"...Appropriate and Effective Programmes of Support for New Life..."

For someone who rambles, I have been a bit quiet lately. Things have been kind of busy, now that I have responsibilities aside from my family. Twice a week I teach a sign language class for hearing babies and their mothers, I'm heading up the Respect Life Committee at my parish, and I'm still teaching an apologetics class for middle schoolers at my homeschool co-op. In addition, for the last two Wednesdays I've been going to something our parish does called "Coffee with Jesus." (We get together at a local restaurant and talk about the readings for that day.) Then there's just the normal stuff of life: homeschooling, doctor's appointments (Little Girl is getting glasses), storytime at the library, ballet for Little Girl (Big Girl starts soccer during Easter Week), and the general things that go with being a wife and mother.

But trust me, I'm not complaining. The only thing I question is the signing class because it ties me down more than anything else that I do. But I enjoy the class, and I really like the results. (Not much is cuter than watching the tiny hands of a one year old while she's signing.)

Probably the best thing lately is the new directions for the Respect Life Committee at our parish. It's been kind of inactive for a while, mostly due to the busy, busy lives of the two wonderful women who were heading it up. I had big plans, but the meetings we've started to have monthly have resulted in even bigger ones. Thanks be to God for the wonderful members of the committee! I could do none of what is being done without them (and especially without God's graces)! One of the most amazing things about my being the chair of the committee is that I am not a natural leader. I am really much more comfortable to follow someone else's lead, and so this whole business of being in charge of something aside from my family is quite new. Anything I do right (or successfully) is absolutely because of God's graces. There is no other explanation for it. I've also taken to praying for Blessed Teresa of Calcutta's intercessions.

I wrote the following article for our parish newsletter, and I wanted to share it here since I said I'd be updating my four readers with what's been going on with the group. I removed the names of anyone to protect privacy, but the rest is essentially what I'm submitting to the newsletter.

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Building a Culture of Life

by Christine

The Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus' message. Lovingly received day after day by the Church, it is to be preached with dauntless fidelity as "good news" to the people of every age and culture.

-Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae (1)

Recently, the Respect Life Committee of [our parish] has undergone some changes. First, A***, who has led the group for some time, stepped down as chair. I stepped up in her place, though A*** has been kind enough to give me guidance on how to proceed as chair. Next, we began meeting on the second Monday of each month. It might seem like that’s too often, but I what we have envisioned for our group to do requires meetings on a regular basis. What I’d like to do for you here is outline what we’ve been up to, as well as what we are planning on doing in the future.

Earlier this year, our parish was contacted by a woman whose teenaged daughter had just discovered she was pregnant. The girl had already been to Planned Parenthood, where she was advised to have an abortion. Thank God, she did not go through with it, but her mother explained that there wasn’t enough money for the family to get some of the basic necessities to provide for the child. Would we be able to help out with getting some of the most expensive items – namely a crib and some maternity clothes? Through some very generous donations, we were able to purchase a crib and a gift certificate to Motherhood (a store specializing in maternity clothes). We also made suggestions on where to go for further help with baby clothes and more. As I type this, the young girl and her boyfriend are driving back home with the crib. The family is extremely grateful, and has even promised to donate the crib back to the parish once it is no longer needed.

And this brings us to what the Respect Life Committee would like to be able to do in the future.

Our committee has come up with the idea to be on the ready to assist women who might find themselves in a crisis pregnancy. Maybe the woman in question is unmarried. Maybe she is married, but she and her husband are having financial trouble and aren’t sure how they’ll make it when the baby comes along. Whatever the problem, it is part of our call as Catholic Christians to do what we can to help her. Pope John Paul II, writing in Evangelium Vitae, said:

Every Christian community, with a renewed sense of responsibility, must continue to write this history [of charity] through various kinds of pastoral and social activity. To this end, appropriate and effective programmes of support for new life must be implemented, with special closeness to mothers who, even without the help of the father, are not afraid to bring their child into the world and to raise it. (87)

For the past year, we have been giving assistance to Commonwealth Catholic Charities by having quarterly baby showers. This important program assists Catholic Charities in supplying baby clothes and diapers to women in crisis pregnancy as well as to some of their foster children. This program won’t be ending, but we’ve felt called to do more to assist families in need. To this end, Respect Life is planning on building up and maintaining a regular supply of layettes and cribs to be loaned out to those in need. The plan is to include in the layettes diapers and clothes – in graduating sizes from newborn up for both boys and girls – and to have sets for winter and summer in order to meet the needs of someone no matter what the season. The only request we would make is for the clothes and cribs to be gently used so that they might be returned to the parish and used again by a new family.

This idea is an exciting one, but it’s also one that is not able to be done without funds. Our parish’s budget simply does not have the funds to complete this kind of program. And so, the Respect Life Committee will be conducting various fundraisers in order to build up this program for assisting families. Our first fundraiser will be for Mother’s Day; we’re having a tea for mothers and daughters that will finish up with a May crowning. This is something we’re hoping to be able to do on an annual basis, so as to make a new tradition for the women in our parish. Men, don’t feel left out! We’re looking to do something special for fathers and sons near Saint Joseph’s feast day next year!

This is only one of the many wonderful ideas our members have come up with. Watch the bulletin for information on more of the upcoming events for Respect Life at [our parish]. And, as always, feel free to come to a meeting! They are open to everyone, and we’d be glad to have you!