children are killed in USA every day through abortion). I asked myself, ‘are you doing anything about it, or are you ignoring it by saying to yourself, it's the law of the land, there is nothing I can do.’  I used to think that way, but now I believe this is wrong thinking.”   Reprioritizing our lives is a beginning.

 

 Volunteer, Beth, says:  “I remind myself, it is not just a ‘nice idea’ to be involved in protecting the unborn and their parents, it is our duty. “  So, consider a family discussion on the importance of Memorial Day and duty.  What is a better understanding of their qualities we honor?  As Catholics, how might we better emulate their qualities in our own daily lives?  Six months out from New Year’s resolutions, let us resolve to “stand up for God’s gift of LIFE” even more so…how?

 

Join other Greater Cincinnati families:  Walk the Bridge for Life June 3, 2-3 pm; begins at Peace Bell in Newport, KY www.WalktheBridge.com

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro life, Pro family Committee

 

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July 1, 2007

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

President Bush vetoed legislation (S.5) that would mandate further federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, taking the life of an embryo…an age each of us once was. Millions of our “waiting-to-be-born” sisters and brothers will be grateful as well.  Many prayers gratefully answered.

 

The concept “Stem Cell Research” has often been misrepresented.  There are two types.  The first is “non-embryonic or adult stem cell research”, and is compatible with the moral code and supported by the teaching of the Catholic Church as this type does not involve the taking of another human life at the embryo stage of our growth…for example, cells have been successfully utilized from one’s own umbilical cord as well as from an adult organ

 

However, the second type is called embryonic stem cell research”…research which always involves the taking of another human’s life.   Very clearly, this type of stem cell research always is intrinsically evil which means that  by its very nature, evil in itself, thus always morally wrong, its intent is never justified and our opposition must be non-negotiable.  The Church teaches us that the following are intrinsically evil:  abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, human fetus farming and the legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage.   “A plurality of morally acceptable policies and solutions” are to be considered only for those areas not intrinsically evil.  (Doctrinal Note on Some questions regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life)

 

Great work for a future term paper, students!  Consider reading

National Catholic Bioethics Center:  www.NCBCenter.org

National Right to Life:  www.NRLC.org/killing_embryos/NRLCLettertoSenateS5andS30.html and www.stemcellresearch.org/  www.saintantoninus.org

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro life, Pro family Committee

 

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July 15, 2007

The entry for July 15, 2007 is a compilation of the columns that Fr. Armstrong wrote after his attendance at the lecture on Life Issues presented by Fr. Tadeusz Pasholczyk at Mt. St. Mary Seminary on June 22, 2007.

Dear Parishioners,

     I attended an all day lecture on Life Issues at Mt. St. Mary Seminary on June 22.  The presenter was Fr. Tadeusz Pasholczyk who has his doctorate in neurobiology and is the director of the National Catholic Bioethics Center.  He covered In Vitro Fertilization, Embryonic Stem Cell Research and End-of-Life Issues.  The following is a summary of my notes on his presentation In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).

     IVF is the slippery slope of life issues because it puts embryonic humans on ice.  The TV program "Nova" produced "18 Ways to Make a Baby" and invited viewers to suggest more; Nova stated the number of methods is now 30.  On July 25, 1978, Louise Brown the first "test-tube" baby was born.  At that time the ethics of IVF was discussed.  However, that quickly faded and now embryos are graded Levels 1, 2, 3 and if eugenics is practiced, some of  the embryonic humans are destroyed.

     However, Pope John Paul II emphasized the sacredness of human life and procreation in The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae, 4). A foundational principle of Morality is that the end does not justify the means.  In this case, a good end, the desire for a child, does not justify IVF etc, to achieve it.  Yet, no matter how a child comes into the world, he or she is gift from God.

In Donum Vitae (Gift of Life, 2/22/87), the Holy Father emphasizes that the marital act is to be at one and the same time both love-sharing and life- giving.  It is to be a collaboration between the spouses and God.  In IVF, humans are treated as not equal to the mother and father because IVF is not true to the sexual self-giving between spouses.  The insight of natural law, which can be known to all humans by the light of reason, is that the marital act is the privileged place for the transmission of life.

     IVF undermines the meaning of sex, turning procreation into production, thus depersonalizing its very nature. Nevertheless, God binds Himself to His own universal laws, even though sinful human choices constrain His Hand.  Thus artificial contraception and IVF are two sides of one coin, opposed to the true meaning of the marital act: sex without babies/babies without sex.  Further dangers of IVF included frozen embryos which are treated as objects not subjects, the method of obtaining semen and eggs; "selective reductions" in the case of multiple births or low birth weight; elevated risk of birth defects; market forces e.g. "big money " in IVF technologies; little ethical oversight; "property rights"  on so-called "left-over" embryos.

     Donum Vitae makes the very important distinction between replacing the marital act with assisting in the procreation of children.  (It is important to point out that married couples have the right to acts per se apt for the generation of children, not to the children themselves.  Every child is a gift from God, no matter how the child is conceived.  But "how" is precisely the moral question here.) Dr. Hilgers of NaPro Technology.com at Creighton University has developed a means of assisting with procreation that cooperates with a woman's reproductive cycle.

     Father Tad concluded by reminding us that The Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of Life and gave examples from Scripture of those who left progeny in the hands of God.  Likewise, we need to retool our thinking about adoption, other ways of ex-pressing faithfulness in marriage and celibacy.  Finally, the role of suffering, especially bearing the cross of infertility, has meaning and redemptive power in our lives.

 

Dear Parishioners,

     The following is a summary of my notes from the second session which Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, the director of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, presented on Embryonic Stem Cell Research (ESCR).  His goal was to cut through the spin on stem cells and cloning. First, he reviewed cell potencies.

     He divided his topic in the following way: 1) Cell potency; 2) What they can do; 3) origin of cells. Thus: Totipotential cells can develop into a new adult from 1-3 day old embryos.  Pluripotential cells can form any of the 220 known cell types in the body from 5-7 day old embryos (blastocysts). Multipotent cells are partially differentiated and can form many other tissues from adult stem cells, umbilical cords and bone marrow. Father Tad wanted to cut through the Hollywood hype, which only considers the "benefits" of embryonic stem cell research, by contrasting "myth" and "fact."

     Myth: Stem cells only come from Embryos.  Fact: Stems cells not only come from Embryonic Germ Cells but also Adult stem cells; Umbilical Cords; Placenta; Amniotic Fluid; Bone Marrow; Fat; the Nose; Cadavers.  Myth: The Catholic Church is against stem cell research.  Fact: The Church has ethical concerns about the sources of the cells; the good end, medical research for potential cures does not justify the destruction of embryonic Humans.

     Morally, it is ok to use adult stem cells because no one's life is taken, thereby.  Father referred to the Family Research Council (FRC.org/1-800-225-4008); and pointed out that all the medical advances have been the result of adult stem research, of which he had many moving examples.  Myth: Embryo stem cell research has shown the most developing treatment and cure.  Fact: Adult stem Cell research is already curing numerous humans while, to date, ESCR has never cured anybody. (On a personal note, I was astounded by that fact.)

     Then, why pursue embryonic stem cell research?  It comes down to greed: money and royalties from licensing.  It also a "culture war" because a scientist, Irving Wiesman, was able to convince actors like Christopher Reeve, based on faulty science reports, that ESCR was the only way to go. How can I find out about clinical trials for a particular disease using stem cells?  See www.clinicaltrials.gov.

     Father urged us to respect the Embryonic Human, as a former embryo himself!  He illustrated his point with a story about the American Bald Eagle.  In 1940, the bird was placed on the Federal Endangered Species list.  The law was so strict that if one were to destroy one of the eagle's eggs it was if you shot the bird out of the air. Are not humans worth as much protection?  As a society, we will be judged by how we treat our weakest members.  For more information, see NCBCenter.org/215-877-2660.

 

Dear Parishioners,

     The following is a summary of my notes on the third session, "End of Life Issues," present by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk at Mt. St. Mary Seminary on June 22.  He referred us to the US Bishops' document, "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Service."  He reminded us that we are the stewards, not the owners of our own lives.  Our lives are on loan from God and we are obliged to take care of them.  Therefore, the Catholic Church rejects both euthanasia and suicide. Likewise she resists a false notion of autonomy.

     We have a moral obligation to use ordinary and proportional means to preserve our lives.  That means that there is both a hope of benefit and not an excessive burden. (See the Declaration on Euthanasia, Cong. for the Doctrine of the Faith, 5/5/80). "Proportionate" relates to the health care of this patient: does it offer a reasonable hope of success?

     The following are some other questions that need to be asked as well.  How inconvenient is it and what are the associated risks? What are the circumstances of persons, places, times, cultures?  What, in terms of physical and moral resources, is the state the sick person? What burdens may be placed on others (e.g. family and friends)?  (And yet that does not mean, as Father only half-joked "I need to put granny out of my misery!”)  Does it involve excessive expense?  Thus, a complete blend of such factors needs to be considered for the judgment of end-of-life issues.

     The patient faces a dynamic journey as he/she encounters his/her own mortality.  There is a difference between illness (e.g. cancer; congestive heart failure) and actively dying.

     The following are important distinctions to make.  One dies from sickness/pathology, not from direct action. The treatment does not cause life to be excessively burdensome.  "I don't want a bunch of tubes attached to me”. Such care, however could be a bridge to healing and thus morally oblige. "Do not resuscitate" means death is imminent and there are no reasonable treatment options.  Father cautioned us on Living Wills and Advance Directives because of the difficulty of prognosis.  Living Wills places end-of-life issues in the hands of a physician.  Better is a Health Care Proxy because, after proper consultation, he or she can make decisions more in accord with the principal’s wishes.

     Unfortunately, I had to leave the session early.  Fr. Mike Seger, however will present our Lenten Series (February, 2008 for those who like to plan ahead!) and plans to cover the above issues.

     In writing this series of columns, I wanted, (to paraphrase Archbishop Pilarczyk in his book, “Twelve Tough Issues”) not to accuse anyone, but simply to witness to our faith.  I found Fr. Tad to be an excellent presenter and was struck once again by our church's profound and consistent teaching on the dignity and destiny of human life.

 

Rev. Christopher R. Armstrong

 

 

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August 26, 2007

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

      Earlier this year (see www.saintantoninus.org 4/1/07) I wrote to you concerning the importance of witnessing to the truth of abortion when we share actual pictures of children who have been willfully killed in abortion.  These tragic graphic pictures are in front of the benign appearing Planned Parenthood (the nation’s largest, deadliest provider for the abortion industry), truth displayed by dedicated, pro life sidewalk counselors.

      Just last week at a local pro life pregnancy center, a client told me, “Thank God that man was there, outside Planned Parenthood, with those pictures! I found out I was expecting twins…thought I couldn’t deal with twins so I actually had made an abortion appointment at Planned Parenthood!”   Thank God she did listen to that man and took his handout materials and wisely followed his suggestion to visit a local pregnancy center.  Now, she beamed as she brought in her gurgling 7 month old son and daughter.  “Wanted you to see my joys in life!” 

      As God would have it, within an hour a client came in with her beautiful 2½ year old brown-eyed daughter, Sarah.  This Mother and Dad had been through our parenting classes preparing for Sarah’s birth.  “You know I had an abortion all set at Planned Parenthood but thank God there was that man outside and I saw those pictures.”  He encouraged me, “Please, don’t go in there.  Don’t do this to your baby and yourselves.”

Real stories of grateful families who were shown the truth and who found support.  Those who want those pictures to be removed from the sidewalk should speak with the spared children (some now in the their 30’s themselves).  Listen to the voices of these children and their parents:  “Thank God that man with those photos was there…thank God.” Jesus teaches us, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8: 31-32). Make a difference:  plan to join our parish for Mass at Holy Name on Auburn Ave then the rosary walk to Planned Parenthood (8 am on Sept. 15)  Check out:  www.all.org/stopp

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro life, Pro family Committee

 

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September 30, 2007

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

Aren’t we blessed as Catholics!  The Church dedicates October in honor of Our Blessed Mother and the rosary.  Let’s be honest, sadly in today’s culture Our Lady and the rosary are ‘at best’ often ignored even by Catholics and ‘at worst’ ridiculed.  Yet, in God’s mercy, Our Lady, the Mediatrix of all grace, continues to intercede on our behalf.  This is especially paramount here in America where under legalized abortion we have taken the lives of over 48,000,000 (!!) waiting-to-be-born children and wounded their parents and families.  Mercy, mercy! We all need God’s merciful help. 

 

So, feeling “stumped”: “well, what can my family and I do?” Use our God-given arsenal in this battle between the culture of death and Jesus’ Gospel of LIFE:

1.  Reverently receive the sacraments of Holy Eucharist & Reconciliation

2.  Pray the rosary each day, start this month of October.

3.  Join families around the world in prayer to Our Lady of Fatima, Sat. October 13.

 

Note:  Ninety years ago, on October 13, 1917, Our Lady of Fatima (Portugal) appeared again to three shepherd children…in the presence of tens of thousands of on-lookers!  Mary again told us to “pray the rosary and do penance”!  Then there was the great Miracle of the Sun witnessed by so many including news people from across the country. www.fatima.org/essentials  

Come to Pray for a merciful end to the violence in our city against the born and the unborn.  

1.  Rosary Walk to Fountain Square 9:30am Immaculata Steps (procession starts at bottom of stairs, parking near The Boathouse), 10:30 Fountain Square: Consecration of our city.  2.  Family Rosary Vigil and Benediction (noon, Holy Spirit Center in Norwood)…musical celebration and refreshments.

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro life, Pro family Committee

 

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October 28, 2007

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

As Election on November 6th approaches, naturally each of us strives to vote with a clear conscience: “At all times and in all places, the Church should have the true freedom to teach the faith, to proclaim its teaching about society…and to pass moral judgment even in matters relating to politics, whenever the fundamental right of man or the salvation of souls requires it.” (Second Vatican Council)  “A well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program nor for an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals.” (Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith)    

1.  Vote 2.  Know the candidates: to learn if they stand for the right values so check their civic/voting records and see if they put their values into action/leadership, their websites, their literature 3. Reject the Disqualified and distinguish between Policy and Principal: suppose a candidate said “I support terrorism” we would hardly say, “Well, I disagree with you on terrorism but what’s your health care and education funding plan?”  Of course we would immediately realize such a position would disqualify her/him from public service.  We wouldn’t need to look further.  Their support for abortion (or for any other of the intrinsic evils,) is enough for us to decide not to vote for such a person. 4.  Keep our loyalty focused on Jesus and work to put our faith into action.

 

May we remember the Church has been given to us and teaches that the following are always morally wrong and our opposition to them must be non-negotiable:  abortion and infanticide; euthanasia; embryonic stem cell research; human cloning; the legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage.  (public record info: www.priestsforlife.org/legislation ; www.saintantoninus.org )

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro life, Pro family Committee

 

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December 9, 2007

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

The evening is cold; stars hang in the folds of the sky.  Stillness.  Anticipation.  While the darkness hovers, impossibility seems to breathe all around.  Yet there is the sound that shatters the night!  The cherished Child, so long awaited, is born!  His Light fractures the world and history is forever divided—the Before His birth, the After into eternity.  The God-Man, like each of us, has been sheltered in His mother’s womb for nine months.  Now the angels sing His triumphant birth!  We kneel in awe.  The Child, His Mother, the Virgin Mary, His foster father, Joseph…the Holy Family remains today as model for all of our families.

 

This Advent let us recommit our families to follow the example of the Holy Family.  Let us light the candles of our home Advent wreath, praying for all families blessed with a child, for those families expecting a child, those who know the love of adoption, those who have lost a child and those who are hoping for a child.  Let us also pray for the healing and reconciliation of those whose child has died in abortion.

 

Consider taking the family to see the movie Bella (PG 13):  it is full of this gift of the child, the family.  (Unlike the new The Golden Compass, “whose author openly proselytizes for atheism, corrupting the imagery of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien to undermine children's faith in God and the Church.” Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children's Fantasy, published by Ignatius Press.)  The family will always need to be the vigilant gatekeepers of children’s impressionable minds; the nurturer of virtue and the safe haven; a loving place of joy, prayer and forgiveness, even in the humblest and grandest of homes.  Make a difference for your family:  visit www.abstinenceassociation.org/voiceyourchoiceohio and www.saintantoninus.org

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro life, Pro family Committee

 

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January 6, 2008

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

Imagine finding God’s loving hands during a visit to the grocery!  While making my last minute Christmas dinner purchases, I paused to say hello to a young boy quietly sitting in his mother’s grocery cart.  Smiling at me she beamed, “He’s such an angel!”  She candidly continued, “We are so blessed!  Earlier this year, his mother told me she was pregnant and going to abort him! I begged her not to do that to her baby and herself!  I asked her to give him to me instead.  She agreed...He’s 11 months old and we are now finishing our adoption plans!”  What Joy in choosing Life! “I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)  During this Holy Season, what a beautiful testimony to the beauty of God’s sacred gift of human life:  a soul created in His image and likeness, for all eternity. 

 

Consider a family/friends’ discussion of the following

“It is no slight thing

that those who come to us, so fresh from God,

Love us!

Babies have a way of reaching into our hearts,

of touching our lives

and changing our world

forever.” 

 

Adoption means making a loving plan for a child.  With God’s grace, love’s courage and generosity will always triumph.  Consider this New Year’s resolution:  let us pray that our nation, our church our families, ourselves…recommit to cherishing and defending God’s precious gift of human life…from conception to natural death.  Check www.SaintAntoninus.org for more pro active New Year’s resolutions.  Adoption Info?  Catholic Social Services:  CarolW@CSSdoorway.org; www.PregnancyCenterEast.com

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro life, Pro family Committee

 

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April 5, 2008

Dear Fellow Parishioners,

 

The joy of the Easter season is always a beautiful time to meditate on God’s Mercy and our great need of His mercy.  How the world longs for His mercy, even if we cannot always name it.  Mercy:

 

-A pro life friend just returned from a high security prison:  he again helped to give a Kairos retreat for the inmates.  The face of Christ is there, the need for mercy, especially for those on death row:  the Church reminds us that capital punishment is reserved solely for those rare situations when no other feasible means is available to protect society.-Thank God for devoted pro life individuals who tenaciously serve and advocate in this vital area.  Mercy.

 

-Thank God for pro life ministers who, in mercy, care for the poor, the sick or dying, who promote these individuals’ God-given dignity; for all who educate us on the evils of euthanasia and infanticide; for those who valiantly live with special needs and for those who are blessed to know and serve them.  Mercy.

 

-Notably, over-shadowing all, the Catholic Church consistently heralds the ministry of merciful service advocating on behalf of those waiting-to-be-born.  Our bishops speak with one voice condemning the legalization of abortion, the wounding of parents.  Our conscience must be moved by the millions who are on the “death row of the womb”:  unseen, unheard and the most marginalized…condemned to death itself often because of their special needs. 

 

Slavery was sheer absurdity…owning another human.  Likewise, abortion is sheer absurdity…the bizarre stance that we should ‘look the other way’ if someone chooses to kill an unborn child.  Worse yet, that some would actually defend this as a right—or will vote for someone who defends the macabre ‘right’ to choose to kill millions of the innocent, legally.  Mercy!  Consider during this Holy season to pray for His mercy; pray that America may in mercy vote to protect the sanctity of human life.  If a community remains silent, what is the complicity of its members in the lies of evil?

“Out of the depths I cry to You…have mercy on us, O Lord!”  www.priestsforlife.org

www.abortionNO.org

 

God is good!

Jane Hoffman

St. Antoninus Pro life, Pro family Committee

 

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HOW CAN TEENS MAKE A DIFFERENCE and STAND UP FOR LIFE?

 

1.  www. RockforLife.org.  Keep up with area Cincinnati teens and what they’re doing.

                                    What will you do?  Music…Activism…Education…Outreach

·        “You will not silence our message, 

                     You will not mock our God

                     You will stop killing our generation”

·        Sign up to keep up/notified by email

 

2.  Get educated…get your head where your heart is.   Share with your family and friends

     the interactive CD you’re receiving today:  “Unmasking the Truth:  abortion

     information for today’s youth.  God will work through you to serve others.