Catholic Hotdish

The president of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, asked women to speak out about access to the new women’s birth control benefit. Former news anchor, Kalley King Yanta, answers Ms. Richards’ invitation by letting her voice be heard via You Tube–and boy, does Kalley speak the Truth!

In the video, she explains that the pill does not allow a female to embrace life because of the side effects it has on the lining of the uterus (see second video below). Kalley is very honest about what birth control did to her during what she calls her “Prodigal Daughter Years”–a time when she made unhealthy choices. She bravely states, “It enabled and prolonged my promiscuous lifestyle…until I finally woke up and learned the truth about how the pill works.”

I agree with the comment made by sulu80:

“BRAVO!!! Thank you for your candor and your courage to stand up against the most evil “health care” institution in the world! Thank you for finding your voice and shooting straight from the hip. We need to also pray for the women Cecile Richards exploits. God bless you!”

Another viewer has a good point:

“She is trying to alert women to a medical fact: the pill causes intrauterine death of the conceived child. Most women do not realize this. It is not a religious belief, it is a scientific medical fact that you don’t want to deal with.”

Unfortunately, not all of the comments are positive, however (and the ones I list below were the “clean” ones):

“Kalley smells like a shitty diaper.” (By jongalbreath) and, “Stay out of my lady parts.” (Unknown)

Which brings me to the following reply with which I must agree:

“Man, it saddens me to see the vile comments made here, presumably by those who wave the flag of tolerance continuously. Whatever happened to civility?”

And lastly, ignatius814 stated:

“This is fantastic! Cecile, I’m still waiting for you to post your reply here.”

Watch the video!

View this educational video about the pill and learn how it is an abortifacient:

(Please read my other blog about Kalley Yanta’s video series on marriage between one man and on woman by clicking here.)

March 25th marks the date of the Annunciation. It is the day that Gabriel proclaimed the good news to Mary that Christ would be born within her. This year – because the date lands on a Sunday – we are celebrating that feast on March 26th.

I don’t normally see this blog as a place for my personal stories but this day is special  – so bare with me.

It was on March 25th some nine years ago Christ was born within me too.

In 2003 my children were attending a Catholic school.  As part of the Lenten practice, they were offered the sacrament of reconciliation as part of their school day.  Though I was a cradle Catholic and my children attended Catholic School, I had not visited that sacrament since my Confirmation. For me that was when I was in 4th grade!  Prompted by what I now understand as the Holy Spirit, but at the time felt like the guilt of expecting my children to go to confession when I didn’t go myself – I made an appointment to visit the new priest at our church.  The objective of my appointment was to argue with him the teachings of the faith.  Filled with misconceptions and pride,  I descended on this poor priest as if I would be able to convince him to “set the church right.”  At that time I rarely went to Mass, never prayed and and I certainly didn’t know that the date of my appointment fell on the feast day of the Annunciation. I didn’t know what a feast day was and I would have had to look up the word “Annunciation” if I even knew how to spell it.

I would have then called myself a Pro- Choice Catholic! (Who knew that 6 years later I would be working on the Archbishop’s staff as the Respect Life Coordinator.)

What happened at that meeting changed my life.  As Father patiently waited out my arguments on contraception, abortion and the anti- woman establishment that I saw as the Catholic Church, he offered some education, but most of all he offered me compassion.  At one point I remember getting up to leave – I didn’t want to hear what he had to say.
Out of no where he said to me, “Sharon, what are you afraid of?” The words hit me like a ton of bricks.  I sat back down, cried for 5 minutes and entered into a confession – a real confession; a confession of my life, of all my fears and my pain.

When angels appear in the bible – it seems they always start out with the phrase “Do not be afraid. ” Our common idea of angels is  cute little cherubs or gentle looking young men with wings.  But angles – must be awesome – and I don’t mean in the way that we say pizza is awesome.  Fired by the Holy Spirit and carrying the message of God – they appear to us as something we ARE afraid of. Is it the wings of fire, glowing with bright light or with a voice that booms of an orchestra or organ?  What is it that we are afraid of?

Ultimately, I think we are afraid of the message that they bring; the message of knowing ourselves and of seeing ourselves as who we really are.  We are afraid because we cannot comprehend the idea that if anyone knew the real us – the us that only God knows – that we could really be loved in return.  We also are afraid of what God may ask of us if we accept that love and try to return it.

On the day that the angel Gabriel came to Mary and said “Do not be afraid” Mary carried Christ within her for nine months. She carried her love for Him through his death on the cross.

Was she afraid of what God might see in her heart?

Was she afraid of what saying yes to God might mean?
I don’t know, but her  “Fiat” meant that not only would she carry God within her womb, but that God would carry her and would always be with her.

I realize now just how unprepared  I am to carry God within me to anyone. I realize how unqualified I am to work for Life.  I realize how unworthy I am to even receive the Eucharist at Mass. But when I say ‘Yes” I don’t have to be afraid, because like Mary – God carries me too.

So this Lent, I ask – how long has it been since your last confession and “What are you afraid of?”

Little Jamie Ogg and his twin sister were born prematurely last year in Australia. Jamie weighed a mere two pounds and was not breathing. When doctors told his parents that their son didn’t make it, the mom, Kate, cuddled with his lifeless body for two hours, skin-to-skin, which is referred to as “Kangaroo Care”; a practice used in many hospitals today even for healthy newborns.

After receiving two hours of his mother’s love and warmth, Jamie Ogg embraced life by taking a breath and reaching out for his mommy’s finger.

A miracle!

Enjoy this happy video:

This is what Relevant Radio has to say about the film: 

October Baby is a coming of age story of Hannah, a beautiful 19 year old college freshman. In spite of her energetic (if somewhat naïve) personality, Hannah has always felt like an outsider. Something is missing. She has always carried a deep seeded sense that she has no right to exist.

When she discovers she was adopted it comes as a shock, but Hannah’s world is rocked even more when she learns why she was never told before – because she was the survivor of a failed abortion. Desperate for answers, she embarks on a road trip with some friends (including her oldest and closest friend Jason) to find her biological mother. In the process she unexpectedly discovers hope, love and forgiveness.

This uplifting and beautiful film may change the way you look at the world, your loved ones… and life.

Rating:PG-13

Release Date: March 23, 2012

Licensed under Creative Commons

It sure seems to me like this Whitney Houston song has a pro-life message. I saw this piece posted on Jill Stanek’s blog today, and I was touched. Whitney writes: “How could I throw away a miracle?…When love grows inside you, there’s a miracle in store for you.”

I wish someone could have reached this talented woman and encouraged her to embrace life before it was too late.

Lyrics from her song Miracle which is from her third album “I’m Your Baby Tonight”: 

How could I throw away a miracle?

How could I face another day?

It’s all of my doing

I made a choice

And, today, I pay

My heart is full of pain

How could you understand the way I feel?

How could you relate to so much pain?

Seems as though nothing

Can comfort me

So, today, I pray

That someone should listen

For nothing should matter

Not when love grows inside you

The choice is yours

There’s a miracle in store

Nothing should matter

Not when love grows inside you

A voice of love is crying out

“Don’t throw love away”

There’s a miracle in store

How could I let go of a miracle?

Nothing could ever take its place

Thought I was looking

Out for myself

Now, it seems the pain

Is all that I have gained

I wonder if I could be your miracle

I wonder if I could spare you pain

Seems as though nothing

Will comfort me

Lord, ‘less, today, I pray

That you should come listen

Don’t ever throw away your miracle

Don’t let it slip away

So nothing should matter

No, nothing should matter

Not when love grows inside you

The choice is yours

There’s a miracle in store

No, nothing should matter

Not when love grows inside you

A voice of love is crying out

“Don’t throw love away”

There’s a miracle in store…for you

I was on the phone with Susan G. Komen’s PR person about four years ago. I was working for the Archdiocese at the time, in the Office for Marriage, Family and Life. “Why do you give funding to Planned Parenthood?” I asked her. She stated that the grants they gave helped pay for breast cancer screening. I told her that I thought that was fishy. Interestingly, Live Action News reports:

“In the tapes, a Live Action actor calls 30 Planned Parenthood clinics in 27 different states, inquiring about mammograms at Planned Parenthood. Every Planned Parenthood, without exception, tells her she will have to go elsewhere for a mammogram, and many clinics admit that no Planned Parenthood clinics provide this breast cancer screening procedure. ‘We don’t provide those services whatsoever,’ admits a staffer at Planned Parenthood of Arizona. Planned Parenthood’s Comprehensive Health Center clinic in Overland Park, KS explains to the caller, ‘We actually don’t have a, um, mammogram machine, at our clinics.’  ”

However, some claim that Planned Parenhood (PP) does do breast examinations. And Interestingly enough, Planned Parenthood’s own Annual Reports have shown that breast exams have actually decreased at the organization since it began receiving money from Komen.

Whatever the case may be, I’m glad Komen has finally seen the light. For now, they will not renew their grants to PP–like they have the past five years–which totaled hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Why did Komen make this decision?

• I think one of the reasons Komen has decided to truly embrace life, and turn away from Planned Parenthood, is because of the pressure many people were putting on them for giving to an organization that is guilty of killing millions of pre-born children. When I worked for the Archdiocese, our seminarians at St. John Vianney contacted me with a troubling question: For Lent, these good men were going to go without lunch and donate the money they would have spent (perhaps a total of $25,000) to Komen’s Race for the Cure. But they had heard that Susan G. Komen had ties to Planned Parenthood. Was this true? After I sent them information confirming their fears, they decided to give their sacrificial donation to another charity and voice their frustrations. I was proud of them, and I’m sure they went on to teach this discovery to their flocks.
• Also, it is important to recognize that this decision came  a few months after a new executive vice president, Karen Handel, was hired at Komen. Handel ran for governor of Georgia in 2010 and was endorsed by Sarah Palin. She is very pro-life and supports pregnancy-help centers. (She’s my new hero!)
• And, Komen’s new donor requirements do not allow the charity to fund any organization under investigation and Planned Parenthood is currently being investigated for using federal money to fund abortions. But, Komen could reissue grants to Planned Parenthood if nothing comes of the investigation.

Dear Director,

Yesterday it was announced that Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the largest global funder of breast cancer research, has restructured its grant criteria in a way that will effectively defund Planned Parenthood. For many years pro-life individuals and organizations have asked Komen to stop funding the abortion giant.

Komen will, no doubt, receive many emails denouncing its decision. Komen needs to hear from pro-life people who will applaud its decision.

While there may be other issues we will encourage Komen to address, right now they should be affirmed for defunding Planned Parenthood.

Please encourage your networks to write to news@komen.org and say: “Thank you for defunding Planned Parenthood!” It’’s that simple!

Expressions of thanks from you and those in your network will help to ensure more positive changes at Komen in the future.

This will make a huge difference.

Thanks.

Sincerely in Christ,

Tom Grenchik

The “Bad Catholic” blogger, Marc Barnes, put together a wonderful video with footage from the March for Life earlier this week. I was impressed with the cogent and confident defenses for ‘life’ put forth by the marchers. Their parents should be proud.

We’re turning the tide of Roe v Wade

According to an article by LifeNews.com, Students for Life of America has just released their latest video, Turn the Tide 2012, which features abortion survivors thanking the pro-life movement for its 39 years of service. The video shows how the pro-life movement is winning the abortion battle.

It depicts men, women and children who have either survived abortion themselves or who have overcome the suggestion or temptation to abort suggested by medical doctors or family members.

Kristan Hawkins–who is the current executive director of Students for Life of America–reminds us:

“This Sunday will mark the 39th Anniversary of the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton Supreme Court decisions which legalized abortion in all nine months of pregnancy, for any reason in the United States. It will also begin the 40th full year of legal abortion.”

Thanks for all you do to embrace life!

A few weeks ago my husband and I were enjoying a glass of wine. As he talked football my eyes began to glaze over until I heard him say, “…and there’s this player who is really religious who–”

I interrupted him excitedly: “I know who you’re talking about!”

“No, you don’t!” He challenged.

“Tebow!” I said, feeling like I made my own Hail Mary Touchdown Pass. “He plays for the Broncos!” (It took me a few seconds to recall his team, I’ll admit)

Hubby was dumbstruck.

I proceeded to tell my spouse–who coaches football and other sports at St. Joseph’s in WSP–about the commercial that Tebow filmed with his mother for last year’s Super Bowl. My husband had heard about the commercial, but wasn’t aware that the hoopla surrounding it was because it carried a pro-life message. I knew, from Catholic news sites, that the Tebows were told to abort him–and I sure wanted to tackle the story:

Celebrating Life

Pam Tebow was very sick with dysentery when she was pregnant with Tim. She and her husband, Bob, were doing missionary work in the Philippines at the time, and Pam had to take very strong medication for her illness. Unfortunately, the placenta never attached correctly and for a short time Pam was even in a coma. Doctors suggested they abort the baby, but they obviously refused.

Bob told Sports Illustrated in July 2009:

“I told Tim, ‘You’re a miracle baby. God’s got a purpose for you, and at some point I think He’s going to call you to preach.’ “

I hope Tim doesn’t fumble, and that he continues to embrace life. Through all his challenges, may he stay as tough as his mom and dad!

He’s a great preacher in his own special way, and the culture of life needs him!

Check out the book Tim Tebow wrote about his family’s pro-life story called, Through My Eyes.

Join Us!

Cathedral of St. Paul

Please attend the Mass for Life on Sunday, January 22. Bishop Le Voir will be presiding at this special Noon Mass at the Cathedral.  YES, this does count as your Sunday obligation, so come as a family to attend together. The MCCL Rally at the state capitol will follow the Mass. Last year this inspiring event was attended by approximately 3,000 people.

This year marks the 39th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s tragic decision to legalize abortion. Over 50 million babies have lost their lives.

Please join others in this opportunity to pray for these children of God, as well as the men and women who suffer because of the decision they made to terminate a pregnancy.

Contact the Marriage Family and Life office at 651.291.4506 or wilsons@archspm.org with questions.

(Information taken from the Church of St. Joseph in W. St. Paul’s bulletin)