Acting in his capacity as the head of the USCCB Pro-Life Secretariat, Cardinal George (Archbishop of Chicago) wrote President Obama a letter asking him to, in effect, go easy on the abortion-promoting initiatives that he has been promising.

Cardinal George(right) pictured with Pope Benedict XVI

Read the full letter and accompanying press release here.

The letter is well written and thoughtful and represents the thinking of the US Bishops. As such it is a good starting point for constantly reminding the new President that there is a large percentage of the population who do not approve of the measures he has been referring to and that his efforts at "bringing people together" would be significantly hampered were he to inflict upon America an abortion regime the likes of which has never been seen before.

Far from bringing people together, this would divide the country in an even more aggravated way than has been seen in the past. A new era is definitely upon us.

It's important that the Catholic Church in general become more involved in fixing our political system. In an age where principle is sacrificed for personal gain and corruption is celebrated and its practitioners promoted, it makes sense to organize people who are honest and morally ethical to challenge the prevailing system in order to advance the common good. Not because we are interested in one party over the other, but because we are interested in humanity, first and foremost.

Two things in particular need to happen here. 1) We need to make sure that the men and women who run for office are morally free from any taint or corruption. They must be honest, and live their lives with integrity and truly have a servant's heart. We must find these people and ask them to serve.

2) We must make sure that those who are in office actually advance the common good via the bills that the various legislatures around the country propose. Pressure must be brought to bear on these politicians to make sure they know that the people in their districts are watching and paying attention to every vote. And they will make their voices heard.

In the past few months, we have been receiving many inquiries from people indiciating their desire to do something about the tragedy of abortion in our land. They have told me that they are unhappy with the current efforts at ending abortion and want to be involved in an effort that makes this goal occur.

They are also overwhelmed by the corruption and scandal that daily lines the headlines of our newspapers and see the need to change it.

You CAN make a difference with CAT

In order to facilitate that growth and to make sure that the Catholic Church in Dallas has a powerful impact on public policy and the legislative process, we have started the Catholic Action Team (CAT), which will mobilize and educate Citizen Volunteers to be in touch with their elected officials, to visit with them and to pay attention to what they are doing. This personal touch, accompanied by the desire to restore integrity to our political system, represents our best chance of advancing the common good in a way that is consistent with what the Church teaches.

(Pro-life Texas State Senator Dan Patrick at Jan. 17's Roe Rally)

Our first CAT team training will take place on Saturday, January 31st at Thomas Aquinas Church in Dallas from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm. This training is free and it is for people of all ages. You do not have to be an expert in politics or the political system to attend.

For more information, visit us online at www.prolifedallas.org/CAT. Sign up for the training online as well.

Labels: Catholic Politicians, Politics, Texas Legislature

Saturday’s "March for Life" was an amazing success! Between 3,000-5,000 people (depending which news agency you ask) took to the streets of downtown Dallas to show their support for the protection of human life in the womb. We partnered with our brothers and sisters from the First Baptist Church of Dallas and Christ for the Nations for this record-breaking event.

Thanks to everyone for coming out on what turned out to be a beautiful day, especially all the youth groups, religious and families! We’ll have more photos and video from the event later this week. For now, check out coverage from The Dallas Morning News, CBS Channel 11 and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Local
Here in the Diocese of Dallas, Bishop Kevin Farrell has ordered 350,000 “Stop FOCA” cards to be placed in the pews during Mass later this month as part of a national campaign to tell President-elect Obama that the people of this country do not want the Freedom of Choice Act to pass. This is so far, the largest order of “Stop FOCA” cards of any diocese in the country. We’re so blessed to have the support of our Bishop, but this kind of civic action outreach can’t happen without the support of parish priests as well.

Aurora Tinajero, Spanish Ministry director for the Catholic Pro-Life Committee, sent us an email last week gushing about how much she appreciated the efforts of her parish priest to take the time to mention events like the Roe memorial at every Mass.

“After the parish announcements, Father Manuel, with flyer in hand, gave a wonderful and inspiring appeal to the parishioners about the Roe Memorial on January 17th. The parishioners received a copy of the flyer in the bulletin. One of the things that he told them was that ‘....As a Catholic, if you are not participating in the culture of life, you are participating in the culture of death.’ Also, ‘As Catholics we do not have an option, we have to defend life.’ He quoted Pope John Paul II on the Gospel of Life and told the parishioners the numbers of deaths that have occurred since Roe v. Wade was passed, and how many were happening on a daily basis throughout the U.S. He invited all parishioners to come to the events on January 17th and that he would try to join us at the Rosary at the abortion clinic.

“I am very blessed at my parish to have not only a Pastor but a deacon who is courageous and strongly committed to bring the message of the Gospel of Life to the parishioners. God has truly blessed Immaculate Conception with these two great men.”

Our pastors are usually very busy servants. If you don’t have much pro-life activity at your parish, contact your Parish Coordinator or the Catholic Pro-Life Committee to see how you can get your parish more involved.

Tell us about what your pastor is doing to promote life in your parish by using our “comment” link below!

National
While we never like to see any families go without, it was encouraging to see Planned Parenthood cut back on “services” (i.e. abortions, killing unborn babies) due to fall out from the Madoff financial scandal.

“Planned Parenthood Cuts Staff After Madoff Scandal Causes Funding Loss”
(Read more…)

We want to know about the small victories happening in your area. Tell us in the "comments" section.

I hope you had a joyful New Year. I’m Marisa Alvarado and this is the end of my first week working for the Catholic Pro-Life Committee. A little about me: I graduated from the University of Texas in Arlington in 2005 with a degree in journalism, and I’m originally from San Marcos, Texas.

Labels: Pro-Life Resources