Our Lady of Guadalupe Pro-Life Group

Purpose:
We proclaim that human life is a precious gift from God; that each person who receives this gift has responsibilities toward God, self and others; and that society, through its laws and social institutions, must protect and nurture human life at every stage of its existence.

Strategies:
Our pastor, Monsignor V. Paul Fitzmaurice has helped us develop a four-part plan:
(1) Education – in the Catholic community and in the public square.
(2) Care and Services – for women with problems related to pregnancy, donations and volunteer time given, and for those who have been involved in abortion.
(3) Advocacy – for public policies that protect the lives of unborn children and those vulnerable to pressure to end their own lives.
(4) Prayer – that the culture of death will be replaced by a culture of life and love.  Please consider spiritually adopting an unborn baby and pray for that baby every day for nine months.  Download and print our Prayer for Unborn Human Life and hang it where you will see it every day.

Meeting Times:
The St. Agnes Our Lady of Guadalupe Pro-Life Group meets on the third Saturday of each month, usually 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 saying the Rosary. Questions about the group can be directed to Audrey at 412 554-2454.

PRAYERS & INSPIRATION

The following prayer for our children and grandchildren was shared by one of our members 1/16/2021:

Don’t feel sorry for or fear for your kids because the world they are going to grow up in is not what it used to be. God created them and called them for the exact moment in time that they’re in. Their life wasn’t a coincidence or an accident. Raise them up to know the power they walk in as children of God. Train them up in the authority of His Word. Teach them to walk in faith knowing that God is in control. Empower them to know they can change the world. Don’t teach them to be fearful and disheartened by the state of the world but hopeful that they can do something about it. Every person in all of history has been placed in the time that they were in because of God’s sovereign plan. He knew Daniel could handle the lions den. He knew David could handle Goliath. He knew Esther could handle Haman. He knew Peter could handle persecution. He knows that your child can handle whatever challenge they face in their life. He created them specifically for it! Don’t be scared for your children, but be honored that God chose you to parent the generation that is facing the biggest challenges of our lifetime. Rise up to the challenge. Raise Daniels, Davids, Esthers and Peters! God isn’t scratching His head wondering what He’s going to do with this mess of a world. He has an army He’s raising up to drive back the darkness and make Him known all over the earth. Don’t let your fear steal the greatness God placed in them. I know it’s hard to imagine them as anything besides our sweet little babies, and we just want to protect them from anything that could ever be hard on them, but they were born for such a time as this.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for us!

For more information on the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe and her appearance to Mexican peasant Juan Diego in 1531 please watch the videos here produced by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and Bishop Robert Barron’s Catholicism Series.

Our Pro-Life group echoes the sentiment of Human Life International with this statement:

The choice of Our Lady of Guadalupe as patroness of our apostolate was obvious. Of all the many manifestations of Mary’s loving presence among us throughout the centuries, in this apparition alone does she appear to us as clearly the Patroness of the Unborn, in the manner of a pregnant mother. She holds within her the unborn Christ, proclaiming the sanctity and blessedness of life within the womb. Her reverence and tenderness communicate to us the joy and awe with which we must approach each nascent life. In contemplating her simplicity we find the strength to emulate her faith, and proceed with confidence in the knowledge that God will overcome the seemingly insurmountable barriers looming all around us in the world today.

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, once in the spring and 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.  All from the parish are welcome to join.

Join us!  March 7 and 24, 2021.  St. Agnes has “adopted” two time slots at the 40 Days for Life Peaceful Prayer Vigil on Sunday, March 7, 2021 from 1 – 3 pm and  Wednesday, March 24, 2021 from 1 – 3 pm.  This will take place in front of the office of Planned Parenthood, 933 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA.  

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, legalized abortion on demand.

In 2021 the Washington DC March for Life went virtual due to the uncertainty of COVID.  Instead, St. Agnes held a Respect for Life Day on January 29, 2021 which would have been the day of the march.   All parish organizations and mnistries participated in a full day of Adoration followed by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Mass.  

My Choice offers free and confidential services to women with an office in Greensburg across from the Diocesan Office. We will participate in a “baby bottle” monetary fundraiser for My Choice in January 2021.

Baby bottles were distributed on the Respect for Life Day, January 29, 2021.  Parishioners were asked to fill the bottles with coins and return them to the church for distribution to this local shelter.

PRO-LIFE SITES

Birthright of Greensburg – Birthright is available to women for as long as needed. They offer love, friendship, and support to women who are pregnant or think they may be pregnant. Birthright is interdenominational and is not involved in any political activities, or lobbying. Services are always free, confidential and available to any woman, regardless of age, race or circumstances, religion, marital status or financial situation. Location: 121 N. Main St. #G15, Greensburg 15601. Phone:  724 832-2577

Catholic Charities – Greensburg  offers a wide variety of opportunities for volunteers to get involved in the work and mission of the agency, including donating baby items and the need for baby clothing to be sorted appropriately.  If you are 18 years of age or older, and want to dedicate your time to helping meet the needs of others, please contact Donna Hagan, supervisor of information and referral services, at 724-837-1840 ext. 1661.

My Choice –   Free and confidential services in Greensburg. My Choice has been serving women and men in the Armstrong, Butler, Indiana, and Westmoreland Counties since 1984.  They are a non-profit organization, offering confidential, respectful and compassionate care to anyone facing an unplanned pregnancy or the after-effects of abortion. They are committed to giving accurate information in a caring and private atmosphere. They want each person to be free to discuss their options and sexual health without feeling judged or coerced. Location: 660 E Pittsburgh St. – Greensburg, PA 15601. Phone: 877 223-7558

Life-Way Pregnancy Center is a pregnancy care center in Latrobe.  They are there for you… whatever it is you need they will do their best to assist, educate, and refer to appropriate resources. They have a wide range of services and programs. At their easy access Latrobe and Indiana locations their trained staff is ready and waiting to help with a pregnancy test, pregnancy support, adoption options, or parenting skills. Their one-on-one sessions are individualized to fit your situation, free of charge, and completely confidential. Location: 1516 Ligonier St., Latrobe  15650.  Phone: 724 539-2002

Live Action – This right to life movement reaches 4.7 million people with the largest online presence in the Pro-Life movement reaching millions of people each month with eye-opening and life-saving content.  Look to Pro-Life Replies from Live Action for answers to the most common pro-choice arguments you encounter every day.

Rachel’s Vineyard is a safe place to renew, rebuild, and redeem hearts broken by abortion. 877 HOPE 4 ME (877-467-3463)

National Hotline for Abortion Recovery: 866-482-LIFE (866-482-5433)