Introduction and Implementation
“The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has decreed that on January 22nd, the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, Roe vs. Wade (1973), or January 23rd (when January 22nd falls on a Sunday), all dioceses of the United States shall observe a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children…On the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision (January 22), Roe vs. Wade, we are reminded that ‘as God recognized each of us before we were born, and called us by name, so too may we recognize the value of each human life and pledge ourselves to continue to defend and nurture God’s greatest give to us." Please use this series as needed to help educate people before or after the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. The series may be used as a mission, retreat or talk.
If a mission, retreat or lock-in for life format is used, it is recommended to provide one keynote talk and then breakout sessions. The lessons may be used for the keynote as well as the breakout sessions. It might be good to offer five breakout sessions but allow individuals to choose 2 or 3 of the five they are most interested in. A holy hour of reparation in front of the Blessed Sacrament for the sins of abortion and attacks against the culture of life are also recommended; this can be done in conjunction with your event or on the feast day of the Holy Innocents on Dec.28.
The focus of the packet is primarily on Abortion, but other attacks against the culture of life are also included. It is important to note that some attacks on life are always evil, no exceptions, these are called “inherent evils” as is the case with abortion. Other attacks are not always evil, but rather it depends on the circumstance, as is the case with the death penalty and war.
The song No Room (Remnant), which is one of the links on the main page, can be used as a good over view. The song is not recorded, but can be used as a poem or spoken word.
Key Words/Themes
Life, culture of life, Gospel of Life, protection of life, protection of the unborn, plunder, Blessed Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, culture of death, unwanted pregnancies, marriage, families, children, life is good, wedding vows, openness to life, losing the sense of God, pro-life, abortion, blob of tissue, clump of cells, embryo, conception, pro-abortion, pro-choice, social justice, slavery, holocaust, Jews, Nazi, conscience, right to life, woman’s life endangered, rape, incest, cancer, St. Gianna Molla, a woman’s body, a woman’s choice, changing the laws, relativism, quality of life, miscarriage, abortion in America, number of abortions, Blessed Mother Theresa, forgiveness, healing from abortion, an aborted babies soul, development in the womb, stages of life, abortion procedures, abortion industry, Planned Parenthood, how we can end abortion, what we can do to end abortion, Crossroads, 40 Days for Life, Stand True Ministries, Until Abortion Ends, Euthanasia, right to die, pain killers, life support, feeding tube, Terry Schiavo, dying with dignity, natural death, suffering, redemptive suffering, Capital Punishment, death penalty, death row, conversion, St. Maria Goretti, suicide, war, just war, embryonic stem cell research, adult stem cell research, birth control, contraceptives, condoms, the pill, Abortifacient, Margret Sanger, eugenics, overpopulation, businesses who contribute to abortion, how to end the culture of death