In an effort to raise the awareness level on the evil of abortion, our fraternity has taken on a proactive approach, hoping to affect a positive change in our parish and our community at large. Our overall goal is to bring about a greater understanding of the abortion issues, to help empower people to do some thing about this evil in our society and to end abortion in Canada.
At this page, you will find information on:
- 40 Days For Life
- Everyday For Life
- Life Chain
- Eduardo Verastegui Abortion Video
- Church Teaching On Abortion
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Virtue of Chastity
- Theology of The Body
- Additional Resources
40 Days For Life: Lent'2009
This year was the first year "40 Days For Life," began in Toronto, as part of a nation wide effort to help draw attention to the evil of abortion in Canada, through the use of a three-point program: prayer and fasting, constant vigil and community outreach. Our fraternity participated in this pro life effort with some of us attending the front line prayer vigils, others with private prayers and yet others with their fasting. Together with other participants from this campaign, in North American and around the world, we helped to save a confirmed number of 431 babies lives.
40 Days for Life takes a determined, peaceful approach to showing local communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighborhoods, for their own friends and families. It puts into action a desire to cooperate with God in the carrying out of His plan for the end of abortion in Canada.
The recently completed campaign was held right in front of the Columbus Center, directly across the building where abortions are performed at 960 Lawrence Ave. West., just west of St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church. To the right of this page is a photo of the above noted building where abortions are performed six days a week.
Thank you to all participants of this 40 Days For Life campaign. It has been because of your commitment to prayer, fasting, and all that you have done to help end abortion, that to date, there is a confirmed number of 368 babies saved throughout the world. Thank you for helping to change the hearts and minds of so many Canadians from the “Culture of Death” and help restore Canada to a “Culture of Life.”
The “Everyday For Life” campaign that began on Saturday, April 18, 2009 is now making way for the greater awareness effort of 40 Days For Life. Everyday For Life will resume after the 40 Days For Life fall campaign ends and continue until the next one.
Everyday For Life was successful during the course of the summer campaign, there were twelve "turnarounds." That is twelve lives saved. Praise be to God!
Life Chain
Life Chain is a one hour of silent prayer and public witness. This pro-life event is held twice a year and is an activity of and supported by Campaign Life Coalition , the political wing of the pro-life movement in Canada.
Publicly praying and being a witness is for many, unfamiliar territory, an uncomfortable idea, an effort that does not produce any tangible results and is dismissed with the rationale, "what possible difference could I make standing on the corner?" What ever may be some of the participation obstacles you face, our fraternity encourages you to join the Life Chain effort, knowing full well that you will not be alone. We will gladly stand with you! In the words of Blessed Mother Teresa, "God doesn't require us to succeed; He only requires that you try." Let us all stand together and strengthen our resolve to do our part to help the unborn children.
Eduardo Verastegui, Star Of "Bella" Abortion Video (WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES)
The Mexican movie star, Eduardo Verastegui, who starred in "Bella" the pro life movie, provides his pro life message below. The video and Eduardo's message is captivating. It is a "must see video" that reveals the horror and evil of abortion, that exists here in Canada, North America and throughout the world. Our fraternity hopes and prays that, after watching this video, you will be inspired to do some thing to help all the unborn children targeted for abortion.
Abortion is the greatest source of human deaths in the twentieth and twenty first centuries, claiming more lives than those that have resulted from war, poverty, starvation, epidemics and natural disasters. The abortion problem has had so many medical, psychological, political, economic and cultural ramifications, that it has and continues to be a major contribution to our growing "culture of death." Its public funding and permissibility, its inclusion at law which began with the omnibus Bill C-150 Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1968-69 (legalized contraception and "therapeutic" abortion), should be a clarion call to Catholics and to all people of good will, to do some thing to end the evil of abortion in society.
History shows that Church teaching on abortion, namely that abortion is a grave evil, has been clear, emphatic and unwavering. The absolute inviolability of innocent human life is a moral truth taught by Sacred Scripture, constantly upheld in the Church's Tradition and consistently proposed by her Magisterium.
Our Catholic faith is very specific about abortion: it is the killing of a developing human being and a lack of respect for human life. Two key sources of information that expand on this are the Catechism of the Catholic Church and an encyclical written by the Servant of God Pope John Paul II. The Catechism of the Catholic Church specifically states at Article 5 The Fifth Commandment, under the section of Respect For Human Life,
"...Scripture specifies the prohibition contained in the fifth commandment: "Do not slay the innocent and the righteous." The deliberate murder of an innocent person is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human being, to the golden rule, and to the holiness of the Creator. The law forbidding it is universally valid: it obliges each and everyone, always and everywhere.(2261) In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord recalls the commandment, "You shall not kill,..." (2262)
The Servant of God Pope John Paul II in his encyclical, Evangelium vitae, the Gospel of Life, not only deals with the many aspects of human life, but also exposes and elaborates on the threats to the value and inviolability of human life, namely: abortion, euthanasia, suicide, the death penalty, human embryo research and more. Sections 58-62 inclusively of this encyclical are dedicated to the issue of abortion. Regarding abortion the Servant of God Pope John Paul states,
"...in many people's consciences, the perception of its gravity has become progressively obscured. The acceptance of abortion in the popular mind, in behaviour and even in law itself, is a telling sign of an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense, which is becoming more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, even when the fundamental right to life is at stake. Given such a grave situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of self-deception. In this regard the reproach of the Prophet is extremely straightforward: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Is 5:20). Especially in the case of abortion there is a widespread use of ambiguous terminology, such as "interruption of pregnancy", which tends to hide abortion's true nature and to attenuate its seriousness in public opinion. Perhaps this linguistic phenomenon is itself a symptom of an uneasiness of conscience. But no word has the power to change the reality of things: procured abortion is the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth..." (58)
The culture of death, so often referred to by the Servant of God Pope John Paul II in the above noted encyclical, deals with the societal attitudes and "structures of sin" that encourage and promote abortion and accommodate its availability. Not specific to abortion, the culture of death also refers to euthanasia, suicide, the death penalty, human embryo research and all threats to the value and inviolability of human life.
Within the family component of society, fathers are to be blamed for an abortion, not only when the man directly pressures the woman to have an abortion, but also when he indirectly encourages such a decision on her part by leaving her alone to face the problems of pregnancy. There is also the wider circle of pressure from family and friends.
Doctors and nurses are also responsible for abortion, when instead of placing their skills to help life, they place them at the service of death. No medical professional has the right to deliberately kill a human being, especially an innocent human being developing in the womb. The Servant of God Pope John Paul II quotes the Congregation For The Doctrine of the Faith's document, Donum Vitae: Instruction on Respect for Human Life in its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation,
"Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God', and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can, in any circumstance, claim for himself the right to destroy directly an innocent human being" (53).
A unique responsibility belongs to health care professionals (doctors, nurses, pharmacists etc.) who are entrusted by society to be guardians and servants of human life.
Politicians, legislators and all civil leaders are also responsible for abortion when they have approved and promoted abortion laws in any way. Such individuals are called to serve the people and the common good, to make courageous choices in support of life, especially through legislative measures. This responsibility can in no way be renounced or removed from these public servants. Any decisions and actions that are contrary to the defense and promotion of life, come with it a responsibility to "...answer to God, to his or her own conscience and to the whole of society for choices which may be contrary to the common good." (90) The establishment of laws are important in promoting and establishing a "culture of life" because of the role they play in influencing patterns of thought and behavior. As the Servant of God Pope John Paul II states, laws that are contrary to the culture of life, disregard the dignity of the person and undermine the very fabric of society.
A general and no less responsibility also rests with those who promote promiscuity and sexual permissiveness as well as to those who did not effectively ensure family and social policies in support of families, especially larger families and those with particular financial and educational needs. On a more grand scale, there is also the responsibility of international institutions, foundations and associations which, "systematically campaign for the legalization and spread of abortion." (59)
Clearly, the deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of his or her life is always morally evil and can never be licit either as an end it itself or as a means to a good end. As the Servant of God Pope John Paul II states, "It is in fact a grave act of disobedience to the moral law, and indeed to God himself, the author and guarantor of that law; it contradicts the fundamental virtues of justice and charity." (57)
We encourage everyone to read "Evangelium vitae," and fully discover what our Catholic faith says about abortion and human life. We hope and pray that you will always be encouraged to seek what our faith says about any issue or controversy and in so doing, opening up yourself to the truth, a truth that is not to be compromised in any way, but stands above all the attempts of the "culture of death" to dilute, diminish and vanquish it from the minds and consciences of the faithful.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, the famous four apparitions in the early fifteenth century of the Blessed Virgin Mary to a local native Indian, Juan Diego, in what is now known as the country of Mexico. Our Lady of Guadalupe's purpose was to end Satan's deception of Native American peoples of the cruel human sacrificial rituals to false Gods, performed on a scale never approached by any other peoples. In 1531 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego, at Tepeyac, a hill northwest of what is now Mexico City and identified herself as the "...ever virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the earth." Mary requested from her new humble servant, that a church to be built on the site:
"I wish that a temple be erected here quickly, so I may therein exhibit and give all my love, compassion, help, and protection, because I am your merciful mother, to you, and to all the inhabitants on this land and all the rest who love me, invoke and confide in me; listen there to their lamentations, and remedy all their miseries, afflictions and sorrows."
Juan Diego faithfully followed Mary's request and presented it to the local bishop, who was somewhat skeptical and required proof to authenticate the apparition. The Mother of God obliged that request by having Juan Diego gather a variety of exquisite rosas de Castilla, that were blooming and available out of season. As instructed, Juan Diego had placed the roses in his tilma, a traditional article of clothing made of poor quality cactus cloth and presented them to the Blessed Virgin Mary before going to the Bishop. Mary took each one of them with her hands and placed them back in Juan Diego's tilma saying, "My son the least, this diversity of roses is the proof and the sign which you will take to the bishop..." Juan Diego presented the collection of Roses to the Bishop and upon releasing the roses and letting them fall to the ground, the now famous image of Our Lady Of Guadalupe appeared on Juan Diego's tilma, providing the proof the Bishop so required. This famous image on a poor quality cactus cloth, which should have deteriorated in 20 years, has remained intact with no signs of decay 477 years later, defying all scientific explanations of its origin.
On January 23rd, 1999, the Servant of God Pope John Paul II in his homily from the Solemn Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, during his third visit to the sanctuary, declared the date of December the 12th as a Liturgical Holy Day for the whole continent of North America. It was during this same visit that he entrusted the cause of life to the loving protection of Our Lady Of Guadalupe and placed under her motherly care the innocent lives of children, especially those who are in danger of not being born. Please pray to Our Lady Of Guadalupe for those precious lives who are vulnerable to the evil of abortion.
In addressing the issue of abortion, we thought it important to identify part of the problem of why abortion occurs in the first place, and that is because so many of us in our society are not living chaste lives and at the same time, allowing our values and thinking to be influenced and shaped by the negative elements of the world.
Let us begin to first understand exactly what is chastity. When one thinks of chastity, too often it reflects a narrow definition, of abstaining from sexual activity. Although for those not married, this is only part of what chastity entails, the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines chastity as:
"the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. Sexuality, in which man's belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman. The virtue of chastity therefore involves the integrity of the person and the integrality of the gift." (2337)
Baptism consecrates the body, making it a temple of the living God and a member of Christ, therefore every Christian has the duty of respecting his or her body, a duty which demands the virtue of chastity, according to his or her state of life. Saint Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians states, "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you. If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." (1Cor 3:16,17) Outside of marriage, absolute continence is demanded without distinction. Conjugal chastity limits marital pleasure to the ends of marriage itself. Chastity frees us from the slavery of our senses and moderates their use. Chastity is not restricted to those who are consecrated to God, but is a serious obligation for every Christian.
When we speak of chastity, we must not limit it to the body, but extends it to our thoughts, desires and hearts. Jesus confirmed this by saying, "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander." (Mt 15:18, 19) Therefore, chastity of the body is a call of chastity of the heart, an interior purity.
To remain faithful to our baptismal promises and resist temptations can be quite a struggle, a life long one, but as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, there are means available to combat all that one encounters: self knowledge, the practice of ascesis or self discipline when confronted with situations, obedience's to God's commandments, exercise of moral virtues and fidelity to prayer. (2340) We encourage everyone to employ these available weapons, to live a chaste and virtuous life and to pray for chastity, as chastity is a "gift from God, a grace, a fruit of spiritual effort." (2345)
An important inclusion in our abortion awareness efforts, Theology of The Body is a vital source for all who seek to defend and promote the dignity of the human person. We hope that by providing such a resource, you will be encouraged to read and study the teachings contained within Theology of the Body, that you will gain a greater understanding of the human body and it's significance in God's divine plan for humanity.
Theology of the Body, a book of the same title, is a compilation of teachings from the Servant of God Pope John Paul II, delivered during his Wednesday audiences over a period of five years. This most important catechetical project of his pontificate began on September 5th, 1979 and ended on November 24, 1984, when he delivered the 129th and final address in the catechesis he gave the working title, "theology of the body."
You might be asking yourself, what does this have to do with abortion? Abortion is the killing of a human being, an unwanted pregnancy, a pregnancy that occurred most likely without an understanding of the body and the significance of this God given gift of life, available to us in the sexual act. Theology of the Body explains this in detail. The Servant of God Pope John Paul II attempts to help men and women understand, live and experience their bodies as "a manifestation of divine beauty." This is the goal of his entire catechesis. The body not only speaks to the mystery of man, but also the mystery of God. The body is a theology.
The Servant of God Pope John Paul II's experience in the field of sexual ethics goes back well before he began his Theology of the Body catechesis. In the late 1950's, based on years of intense pastoral work with young people, engaged and married couples, then Karol Wojtyla wrote his now famous book, Love and Responsibility. It is a philosophical treatise scrutinizing the way men and women experience the sexual urge, emotion, sensuality, shame, etc., and shows how these can be integrated with an "education of love." A key point he makes is that a failure to accept "responsibility for love" turns people into objects to be used, means of self gratification. Further, he convincingly demonstrates that Catholic moral teaching on sex and marriage corresponds perfectly with the dignity of the person and the desires of the heart for betrothed love.
In a world that so often portrays the body as an object of gratification, as a source of one's own pleasure, the Servant of God Pope John Paul II in Theology of The Body, seeks to present the truth about the body, as it is revealed in Scripture. The Servant of God Pope John Paul II's five year catechesis seeks to tackle the Humanae Vitae crisis by addressing two fundamental questions: "Who is man?" and based on this, "How is he supposed to live?" These two questions frame the two main parts of his catechesis.
The first part of Theology of The Body addresses the first question of "Who is man?" by looking at the three levels or stages of the human drama: original man, historical man and eschatological man. The second part of Theology of The Body, the Servant of God Pope John Paul II addresses the second fundamental question of "How is man supposed to live?" by dealing with: celibacy for the kingdom, the sacramentality of marriage and love and fruitfulness.
In Christopher West's book, "Theology Of The Body Explained," he provides the Servant of God Pope John Paul II's thesis statement, "The body is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and divine. It was created to transfer into the visible reality of the world, the mystery hidden since time immemorial in God, and thus to be a sign of it." Theology of The Body is a study of the human body as the pre-eminent and primordial "sign" of the ultimate spiritual reality, a sign of the spiritual and divine mystery. In the foreward to Christopher West's above mentioned book, George Weigel, the author of the Servant of God Pope John Paul II's official biography, "Witness To Hope," in describing Theology of The Body is quoted as saying, "The great struggle of the twenty first century, like the twentieth, will be the struggle to defend and promote the dignity of the human person. John Paul II's "theology of the body" is a tremendous resource for all those who fight that good fight."
For those that do decide to "fight the good fight," due to the density, complexity and volume of information contained within "Theology of The Body," we would like to recommend Christopher West's book, "Theology of The Body Explained," as it is a well written introduction and explanation of Theology of The Body.
In addition to the above sources, our fraternity would like to also offer addition sources for further education and understanding:
- Windows To The Womb - 19 beautiful photos of the unborn from Life Issues Institute
- Amazing Photo Of Baby Samuel - World famous fetal surgery photo by USA Today photo journalist Michael Clancy
- Just The Facts - Amazing flash site beautifully presents many facts on pregnancy and pre-born child development
- Fetal Development Overview - Excellent color photos and text on the development of the unborn child
- Abortion Methods - An expose on the horror of abortion methods: surgical abortions, chemical abortions and abortifacient contraceptives
- Human Life International, Pro Life Missionaries To The World - An international pro life organization headed by Rev. Father Thomas Euteneuer
- Rose Of Sharon - A non-profit, charitable organization for young mothers, providing support and educational services to pregnant and parenting young women under the age of 25 across York Region.
- Silent No More Awareness - Silent No More Awareness is a public awareness campaign, exposing the devastating emotional and physical pain abortion brings to women and men, as well as providing paths to healing.
- Sisters of Life - The Sisters of Life is a contemplative/active religious community of women founded in 1991 by John Cardinal O’Connor whose special mission and focus is to protect and enhance the sacredness of every human life.
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