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Dear Subscriber,
The Office for Social Ministry would like to thank all those who
took the "OSM e-link Two-minute Survey." As of May 19, 199
members had participated, about 20% of the overall membership.
In the Remarks section below, we will discuss some of the
results. To view the full results with all comments, please
visit:
http://www.osmelink.org/messages2005/_Two_Minute_Survey_Results.htm.
Due to June vacations in OSM, e-link issue #50 will not be
published until Friday, July 14, 2006. May the first part of
your summer be restful and filled with the Holy Spirit!
Please keep Jim Walsh, Assistant Director in the OSM, and his
wife Barbara in your prayers this and next week, as Jim will be
ordained to the Permanent Deaconate on Friday, June 9, 2006. We
place both Jim and Barbara in your hands Lord, knowing that this
Sacrament can create a living conduit of grace for the St.
Thérèse of Carmel Catholic Community, where Jim will serve, as
well as the entire local church.
As always, we remind current members and inform new members that
past e-link bulletins and this current bulletin can be viewed at
www.osmelink.org.
God Bless!
     
Wednesday, May 31, 2006 OSM e-link
Bulletin #49
Table of Contents
Remarks from The OSM Staff - Two-minute
Survey Results
Key Upcoming Culture-of-Life
Gatherings/Projects (please join us)
1. Jim Walsh, coordinator for
Restorative Justice and Detention Ministry
for the OSM, shares vibrant opportunities
available in this facet of Catholic
Culture-of-Life Ministry
2. Are you interested in attending the West Coast
Walk for Life in San
Francisco on January 20, 2007? Attend an
informational session on
Monday, June 12, 2006, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at
the Pastoral Center
3. Celebrate the founding of our great nation with
prayer and a public witness
to protect human life on the 4th-of-July weekend,
Saturday, July 1, 2006,
at Sixth Ave. and Palm, across from Balboa Park
4. Don't miss a one-day workshop, "Ability Awareness
in Action - Education,
Enlightenment, and Empowerment," designed to
establish a culture of
acceptance for those with disabilities in educational
and religious settings,
on Tuesday, June 20, 2006, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m. in National City
Short Reports on Office for Social
Ministry Related Issues/Events
- Sue Lopez reports on the May 14th Mothers' Day
"Thank You for My Life"
Chain and Josehp Horejs reports on the May
27th Memorial Day Life Saving
Prayer Vigil
- Kent reports on the Safe Place Faith
Community informational meetings that
were held on May 3, 2006 at the Pastoral Center and St.
Thomas More
Advocacy Petition Request X
2
- We are sending petitions to our California State Senators
in opposition to
Physician Assisted Suicide (AB 651), the so-called
"California Compassionate
Choices Act." Won't you sign this important petition?
- Please take the time to vote in the primary on June 6,
2006. Be a part of the
Catholic community as we provide a "moral leaven for our
democracy."
Advocacy Reportback
- Starting in the next e-link bulletin, Reportback will
include reflections following
the delivery of petitions to legislators' offices
Web and e-mail-based Resources
- We were so impressed with new Restorative Justice
Website of the Roman
Catholic Bishops of California that we decided to leave
it on e-link for an
additional month. This site serves those who are in any
way affected by the
criminal justice system: victims, inmates, victims'
families, inmates' families,
and professionals in the criminal justice system
Local and Regional
Events/Gatherings/Projects
1. Prayerful witness for life at two locations in San Diego
County - every
Saturday at Sixth and Palm in San Diego and every
second Saturday of
the month at Pomerado Road in Poway
2. St. Dismas Guild sponsors two weekly hours of prayer
for the unborn in
North County
3. St. Rose of Lima Parish sponsors a regular Thursday
Pro-Life Prayer Vigil in
Chula Vista after the 8:00 a.m. Mass
4. St. John the Evangelist Parish in Encinitas Pro-Life
Mass and Rosary held on
the first Monday of each month
5. Most Precious Blood Parish Rosary Prayer Vigils held
on Wednesdays each
week at 8:45 a.m. (Saturday Prayer Vigils have been
cancelled)
6. From the Goretti Group, Promoting Purity in all walks of
life - Chastity
Leadership two-day Training (teachers, youth ministers,
parents, etc.),
July 30 and August 1, 2006, at SDSU
7. From the Goretti Group, Promoting Purity in all walks
of life - monthly speaker
development meeting every 2nd Wednesay at St. John the
Evangelist Parish
Article/Statement for May 31, 2006
- A report from Sue Lopez on a morning of sidewalk
counseling and prayer
in front of the abortion facility on 6th and Palm,
across from Balboa Park -
her writing provides insight into the dedication of
participants and the power
of this ministry to change hearts - we highly
recommend this reflection
Remarks from the OSM Staff
Kent, Linda, Jim, and Joseph would like to thank you
for taking the OSM e-link Two-minute Survey
It worked. Nearly 200 readers took the survey and at least 150
comments were generated from the two open-ended questions.
To view the Two-minute Survey results, including data
and all comments, visit:
http://www.osmelink.org/messages2005/_Two_Minute_Survey_Results.htm
Over the next few months, the OSM staff will be scrutinizing
both the survey data and suggestions with a view to,
1) modifying when and how we sponsor events, 2)
enhancing the promotion of events, and 3) making changes in how
e-link attempts to bring this all together.
The first change you will notice is in the e-link Advocacy
section. We are abandoning requests for phone calls to
legislators and replacing this practice with mini-petitions.
Perhaps providing an example will show best how this will
work. Let's say a life or dignity issue was pressing at the
federal level, perhaps an important bill was pending in U.S.
House of Representatives. In the advocacy section, you would be
asked to, 1) determine who your representative is (using a quick
link to vote-smart), 2) link to a short petition by selecting
your representative's name, 3) identify yourself by name,
address and phone number as supporting the proposed measure.
That's it, taking all of about two or three minutes to complete.
At this point the OSM will take over. We will compile the
results and either hand deliver the petitions to each
legislator's local office (preferred method) or mail them to
their offices with cover letters from the OSM (when time
constraints or numbers of legislators make hand delivery
difficult). This method will bring the OSM staff into regular
contact with legislators, which always helps in leaving a
lasting impression, and create an open door for e-link
subscribers to accompany the OSM staff on the visits themselves.
We hope this modified lobbying method will greatly increase the
number of e-link subscribers who engage in legislative advocacy.
This is just the first of several changes in content or format
planned for he future, and we appreciated receiving your
thoughtful input on the Office for Social Ministry and e-link.
Future modifications will be highlighted in view of your input
from the Two-minute Survey.
Thank you and God bless! |
Key
Upcoming Culture-of-Life
Gatherings/Projects
Number
1:
Jim Walsh,
coordinator for Restorative Justice and Detention Ministry for the
Diocese of San Diego, shares rewarding opportunities in this unique
ministry
One in every 136 U.S. residents is behind bars.
Six years ago the U.S. Catholic Bishops issued their perspective on
crime and criminal justice. To order this pulication,
"Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration," please see
http://www.usccbpublishing.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=284 .
Catholic dioceses and other concerned organizations around the world
have begun to implement various elements of Restorative Justice – a
system of moral justice to augment our often broken system of
statutory justice.
Pope John Paul II personally practiced restorative justice when he
visited his assailant in an Italian prison, offering himself as a
loving and forgiving agent of Our Lord.
To find out more about Restorative Justice in California visit
http://www.restorejustice.com/ .
Victim/Offender Reconciliation
The Diocese of
San Diego recently implemented a Victim/Offender Reconciliation
Program (VORP) which offers crime victims an opportunity to heal old
wounds that linger because of unanswered questions and painful
relationships that occurred as a result of a crime against them or a
family member. Our justice system usually replaces the victim with
the government. It then proceeds to mostly ignore the victim and
her or his needs as it prosecutes a case against the offender.
The VORP also offers offenders and their families the opportunity to
learn the effects their behavior has had on their victim and on the
community. It allows the opportunity to ask for real forgiveness
and potentially work out restitution to the victim apart from that
which is mandated in the court case.
If you have an aptitude for listening and mediating, or have
administrative skills in managing cases, or should you know of a
case that might benefit from this process, please contact me.
Detention Ministry
Hundreds of Catholic volunteers visit jailed and imprisoned
people in 27 separate jails, detention facilities and state prisons
in our diocese. Each volunteer visits as part of a team of
volunteers with groups of adult or juvenile inmates to conduct
scripture, prayer and discussion services. We especially need more
volunteers in Otay Mesa, east San Diego County, and Imperial County.
If you think you may be called to explore detention
ministry, please visit our web site,
http://www.diocese-sdiego.org/set.asp?link=osm/detention_ministry.htm&in=Ministries
.
Restorative Justice Resources
I’d also like to suggest a couple of small books that might inspire
you:
“The Spirit Set Me Free - True Stories of Faith by
Prisoners” by Frederick A. Hermann, Paulist Press, and “Prayer for
Prisoners” by Ann Ball and Maximilian, S.F.O., Our Sunday Visitor.
Both of these books should be available locally in
San Diego from Pauline Books and Media: (858) 565-9181, 5945 Balboa
Ave., San Diego, CA 92111 and from
www.amazon.com .
For further information on the VORP or detention
ministry, please contact me:
Jim Walsh, Assistant Director, Office for Social
Ministry, Restorative Justice Coordinator, and Catholic Chaplain
Coordinator, San Diego County Sheriff and Probation Depts.
858-490-8375 or e-mail:
jwalsh@dioecese-sdiego.org
or visit the Detention Ministry web site:
http://www.diocese-sdiego.org/detentionministry
Number 2:
Are you interested
in attending the West Coast Walk for Life in San Francisco
on January 20, 2007? Then please attend an informational session on
Monday, June 12, 2006, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the diocesan
Pastoral Center
In 2005 there were 15,000 in attendance. In 2006 there
were 30,000. And in 2007?
The Office for Social Ministry is coordinating a pilgrimage to the
Bay area for the 3rd Annual Walk for Life - West Coast on Saturday,
January 20, 2007. For those who are interested, there will be an
informational meeting on Monday, June 12, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. at the
Pastoral Center, 3888 Paducah Drive. Please RSVP to Joseph Horejs
at 858-490-8323 or
jhorejs@diocese-sdiego.org.
Jennifer O'Neil
Author, Actress, Spokesperson
“What a
blessing that the West Coast Walk for Life has been organized.
Holding an event like this will help people learn the truth about
abortion as well as the value of every human life from conception.
I lift all of you up in prayer and support. Go team!”
If you are unable to attend the informational meeting, but are
interested in going to San Francisco in 2007, please let us know!
Walk for Life
West Coast Informational Meeting
Monday, June 12, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Pastoral Center
3888 Paducah Drive
San Diego, CA 92117
Number 3:
Celebrate the founding of our great nation with prayer and a public
witness to protect human life, on the 4th-of-July weekend
- Saturday, July 1, 2006, at Sixth Ave. and Palm, across from Balboa
Park, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness." Declaration of Independence, July 4,
1776
Please join us as we pray for a restoration of these unalienable
rights to America's precious preborn children! The Fourth of July
Weekend Life-Saving Rosary Prayer Vigil is a peaceful, prayerful and
legal expression of our First Amendment Rights.
"Helpers of God's Precious Infants"
Life-Saving Rosary Prayer Vigil
Saturday, July 1, 2006
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Family Planning Associates abortion clinic
2850 6th Ave., at Palm, across from Balboa Park
To those who attend - Please do not block sidewalks or driveways.
Respond peacefully to those who disagree. In keeping with our
purpose to combat the evil of abortion, please maintain a solemn and
prayerful disposition throughout the vigil. You may need coins for
parking meters.
For more information contact Sue Lopez at 619-990-1341
Number 4:
If you are responsible for an educational or
 religious
setting (teachers, catechists, ushers, youth ministers, etc.), you
won't want to miss this free one-day workshop, "Ability Awareness in
Action - Education, Enlightenment, and Empowerment," designed to
help create a culture of acceptance for people with disabilities -
Tuesday, June 20, 2006 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Higher
Education Center 880 National City Blvd., National City, CA 91950,
Room 7215
Diana Pastora Carson, M.Ed., Teacher of the Year 2006 at Corky
McMillin Elementary School, will lead the workshop. Topics to
include:
- Historical and
cultural background of disability issues and diversity sensitivity
- Step-by-step practical guide to creating an ability awareness
culture
- Creating an Ability Awareness celebration within the community
- Ideas on how to incorporate ability awareness into programs and
curricula
- Information on library collections, drama, song, guest speakers,
contests and more
We have come a long way from dunce caps, “insane
asylums” and lobotomies. We now have curb cuts and wheelchair
lifts, guide dogs for people who are blind and vision impaired, and
closed captioning for people who are deaf and hearing impaired, just
to name a few. And thanks to the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act passed in 1975, we now provide a free public education
for all children, regardless of disabilities.
With so many school children now being included on
mainstream campuses and in general education classrooms, there is
the ever-increasing need to educate students (and their families)
about people with disabilities. Although there is bound to be some
incidental educating taking place due to typical daily exposure and
interactions, society still reinforces archaic attitudes that hinder
the development of acceptance and appreciation for people with
disabilities. Whether in the classroom, in the church social hall
or at the parish picnic, without this sense of acceptance and
appreciation, the likelihood of children and adults with
disabilities developing positive relationships with non-disabled
peers is improbable. And without these close and inclusive
relationships, non-disabled children and adults miss a tremendous
opportunity for developing a sense of community, compassion, and
self-respect.
The futures of both children and adults with and
without disabilities can be empowered through awareness and
appreciation of people with disabilities. Countering ignorant media
portrayals of people with disabilities, hand-me down attitudes of
pity and fear, and mistaken assumptions about the value of
individuals with disabilities, Ability Awareness offers our
community an alternative perspective. These positive ways of
viewing people with disabilities, for children, will transfer over
into adulthood, when the children of today become the policymakers
of tomorrow. For adults, they will help create a community where we
look past disabilities and embrace the beauty of each individual.
Having developed a more complete understanding of one another, with
and without disabilities, we can all create possibilities for
facilitating inter-dependence whenever possible, promoting autonomy
and dignifying assistance to those who may need different types of
support in life.
Diana is
also the author of "All the Muchos in the World" published by
Pauline Books and Media. She holds an M.Ed. degree in special
education from the University of San Diego. She teaches at both the
elementary and college levels, and has written and consulted on the
subject of disability education. Diana lives in Southern California
with her husband, brother, niece, and many assorted pets.
Registration is limited
to 40 participants so please call Diana today: 619-370-2789.
Ability Awareness in Action - Education, Enlightenment and
Empowerment
Tuesday, June 20, 2006 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Higher Education Center
880 National City Blvd.
National City, CA 91950, Room 7215
To register call Diana 619-370-2789
Short
Reports on OSM Related Issues/Events
Number 1: Two very public
culture-of-life activities were held since the last e-link bulletin,
the Mothers' Day "Thank you for My Life" Chain and the Memorial Day
Weekend LIfe-Saving Prayer Vigil
Mothers' Day
About 125 pro-life San Diegans attended the Mother’s Day
“Thank you for my LIFE” Chain along North Harbor Drive in downtown
San Diego.
 Participants
held signs that read “Thanks Mom for my Life” and “Smile your mom
chose Life”. Luis and Tricia Mendoza brought the Missionary Image
of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a group of Catholics gathered around it
to pray the rosary for a renewed reverence for life. Pastor Adlai
Mack of Christians United in the Word of God led the group in prayer
and hymns and spoke passionately about following Christ’s own
example of taking his message directly to those who struggle with
turning away from God. He urged Christians to leave the “safe
zones” of their churches to bring Christ to people on the streets
and publicly bear witness to the truth, insisting that such ministry
will always bear good fruit. To illustrate, Reverend Mack, a
regular at Saturday morning pro-life outreaches at Family Planning
Associates, explained that, on the day before, he could only spend
10 minutes with the other pro-lifers there, but during that time, a
baby was saved.
Father Anthony Saroki, associate pastor at Blessed Sacrament Church
and speaker at the event, first thanked his mother, Faiza, who was
present there with his father,
 Karim,
then opened his remarks by relating that he was born one year after
Roe v. Wade. He urged pro-lifers to convey that abortion has
numerous negative consequences for women, physically,
psychologically and spiritually. “Mother Theresa said that every
abortion has two victims: the body of a baby and the soul of a
mother. We have to show that there’s a unity of interests here,
between mothers and their children. We have to show that, to be
pro-life means to be pro-woman in the purest sense of the term. . .
. Women in these crisis pregnancies don’t have the gift of hearing
their baby inside speak to them. . . . That’s what you’re doing when
you’re praying in front of those abortion clinics. Hopefully you’re
helping them to hear the voice of truth . . . if their baby could
speak to them, what they would say to them . . . ‘Can I live?’”
Father Saroki then led the group in a pro-life litany, followed by
Pastor Mack closing out the gathering with a few more hymns. The
event provided a nice mix of public witness and advocacy for the
unborn, camaraderie with other pro-lifers and a prayerful and joyful
celebration of Mother’s Day.
Sue Lopez
Memorial Day Weekend
The Memorial Day Weekend Life-Saving Prayer Vigil took place on
Saturday, May 27, 2006, in front of the Family Planning Associates
across from Balboa Park. Around 40 people participated in the day's
events of prayer and singing organized by Sue Lopez. The gathering
included men and women, young and old from throughout San Diego
county.
Joseph Horejs
Number 2: Twelve congregations,
ten Catholic, were represented at the two May 3rd Safe Place Faith
Community (SPFC) informational sessions, where each congregation
considered taking on this outreach in the areas of domestic and
relationship violence.
Safe Place Faith
Communities
San Diego and Imperial County Congregations Serving
Families
Experiencing Domestic violence
SPFC is moving from a pilot phase to a full and operational program
within the counties of Imperial and San Diego.
At present, six congregations are participating in the program: St.
Pius X, Chula Vista Congregational Church, Christ the King, St.
Matthews Episcopal, St. Peter, and First United Methodist Church of
Chula Vista.
Ten of the twelve congregations represented at the May 3rd meetings
are considering joining the effort. This is an important step in
the life of any faith community.
Please keep these ten faith communities in your prayers over the
summer as they contemplate participation in this vital ministry.
If your parish has an interest in participating, please contact Kent
or Linda at 858-490-8323 or
kpeters@diocese-sdiego.org or
larreola@diocese-sdiego.org.
The OSM staff
Call the OSM at 858-490-8323 with comments and
suggestions.
e-link Advocacy
REQUEST
New Petition Format
Life Request:
It's time to Stop AB 651, the
bill to legalize physician Assisted Suicide in California. Why?
This legislation is unnecessary. California law already gives every
patient the right to refuse extraordinary end-of-life treatment.
Current practice promotes hospice care and advanced pain management
treatment. This legislation isn't about improving care for the
terminally or chronically ill; it is about promoting assisted
suicide.
This legislation is strongly opposed by both the
American Medical Association and the California Medical Association,
as well as hospice workers whose job it is to provide compassionate
care.
Assisted suicide proposals pose real danger to
people with new disabilities or chronic diseases. Research
overwhelmingly shows that people with new disabilities often
initially experience despondency and even suicidal feelings, but
later adapt well and have happiness in their lives. Working through
this initial despondency often takes longer than the mere two-week
waiting period in Oregon's law. In that early period, before one
learns the truth about how good one's quality of life can be, it
would be all too easy to succumb to despair.
There is no good reason to legalize assisted
suicide. But it is especially remarkable that the legislature is
considering it at a time when millions of low-income Californians
and their families don't have access even to basic health care. Is
the legislature saying to the low-income, "We won't help you access
health care, but we will make it easier for you to commit suicide
when you're sick and uninsured?"
A Petition to all
California State Senators serving San Diego and Imperial Counties
We, the undersigned, ask you
to oppose legalizing “assisted suicide” and AB 651.
We urge you to support laws which continue to protect the medically
dependent and the emotionally vulnerable.
Please sign the petition by selecting your
State Senator below. Petitions will be delivered
to the Senators' home offices on or just after Monday, June 12,
2006. So please sign by that date.
If you are not sure of your California senatorial district, this
information can be easily found at the vote-smart web site. Simply
go to the Project Vote-Smart web site and enter your nine-digit zip
code in the zip code box on the left-hand side of the home page and
you will be directed to that information.
http://www.vote-smart.org/program_about_pvs.php
Select your California State Senator to
sign the petition:
Senator Dennis Hollingsworth - District 36
www.osmelink.org/advocacy/life/Hollingsworth
Senator Bill Morrow - District 38
www.osmelink.org/advocacy/life/Morrow
Senator Christine Kehoe - District 39
www.osmelink.org/advocacy/life/Kehoe
Senator Denise Ducheny - District 40
www.osmelink.org/advocacy/life/Ducheny
Thank you for signing the "Stop AB 651"
Petition!
Dignity Request:
The OSM request for e-link bulletin #48 is simple. We ask
that all registered voters make it to the polls (or open absentee
ballots) for the primary election on Tuesday, June 6, 2006 and vote.
Pope Benedict speaks of our responsibility to participate in the
building up of society in his new encyclical, Deus Caritas est:
The direct duty to work for a just ordering of society, on the
other hand, is proper to the lay faithful. As citizens of the
State, they are called to take part in public life in a personal
capacity. So they cannot relinquish their participation “in the
many different economic, social, legislative, administrative and
cultural areas, which are intended to promote organically and
institutionally the common good.” The mission of the lay faithful
is therefore to configure social life correctly, respecting its
legitimate autonomy and cooperating with other citizens according
to their respective competences and fulfilling their own
responsibility. Even if the specific expressions of ecclesial
charity can never be confused with the activity of the State, it
still remains true that charity must animate the entire lives of
the lay faithful and therefore also their political activity,
lived as “social charity”.
Before voting, let us each spend time in prayer, asking God to
provide the grace and wisdom that will allow our reason to be
engaged in such a way that, through our act of voting, we will serve
human life and build up the common good. May each of our votes help
to elect grace-filled legislators.
Visit the Vatican web site to read
Deus Caritas Est in its entirety:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html
e-link Advocacy REPORTBACK
We thank you, again, for taking the Two-minute Survey. Reportback
will resume in the July 14th e-link bulletin, #50, with reflections
on the hoped-for success of petition delivery to legislators'
offices.
Blessings,
Kent Peters
Web and e-mail-based Resources
Please visit the new
Restorative Justice Website
of the Roman Catholic
 Bishops
of California - serving those who are in any way affected by the
criminal justice system: victims, inmates, victims' families,
inmates' families, and professionals in the criminal justice system:
Restorative justice is about making everyone involved in crime whole
again—victims, perpetrators, and the community.
 The
perpetrator has to take responsibility for his or her actions.
Society also has a responsibility to try to restore the victim and
the perpetrator. For perpetrators, rehabilitation means attending
to addictions, unemployment and poverty, or the lack of having a
moral or ethical base.
For victims, restoration includes reestablishing safety, repairing
injuries and repairing damaged relationships.
The Catholic community has a tremendous history and capacity to help
shape the issues of crime and criminal justice in the United
States. Few organizations do more to prevent crime or heal its
effects than the Catholic Church. Through many committed individual
Catholics, prison ministry programs, parish outreach efforts,
Catholic schools, diocesan peace and justice offices, community
organizing projects, ex-offender reintegration programs, family
counseling, drug and alcohol recovery programs, and charitable
services to low-income people, the Catholic community responds to
criminal justice concerns in a wide variety of ways. But we can do
more.
http://restorejustice.com/
New
Local/Regional Events and
Gatherings
If you are planning an event that falls within the mission of social
ministry, send the particulars four to five weeks in advance to the
Office for Social Ministry via e-mail,
osmelink@diocese-sdiego.org. The OSM reserves the right to
publish or not to publish any proposed event information. We hope
this will assist your local efforts to re-build a culture of life.
1. Prayerful witness for life at two locations (Sixth and
Palm in San Diego and Pomerado Road in Poway) in San Diego County
Helpers of God’s Precious Infants weekly rosary prayer vigil from
8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. every Saturday at Family Planning Associates
2850 Sixth Ave, at Palm, across from Balboa Park. Prayer warriors
also needed as early as 7:30 a.m.
Call Sue Lopez 619/990-1341 for more infor.
2nd Saturday of the month: 20 decades of the Rosary are prayed in
procession past 4 clinics following the 7:30 a.m. Mass, 15546
Pomerado Road, Poway. For more information, call 858-748-2109.
2. St. Dismas Guild sponsors two weekly hours of prayer for
the unborn in North County
Join members of St. Dismas Guild for a rosary picket at Womancare,
120 S. Craven Way, San Marcos, (across from Cal State San Marcos),
Tuesdays, 9-10 a.m.
The Guild also sponsors prayer (the rosary) in front of PayLess
at Mission Avenue and Escondido Blvd. 347 W. Mission on Thursdays,
10:30-11:30 a.m. For information on these prayer vigils, call
760-751-8541.
3. St. Rose of Lima sponsors a regular Thursday Pro-Life
Prayer Vigil in Chula Vista
Please join St. Rose of Lima parishioners every Thursday after
the 8 a.m. Mass at St. Rose of Lima, Chula Vista, for a pro-life
prayer vigil at the clinic located at 261 Church Street, Chula
Vista. For more information, call Evangely Aliangan, 619-427-0230.
4. St. John the Evangelist Parish in Encinitas Pro-Life Mass
and Rosary held on the first Monday of each month.
The first Monday of every month is designated Pro-Life Monday at
St. John the Evangelist Church, 1001 Encinitas Blvd, Encinitas. The
8:00 a.m. Mass will be followed by a Rosary for Life. For more
information, please call Helene McIlhon at 858-756-0622.
5. Most Precious Blood Parish Rosary Prayer Vigils held on
Wednesdays each week
The Pro-Life Prayer Group from Most Precious Blood sponsors a
Rosary Prayer Vigil in front of the Clinica Medica abortion facility
at 1550 Broadway, Chula Vista every Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. For more
information, please call Shirley Henry at 619-420-7096 or Luis
Mendoza at 619-300-5563. (Please note that the Saturday
morning vigils have been cancelled)
6. From the Goretti Group, Promoting Purity in all walks of
life - Two-day Chastity Leadership Training
2006 Chastity Leadership Training: Purity is Hardcore! Starting
Friday, July 30th ending Saturday, August 1st at San Diego State
University. Learn how to answer the tough questions about
sexuality! Register Now! Space is limited. For directions &
more info please visit:
www.thegorettigroup.org and select the events section on the
left side of the page.
7. From the Goretti Group, Promoting Purity in all walks
of life - monthly speaker development meeting every 2nd Wednesday
In an effort to strengthen and expand its speakers bureau,
the Goretti Group is sponsoring monthly speaker development
workshops. The group meets on the second Wednesday of each month to
hear one of its speakers and offer constructive feedback. This is an
excellent opportunity for speakers to practice and refine their
talks! Please come if you are just interested in being a part of
the group. You do not need to be a speaker to attend. All are
welcome!
Every 2nd Wednesday of the month: ChasteMasters
Meeting at St. John the Evangelist, 1638 Polk Ave, San Diego, 7:00
p.m. For directions & more info please visit:
www.thegorettigroup.org and
select the events section on the left side of the page.
Due to vacations in June, the
next OSM e-link bulletin, #50, will not be published until Friday,
July 14, 2006
Article/Statement for June 17, 2004
Thank you, Sue Lopez, for the many hours of ministry you have given
to the two most vulnerable populations within the human family,
expectant mothers and unborn children. May the witness you
and the many sidewalk counselors and prayer warriors of the diocese
call forth a renewed dedication to the service of women and
children.
Sue Lopez
"They have a right to protest what others have the
right to do."
This is the response that one mother gave her children as they
walked by a few of us praying in front of Family Planning Associates
on Saturday morning. Across the street, Balboa Park was filled with
thousands of parents and children for the annual “Walk for
Literacy”. What a stark contrast - people enjoying themselves and
their children on one side of the street; people bringing their
children to be ripped to shreds on the other. As I thought about
everyone having fun across the street from a killing center, I had
to keep resisting the urge to have fun myself, to keep from tapping
my feet and singing along to the next song that blared from the
speakers across the street, and remain focused on battling the evil
occurring in front of me.
Another mother walking with the above woman added,
“That’s what’s so great about America, that we have the right to
free speech”. Neither explained that women in America have the
right to kill their children if they are hidden in their wombs at
any time during nine months of pregnancy, for virtually any reason,
or that that’s what we were “protesting”.
For the first hour or so there were only two or
three people praying on their knees with me a short distance away
sidewalk counseling. This was the only clue to the attendees of the
Walk for Literacy, as we had no signs, save one small one that was
facing the clinic, yet everyone knew that we were in front of an
abortion clinic. It was wonderful to have such an opportunity to
expose this abortion clinic to so many people who before Saturday,
had no clue that one was there.
I had the opportunity to give literature to several
people who came up to ask me questions about it and explain that
they even perform abortions there while an elementary school is in
session on the floor below. Two different women stopped to thank us
as we were praying, one prays regularly at the Clinica Medica in
Chula Vista.
One couple with two young boys talked to me and
thanked me for being there; I thanked them for bringing those two
young lives into the world. As they left, the woman knelt down and
prayed for a few minutes next to our group.
Later, an older man walked up, got on his knees near
the group of three praying on their knees, took off his hat and
prayed for a few minutes also.
Still another young man with a child on his
shoulders stood behind our group and stopped to pray.
How wonderful that they took the opportunity to stop
and pray for such a great evil to end and for babies’ lives to be
saved. I wish that I could contact each of them to tell them that
their prayers were answered and at least one little life was indeed
saved that day. I saw a young couple stop and talk outside the
clinic door for a few minutes before going in. It was clear that
this woman did not want an abortion and was being pressured into it,
as so many women are. We stepped up our prayers that she’d receive
the grace to come out. Thanks be to God, maybe an hour later, she
did come out, with some kind of bandage around her arm. The man
came out too, she put her head on his shoulder and he pulled at her
elbow trying to bring her back into the clinic, but she left and we
did not see her return. We immediately started praying the
sorrowful mysteries of the rosary for her when she left. Patrick
suggested them because the Agony of Our Lord in the Garden is the
first mystery and this woman was alone and suffering.
Earlier I saw another woman running out of the
clinic, but I don’t know why. Hopefully, it was because she changed
her mind also. Sadly, one man waited outside the clinic for his
wife, with his 3 or 4 year old daughter. It was very clear that he
loved this little girl immensely. I gave him some information, but
I don’t think he looked at it. I kept thinking, “Doesn’t he know
that he will love the next baby, even if something is wrong with it,
just as much as this one?”
We are coming up on the time of year when there are
many morning activities scheduled in Balboa Park. This makes
parking difficult (be sure you bring quarters for the meters) but
well worth the difficulty because we can be a prayerful pro-life
witness to thousands of people while we also prayerfully come to the
aid of parents and their unborn children. We will be there again
next Sat from 8:30 – 11:30am. Thank you for all your prayers. God
bless, Sue |
