Dear e-link Subscriber,
Happy New Year to all our subscribers, and may this New
Year bring many opportunities for growing closer to Our
Lord through service to our families, our friends, and
members of our community!
As you may have heard at Mass this past weekend, a
Coadjutor has been assigned by Pope Benedict to the
Diocese of San Diego, Bishop Cirilo Flores,
who will automatically become the fifth Bishop of San
Diego upon Bishop Brom's retirement in 2013. We welcome
Bishop Cirilo Flores to the Diocese of San Diego and
look forward to serving the community through the Office
for Social Ministry under his leadership. Please keep
Bishop Flores in your prayers as he embarks upon this
marvelous mission in San Diego.
As we find ourselves in the lead-up to the June Primary
Election and
the November General Election, political concerns seem
to be everywhere. Tensions are mounting. Please read the
Article/Statement by Deal Hudson and Matt Smith at the
end of this bulletin. This article will clarify the
intent of and help eliminate the misuse of the U.S.
Bishops' document, "Faithful Citizenship."
Finally, the OSM plans to produce an on-line Voter Aid
prior to the June Election and both a printed and an
on-line version prior to the November General Election.
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
Kent, Linda, Deacon Jim, and Maria
     
Friday, January 13, 2012, e-link Bulletin #100
Table of Contents
Remarks
- Short Reflection on e-link
#100 from Kent Peters
Key
Upcoming Culture-of-Life
Gatherings/Projects (please join us)
1. Join fellow parishioners in San Francisco for the
Eighth Annual Walk for Life
West Coast on Saturday, January 21, 2012 -
Roundtrip airfare is only $193
2. Three local January Respect-life Events in
2012 - 1) Mass for the
Protection of Human Life on the the Anniversary of Roe
v. Wade on
Sunday, January 22, at 3:00 p.m. at St. Anne Catholic
Church,
621 Sicard Street, San Diego, 2)
followed by the Annual Candlelight public
witness, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. along Harbor Drive
at Grape Street.,
Downtown San Diego - 3) A special
Pro-life Mass on Sunday, Jananuary 22,
at the 9:30 a.m. English Mass in the Maronite Tradition
at St. Ephrem
Maronite Church, 750 Medford St. El Cajon 92020
3. Catholic Bishops of California break with
tradition and will encourage
parishes to engage in signature gathering on behalf of
two ballot initiatives:
the Parental Notification Initiative
and the SAFE Initiative (replacing the
death penalty in California with a sentence of life
without the possibility of
parole)
Short Reports
on Office for Social Ministry Related Issues/Events
1. Bishop Cirilo Flores Named Coadjutor in San
Diego, will become the Fifth
Bishop of San Diego upon Bishop Brom's retirement in
2013 - from the
Southern Cross Catholic Newspaper
2. "Dead Man Walking" Nun Draws Tears, Applause
at USD - Sister Helen
Prejean speaks to packed house at The Immaculata, and
event sponsored
by the Ignatian Volunteer Corps - from the Southern
Cross
Web and e-mail-based
Resources
- The Unites States Conference of Catholic
Bishops has reworked its
after-abortion healing web site -
please pass on the good news of
the merciful love of our gracious Lord displayed in this
online resource
to anyone who may be experiencing alienation from God
due to an
abortion experience. Visit,
http://hopeafterabortion.com/
Local and Regional
Events/Gatherings/Projects
1. Attend the Fair Trade San Diego
monthly meeting on Wednesday,
February 8, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. at the Open Door Book
Store in Pacific
Beach
2. "Get Acquainted with Detention Ministry"
monthly information/training
sessions are offered by Deacon Walsh at the Pastoral
Center - The next
training will be held sometime in January - call for
dates and times,
registration is required
3. North County prayer witness at the
Carlsbad Planned Parenthood Clinic
scheduled for every third Monday of the month from 10:00
a.m. to
10:30 a.m.
4. Prayerful witness for life at two
locations in San Diego County - every
Saturday and Wednesday at 7340 Miramar Road, just east
of the Pyramid
Building, adjacent to Carroll Road, and the second
Saturday of every
month at 15546 Pomerado Road in Poway
5. St. Dismas Guild sponsors two
weekly hours of prayer for the unborn
in front of the North County Women's Medical Clinic on
Craven Way
6. St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Carlsbad
also supports the St. Dismas
Guild prayer ministry in front of the North County
Women's Medical
Clinic on Craven Way
7. St. John the Evangelist Parish in
Encinitas Pro-Life Mass and Rosary held
on the first Monday of each month
8. Prayer Vigil at Planned Parenthood - First
and Grape Street, San Diego –
Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
9. Most Precious Blood Parish in Chula Vista
Rosary Prayer Vigils held every
Wednesday at 8:45 a.m.
10. Prayer partners are needed at 1079 Third
Ave., suite 3, in Chula
Vista - abortions are performed at this
facility - Meet each Wednesday
from 8:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
11. Join neighbors and friends to pray in front of
the new Planned
Parenthood facility in El Cajon on Fridays and Saturdays
12. The Goretti Group is offering a
chastity prayer gathering and a speaker
training monthly along with a Mass to celebrate chastity
Article/Statement
for January 13, 2012
- The New Introductory Note to ‘Faithful
Citizenship’ Should Inspire
Catholics in 2012 -- by Deal W. Hudson & Matt Smith
Remarks - From Kent
Peters on producing e-link #100
As I began to piece together an OSM e-link bulletin for
the hundredth time, I couldn't help but wonder what was
promoted, reported on, and taught in the past 99
bulletins, the first dating back to early 2003.
Well, I just finished perusing the table of contents of
bulletins 1, 10, 20, 30, and so on up to 100 and can
pretty much conclude that not much has changed since
2003.
The big issues then? The same issues we are still
contending with today.
Here is a partial list taken from those ten tables of
contents starting in 2003:
- Abortion
- Euthanasia
- Death Penalty
- Parental Rights
- Human Cloning and Embryo Destruction
- Protection of Marriage
- Detention Ministry and Restorative Justice
- Labor Justice
- Fair Trade
- Addiction and Recovery
- Political Responsibility and Voter Education
- Domestic Violence
- Mission Outreach
- Global Solidarity
- Immigration Reform
- Disability Accommodation
- Health Care Reform
- Direct Service to Those Who are Marginalized, and
- Chastity in Relation to the Breakdown of Family and
Community.My thoughts on this long list of pressing
and perplexing perennial issues? Happy New Year,
everyone!
On a more serious note... Let's roll up our sleeves,
equip ourselves with deep moral truth, calmly and
resolutely dedicate ourselves, with the assistance of
the Holy Spirit, to using our talents and strengths to
improve our world. All we need do is fully embrace
building the Kingdom of God as best we can, reflecting
the love of God in Christ Our Lord.
Finally, we must remember, that even if the list is just
as long or even longer when e-link #200 is published in
about 2022, we should not lose hope. We offer up our
best service to a living and loving God and leave the
rest to Him. As Augustine said, "Pray as if everything
depended upon God. Work as if everything depended upon
you."
Let's give it our best in 2012 and leave the rest to Our
Lord!
Amen.
Key
Upcoming
Culture-of-Life
Gatherings/Projects
Number 1:
January 21, 2012 Walk for Life West Coast
Come celebrate
the 2012 Eighth Annual Walk for Life West Coast in San
Francisco - Join more than 50,000 men, women,
and children in a Witness for
Human Life on Saturday, January 21st
- Below is a flyer for the event and a link to both the
web site and a Pdf of the flyer.
The Walk for Life West
Coast organizers are excited about this new opportunity
and believe that this new venue will give the Walk the
chance to grow in numbers.
Are San Diegans
Walking Together in San Francisco?
Yes they are!
Walk the
route with friends and fellow parishioners from the
Diocese of San Diego.
The San Diego
contingent will meet 30 minutes prior to the start of
the walk, at 1:00 p.m., at the small media stage
directly across the Plaza from the main event stage. The
media stage is much smaller than the main event stage
and holds multiple television cameras, sound equipment,
and video technicians. To find our group, look for the
Diocesan banner just below near the media stage.
(diocesan banner)
We have some
semi-good News!
Roundtrip flights from
San Diego to San Francisco and back on January 21st have
risen to only $193 (including all fees)
on Southwest Airlines (departing San Diego at 7:45 a.m.
and departing for the return trip from San Francisco at
7:20 p.m.)
Download the event flyer below at:
Visit the Walk for Life West Coast web site at:
Number 2:
Please attend one or more of the three local January
2012 Respect Life Events to be held in San Diego
Join Helpers of God’s
Precious Infants for two events in San Diego on Sunday,
January 22, 2012 as the community remembers the 39th
anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that
effectively legalized abortion on demand in the United
States.
Bring your rosaries as we pray for God’s forgiveness and
the protection of the unborn. Please pass this on to
family and friends.
Sunday, January 22, 2012 - Annual Mass for the
anniversary of Roe v Wade,
 and
the protection of the unborn, 3:00 p.m. at St. Anne
Catholic Church, 621 Sicard Street, San Diego, CA 92113
(corner of Sicard St. and Irving Avenue).
This will be a traditional Latin Mass in the
extraordinary form. Following Mass, participants will
join others at the corner of Harbor Drive and Grape
Street for a candlelight event (see below).
Sunday, January 22, 2012 - Annual Candlelight public
witness for the anniversary of Roe v Wade, 4:30
pm to 6:00 p.m., along Harbor Drive at Grape Street.
Pro-life signs and candles will be provided at
the site.
Join us to pray and give public witness on behalf of
human life on this infamous anniversary that opened the
doors to allow more than 50 million children to be
aborted since 1973.
On Sunday, Jananuary 22, A special Pro-life Mass will be
offered at the 9:30
a.m. English Mass in the Maronite Tradition at
St. Ephrem Maronite Church, 750 Medford St. El Cajon
92020. This Liturgy will be celebrated by Fr. Nabil
Mouannes, Chairman of Mariam Mother of Life Pro-life
Center in
 the
Diocese of Our Lady of Lebanon.
Fr. Nabil will be giving a pro-life homily and
commissioning the Mother of Life Pro-life Center
Committee.
Mass will be followed by a Procession to the Memorial
for the Unborn.
This day has been designated by the USCCB as a day of
prayer to end violations to the dignity of the human
person committed through acts of abortion and for the
full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to
life.
Abortion is the greatest civil/human rights issue of our
day. Prayer is our greatest weapon and the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass is the greatest prayer.
Number 3:
The Catholic Bishops of California will break
with tradition and encourage parishes to engage in
signature gathering on behalf of two ballot initiatives:
the Parental Notification Initiative and the SAFE
Initiative (replacing the death penalty in California
with a sentence of life without the possibility of
parole) - See below for a special training on these
ballot initiatives
Following is a
statement supporting these two ballot initiatives issued
by the Catholic Bishops of California through the
California Catholic Conference on January 10, 2012.
A Statement from the Catholic Bishops of
California...
Due to the convergence of two initiatives whose sponsors
are seeking their placement on California’s November
2012 ballot, we Catholic bishops have been
presented a unique teaching moment on life and family.
As Catholics, we believe and teach that we bear the
image of God. We come to life as the result of
humanity’s collaboration in God’s creative work.
Ordinarily, each child is the result of the loving union
of a man and woman who have formed a family. The family
then cradles the newborn, raises up the child and guides
the young person’s development to adulthood. As
citizens, we believe that government serves best when it
supports families in their irreplaceable task of
nurturing the next generation.
We therefore wish to express our support for the
Parental Notification Initiative, which would require a
young girl aged 12-17 to include her parents in a
decision to secure an abortion. Because current law
allows secrecy for “confidential medical
services” a young girl could have multiple abortions—at
state expense—without her parents’ knowledge. Not only
are her parents still responsible for her medical and
emotional needs if she suffers complications from the
abortion, but current policy denies them accurate
information as to how best to care for her. The
relationship between that girl and her parents will be
forever altered because of her secret.
As Catholics we hold human life as sacred. In the
exercise of justice, this principle must prevail in the
manner we treat one another, even for those who have
done grave harm. Justice requires proportionate and
effective means in the protection of society. As
citizens, we find the use of the death penalty
unnecessary, impractical and expensive.
Therefore, we also offer our support for the second of
the initiatives— labeled
 SAFE
California by its sponsors—which would offer Savings,
Accountability and Full Enforcement by replacing the
expensive death penalty for a capital offense with a
sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of
parole. We have long held that the use of the death
penalty is no longer necessary to protect the community.
These two initiatives have appeared at the same time on
the political landscape and bring into sharp focus
important moral issues, namely our society’s treatment
of nascent life, family life and even a sinful or errant
life. In keeping with our fundamental principles, we
believe that social policy should respect and support
the role of parents in caring for their children.
Justice should uphold human dignity as it protects the
community.
For these reasons, we, the Catholic bishops of
California, support both initiatives as responsible
efforts to bring common sense, compassion and prudent
justice into California’s public policy.
###
Web sites
for the two initiatives:
Parental Notification -
http://www.caparentalrights.org
SAFE California -
http://www.safecalifornia.org
The Office for Social Ministry will directly engage
parishes electing to participate in the
signature-gathering phases of these two initiatives.
A training for Culture of Life Coordinators and
other leaders interested in working on these two
initiatives will take place on Wednesday, January 25,
2012, at 7:00 p.m. at the Diocesan Pastoral Center.
Please call the OSM at 858-490-8323 if you would like to
attend.
Short
Reports on OSM-Related
Issues/Events
New Coadjutor Bishop: ‘I Am Here to Listen and Learn’
Bishop Flores named as Bishop Brom’s successor
By Denis Grasska
SAN DIEGO – As San Diego’s new coadjutor bishop, Bishop
Cirilo Flores has already been asked about his plans for
the diocese.
But he says he has come to San Diego “with absolutely no
preconceived notions, or plans or agenda.”
“I am here to listen and learn,” Bishop Flores, 64, said
during a Jan. 6 press conference at the diocesan
Pastoral Center. “Bishop [Robert H.] Brom is the bishop
of San Diego until the day he retires. I have much to
learn from him regarding the gifts and challenges,
resources and stewardship of this diocese.”
Bishop Flores, formerly the auxiliary bishop of the
Diocese of Orange, was appointed as coadjutor bishop of
San Diego, effective Jan. 4. As such, he will succeed
Bishop Brom, who has shepherded the Diocese of San Diego
since 1990 and is scheduled to retire in 2013.
“As coadjutor bishop of San Diego, I hope to be of
assistance to Bishop Brom during this time of
transition, as we share the tasks of teaching,
sanctifying and governing the Local Church,” Bishop
Flores said. “I look forward to meeting the people of
the diocese, getting to know our priests and deacons,
religious women and men, and lay faithful.”
Bishop Flores admitted that he will miss the Diocese of
Orange, where he has ministered exclusively since his
priestly ordination in 1991. But he also expressed
enthusiasm for his new assignment and said he looks
forward to visiting local parishes, schools and Church
organizations. He prayed that, with God’s grace, he
might be “a good shepherd” for his new flock.
“As I begin ministry here in this wonderful Diocese of
San Diego, I ask for your prayers,” he said, concluding
his prepared remarks. “May all our efforts be for the
greater glory of God.”
After reading his statement, Bishop Flores welcomed
questions from reporters. The
first questioner began by describing San Diego as “a
diocese that, at times, has had a troubled past”— an
apparent reference to the clergy sex abuse scandal – and
asked what Bishop Flores would say to those who have
lingering concerns about the scandal.
The new coadjutor bishop responded by drawing an analogy
between the Local Church and a large family.
“I come from a very large family. My mom and dad have a
combined 19 siblings,” he said. “In a large family, you
have all kinds of people … some following good paths and
some running astray.”
He noted that the Church is not “a hotel for saints,”
but rather “a hospital for sinners.”
When confronted with something as terrible as child
sexual abuse committed by priests, he said, the Church
is “filled with disappointment, and sorrow and anger.”
But he added that the entire diocese must not be defined
by the sins of a few of its members in decades past –
especially if it means ignoring the tremendous good that
the Local Church is doing in the present-day.
“The Diocese of San Diego is known nationally for
wonderful works of charity, wonderful agencies, for a
wonderful, strong presbyterate,” he said. “The Diocese
of San Diego has so much to be proud of.”
Bishop Flores was born on June 20, 1948, in Corona,
Calif., at a time when Corona was still part of the
Diocese of San Diego. He was confirmed by San Diego’s
founding bishop, Charles F. Buddy.
A graduate of Stanford University School of Law, he
practiced civil law in Riverside and Los Angeles
counties for 10 years before entering St. John’s
Seminary in Camarillo in 1986.
He was ordained to the priesthood on June 8, 1991, by
Bishop Norman McFarland. After 18 years as a parochial
vicar and pastor, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of
the Diocese of Orange on Jan. 5, 2009, and was
consecrated as a bishop on March 19, 2009.
In addition to a press conference, Bishop Flores’ first
day in San Diego also included a meeting with diocesan
Pastoral Center staff, lunch with Bishop Brom and
members of the diocesan Curia, an informal gathering
with priests, and a social hour and dinner at St.
Francis Center for Priests and Priestly Formation.
Bishop Flores will be formally received in the Diocese
of San Diego with a Mass on Monday, Feb. 13.
Reprinted with permission from
The Southern
Cross
‘Dead Man Walking’ Nun Draws Tears, Applause at
USD
Sister Helen Prejean speaks to packed house at The
Immaculata
By Colleen McNatt
ALCALA PARK – Sister Helen Prejean, or the “Death
Penalty Nun” as she calls herself, visited the
University of San Diego Nov. 20, sharing her
faith-filled journey
 and
the very day that a man’s methodical death allowed her
to become fully alive.
The crowd inside The Immaculata Church, which was filled
to capacity, listened to her stories; many wept and
later cheered.
The author of Dead Man Walking, which inspired the film
of the same name starring actress Susan Sarandon, was
invited to speak at the request of the Ignatian
Volunteer Corps. Following Sister Prejean’s two-hour
talk, attendees leaving The Immaculata were greeted by
signature takers for the death penalty replacement
initiative sponsored by Safe California (www.safecalifornia.org).
In a private interview the day of her USD speech, Sister
Prejean shared how she affirms her Catholic identity in
a world filled with reality TV, calls for retribution
despite her own unequivocal opposition to the death
penalty, and why airplanes and airports are her new
cloister.
It was in 1981 that Sister Prejean experienced a
spiritual awakening after beginning her prison ministry
in the St. Thomas housing project in New Orleans.
Already armed with a bachelor’s degree in English,
Sister Prejean forecasted her calling as a teacher. Her
favorite age group was middle-schoolers. She imagined
herself growing old in the classroom, helping students
with their sentence diagrams and correcting essays on
favorite summer vacations.
Little did she know that she would find her own voice, a
comfortable and authentic style of writing, when she
started living and interacting daily with the community
at St. Thomas. There, she met families who had fathers,
brothers and neighbors already imprisoned.
“I learned how to write from death row,” she shared.
(Photo at right: Sr. Helen with several Ignatian
Volunteer Corps (IVC) Board Members and its Regional
Director - The IVC was the primary sponsor of the
event.)
Since experiencing her first execution, witnessing the
death of Patrick Sonnier on April 5, 1984, Sister
Prejean has watched five other men die through the U.S.
justice system. She keeps death row statistics
nationwide on her Web site, www.prejean.org. She firmly
believes that the death penalty can be overturned in
states that uphold it, including California, through
education and by focusing on young people.
She has partnered with the writer and producer of the
film “Dead Man Walking,” Tim Robbins, to further reach
younger generations through the Dead Man Walking School
Theatre Project. To date, no high schools or colleges in
San Diego County have participated in this outreach.
(For more information, visit www.dmwplay.org.)
Diminutive in stature, but dynamic in nature, Sister
Prejean travels most of the year and takes respite in
the winter and summer months for writing. She is
currently working on the 2013 release of her
autobiography, River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey. This
body of work will retrace her privileged childhood in
Louisiana, recognizing her call to the religious life in
high school and the metamorphosis of her a charitable
life into her true vocation: to serve the poor as Jesus
demonstrated.
A self-described “late bloomer,” Sister Prejean relates
her spiritual awakening as a
 call
to act. “It doesn’t matter when we wake up,” she said.
“When we do – we can act.”
(Photo at left: Sr. Helen signing books after
her presentation)
She is often asked why she focuses on the death penalty
when the crimes committed by the offenders are so
heinous. “Everyone is worth more than the worst thing
they’ve ever done,” she stated.
Her heroes are the families of victims who do not seek
retribution, but rather forgiveness, despite the
life-changing and violent acts that have happened to
their loved ones.
At age 18, Sister Prejean joined the Sisters of St.
Joseph of Medaille (now called the Congregation of St.
Joseph). Nearly five decades later, her favorite respite
is above the clouds some 30,000 to 40,000 feet in the
air where she can pray, read and continue her writing in
an anonymous airplane nook. From airport to airport,
it’s an untethered time for this natural storyteller,
who at age 73, has no plans to slow down.
“Being alive is such a great gift,” she shared.
Reprinted with permission from
The Southern
Cross
Web and
e-mail-based Resources
Hope and Healing
After an Abortion Experience...
Visit the U.S. Catholic Bishops' revamped web resource:
http://hopeafterabortion.com
Few people anticipate the agony an individual may go
through following an
 abortion.
The physical and emotional stress can be devastating,
and often surfaces months or even years after the event.
PATH offers hope and healing. Our method is personal,
compassionate and non-judgmental.
If you are suffering, please be assured that our trained
volunteer facilitators will help you find a peace of
heart. We will help you face your guilt, anger,
isolation and sadness, and help you reconnect with
yourself, others, and God.
"How is this possible?" you may wonder.
It is possible because we have been there. Eighty
percent of our volunteer facilitators have experienced
abortion too. But we have discovered that even this
experience can be healed. We do not promise to wave a
magic wand to take away all of your painful memories,
but we do firmly believe that if you trust us and God to
walk you through our program, healing will begin.
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 rebuild a culture of life.
1. Attend the San Diego
"Friends of Fair Trade" monthly meeting
San Diego Friends of
Fair Trade is a coalition of non-profit organizations
and congregations attempting to advance the cause of
fair trade. They work to insure that all individuals who
toil, both at home and around the world, to provide
consumers with commodities are paid a living wage, one
that can sustain a life with dignity.
The next SD Friends
of Fair Trade meeting will be on Wednesday, February 8,
2012, at 6:30 p.m. at the Open Door Book Store on 4761
Cass St., Pacific Beach (No chapter meeting in July) -
For more information, please contact Carolyn Lief at
fairtradesandiego@gmail.com.
To sign up for the Fair Trade San Diego newsletter, send
a request to
fairtradesandiego@gmail.com
2. Get
Acquainted with Detention Ministry in the Diocese of San
Diego
Join Deacon Jim
Walsh each month for an Information and Training Seminar
on detention ministry and restorative justice at the
Diocesan Pastoral Center, 3888 Paducah Drive, San Diego,
92117
Visit the OSM Restorative Justice Web site for the
February dates and times:
Sorry, no walk-ins.
Contact Deacon Jim Walsh for reservations or questions:
858-490-8375 or e-mail Deacon Jim at
jwalsh@diocese-sdiego.org
3.
North-County prayer witness at the Carlsbad Planned
Parenthood Clinic
North County
parishioners meet the third Monday of every month from
10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to peacefully pray the rosary
in front of the Carlsbad Planned Parenthood Clinic. The
clinic is located at 1820 Marron Rd. (in the shopping
center just west of Plaza Camino Real Mall). For more
information, contact Jahna White of St. Margaret Parish
at 760-586-6356.
4. Prayerful witness for life at two locations (7340
Miramar Road in San Diego and 15546 Pomerado Road in
Poway) in San Diego County
Helpers of God’s
Precious Infants weekly rosary prayer vigil from 8:00
a.m. to 10:30 a.m. every Saturday and Wednesday at 7340
Miramar Road, directly above Metro Flooring in the
complex with the Pyramid Building, adjacent to Carroll
Road. Prayer warriors also needed as early as 7:30 a.m.
Call Roger Lopez at
619-276-7525 for more information.
Second 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.
5. 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 North County Women's
Medical Clinic, 120 S. Craven Way, San Marcos, (across
from Cal State San Marcos), Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00
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 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. For information on
these prayer vigils, call 760-751-8541.
6. St.
Elizabeth Seton Parish in Carlsbad has a tri-weekly
prayer ministry in front of the North County Women's
Medical Clinic on Craven Way - San Marcos on Tuesdays,
Thursdays, and Fridays
Please join the St.
Elizabeth Seton "Life Matters" Culture of Life prayer
vigils at 10:00 a.m. to Noon every Tuesday, Thursday,
and Friday morning at "North County Women's Medical
Clinic": 120 Craven Road, San Marcos -
Those interested can
carpool from St. Elizabeth Seton's upper parking lot at
9:30 a.m. Those who do not want to carpool, please feel
free to meet us at the Abortion Center at 10:00 a.m. or
at any time between 10:00 a.m. and Noon. These vigils
are not confrontational. We give witness by being
present in prayer and entrust our message to the Blessed
Mother. Contact Gene:
ejzoval@yahoo.com
or 760-804-9656 for more information.
7. 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.
8.
Prayer Vigil at Planned Parenthood - First and Grape
Street, San Diego – Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30
a.m.
Prayer vigil
contacts: Luis Mendoza 619-259-3906 or Roger Lopez
619-276-7525. Rosary processions the first Saturday of
every month from Our Lady of the Rosary, Date & State
St., after the 7:30 a.m. Mass.
9. 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 "A Woman's Choice" Clinic 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 619-259-3906.
10. Prayer partners are needed at the office of
Feliciano Rios M.D., 1079 Third Ave., suite 3, in Chula
Vista - Dr. Rios performs abortions at his medical
facility - Meet each Wednesday from 8:45 a.m. to 10:45
a.m.
Please contact Luis
Mendoza, a Missionary of The Gospel of Life Lay
Associate, at 619-259-3906, with questions or to share
interest in this prayer ministry.
11. Pray
in front of the Planned Parenthood facility located at
1685 East Main, just off the Greenfield Drive exit in El
Cajon - join friends and neighbors
According to the PP
website, chemical (RU-486) abortions only are done at
this location - not surgical abortions. They do refer
women for abortions to their surgical center on First
Ave. Join the group each Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00
a.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Contact:
hansenpat@msn.com
12. The
Goretti Group offers chastity prayer and speaker
training monthly
Every First Friday
of the month, the Goretti Group will celebrate a St.
Maria Goretti Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary, 1654 State
Street, at 6:15 p.m.
Every Second Monday
of the month: ChasteMasters Meeting at Our Lady of the
Rosary, Giovanni Room, 7:00 p.m. Please join us in
prayer, a roundtable discussion, and providing feedback
as chastity speakers refine their talks.
For more info please
visit:
or call David at:
619-733-8439
Watch for OSM e-link bulletin #101 around Friday,
February 17, 2012
Article/Statement
for June 16, 2011
The New Introductory Note to ‘Faithful
Citizenship’ Should Inspire
Catholics in 2012
By Deal W. Hudson & Matt Smith
From the CatholicAdvocate.com
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
There has been a flurry of commentary on the
Introductory Note added to the new version of “Forming
Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” Some have
commented that the version just published by the
bishops’ conference is the 2007 version, without
revisions, and, as such, has been scored a victory by
the Catholics who supported Barack Obama in the 2008
presidential election. Naturally, those who abused the
2007 document in telling Catholic voters that Obama was
a “pro-life” candidate — no, we are not kidding — would
be pleased to receive what they consider a green light
to do more of the same in 2012.
A closer look at the new Introductory Note, however,
suggests to us language that was intended to be more
than a mere appendage, to be conveniently overlooked
when it comes time to sell Obama and other pro-abortion
politicians to Catholic voters in the upcoming election.
Many bishops, and especially the USCCB Executive
Committee who signed the new introduction, are aware of
the confusion and consternation created during the 2008
campaign caused by the abuse of the document. Dozens of
individual bishops issued statements to clarify the
document and defend it against the spin being put on it
by abortion advocates. The Introductory Note
acknowledges this abuse and warns against the privatized
version of conscience long held by pro-abortion Catholic
politicians. ”Forming Consciences for Faithful
Citizenship,” the bishops explain,
“Although it has at times been misused to present an
incomplete or distorted view of the demands of faith in
politics, this statement remains a faithful and
challenging call to discipleship in the world of
politics. It does not offer a voter’s guide, scorecard
of issues, or direction on how to vote. It applies
Catholic moral principles to a range of important issues
and warns against misguided appeals to “conscience” to
ignore fundamental moral claims, to reduce Catholic
moral concerns to one or two matters, or to justify
choices simply to advance partisan, ideological, or
personal interests.” (Emphasis added)
Note the issue of conscience is tied specifically to
those who would limit their political concerns to “one
or two matters.” What makes this quite interesting is
the fact that the problem of the privatized conscience
has never been laid at the feet of pro-life,
pro-marriage voters. We can only infer, therefore, that
this comment is aimed at those Catholics whose “social
justice” orientation narrows their issues to those of
poverty and war, thus, ignoring the settled issues of
life, marriage, religious liberty, and euthanasia.
But, it’s the last line from the paragraph above that
most directly rebukes those who have abused the bishops’
2007 document. “It [Faithful Citizenship] does not offer
a quantitative listing of issues for equal
consideration, but outlines and makes important
distinctions among moral issues acknowledging that some
involve the clear obligation to oppose intrinsic evils
which can never be justified and that others require
action to pursue justice and promote the common good.”
(Emphasis added)
There is no clarification contained in the new
introduction more welcome than this for those who have
engaged in the political process on behalf of the
unborn, marriage, and families. For too many decades,
pro-abortion Catholic politicians and their supporters
have been allowed to treat all the issues of our social
teaching as if they had the same value, say, a value of
one. Thus, when issue questionnaires are published and
scored, a politician who is pro-abortion loses only one
point but gains that point back if he or she supports,
say, net-neutrality. The ridiculousness of this requires
no comment.
The Introductory Note pays particular attention to
religious liberty at a time when it is being challenged
in a historic way by the Obama administration and its
Department of Health and Human Services, headed by
Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic. The administration fully
supports the recently published HHS regulations of the
new health care law requiring all organizations and
businesses to provide contraceptive and abortion
services in their health insurance coverage. The bishops
write,
“As Americans, we are also blessed with religious
liberty which safeguards our right to bring our
principles and moral convictions into the public arena.
These Constitutional freedoms need to be both exercised
and protected, as some seek to mute the voices or limit
the freedoms of religious believers and religious
institutions. Catholics have the same rights and duties
as others to participate fully in public life. The
Church through its institutions must be free to carry
out its mission and contribute to the common good
without being pressured to sacrifice fundamental
teachings and moral principles.” (Emphasis added)
The level of concern over the demand to provide
contraception and abortion coverage prompted the bishops
to form a new Committee on Religious Liberty at the
USCCB. We at Catholic Advocate think religious liberty
will become one of the major social issues of the 2012
campaign, rivaling both abortion and gay marriage.
The Introductory Note does not pull any punches when it
comes to our “clear obligation to oppose intrinsic evils
which can never be justified and that others require
action to pursue justice and promote the common good.”
That some evils are “intrinsic” in nature, and not a
matter of prudential judgment, is the reason that all
the issues cannot be assigned the same quantitative
value — there are, as the bishops point out, qualitative
differences.
And, when it comes to underscoring the specific “current
and fundamental problems” among “pressing national
issues,” the Introductory Note begins with “Continuing
destruction of unborn children through abortion and
other threats to the lives and dignity of others who are
vulnerable, sick, or unwanted,” followed by the attempt
of government to force those in “health care, education,
and social services—to violate their consciences or stop
serving those in need.”
How those Catholics who support the reelection of Barack
Obama can celebrate a victory given the language of this
Introductory Note is puzzling, unless they intend to
ignore it altogether. Even further, the next two
specifics mentioned by the bishops are the “efforts to
redefine marriage,” another project supported by the
Obama administration, and the “economic crisis which has
devastated lives and livelihoods, increasing national
and global unemployment, poverty, and hunger,” a
situation only worsened by the insistence of the present
administration to put our country deeper and deeper into
debt.
The Obama administration has done nothing but pay lip
service to the bishops’ concern for “the failure to
repair a broken immigration system with comprehensive
measures that promote true respect for law.” And, when
it comes to their final issues of national concern; war,
terrorism, and “particularly the absence of justice,
security, and peace in the Holy Land and throughout the
Middle East,” the record of the present administration
gives those Catholics who loudly bashed the Bush
administration on the invasion of Iraq a chance to make
the same criticisms of Obama. But, we won’t hold our
breath on that one!
The Executive Committee of the USCCB has done all
Catholics a great service by providing a guide to using
their “Faithful Citizenship” document. This guidance
provides just what was needed, so as the bishops urge
us, “We can act together to promote and protect human
life and dignity, marriage and family, justice and peace
in service to the common good.” |
