From Washington:

May 24, 2012 / 04:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As concerns over threats to religious liberty continue to mount, a growing Catholic organization aims to help lay men and women take action to protect conscience rights and religious freedom.

Maureen Ferguson, senior policy adviser for the newly launched Catholic Association, said the group serves as both “a voice for Catholics in the public square” and a way to educate Catholics on important issues.

Ferguson told CNA on May 23 that the association is currently focused on the defense of conscience rights, which she believes are currently facing serious threats in America.

Chief among those threats is a federal mandate issued by the Obama administration to force employers to offer health insurance plans that cover contraception, sterilization and abortion-causing drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences.

The mandate has been widely criticized by individuals and groups across the U.S., including bishops from every diocese in the country, who warned that it threatens religious freedom and could force Catholic hospitals, schools and charitable organizations to shut down.

Ferguson cautioned that the mandate will affect all Americans because the Church is the biggest non-government provider of education, health care and social services.

In discussing the mandate, the U.S. bishops “have repeatedly called on lay Catholics to step up to the plate” and work to defend freedom of conscience, she said.

The Catholic Association is trying to respond to bishops’ call by helping the lay faithful to speak out and act in support of religious liberty.

The organization is currently “preparing a campaign” to support the “Fortnight for Freedom” called for by the U.S. bishops from June 21 to July 4 in response to the current threats to religious liberty.

Dioceses across the country will launch initiatives aimed at prayer, education and public action for religious freedom during the fortnight.

Ferguson explained that The Catholic Association will be reaching out through television and internet efforts, as well as a social media campaign, to mobilize Catholics throughout the two-week period.

Go here for the rest of the story.

Reported from Denver (video at link):

May 22, 2012 / 12:59 pm

A Canadian pro-life group is retracing the steps that abortion activists took in the country during the 1970s, but with the goal of repealing local abortion laws.

“We want to take the language for choice and then expose it,” Stephanie Gray, executive director of the Canadian Center for Bio-ethical Reform, told CNA May 16.

The group, which is dedicated to “making abortion unthinkable” by engaging the public in discussions about the reality of abortion, will undertake its most ambitious campaign yet on May 29 with a cross-country educational tour.

The New Abortion Caravan will follow in the footsteps of abortion activists who engaged the public with a nearly identical campaign, called the Abortion Caravan, in the summer of 1970 to gain free abortions on demand and repeal pro-life laws.

By using disturbing imagery, having women to share emotional accounts of their experience with illegal abortion and presenting the act as a fundamental women’s right, the abortion advocates were able to achieve their goal.

The original Abortion Caravan, which visited provinces from Ottawa to Vancouver, significantly contributed to the repeal of anti-abortion laws 18 years later, resulting in free abortions on demand, paid for with Canadian taxes, through all nine months of pregnancy.

Gray is confident that the new tour – which follows the same route and is part of the organization’s larger campaign called End the Killing – will contribute to Canadians overturning abortion laws in the year 2030, precisely 18 years from now.

“We can end the killing and we can end it in our lifetime,” Gray said.

She noted that using similar rhetoric as abortion advocates is key, adding that the New Abortion Caravan hopes to “shift the debate from an abstract notion of choice” to the reality of abortion as “an act of violence which kills a baby.” …

Go here for the rest of the story.

From Paterson, New Jersey:

SATURDAY, MAY 19, 2012
LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY MAY 19, 2012, 11:58 AM

A lot has happened to Horace Rattigan since February, when his dramatic rescue of an elderly woman from a burning house in Paterson captivated the city and branded the 24-year-old a hero.

Horace Rattigan, 24, was offered a job in downtown Paterson, tidying up the area and giving directions as cleanup ‘ambassador.’

Civic organizations in Paterson reached out, asking how they could help. When officials with the Downtown Paterson Special Improvement District, a non-profit agency, learned Rattigan was unemployed, they offered him a job as a cleanup “ambassador,” giving directions and helping to tidy the city’s business district.

And recently, the Carnegie Hero Fund said Rattigan has been nominated for a Carnegie Medal, which is awarded to civilians who perform extraordinary acts of heroism. Now, in addition to keeping Paterson’s downtown clean, attending award ceremonies has become part of Rattigan’s routine.

Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik gave him a livesaving award. Then, on Wednesday night, Rattigan waded through a phalanx of police officers, sheepishly accepting handshakes during a standing ovation as he made his way to a podium at the Fiesta banquet hall in Wood-Ridge.

The occasion was an annual award ceremony sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 46 of Rochelle Park, an organization of active and retired police officers.

Short and stocky, Rattigan momentarily disappeared in the crowd, before emerging at the podium and leaning into the microphone.

“All I have to say is thank you for your support,” Rattigan said before returning to his table to finish his pasta.
(more…)

From Washington:

May 20, 2012 / 05:45 pm

Various initiatives are planned throughout the country in response to the U.S. bishops’ call for a “Fortnight for Freedom” June 21-July 4 to encourage prayer, education and public action about religious freedom.

The initiative was created in response to several moves by the Obama administration that are threatening the Church’s religious freedom. The most well-known action is the Health and Human Services mandate that requires employers to cover birth control and other services that Catholics and other believers find morally objectionable.

At Baltimore’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Archbishop William E. Lori will offer a special June 21 Mass at 7 p.m. to open the fortnight. June 21 is the vigil Mass for the feast of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More.

The close of the two-week observance will feature a July 4 Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which will be concelebrated by Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia. Archbishop Chaput will serve as the homilist at the 12:10 p.m. liturgy.

Bishop Richard Malone of Portland, Maine will celebrate a July 2 Mass at Portland’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

“Religious liberty is not only about our ability to go to Mass on Sunday or to pray the Rosary at home. It is about whether we can continue to make our contribution to the common good of all Americans without violating our deeply-held moral beliefs,” Bishop Malone said. “This issue affects all Americans — it is not a Catholic issue, a Jewish issue, an Orthodox, Mormon, or Muslim issue. It is an American issue.” …

Go here for the rest of the story.

From New York City:

Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012, 2:26 AM
Updated: Sunday, May 20, 2012, 3:00 AM

Greg Wetzel jumped into action as screaming kids looked on in disbelief

Do as superdad says, not as superdad does.

An upper West Side father who repeatedly warned his kids about subway safety jumped to the tracks and rescued an unconscious woman Saturday as his three screaming children watched in disbelief.

“I guess it’s mildly ironic — to do the exact opposite of what I’m preaching,” said Greg Wetzel, 40, a few hours after the dramatic 12:45 p.m. rescue.

Wetzel hoisted the woman to the platform, where other straphangers helped pull her to safety just 60 seconds before an uptown No. 1 train roared into the station.

“He didn’t hesitate,” said witness Trish O’Sullivan. “The guy was really amazing. This guy was like a real hero.”

The upper West Sider was out with his sons, ages 6 and 7, and his 4-year-old daughter when they went into the W. 72nd St. subway station.

He spotted some commotion out of the corner of his eye, and walked down the platform to see the woman lying on the tracks below.

“It was just the right thing to do,” he said of his heroic decision. “If you see someone on the tracks, it’s hard not to do something.” …

Go here for the rest of the story.

From Kennewick, Washington:

Published: May 17, 2012 at 10:34 PM PDT

Action News is continuing to cover a story we have been following for you since the very beginning. It’s been three months since 5-year-old Luke Durst fell from his family’s second floor window in Kennewick.

He was severely injured, but has made an incredible recovery. And on Wednesday, he said thank you to the fire and EMS crews who saved his life.

As he arrived at the Richland Fire Station at Keene and Gage, he showed virtually no signs of the massive injury he received just three months ago.

“He went from not walking, not talking, not swallowing,” says Luke’s father Matt Durst. “And now he’s great. You can’t even tell, just by looking at him.”

But the first responders recall the last time they saw Luke, when he was clinging to life.

“The screen was pushed out, and the little boy was unconscious. We knew it was bad right away,” says Bob Grubenhoff.

They remember working hard to save the little boy’s life. But they credit Luke’s remarkable and speedy recovery to one thing.

“We’re here for God,” says Cory Henson. “We do His work. And we have the right angels in the right place with us. And He’s got a bigger plan for Luke, definitely.” …

Go here for the rest of the story.

From Ottawa, Canada:

May 15, 2012 / 11:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Canada’s 15th annual National March for Life has broken attendance records by a dramatic margin, due in part to rising youth participation in the country’s pro-life movement.

“It’s been growing every year by thousands. Last year we had 15,000, and this year we had 19,500,” Campaign Life Coalition National Coordinator Mary Ellen Douglas told CNA on May 14.

“It is a significant increase,” she said, noting that the pro-life movement was “constantly growing” in Canada. The May 10 march to Parliament Hill was part of a three-day event in Ottawa, which also included a candlelight vigil, prayer services and Masses, banquets and a youth conference.

Local marches also took place in at least four other provinces, protesting the 1969 legislative act that made abortion legal in Canada as well as the 1988 decision that left the country with no abortion restrictions.

“Over 60 percent of the people who attended the march were under 30,” Douglas said. “It was alive with young people, with lots of enthusiasm, and with other people who are long-term veterans.”

In addition to the remarks delivered by pro-life and religious leaders, 17 members of Parliament also addressed the crowd. Population Research Institute President Steve Mosher, a prominent opponent of China’s one-child policy, gave an address at the Rose Dinner on Thursday evening.

On that same evening, an 800-strong crowd attended the youth banquet with an address by Reformed Presbyterian minister Reverend Patrick J. Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition. A day-long youth conference followed on Friday.

“It’s getting the attention of the media, who are shocked by the numbers,” Douglas observed. “Even though they try to diminish them all the time, they notice. They know that we’re there in force.”

Douglas, a 40-year veteran of the movement, said the timing of this year’s march was “providential,” coinciding with a motion in Parliament by Conservative MP Steven Woodworth.

“This motion is calling on Parliament to bring together science and the law – because the law of Canada says you’re not a human being until you’re fully emerged from the womb.” …

Go here for the rest of the story.

From Rome:

May 13, 2012 / 06:19 pm

Nearly 7,000 pro-life advocates marched from Rome’s Colosseum to St. Peter’s Square on Sunday for the city’s inaugural March for Life.

“We’ve never seen anything like this in Rome, capital of Christianity, city of the Pope, city to which all Catholics in the world look,” march co-organizer Juan Miguel Montes said of the event.

American cardinal Raymond L. Burke led a group of priests in the march. He said it brought back memories for him of “so many marches” in America.

“They serve a very important function,” he told CNA, “first to give a witness in our whole country to the inviolable dignity of human life but second, to awake consciences to what is happening.”

The cardinal was “pleased” that such an event has finally reached Rome.

“I can only imagine that it will grow and increase every year and that it will be an important part in Italy, as it is in America, for the restoration of the respect for the dignity of human life,” he said.

The march was officially the second annual Italian national March for Life. The 2011 event was held in northern city of Desenzano, on Lake Garda.

This year’s initiative officially brought together 150 associations and a colorful mix of all ages and nationalities.

23-year old seminarian Garrett Nelson of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, Montana was on hand with a group of peers from Rome’s Pontifical North American College. For him, it was like the March for Life stateside, but with an extra quality.

“It’s been on a more universal level,” said Nelson. “You see the world coming together to defend the dignity of human life and how important that is. It’s really exciting to see the young and the youth movement of the Church growing up and defending the dignity of human life.” …

Go here for the rest of the story.

From Francisan University of Steubenville (HTs to Hot Air and Life News):

Campus Health Insurance Policy

The Obama Administration has mandated that all health insurance plans must cover “women’s health services” including contraception, sterilization, and abortion-causing medications as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Up to this time, Franciscan University has specifically excluded these services and products from its student health insurance policy, and we will not participate in a plan that requires us to violate the consistent teachings of the Catholic Church on the sacredness of human life.

Received from Rick Santorum’s campaign late last week:

Nearly four years ago, on May 13, 2008, Karen and I welcomed our youngest daughter, Isabella, into our family. As with the birth of any child, it was a joyous time, but was also not without its share of heartache as we learned more about Bella’s condition – Trisomy 18 – and the impact it would have on her and on our family for the rest of her life.

The news from doctors was bleak, and the odds were stacked against Bella. Of the 10% of babies with Trisomy 18 who survive birth, 90% won’t make it to their first birthday. Ten days after her birth, we brought Bella home, and doctors prepared us for how she was going to die. Frankly, this made us angry; Karen and I were not going to just let Bella go, we were going to fight to give her the opportunity and the chance to do as well as she could.

We did just that. We celebrated her life every day, and took nothing for granted, rejoicing in every day we had withher.

And since those early, difficult days, an amazing thing has happened: Bella has defied all of the odds. Nearly four years later, Bella is a ray of sunshine at the center of our family’s universe, every day inspiring our family with her joyful spirit.

Note: Readers here know that yours truly has serious problems with Mitt Romney’s positions, actions, and political mindset to the point where I believe he is unfit to be president (but not anywhere near as unfit as the White House’s current occupant).

That shouldn’t, and doesn’t, affect my willingness to recognize well-done, heartfelt work on the part of his wife Ann, which follows.

_______________________________________

Ann Romney, in a USA Today op-ed posted on Wednesday evening:

… the day my first boy was born I felt woefully unprepared.

My mother took pity on me and stayed for two weeks, but that wasn’t nearly enough time. As she was preparing to leave, I cried like I was the baby. I told her that I wasn’t ready, that I had no idea what to do. In her smile I saw the truth. Ready or not, my son couldn’t wait, and somehow, I would make it through.

Of course, she was right. Some might say it was the mothering gene kicking in, the same one that every mom throughout history has possessed. Maybe. But I don’t think so. I was a good mom because my own mom was the best.

I suppose my mother was somewhat unusual for her time. At 30 she was — and expected she always would be — a career woman. She worked as a cosmetics rep and was happy in that job. She never expected to get married, but then she found the one man in all the world who could change her mind — my dad.

The same passion she had for her work she poured into being a mother. I never lacked for confidence or a sense of self-worth. How could I when my mom seemed to think I had hung the moon? People would tell her, as people are wont to do with little girls, that she had a beautiful daughter. “If only you knew,” she would say, “how much more beautiful she is on the inside.”

Ringleader and troublemaker

Such words gave me my place in the world. She let me be who I was, which meant playing baseball and football with the boys, and catching frogs and hunting for snakes out behind the house. I think the thing she loved the most was that I was always the ringleader, always more likely to get others into trouble than to follow along.

Growing up as her daughter is what prepared me to be a mother myself. So began a different phase of my life. People often ask me what it was like to raise five boys. I won’t sugarcoat it. There were times I wanted to tear my hair out. I can remember visiting my friends’ houses, seeing their daughters’ manners, the way they helped with the chores. Then I would return home to my boys, hoping only that my house was still intact.

Still, those were wonderful times. My boys had a way of putting their emotions and their disputes on the table. And more important, they had a way of leaving them there, of walking away without worrying about the things that might distance them, or letting hard feelings fester and grow. That directness and forgiveness shaped me into who I am today.

I’m a grandmother now. In fact, the gift I received this Mother’s Day is two more wonderful grandchildren, twins, bringing the total to 18.

As every grandparent knows, it’s a different role than being a mother or a daughter. I am able to adore the grandchildren, and to smile as my children go through the same struggles I went through when they were young. I’ve lived through three seasons of motherhood, and I have seen the beauty in each. …

Go here to read the whole column.

From a newly published “Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb”:

[For the expecting mother]

God, author of all life,
bless, we pray, this unborn child;
give constant protection
and grant a healthy birth
that is the sign of our rebirth one day
into the eternal rejoicing of heaven.

Lord, who have brought to this woman
the wondrous joy of motherhood,
grant her comfort in all anxiety
and make her determined
to lead her child along the ways of salvation.

[For the father]

Lord of the ages,
who have singled out this man
to know the grace and pride of fatherhood,
grant him courage in this new responsibility,
and make him an example of justice and truth for this child.

[For the family]

Lord, endow this family
with sincere and enduring love
as they prepare to welcome this child into their midst.

Lord, you have put into the hearts of all men and women of good will
a great awe and wonder at the gift of new life;
fill this (parish) community
with faithfulness to the teachings of the Gospel
and new resolve to share
in the spiritual formation of this child in Christ our Savior,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen.