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Knights of Columbus
Position Abortion is not a choice. It is a decision. It must be made plain and clear to the participants that this decision's consequences are irreversible. |
The Gospel of Life
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Knights of Columbus
Position Abortion is not a choice. It is a decision. It must be made plain and clear to the participants that this decision's consequences are irreversible. |
The Gospel of Life
"The Gospel of Life" is a reminder that the call to cherish and support life from conception to natural death comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ itself.
THE
POPE'S PRO-LIFE MANIFESTO
Of all the Church documents over the centuries, one of the most complete statements
on the dignity and value of human life is the 1995 encyclical by Pope John Paul
II entitled The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae). This document
sets forth clearly the Catholic position on today's life issues, including abortion,
euthanasia, capital punishment, the relationship between civil and moral law,
the responsibilities of politicians and voters, and indeed the whole "civilization
of love."
The text is presented here with a study guide by journalist and author Russell Shaw. Because of its magisterial splendor, this encyclical is the cornerstone of our pro-life section.
THE
U.S. BISHOPS IN DEFENSE OF LIFE
At their 1998 November meeting in Washington, DC, the National Conference of
Catholic Bishops for the United States issued a Statement on Life that
calls Catholics to transform their culture according to the Gospel of Life.
HUMANAE
VITAE: ON HUMAN LIFE
On 25th of July, 1968 — the Feast of St. James the Apostle — Pope Paul VI issued
the prophetic encyclical Humanae Vitae. This encyclical is a beautiful
statement of the procreative and unitive ends of marriage and the inseparability
of life and love. The Pope also correctly foresaw the moral chaos that would
ensue as society took on a contraceptive mentality. The antidote to this moral
poison is in this compelling document, which proclaims in a new way what the
entire Christian world believed until our own time.
ORDER
DEFENDS HOLY SEE AT THE UNITED NATIONS
The Knights of Columbus has recently been granted status as a non-governmental
organization (NGO) by the United Nations. In its first action as an NGO, the
Knights of Columbus opposed attempts by Catholics for a Free Choice and other
pro-abortion organizations to have the Holy See's U.N. status downgraded from
permanent observer to NGO. For more details, see the article UN Grants NGO Status
to K of C. For a web site which tracks the activities of pro-family NGOs at
the United Nations, visit the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute.
SUMMARY
OF K OF C PRO-LIFE INITIATIVES
In his annual report for 1998, Supreme Knight Virgil C. Dechant devoted a major
section to the Knights' pro-life activities. Information gathered from this
report serves admirably to demonstrate the Knights of Columbus' wide-ranging
commitment to life.
MILESTONES
IN THE CRUSADE FOR LIFE
Even before the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, the
Knights of Columbus had positioned itself as a leader in the pro-life movement.
In the fall of 1972, the Knights went to work with other pro-life groups to
combat abortion. Its opposition to abortion is a pledge the Order has proudly
kept for a quarter of a century of milestones in the Crusade for Life.
SECOND LOOK
This link came about as a result of an article in a recent edition of Knightline. One of these articles titled, "Knights Back U.S. Bishops' Effort Urging a 'Second Look' at Abortion" refered readers to the website: http://www.secondlookproject.org/ The website link shown contains two very poignant posters relating to Pro-Life issues. We have elected to make this link permanent on this site until it is either taken down or modified by the source.
IMPORTANT
PRO-LIFE LINKS
In addition to the pro-life materials the Knights of Columbus makes available
directly on this web site, here are some indispensable
links to the web sites of organizations exclusively dedicated to the pro-life
cause. If you know of other Pro-Life links that you feel should be made available, please contact the Webmaster of this site.
The St. Juan Diego Society Women's Center
Pro-Life Advocates At Their Best
The Juan Diego Society Women's Center is located on North White Road across the street from James Link High School. In very close proximity to their offices is a Planned Parenthood office. Talk about competition. They operate out of a 1,200 square foot office space. What makes their mission more difficult is that receive NO financial support from the Diocese of San Jose. All of their funding comes from donations. It is a sad statement but it was revealed to us that the Prostestant Pro-Life organizations have more resources to draw from than The Juan Diego Society Women's Center.
Originally founded by the late Msgr. Sweeney, former pastor of Our Lady of Peace parish, the Juan Diego Society has been fighting a constant uphill battle to guide young girls in trouble from taking the horrible path to the abortion clinic nearby. Over the past year, approxiamately 70% of the girls who enter their offices are under the age of 20. Sad as this is to say, the youngest girl that has walked into their offices was only 12 years of age.
Some of the items that the Juan Diego Society cannot accept are baby formula because of shelf life issues and restrictions based on the infant's specific dietary/health requirements.
PRAYER
FOR THE UNBORN
We should make it a habit to pray daily for the lives of the unborn. Here is
a very short and easy to remember prayer by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen:
Jesus, Mary, Joseph,
I love you very much.
I beg you to spare the life
of the unborn child
that I have spiritually adopted,
who is in danger of abortion. Amen.