Our Lady of Guadalupe Pro-Life Group
St. Agnes Parish
October 23/24, 2021, Dedicated a Respect for Life Parish
Purpose: We proclaim that human life is a precious gift from God. Each person who receives this gift has responsibilities toward God, self, and others. Society, through its laws and social institutions, must protect and nurture human life at every stage of its existence.
Our Pro-Life Group echoes the sentiment of St. Pope John Paul II’s homily he gave during his apostolic visit to Mexico in January 1999.
“Under her motherly care I place…the innocent lives of children, especially those who are in danger of not being born.”
In 1999, St. Pope John Paul II gave a great gift to the Catholic Church and the pro-life movement when he formally declared Our Lady of Guadalupe Patroness of the Americas, the Empress of Latin America, and the Protectress of Unborn Children.
Our Lady has appeared, many times, to many different people in many different areas of the world. But, of all Her many apparitions, in one alone, does she appear as a pregnant mother. In the revered miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Blessed Mother contains within her womb the Christ Child – the Incarnate Word. (Fr. Shenan J. Bouquet of Human Life International, Dec 11, 2019).
Strategies:
(1) Prayer and Fasting: To constantly ask God’s help with all our efforts to protect the sanctity of life.
(2) Education: To conduct research and study on life issues, relevant respect life legislation, and court rulings and to communicate this information to the parish.
(3) Advocacy/Witness: To motivate people to contact decision makers to advance policies and laws that protect the lives of unborn babies, and to participate in local and national Respect Life events and programs.
(4) Care and Services: To provide help and support to expectant mothers and to offer a healing hand to those who had an abortion.
Meeting Times: The St. Agnes Our Lady of Guadalupe Pro-Life Group meets on the third Saturday of each month, 9 – 11 AM in Room 306 in Resurrection Hall.
How to Join: All are welcome to join one of our monthly meetings at any time. There is no need to register in advance. One can add their name to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Flocknote Group if one desires to receive information regarding meetings, notices and events sent directly to them. Our meetings always begin with prayer and recitation of the Rosary. If you have any questions, please contact Audrey Glick at 412 554-2454.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Pro-Life Group’s Activities
In addition to regular meetings, this ministry participates in the following pro-life activities organized locally and nationally:
40 Days for Life is a Pittsburgh pro-life campaign which takes place twice a year, in the spring and in the fall. It is a pro-life effort that consists of 40 days of prayer and fasting; 40 days of peaceful vigil held from 7am – 7pm in front of Planned Parenthood, 933 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh; and 40 days of community outreach. We invite parishioners to join this campaign.
Irwin Life Chain organizes peaceful prayer for the unborn. Started over 30 years ago, Life Chain is a peaceful and prayerful public witness of pro-life individuals standing for 90 minutes praying for our nation and for an end to abortion. It is a visual statement of solidarity by the Christian community that abortion kills children and that the Church supports the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death. This prayerful event usually takes place on the first Sunday in October.
The March for Life takes place in January in Washington DC. It began as a small demonstration in direct response to the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Taking place every year since 1974, the March for Life rapidly grew to be the largest pro-life event in the world. This peaceful gathering of hundreds of thousands is a powerful witness to the truth concerning the greatest human rights violation of our time, that being, legalized abortion on demand.
The first Pennsylvania March for Life took place in Harrisburg on September 27, 2021. The second Pennsylvania March for Life in Harrisburg took place September 19, 2022. The Diocese sent five buses.
Quarterly Pro-Life Newsletter: We issued our first Our Lady of Guadalupe Pro-Life Group Newsletter in our Sunday January 30, 2022 bulletin (see pages 5-6). The newsletters contain life affirming articles that inform, educate, and remind those who are suffering after choosing to have an abortion that God’s mercy awaits them. The newsletters will always contain areas of outreach and resources for women in need.
But we must do more…
Walking with Moms in Need
www.walkingwithmoms.com
For almost fifty years, advocates for life have peacefully marched, counseled, educated, and prayed for the 65 million souls lost to abortion. Our hearts are also heavy for every woman and man’s painful, and most times, silent suffering from abortion; we pray for their healing and pledge continued compassion and support.
Now is the time to begin the work of building a post-Roe America by coming together, standing in support of “Walking with Moms in Need,” showing moms the resources that exist to aid them in bringing their children into a world with love and to aid in the nurturing of those precious lives in their early years.
Through the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops’ initiative, “Walking with Moms in Need,” we will all be able to realize their vision for our society that upholds the truth that every human life is sacred and inviolable – a society in which the legal protection of human life is accompanied by profound care for mothers and their children.
More information about our Saint Agnes pro life group can be found on the Our Lady of Guadalupe Pro Life Group page.
