Podcasts about project rachel

 On this week's episode, Bishop Burbidge:  Congratulates Brian from Nativity Parish in Burke for completing the Holy Year Tour   Reflects on the inspiring unity seen at the Virginia March for Life in Richmond on April 2; hear from him and other members of the diocesan faithful in this recap video   Highlights the importance of the Project Rachel ministry in our diocese, offering support to women and men healing from the deep wounds of abortion   Encourages intentional reflection and deep prayer to better enter Holy Week, accompanying Christ in his Passion, death, and Resurrection   Acknowledges Child Abuse Prevention Month by reaffirming the diocese's commitment to protecting all God's children    What is the reason for your hope? Leave a voicemail for Bishop Burbidge. Some messages will be shared on an upcoming podcast: 703-778-9100  

Although Rachel in Scripture did not have an abortion, we know she experienced deep pain on many levels.Click HERE for a wonderful summary of her story and how God worked through it to give her strength and hope in a future that is unblemished.The angst and loss Rachel had is applicable to all of us who make decisions counter to what God has in mind for our own flourishing. And yet...there is Jesus.My guest today on "I'm Glad You Said That" is Tara Haughey with Project Rachel, a ministry within the Archdiocese of Anchorage & Juneau that provides compassion and care for people who have experienced the trauma of abortion.To be pro life is so much more than just preventing abortions.We serve as ambassadors of God best in this arena when we not only work at rescuing those being led to slaughter but also reach out to those who need love and forgiveness and support after a decision to end the life of a pre-born has been made. To stand alongside them not with judgement but with sincere humility and empathy.I hope you can tune in.Support the show

JP courageously shares her experience of being forced to have an abortion when she was 14-years-old. Patrick provides compassionate guidance, emphasizing the value of post-abortion healing resources like Rachel's Vineyard and Project Rachel. This conversation reveals the strength and hope that can be found through empathy and understanding. J.P. – As a teenager, my mom took me, against will, to get two abortions. Does God understand this? (00:42) Rebecca – How can I help my Lutheran husband convert? (11:06) Miliani - Protestant friend inviting me to a Bible study. Should I go? (15:41) John – My friend is Catholic and has not been to Church in long time. She went to Confession and the priest refused her sacrament and told her to leave. (23:41) Rosa - Is it a sin to get divorced? When Jesus said carry cross does that mean we have to endure a certain situation? (37:49) Megan - Thank you, Patrick, for all the wonderful and compassionate things that you have said. (47:43) Susan - I wanted to encourage JP. I work with Rachel's Vineyard. We will not try to convert her but talk about the mercy of God. (50:21)

Dr. John Bruchalski of Divine Mercy Care and Kerstin Pakka of Project Rachel in the Diocese of Toledo share the stories of how they came from believing in a right to abortion, to having a radical encounter with the forgiveness of Christ that has since empowered each of them to work to build a culture of life and promote access to the kind of care that leads others like themselves to heal from the wounds of abortion.

PTSD of abortion – the symptoms and side effects with Mary McCluskey of Project Rachel from the USCCB.  (3:47) Hope and healing from abortion — stories of women's lives transformed. (23:18) Voting on abortion next week. (36:50) What is your interior life like all day? Bringing JOY to your interior life (43:01) Resources mentioned :  Project Rachel  https://hopeafterabortion.com/ Cambridge study on abortion's damage to women's mental health https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/abortion-and-mental-health-quantitative-synthesis-and-analysis-of-research-published-19952009/E8D556AAE1C1D2F0F8B060B28BEE6C3D Abortion Amendment Information  Florida – vote NO on amendment 4 Do No Harm Florida organization  www.donoharmfl.org   Florida Physicians Against Amendment 4  fpaa4.com   New York - vote no on Prop 1 Protect Kids NY https://www.protectkidsny.com/   Colorado - vote no on Amendment 79 Right to Know Colorado https://www.righttoknowco.com/   Arizona - vote no Prop 139 It Goes too Far https://www.itgoestoofar.com   Nevada - vote no Question 6 Respect Life Commission  https://www.highdesertcatholic.org/respect-life-commission/   South Dakota - vote no Amendment G Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls https://www.sfcatholic.org/respectlife/   Missouri - vote no Amendment 3 Missouri Right to Life https://missourilife.org/about-us/   Maryland - vote no Question 1 Maryland Catholic Conference  https://www.mdcatholic.org/parish-resources/voteno/   Maryland Right to Life https://www.mdrtl.org/   Montana - vote no on CI -128 (Ballot Issue 14) Pro-Life Montana  https://prolifemontana.com/ci-128/   Gallatin Valley Right to Life https://www.gallatinvalleyrighttolife.com/

Today is the the Feast of Saint Grimbald.  Today's guest is Kim Marvin, an amazing woman of God, faith and an abortion survivor.  We will share Kim's story, her response to Dobbs, and ways you can assist in curtailing the abortion culture in this nation for others and perhaps even yourself.   You can reach Project Rachel at the Archdiocese of Chicago by calling 312-534-5355. The Abortion Survivors Network     St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish

Hope and Healing After Abortion – Project Rachel Ministry by USCCB Clips

This is part of a special video series at Word of Life called The Story Project, where Word of Lifers across our campuses share their stories of faith and trust in God.

Hour 3 of The Drew Mariani Show on 12-28-23 (originally aired 9-13-23) Drew plays some audio from a phone call this morning on the Patrick Madrid Show where a woman stumbled upon RR on her way to procuring abortion pills Kathy Berkes from Project Rachel shares her story of abortion and the process of healing -- and takes tons of phone calls with Drew that witness to Life for a confidential help line for women in similar situations, call: 815-387-3379 or email Kathy at projectrachelrockford@gmail.com  one caller recommends a financial crowdfunding service for women who need financial help in their pregnancy, check out: https://letthemlive.org/

Hour 3 of The Drew Mariani Show on 9-13-23 Drew plays some audio from a phone call this morning on the Patrick Madrid Show where a woman stumbled upon RR on her way to procuring abortion pills Kathy Berkes from Project Rachel shares her story of abortion and the process of healing -- and takes tons of phone calls with Drew that witness to Life for a confidential help line for women in similar situations, call: 815-387-3379 or email Kathy at projectrachelrockford@gmail.com  one caller recommends a financial crowdfunding service for women who need financial help in their pregnancy, check out: https://letthemlive.org/

We have been living in a post-Roe America for a year now, and it's become more evident than ever that abortion has torn our nation apart—affecting babies and mothers, families, civil society, and every area of our common life. This week we're joined by Alexandra DeSanctis, co-author of Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing. Alexandra gives us a year-in, post-Roe analysis of the pro-life movement. While abortion affects more than just one group of people, this week's discussion focuses on how it has affected women—even those who have not had abortions themselves. We hope this conversation informs and equips you to have meaningful conversations about this difficult topic. As Chuck Colson would say, culture changes over the backyard fence, which is why it is so important to be knowledgeable on how abortion affects those closest to us—families, friends, and neighbors.    Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing by Ryan Anderson and Alexandra DeSanctis  The Rights of Women: Reclaiming a Lost Vision by Erika Bachiochi  Tactics by Greg Koukl  Mystery and Manners by Flannery O'Connor  Disney's Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World by Richard Snow  Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder  The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck  Project Rachel     Help us equip individuals and institutions to bring restoration to their spheres of influence—for the advance of the Kingdom and the flourishing of culture. Give to support our fiscal-year-end goal at colsoncenter.org/fye23!    Strong Women listeners, we're excited to offer the Colson Center National Conference...ONLINE! Use promo code Strongwomen (all one word) to get $5 off the $49 ticket price. For one low price, you can experience all the main stage talks, breakouts, and panel discussions from our annual Christian worldview conference at your own leisure. Visit colsonconference.org for full event details and registration.       Erin and her husband, Brett, run Maven which “exists to help the next generation know truth, pursue goodness, and create beauty, all for the cause of Christ.” Check out more about Maven here: https://maventruth.com/   The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what's happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women   Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ 

Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, joins Sarah and Erin to talk about the strategy for the pro-life organization since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Jeanne shares her personal journey of faith and how she got involved in the pro-life cause. She also shares about the founder of the March for Life and what we can do to stay involved in the protection of the preborn.    March for Life  Family Research Council  Project Rachel  Silent No More  Strong Women Podcast with Lila Rose  The Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Kris Vallotton and Bill Johnson  Catherine of Siena by Sigrid Undset  Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food by Catherine Shanahan  The Innocent by David Baldacci  Join Strong Women on Social Media:  https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC, https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc, https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/      Erin and her husband, Brett, run Maven which “exists to help the next generation know truth, pursue goodness, and create beauty, all for the cause of Christ.” Check out more about Maven here: https://maventruth.com/   The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what's happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women     

Listen to the Mary McClusky and Jacob Barr talk about, as they talk about Project Rachel. Video Version: https://youtu.be/ytonRuxWzho Sign up for email notifications when new episodes are published.   Our sponsor for this episode is Heritage House.

On "EWTN News Nightly" tonight: Pope Francis has announced some changes to next year's Synod on Synodality. In an announcement on Sunday, the Holy Father said the gathering of bishops now will take part over 2 sessions. EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief, Andreas Thonhauser, joins to tell us more about this announcement. And as the midterm elections move in fast, pro-life organizations are warning pro-life voters: “Extremists in DC want to force all 50 states to allow abortion without limits.” This as President Joe Biden tweeted that “MAGA Republicans want to ban abortion nationwide.” Meanwhile, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin's proposals take affect this week. Transgender children will be required to use bathrooms and locker rooms assigned to their biological sex. Washington Editor of the Spectator and host of the Unfit to Print podcast, Amber Athey, joins to tell us more about Governor Youngkin's new policy and what the reaction has been. Ohio has a lengthy history of being a swing state in deciding which party controls Congress. Cincinnati, Ohio is home to the state's first congressional district, where Catholic Congressman Steve Chabot hopes to keep his seat on Capitol Hill. Finally this evening, a new study is shedding light on the after-effects for women who undergo a chemical abortion. Assistant Director of Project Ministry at Project Rachel, a pro-life ministry, Mary McClusky, joins to tell us about these findings. Don't miss out on the latest news and analysis from a Catholic perspective. Get EWTN News Nightly delivered to your email: https://ewtn.com/enn

Archbishop Naumann dialogues with Ann Marie Alvey about the work the Church does in helping women and men heal from participating in an abortion. If you could use help or know someone who does, you can call Ann Marie at: 913-621-2199 or go to projectrachelkc.com The Mission of Project Rachel and Project Joseph is to help post-abortive women and men understand what took place with the abortion experience, and its impact on their lives and relationships. Struggles with sadness, anger, shame and regret can be overwhelming. These emotions can be crippling and prevent people from living life to the fullest.  Our goal is to accompany and assist people on this healing journey, free of judgement and condemnation, leading them on a path towards forgiveness, freedom and peace.

Mary Ann Parks, Former President and Director of Project Rachel is back to talk about the recant Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade. What's next? How big a victory is the decision? https://anchor.fm/faithreasonandgeekdom https://twitter.com/ThatGenuFlexer faithreasonandgeekdompodcast@gmail.com https://soundcloud.com/john-murphy-885004605/moonwalk?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Archbishop Naumann interviews Project Rachel and Project Joseph coordinator Ann Marie Alvey about how the trauma of abortion, which though common, is often overlooked; and how the Church accompanies women and men who have participated in an abortion to find healing.  

Welcome to Episode 80 of the Being Human Podcast: The Lies of the American Psychological Association In this episode, Dr. Greg tackles the problematic stance taken by the American Psychological Association (APA) on abortion; he also breaks open why it's important for Catholic mental health professionals to practice from a place of integration, why most psychology programs cannot provide that kind of education, and what CatholicPsych is doing to help.  Discussed in this episode: How politics have taken precedence over scientific fact when it comes to the APA's stance on abortion;  The validity and findings of scientific studies done about the mental health impact on women who have had an abortion;  Why practicing as a mental health professional under the APA guidlines is becoming untenable;  The importance of Catholic mental health professionals starting from a place of integration of psychology, theology, and anthropology; Reasons why even Catholic psychology programs are forced to separate Catholic philosophy and theology from the teaching of psychology; Announcement of the Open House to discuss CathoilcPsych's new certification launching in the Fall of 2022. Resources mentioned or relevant:  Register for the free Open House to learn more about our new certification launching in the Fall! Meta-analysis on mental health risks associated with abortion: Coleman, P. (2011). Abortion and mental health: Quantitative synthesis and analysis of research published 1995–2009. British Journal of Psychiatry, 199(3), 180-186;  Visit the APA's website: apa.org;  The Embrace of the Proabortion Turnaway Study (cites issues with the study the APA uses as proof for their claim that restricting access to abortion will worsen mental health outcomes);   Adverse Psychological Reactions After Abortion - Fact Sheet by Project Rachel Ministries;  Ministries offering resources for those struggling from a part abortion: Project Rachel, Sisters of Life, Entering Canaan     Sign up for Being Human, our weekly newsletter, to stay up to date on the exciting developments at CatholicPsych; Become a member of the Integrated Life Community to get access to every course Dr. Greg has created, AND the opportunity to participate in Integrated Life Intensives: time-limited, group experiences covering topics like boundaries, communication, trauma, forgiveness, and more!  Learn about IDDM (Mentorship), our new model of accompaniment; Need help? Schedule a free 15-minute consultation call with our staff to discuss how we can support you! Download The Integrated App for access to free audio exercises, the Catholic Mindfulness Virtual Retreat, courses, prayer resources, and more; Visit our website to read the CatholicPsych blog, shop in the CatholicPsych bookshop, or discover other resources we have available.   Contact us! Have a topic or a question you would like Dr. Greg to address on the podcast? Want to give some feedback about this episode? Email us at beinghuman@catholicpsych.com - we would love to hear from you!   Rate, review, and subscribe Please help us in our mission to integrate the Faith with Psychology by hitting subscribe and also sharing this podcast with your friends. Please consider rating or leaving a review of our show. It helps us reach other Catholics just like you who want to become more integrated, whole, and happy human beings. For Apple podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate 5 stars, and choose “write a review.” Then type your sincere thoughts about the show! If you haven't already, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on any episodes. Subscribe to the podcast now!

Roe vs. Wade has been overturned, and on this episode, Bishop says we can't rest on our laurels....it's time to build a new culture of life through our witness and respectful dialogue. The show concludes with Bishop breaking down the legal arguments presented in both the majority and dissenting opinions. Read the USCCB statement here: https://www.usccb.org/news/2022/usccb-statement-us-supreme-court-ruling-dobbs-v-jac kson Read Bishop's statement here: https://diocesefwsb.org/regarding-u-s-supreme-court-in-dobbs-v-jackson/ Pregnancy resource centers: Womens' Care Center https://www.womenscarecenter.org/ Christ Child Society https://christchildfw.org/ Catholic Charities https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/ Walking with Moms in Need https://www.walkingwithmomsfwsb.com/ Project Rachel https://hopeafterabortion.com/

Reboot! This podcast is getting a new face lift, starting with my new co-host and producer two-time Emmy nominated producer and screen writer M. E. Dusty Garza. Now a weekly podcast every Thursdays! Frist episode of the new revamped show, with an interview with the president and director of Project Rachel, Mary Ann Parks to talk abortion and Roe vs Wade. Intro about the tragedy in Uvalde at Robb elementary, pray for all involved. Please rate, subscribe and share! God Bless. https://anchor.fm/faithreasonandgeekdom https://twitter.com/ThatGenuFlexer faithreasonandgeekdompodcast@gmail.com Project Rachel (sacrd.org) https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/25/uvalde-shooting-how-to-help/?utm_source=articleshare&utm_medium=social msifyavA4m8DxTTPJfBU

With the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, Father Ben Kiely joins with the latest after his trip during the Easter Triduum. Kathryn Jean Lopez also joins discussing the passing of pro-life legend Vicki Thorn of Project Rachel.

As Father Ben Kiely just returned home from Ukraine, he joins Dr. Grazie Christie to discuss the religious aspects of the ongoing crisis, breaking down the role Patriarch Kirill is playing, and the faith and resiliency of our dear Catholic brothers and sisters in the war-torn country. Our good friend Kathryn Jean Lopez of the National Review also joins as we remember the life and legacy of some pro-life warriors that have passed away recently including Vicki Thorn of Project Rachel, as we contemplate the future of the pro-life movement. Father Roger Landry also offers an inspiring homily ahead of 10 saints that will be canonized over the weekend. Catch the show every Saturday at 7amET/5pmET on EWTN radio!

Father Carlson speaks about Project Rachel. 

The leaked draft of the Supreme Court's majority opinion in the Dobbs case – a decision that could bring an end to the abortion regime of Roe v. Wade – has caused a political and media firestorm. What was behind the unprecedented leak, what is actually written in the opinion, and what might lie ahead for the highest court? EWTN legal analyst Andrea Picciotti Bayer gives her insights into this blockbuster news. And then, we discuss with Register staff writer Peter Jesserer Smith the challenges the Pro-life movement faces in a post-Roe landscape. And we honor the memory of Vicky Thorn, the founder of Project Rachel.

The leaked draft of the Supreme Court's majority opinion in the Dobbs case – a decision that could bring an end to the abortion regime of Roe v. Wade – has caused a political and media firestorm. What was behind the unprecedented leak, what is actually written in the opinion, and what might lie ahead for the highest court? EWTN legal analyst Andrea Picciotti Bayer gives her insights into this blockbuster news. And then, we discuss with Register staff writer Peter Jesserer Smith the challenges the Pro-life movement faces in a post-Roe landscape. And we honor the memory of Vicky Thorn, the founder of Project Rachel.

Shannon Mullen talks about the passing of Project Rachel founder, Vicki Thorn. Dawn Beutner shares the saints of the month for May. Tom Hoopes discusses 9 Ways Mark's Gospel is like a movie. 

Mary remembers Pro-Life hero Vicki thorn and her ministry Project Rachel after her recent passing. Dr. Schroeder breaks down the benefits of taking time to relax and have fun.

This week, Joan honors the memory of Project Rachel founder, Vicki Thorn. We play both parts of Joan's interview with Thorn who died Wednesday, April 20.

This week, Joan honors the memory of Project Rachel founder, Vicki Thorn. We play both parts of Joan's interview with Thorn who died Wednesday, April 20.

Today on “Catholic Drive Time,” Is the Southern border about to be overrun... again? Todd Bensman joins us from the Center for Immigration Studies. ALSO, How far back does the TLM go? Liturgical scholar Dom Alcuin Reid discusses it. Netflix Shares Down Nearly 40 Percent as Analysts Downgrade on Subscriber Fail Florida Senate Passes Bill to Eliminate Disney's Special Tax District Vicki Thorn, who founded Project Rachel, Passed. RIP. Second Hour: breaking news, saint of the day, Gospel, Plus New Round of the Catholic trivia game show Fear and Trembling!!! Then Stay tuned for the Catholic Drive Time After Show!!!! Starting at 7:30 am where we let our hair down and speak more casually across our live streams. We will field questions from our comment sections. Follow Catholic Drive Time on social media Official Social Media Account IG: @CatholicDriveTime Twitter: @CatholicDrive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicDriv... YouTube: Catholic Drive Time Joe Social Media IG: @TheCatholicHack Twitter: @Catholic_Hack Facebook: Joe McClane YouTube: Joe McClane Adrian Social Media IG: @ffonze Twitter: @AdrianFonze Facebook: Adrian Fonseca YouTube: Adrian Fonseca YouTube: Catholic Conversations Rudy Social Media IG: @ydursolrac Youtube: Glad Trad Podcast Twitter: R_Rodcraft https://www.grnonline.com/ Listen in your car on your local GRN station - http://grnonline.com/stations/ Listen online at GRNonline.com Listen on your mobile with our GRN app (both IOS and Android) Listen on Facebook @GRNonline Listen on Twitter @GRNonline Listen on YouTube @GRNonline History of the GRN: Starting with absolutely nothing we placed our trust in the Lord and our Blessed Mother. By August of 1996, we were breaking ground for the construction of the Guadalupe Resource Center where our ministry has flourished. We now operate radio 37 stations that reach a potential listening audience of twenty million souls. The Guadalupe Radio Network is the largest EWTN affiliate in the USA. Visit our website to learn more about us, find a local GRN radio station, a schedule of our programming and so much more. http://grnonline.com/

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - The personal secretary of Pope Emeritus Benedict the sixteenth has been in isolation for the past ten days after testing positive for COVID-19, according to German media. Archbishop Georg Gänswein has been in isolation since April 11, a time period that included all of the Easter Triduum and Benedict's 95th birthday. Benedict has tested negative for COVID-19, according to Gänswein, as have all other residents of the Mater Ecclesiae monastery, the retired pope's residence inside of Vatican City. Both Benedict and Gänswein have received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251023/benedict-xvis-secretary-in-isolation-after-testing-positive-for-covid-19 Pope Francis has joined the head of the United Nations and the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in a call for a four-day truce in Ukraine for the Triduum and Easter. The Eastern Orthodox churches and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church follow the Julian calendar, meaning they will celebrate Easter on April 24 this year. The Vatican announced on April 21 that Pope Francis had joined the UN chief's appeal, after the pope had called for an Easter truce in Ukraine during Palm Sunday Mass on April 10. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251024/pope-francis-joins-un-chief-s-appeal-for-ukraine-war-easter-truce A West Virginia priest is speaking publicly about his role in providing a funeral Mass and dignified burial for more than 100 aborted babies that pro-life activists say they rescued outside of a Washington, DC, abortion clinic in March. Father Bill Kuchinsky, 62, a longtime advocate for the unborn who also runs the Catholic prison ministry for the entire state of West Virginia, declined to disclose the burial location other than to say it was in a private cemetery. CNA also found that Kuchinsky's bishop, Bishop Mark Brennan of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, fully supports the actions Kuchinsky took to ensure the babies' remains were treated respectfully. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251015/priest-funeral-mass-burial-dc-aborted-babies Vicki Thorn, Catholic pro-life pioneer, international speaker, author, and a member of the Pontifical Academy of Life, died Tuesday, April 20 at age 72. Thorn founded Project Rachel, a groundbreaking post-abortion healing ministry that started in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and has since spread to dioceses across the US and around the world. As a certified trauma counselor and spiritual director who earned a degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota, Thorn launched Project Rachel in 1984. The ministry was staffed by a team of specially trained priests, spiritual directors, and other caregivers, and received an immediate response from both women and men who had been wounded by the experience of abortion. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251025/vicki-thorn-pro-life-project-rachel-abortion-healing Today the Church celebrates Saint Anselm, the 11th and 12th-century Benedictine monk and archbishop best known for his writings on Christ's atonement and the existence of God. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-anselm-443

We are privileged to have back with us Mary and Lauretta and they are very excited to be back on the show today.  After a busy weekend and starting off the morning at a funeral, the ladies pick up their discussion from last time on what is going on in the Pro-Life Community and all that happened from Mary's adventure in Washington, D.C.  The ladies are also happy to welcome on the show, Vicki Thorn, founder of Project Rachel which deals with post-abortion aftermath women and also men who have fathered aborted children and trying to help them in terms of getting through an emotional, traumatic experience.  Vicki discusses how she created Project Rachel, as well as the work that they have done to help so many who have faced and gone through abortions.  For further information, please visit:     https://ststanschurch.org/ Mary FioRito: https://eppc.org/ Project Rachel: https://hopeafterabortion.com/

After tens of thousands marched for LIFE this month across the country, Dr. Grazie Christie and Mary McClusky of Project Rachel discuss the deep trauma so many women and men are feeling from abortion--and how we can help those suffering--and reach those considering such a tragic option. With the staggering numbers of suicides and mental health issues afflicting our teens, we turn to Catholic psychologist and EWTN radio host Dr. Greg Popcak on how best to help our own children--many still feeling the impact of COVID restrictions. Father Roger Landry also joins with an inspiring homily to prepare us for this Sunday's Gospel. Catch the show every Saturday at 7amET/5pmET on EWTN radio!

Mary McClusky, Assistant Director for Project Rachel Ministry Development with the USCCB Committee on Pro Life Activities, joins Joe Zalot to discuss this specifically Catholic model of abortion healing ministry. Mary focuses on the challenges women face following an abortion, the services that Project Rachel Ministry offers, and how the sacraments (especially reconciliation) play a key role in the abortion healing process. Project Rachel Ministries website: https://hopeafterabortion.com/ The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-body-keeps-the-score-bessel-van-der-kolk-md/1117229987

In part 2 of a two-part series focusing on the Basilica Giving Tree, today's episode focuses on two pro-life ministries: the Gabriel Project and Project Rachel. My guest is Elizabeth Snodgrass, a co-leader of the Gabriel Project apostolate at the Basilica of Saint Mary, who shares an overview of the the ministries and how people's donations to the Giving Tree will help pregnant women in need. Click here to find out how to donate and to listen to part 1 of the series. 

In part 1 of a two-part series focusing on the Basilica Giving Tree, today's episode focuses on the Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem. There are two guests: Peter-Anthony Pappas, a Basilica parishioner and a Knight in the Order of Malta who received the Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem Foundation Medal in 2021; and Michèle Bowe, a dame in the Order of Malta and president of the Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem Foundation. They share why the hospital stands as a beacon of hope for poor and at-risk families in the Bethlehem region, nearby desert villages and refugee camps and why your donations will be a blessing to the mothers and babies of Bethlehem. Please click here to donate.  Part two of the series will focus on the Gabriel Project and Project Rachel, which are also part of the Basilica Giving Tree. 

Dr. Tara Sander Lee, Senior Fellow and Director of Life Science at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, and Tessa Longbons, Research Associate at CLI, discuss what chemical abortion is, how it is being promoted through telemedicine, and the numerous medical and ethical challenges it presents. Click here for the Charlotte Lozier Institute website. Charlotte Lozier Institute resources on chemical abortion: 1) “Deaths and Severe Adverse Effects After the use of Mifepristone as an Abortifacient – from September 2000 to February 2019” https://www.sba-list.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Deaths-and-Severe-Adverse-Events-after-the-use-of-Mifepristone-as-an-Abortifacient-from-September-2000-to-February-2019-copy5.pdf 2) “An Abundance of Neglect: FDA's Suspension of Medical Management of Abortion Pills” https://www.sba-list.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/An-Abundance-of-Neglect_clean.pdf 3) “The Impact of Chemical Abortion by Mail” https://lozierinstitute.org/the-impact-of-chemical-abortion-by-mail/ Project Rachel website: hopeafterabortion.com/ Information on abortion pill reversal: 1) abortionpillreversal.com 2) 24/7 Helpline: 1-877-558-0333

Bob talks with Mary Anne Boyd about founding Project Rachel Ministry in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, our healing ministry for post-abortive women, as well as establishment of the Pregnancy Center Coalition. Support the show (http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/ministries-offices/respect-life-2/being-pro-life/)

Sister Ignatia sits down with her mom to share her story of healing and to discuss her involvement with Project Rachel Ministry. You can learn more about Project Rachel in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend at diocesefwsb.org/projectrachel

Vicki Thorn, a certified trauma counselor and spiritual director, started Project Rachel while working in the Respect Life Office of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Since the first training workshop for a small group of attendees in 1984, the ministry has expanded to the majority of dioceses across the United States and more than 25 additional countries around the world. Now overseen by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Project Rachel is a diocesan-based network of specially trained priest confessors, mental health professionals, spiritual directors, medical professionals and others who provide ongoing, one-on-one, confidential post-abortion care. Special Guest: Vicki Thorn.

Abortion is a very deep, personal, and sensitive topic. I offer this episode in an effort to speak the truth in love, and to provide perspectives you may not have considered before. This podcast originated as a YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVnQdN2yu4E To access joyinhope's website and social media accounts, go to https://linktr.ee/joyinhope. Support joyinhope by: ~Becoming a monthly patron at www.patreon.com/morganmueller... ~By making a one-time donation at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_donations&business=joyinhopeministry@gmail.com&item_name=joyinhope¤cy_code=USD To schedule a speaking event, email joyinhopeministry@gmail.com or connect with me on social media. If you or a loved one have experienced the horrors of abortion, there is hope and healing for you. Project Rachel and Rachel's Vineyard are two organizations that provide healing from abortion: ~Project Rachel: https://www.usccb.org/topics/project-rachel-ministry ~Rachel's Vineyard: https://www.rachelsvineyard.org Abby Johnson, former Planned Parenthood clinic director, founded a ministry dedicated to helping those who find themselves in the abortion industry leave their jobs and find new work. This institution is called And Then There Were None and can be accessed at the link below: https://linktr.ee/attwnministry Ways YOU can join the fight for life: ~Spiritual Adoption Prayer: http://www.spiritualadoption.org ~Life Novena (Respect Life Prayer prayed for nine days straight): https://www.instagram.com/p/B9ibAxkFZka/?utm_medium=copy_link ~Coalition for Life (Google nearest one to you) ~Book/movie, Unplanned, story of Abby Johnson: (Book) https://www.ignatius.com/promotions/unplanned/ (Movie) https://www.unplannedfilm.com ~Pro-Life Action League: https://prolifeaction.org ~Students for Life: https://studentsforlife.org ~March for Life: https://marchforlife.org ~National Right to Life: https://www.nrlc.org ~(Kansas) Value Them Both Amendment: https://www.kansasamendment.com ~Live Action, founded by Lila Rose: https://www.liveaction.org

Most of us never think about caregiving before we become caregivers ourselves. But when it happens - when you become a caregiver - your life totally changes. And because so few people who aren't caregivers really think about caregiving - your new life as a caregiver can be a lonely one. Our guest today - Rachel Austin - is changing that. Rachel founded the Love Labor Project to connect caregivers - especially young caregivers - so that they can be emotionally supported by people who understand what they're going through. You can connect to the love labor project on instagram. They are @lovelaborproject. Support Bottomless Coffee by becoming a Community Member on Patreon at Patreon.com/BottomlessCoffee

Sr. Marysia Weber, R.S.M., M.A., D.O., joins WCAT Radio Host, Dr. Mary Anne Urlakis for Episode 43 of “Inter Vitam et Mortem: Between Life and Death: Interviews and Discussion with a Catholic Bioethicist,” to discuss the challenging topic of achieving hope, healing, and chastity after pornography addiction or compulsion.Sr. Marysia is a board-certified physician, specializing in psychiatry with a fellowship in consulting-liaison psychiatry; she completed her residency and training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Sister earned a Master’s Degree in Theology from Notre Dame. Sr. Marysia Weber practiced psychiatry at her religious institute’s multidisciplinary clinic- Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Center, in Alma, MI from 1988-2014. In 2014, Sr. Marysia accepted the role of Director of the Office of Consecrated Life for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, where she is also a facilitator for Project Rachel, the Chair of the Board of Directors for MyCatholic Doctor, and an executive board member of the St. Louis Guild of the Catholic Medical Association, and an executive board member for the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology. Sister also serves as an Adjunct Clinical Instructor in the Dept of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, in St. Louis. Additionally, Sr. Marysia has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and has authored several books -- most recently penning two chapters in the new text on priestly formation: Spiritual Husbands- Spiritual Fathers: Priestly Formation for the 21st Century, edited by Bishop Felipe Estevez and Bishop Andrew Cozzens, published by Holy Apostles College and Seminary’s Enroute Books and Media. Sr. Marysia is a highly sought-after speaker and expert, and has presented to the Roman Curia, at the Vatican in 2002 regarding the Sexual Abuse by Clergy in North American.In this interview, Sr. Marysia and Dr. Urlakis address the issue of pornography use, compulsion, and addiction. Sr. Marysia shares her expertise, not only discussing the scope of the problem and the neuroscience behind internet pornography addiction, but also revealing effective and authentically Catholic strategies for hope and healing.

Sr. Marysia Weber, R.S.M., M.A., D.O., joins WCAT Radio Host, Dr. Mary Anne Urlakis for Episode 23 of “Vows, Vocations, and Promises: Discerning the Call of Love,” to discuss her chapter, entitled “Guideposts for the Seminary Formator in Understanding and Assessing Levels of Preoccupation with Use of Internet Pornography as a Formative Process for Moving From Vice to Virtue” in the new text Spiritual Husbands- Spiritual Fathers: Priestly Formation for the 21st Century.Sr. Marysia is a board-certified physician, specializing in psychiatry with a fellowship in consulting-liaison psychiatry; she completed her residency and training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Sister earned a Master’s Degree in Theology from Notre Dame. Sr. Marysia Weber practiced psychiatry at her religious institute’s multidisciplinary clinic- Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Center, in Alma, MI from 1988-2014. In 2014, Sr. Marysia accepted the role of Director of the Office of Consecrated Life for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, where she is also a facilitator for Project Rachel, the Chair of the Board of Directors for MyCatholic Doctor, and an executive board member of the St. Louis Guild of the Catholic Medical Association, and an executive board member for the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology. Sister also serves as an Adjunct Clinical Instructor in the Dept of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, in St. Louis. Additionally, Sr. Marysia has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and has authored a number of books and chapters- including Chapter 15, in Spiritual Husbands-Spiritual Fathers, which is the subject of this interview. Sr. Marysia is a highly sought-after speaker and expert, and has presented to the Curia, at the Vatican in 2002 regarding the Sexual Abuse by Clergy in North American.In this interview, Sr. Marysia and Dr. Urlakis address the issue of pornography use, compulsion, and addiction. Sr. Marysia shares her expertise, not only discussing the scope of the problem and the neuroscience behind internet pornography addiction, but also revealing effective and authentically Catholic strategies for hope and healing. In discussing her recently published chapter, Sr. Marysia also addresses specific recommendations for the seminary formator faced with assessing the level of preoccupation with the use of internet pornography among men in formation.Sr. Marysia’s Chapter 15, entitled: “Guideposts for the Seminary Formator in Understanding and Assessing Levels of Preoccupation with Use of Internet Pornography as a Formative Process for Moving From Vice to Virtue,” is published in Spiritual Husbands- Spiritual Fathers: Priestly Formation for the 21st Century, edited by Bishop Felipe Estevez and Bishop Andrew Cozzens, published by Holy Apostles College and Seminary’s En Route Books and Media, which is available at: https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/spiritualhusbands/. (Oct. 8, 2020)

The role of a seminary formator is to accompany the seminarian in the external forum and to discern with him, the seminary community, and larger Church community, whether he has a vocation to the Catholic priesthood. To accomplish this task effectively, the formator needs a vast array of skills that will enable him or her to listen to, understand, encourage, challenge, and adequately assess the seminarian in an open and honest way. The book The Art of Accompaniment by Sister Marysia Weber, RSM, offers many invaluable insights and practical tools that seminary formators can employ in their work and may be found here: https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/artofaccompaniment/ along with a couple of important templates. https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Markers-of-Human-Maturation-Weber.pdf (template on webpage)https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Narrative-Assessment-Weber.pdf (template on webpage)This material by Sr. Marysia is also available in Spiritual Husbands, Spiritual Fathers, edited by Bishops Cozzens and Estevez and published by En Route Books and Media in the spring of 2020. https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/spiritualhusbands/Sr. Marysia is a board-certified physician, specializing in psychiatry with a fellowship in consulting-liaison psychiatry; she completed her residency and training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Sister earned a Master’s Degree in Theology from Notre Dame. Sr. Marysia Weber practiced psychiatry at her religious institute’s multidisciplinary clinic- Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Center, in Alma, MI from 1988-2014. In 2014, Sr. Marysia accepted the role of Director of the Office of Consecrated Life for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, where she is also a facilitator for Project Rachel, the Chair of the Board of Directors for MyCatholic Doctor, and an executive board member of the St. Louis Guild of the Catholic Medical Association, and an executive board member for the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology. Sister also serves as an Adjunct Clinical Instructor in the Dept of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, in St. Louis. Additionally, Sr. Marysia has published numerous articles in peer reviewed journals and has authored a number of books and chapters. She is a highly sought-after speaker and expert, and has presented to the Curia, at the Vatican in 2002 regarding the Sexual Abuse by Clergy in North America.

The role of a seminary formator is to accompany the seminarian in the external forum and to discern with him, the seminary community, and larger Church community, whether he has a vocation to the Catholic priesthood. To accomplish this task effectively, the formator needs a vast array of skills that will enable him or her to listen to, understand, encourage, challenge, and adequately assess the seminarian in an open and honest way. The book The Art of Accompaniment by Sister Marysia Weber, RSM, offers many invaluable insights and practical tools that seminary formators can employ in their work and may be found here: https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/artofaccompaniment/ along with a couple of important templates. https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Markers-of-Human-Maturation-Weber.pdf (template on webpage)https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Narrative-Assessment-Weber.pdf (template on webpage)This material by Sr. Marysia is also available in Spiritual Husbands, Spiritual Fathers, edited by Bishops Cozzens and Estevez and published by En Route Books and Media in the spring of 2020. https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/spiritualhusbands/Sr. Marysia is a board-certified physician, specializing in psychiatry with a fellowship in consulting-liaison psychiatry; she completed her residency and training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Sister earned a Master’s Degree in Theology from Notre Dame. Sr. Marysia Weber practiced psychiatry at her religious institute’s multidisciplinary clinic- Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Center, in Alma, MI from 1988-2014. In 2014, Sr. Marysia accepted the role of Director of the Office of Consecrated Life for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, where she is also a facilitator for Project Rachel, the Chair of the Board of Directors for MyCatholic Doctor, and an executive board member of the St. Louis Guild of the Catholic Medical Association, and an executive board member for the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology. Sister also serves as an Adjunct Clinical Instructor in the Dept of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, in St. Louis. Additionally, Sr. Marysia has published numerous articles in peer reviewed journals and has authored a number of books and chapters. She is a highly sought-after speaker and expert, and has presented to the Curia, at the Vatican in 2002 regarding the Sexual Abuse by Clergy in North America.

Sr. Marysia Weber, R.S.M., M.A., D.O., joins WCAT Radio Host, Dr. Mary Anne Urlakis for Episode 21 of “Vows, Vocations, and Promises: Discerning the Call of Love,” to discuss her chapter, entitled “Affective Maturity: Markers of Human Development, Psychological Insights and Resources,” in the new text Spiritual Husbands- Spiritual Fathers: Priestly Formation for the 21st Century.Sr. Marysia is a board-certified physician, specializing in psychiatry with a fellowship in consulting-liaison psychiatry; she completed her residency and training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Sister earned a Master’s Degree in Theology from Notre Dame. Sr. Marysia Weber practiced psychiatry at her religious institute’s multidisciplinary clinic- Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Center, in Alma, MI from 1988-2014. In 2014, Sr. Marysia accepted the role of Director of the Office of Consecrated Life for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, where she is also a member of the Archdiocesan Review Board, the Child Safety Committee, a facilitator for Project Rachel, the Chair of the Board of Directors for MyCatholic Doctor, and an executive board member of the St. Louis Guild of the Catholic Medical Association, and an executive board member for the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology. Sister also serves as an Adjunct Clinical Instructor in the Dept of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, in St. Louis. Additionally, Sr. Marysia has published numerous articles in peer reviewed journals and has authored a number of books and chapters- including Chapter 9, in Spiritual Husbands- Spiritual Fathers, which is the subject of this interview. Sr. Marysia is a highly sought-after speaker and expert, and has presented to the Curia, at the Vatican in 2002 regarding the Sexual Abuse by Clergy in North American.In this interview, Sr. Marysia discusses the important process of assessing the development of human formation and affective maturity of seminarians as prospective candidates for the ministerial priesthood. Recent directives, including the 2008 Guidelines for the Use of Psychology in Administration and Formation of Seminarians for the Priesthood from the Congregation for Catholic Education, the 2016 Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis from the Congregation for the Clergy, and the most recent edition of the USCCB’s Program for Priestly Formation all stress the sacred duty of bishops and formations to assess the totality the human person when considering the suitability of seminarians for ordained priestly ministry. Utilizing the six-interrelated markers that are common to all major psychological theories of development, Sr. Marysia has developed an on-going tool to assist seminary formators charged with the task of assessing the capacities of seminarians to fulfill the role of spiritual husband and spiritual father which is at the core of the vocation of the priesthood. Sr. Marysia’s Chapter 9, entitled: Affective Maturity: Markers of Human Development, Psychological Insights, and Resources, is published in Spiritual Husbands- Spiritual Fathers: Priestly Formation for the 21st Century,Spiritual Husbands- Spiritual Fathers: Priestly Formation for the 21st Century, edited by Bishop Felipe Estevez and Bishop Andrew Cozzens, published by Holy Apostles College and Seminary’s Enroute Books and Media, which is available at: https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/spiritualhusbands/.

My wife Chelsea returns to Truthspresso to continue a series discussing abortion. We have emphasized how abortion takes the life of a human being made in the image of God. Unfortunately, the effects of abortion don't stop there. We discuss several of the physical and psychological/emotional effects that the abortion industry tries to suppress. Chelsea holds a B.S. in Nursing from Regis University, a Masters in Nursing from Pensacola Christian College, and a post-Master's certificate in Certified Nurse Midwifery from the University of Colorado. She has worked as a pediatric nurse, has volunteered over eight years of work at crisis pregnancy centers in Colorado and Florida, and has delivered over 100 babies. Chelsea runs the website https://www.crmidwifery.com/ (www.crmidwifery.com) to offer her services. She is opening her own life-affirming clinic this year to serve women in the Denver Metro area. Sources referenced: Dr. Lale Say, et. al., "https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(14)70227-X/fulltext (Global causes of maternal death: a WHO systematic analysis)," The Lancet. Chris Kahlenborn, https://www.amazon.com/Breast-Cancer-Abortion-Birth-Control/dp/0966977734 (Breast Cancer: Its Link to Abortion and the Birth Control Pill), (Dayton, Ohio: One More Soul, 2000), 8-9. Elizabeth G. Raymond and David A Grimes, "https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0b013e31823fe923 (The comparative safety of legal induced abortion and childbirth in the United States)," Obstetrics and Gynecology 119, no. 6 (2012): 215–219. Byron Calhoun, "The maternal mortality myth in the context of legalized abortion," The Linacre Quarterly 80, no. 3 (2013): 264-276. David C. Reardon, "https://www.afterabortion.org/PAR/V8/n2/finland.html (Abortion is four times deadlier than childbirth)," The Post-Abortion Review 8, no. 2 (2000): 4-5. Resources: https://www.afterabortion.org/ (After Abortion) https://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/ (Silent No More) https://www.heartbeatinternational.org (Heartbeat International) http://www.hopeafterabortion.com (Project Rachel) https://www.abortionpillreversal.com (Abortion Pill Rescue) https://www.abortionchangesyou.com (Abortion Changes You) ***** Like what you hear? https://www.truthspresso.com/donate (Donate) to Truthspresso and give a shot of support! *****

The trauma of abortion is devastating to women and their husband or partners. Shame and guilt often cloud their identity, leaving them abandoned and feeling helpless and alone. Many women feel that God no longer loves them because of the choice they made to abort their child. Healing is so much more difficult when you have no external evidence that your baby ever existed – no photos, no memorabilia, no memorial service to mark your loss. On top of that, many don’t believe these women have a right to grieve. Join us as our special guest, Teresa Hoeppner, shares her message of hope. #crowned#sistersofthecrownFor prayer or to sign up to receive our weekly encouragement e-mail, contact us at sistersofthehcrown1@gmail.com.About Teresa Hoeppner:Teresa joined the Respect Life Office as Program Coordinator for Project Rachel in March 2013. She feels very blessed to share Christ’s mercy with others through the ministry. Teresa earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the University of Missouri in Columbia, and she taught middle school in a Christian school for several years. She and her husband of 24 years, Larry, have three children and six grandchildren. The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22)Contact Teresa at thoeppner@diocesekcsj.orgHealing ResourcesProject Rachel - 816.591.3804 or www.projectrachelkc.com or www.facebook.com/projectrachelkcSave One - saveone.org (Global)Hope After Abortion - hopeafterabortion.comOther Losses in the Womb Podcasts:Episode #34 Empty CribEpisode #35 I Am ForgivenEpisode #36 Finding Hope & HealingSpecial Edition: Losses in the Womb Remembrance CeremonySupport the show (https://www.sistersofthecrown.org/give)

This week on Family Policy Matters, NC Family Communications Director Traci DeVette Griggs sits down with Jackie Bonk of Project Rachel in Eastern North Carolina. Bonk discusses her work with post-abortive mothers and fathers, and how there can be hope and healing for those who have gone through this heartbreaking experience.

(January 16, 2020) Fr. Paul Sullins is once again a guest of Drew Mariani on his eponymous show on Relevant Radio. They're discussing several new studies on post-abortion regret, including the Turnaway Study from the University of California that seriously misrepresents its results (Salon article). Fr Sullins's newest study, on the aftermath of wanted pregnancies that were aborted, is also available. Public Discourse article (with link to Sullins study): ruthinstitute.org/ruth-speaks-out/aborting-the-wanted-child Project Rachel: hopeafterabortion.com

Victoria Thorn, the Foundress of Project Rachel, and Foundress and Executive Director of the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing, is the guest on Episode 36 of Inter Vitam et Mortem. Vicki Thorn and Mary Anne Urlakis discuss the critical ministry of post-abortion reconciliation and healing, and its thirty-five-year history under the dynamic leadership of Ms. Vicki Thorn. Vicki is a nationally known speaker, author, and educator. She has been a Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life for nearly two decades and is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychology at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. On October 7, 2019, the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at Notre Dame University, announced that Vicki Thorn would be the 2020 recipient of the prestigious Evangelium Vitae Medal. Regarding the announcement of the upcoming award, Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort-Wayne-South-Bend Indiana praised Vickie and stated, “She has helped thousands of women who had an abortion to accept St. John Paul II’s invitation in Evangelium Vitae to ‘not give in to discouragement and not to lose hope.’ Project Rachel reminds us that the Gospel of Jesus, the Gospel of Life, is also the Gospel of Mercy. . . . (source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/project-rachel-founder-to-receive-evangelium-vitae-medal-72912 ).” Join Dr. Mary Anne Urlakis and Prof. Vicki Thorn for this lively discussion of the need for compassionate, merciful, spiritual healing for men and women who suffer from post-abortion trauma. For more information on Project Rachel and the National Office of Post-Abortion Healing, visit: http://www.noparh.org/projectrachels.html. (November 25, 2019)

In this episode Mary Susan speaks with Rachel Harrington, founder of The Sensory Project. Rachel uses her professional experiences in the world of occupational therapy to equip parents with tools for sensory integration. Her work includes a membership site, a podcast (co-hosted with Jessica Hill), an etsy shop with handmade weighted products, and distance coaching. THE SENSORY PROJECT MEMBERSHIP SITE DISCOUNTS FOR MAMA BEAR LISTENERS: For ONE DAY ONLY / AUGUST 5th, 2019 use this link to get access to the August content and everything going forward at a Founding Membership price, which is 50% off for life, $14.99 https://thesensoryprojectclub.memberspace.com/member/plans/b2d1245426 After August 6th, use this link to get access for $24.99. Registration opens for the first 3 days of each month. https://thesensoryprojectclub.memberspace.com/member/plans/d77d1a1b37 Additional Links for The Sensory Project: Products/Distance Coaching: www.thesensoryproject.com Custom Products: www.etsy.com/shop/thesensoryproject208 Podcast: The Sensory Project Show IG: @thesensoryproject208 Membership Site can be accessed with the links above or www.thesensoryprojectclub.com

Interview with Jordan Marget the VP for Horns for Life at University of Texas. We go over the different aspects of the pro-life movement. A look from different perspectives.

In this episode of Inter Vitam et Mortem, Mary Anne Urlakis interviews Vicki Thorn, the Founder of Project Rachel, as well as the President and Founder of the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing. The post-abortion ministry that Vicki started is now a component of the USCCB Pro-Life initiative; Project Rachel is now active in 110 U.S. Diocese, as well as more than 28 countries world-wide. More information can be found at: http://www.noparh.org/projectrachels.html (January 21, 2019)

Elizabeth had an abortion when she was young, and when she came to the Church to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, was told she had done the unforgiveable and could not receive absolution. After years of self-destructive behavior and being away from the Church, she found the forgiveness and healing from God she longed for through Project Rachel, a Catholic post-abortion ministry. Hear her story and learn how you can support this ministry. Support the show (http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/ministries-offices/respect-life-2/being-pro-life/)

Anna Kinskey, weDignify 5th year Campus Mentor, joins Morgan to teach how to help someone hurt by abortion. Resources mentioned in this episode: Rachel's Vineyard - link Project Rachel - link Silent No More Awareness Campaign - link

Monte Larrick recently interviewed Vicki Thorn the keynote speaker at the Lake County Right to Life banquet. Vicki founded Project Rachel in 1984, a ministry of the Catholic Church to post-abortive women. Read more here. Ms. Thorn is also the Executive Director of the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing. They discuss the healing process of post-abortive women, Project Rachel, some of the road-blocks to the healing of post-abortive women, the impact of abortion on men, post-abortive women in the church, and are churches doing enough to help post-abortive men and women.… Continue Reading

THE MAN FRIEND PROJECT - Rachel Reeves MP by James Millar

Vicki Thorn, founder of Project Rachel and executive director of the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing, speaks about finding healing in faith and community while coming to terms with the physical and emotional wounds women face after 40. Read the full story: http://www.catholicherald.com/news/local_news/women_over_40,_underserved,_attend_conference_focused_on_their_needs/

Project Rachel with special guest Mary Ann Parks by Abortion Hurts God HealsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maggie Walsh discusses two particular apostolates that minister to those who have had a child aborted, Project Rachel and Rachel's Vineyard.

So often our pro-life work focuses on preventing the abortion. But what happens after an abortion? Today we learn about Project Rachel (also see The National Office for Post abortion Reconciliation and Healing), a ministry for women and men who are hurting as a result of a past abortion experien...

So often our pro-life work focuses on preventing the abortion. But what happens after an abortion? Today we learn about Project Rachel (also see The National Office for Post abortion Reconciliation and Healing), a ministry for women and men who are hurting as a result of a past abortion experien...

Summary of today's show: As we observe the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the 40th annual March for Life this week, Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams sit down with Dr. David Franks and Jaymie Stuart Wolfe to talk about Massachusetts Citizens for Life's annual Assembly for Life in Boston this Saturday, which will see former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson talk about her conversion from pro-choice to pro-life. They also talked with Marianne Luthin of the ProLife Office about the important work of bringing healing to post-abortion women through Project Rachel and the Holy Hours for Life organized in 150-plus parishes with the help of the Office for Deacons. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today's guest(s): Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, Dr. David Franks, Marianne Luthin Links from today's show: Today's topics: Assembly for Life, Project Rachel, and Holy Hours for Life 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show. Fr. Matt Williams and Scot talked about the upcoming March for Life and pilgrimage including live photoblogging from George Martell at and a live recording of The Good Catholic Life from Washington, DC. There's also a plan to provide live video from the March itself at . Fr. Matt said they have over 500 people going and each year the Catholic Media Secretariat has been able to provide more and more ways for those who stay behind to participate with the pilgrims. They discussed the logistics of bringing all the pilgrims to DC. Scot welcomed Dr. David Franks, who is the chairman of the Mass. Citizens for Life, and Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, who will be the emcee on Saturday for the Assembly for Life. Jaymie said she has laryngitis and will be struggling to talk. David said he is also taking three of his children along with the seminarians from St. John Seminary on Amtrak to Washington, DC. David said the seminary sends the seminarians as a crucial witness for life and to provide them with the exposure to the amazing experience. David said his young children, pre-teen and younger, are excited to be part of this massive witness to the most basic of freedoms. They have traveled to the March in the past as well. He said the children love the youthful energy from all the hundreds of thousands, especially where they don't see it in their everyday life for such a countercultural cause. Scot asked David when and how he has the conversation about abortion with his children and why we need to have a witness for the protection of human life. David said it is pervasive throughout his household and the way they raise their kids. The witness is always there in how they live their lives. He said the children go to Mass and see the crucifix and the bleeding Corpus of Our Lord and Savior. Life is filled with death and sacrifice and the greatest act of love is intertwined with death and sacrifice. They are exposed to the terms and when they are at the development stage where they ask questions, then they give them the answers appropriate for their developmental stage. Jaymie talked about talking to her eight kids about abortion. She said she and her and husband have grown in their appreciation and understanding of the Church's teachings on life and the children have grown with them in that. She explained how she phrased it in terms that the children can understand without being too graphic. Scot asked Fr. Matt what work is done to prepare the middle schoolers and high schoolers who go on the pilgrimage to understand abortion. Fr. Matt said they all know why they are going down to DC. They know that abortion was legalized 40 years ago and that we have a duty to be a witness for those who have no voice. He said they have three distinct tracks for middle school, high school, and young adults to help them process all that they will see and hear. They will hear multiple speakers and then experience the walk and they will flood their mind and senses. They will begin to process what it means to them. On Friday night, before the Blessed Sacrament, they will integrate everything for themselves. Scot asked about the 40th annual Assembly for Life at Fanueil Hall at 2pm on Sunday. David said that it's important for pro-lifers to be organized. MCFL is the largest grassroots pro-life organization in the Commonwealth. He admitted that since the early 1990s there has been a massive drop-off in membership in all kinds of civic organizations. They're not sure why that is, but think it maybe connected to a rise in consumerism and more online connectedness. He said we need to be actively engaged in civi life if we're going to transform our culture. The Assembly is always held around January 22 at Fanueil Hall, which has been a cradle for freedom. We have a proud history in Massachusetts of civic ideals and principles of human rights and dignity. Jaymie said the event will be reflective because of the 40th anniversary. They will toll bells for deceased pro-lifers, say the Pledge of Allegiance, and then hear the story of Abby Johnson, a former director of a Planned Parenthood clinic who left are seeing the reality of what she was doing. She will tell her story, which shows how God reaches even into the pit of hell to save us. There will also be some musical performances. Dvid said Abby is a prayerful and thoughtful speaker with an insider's view to the culture of death. That is powerful because conversion is powerful to see. When we see conversion, we see how Christ has saved us. Jaymie said it's important to speak from the perspective of our eternal life. We're created for something greater. Sin and death lead away from Christ and it's important to hear the witness of someone who has turned away from the road and back toward Christ. She said Abby's been spending her life since her conversion helping rescue people who are trying to leave the abortion business. They often feel trapped by their choices and unable to leave. David said they hope that Abby's presence will draw in people who haven't heard of the Assembly before. A speaker of this calibre doesn't come along very often. He thinks she recognizes that if we can change Massachusetts, we can change America. With the defeat of Question 2, we have seen what the Holy Spirit can do. He encouraged listeners to join MCFL and come see what they can do to effect change. David said he focuses in his talk with people in favor of legalized abortion on the basic principles of human rights. The basic principle is I should be as free as I can be right to where I cause harm to another. In fact, abortion causes harm to the most powerless of human beings. Last week, Jaymie's column in the Pilot compared her laryngitis to the voicelessness of the unborn. When we deny personhood to anyone in any state or at any stage, we deny humanity. A human person is the end. We do not dispose of human beings for another end. There's something wrong with a law that degrades womanhood and turns a mother into a death chamber for her children. It's dehumanizing to women to cast them aside as sexually available and with pregnancy easily solved with cash or credit. David said the goal of MCFL is to restore the right to life of those who are powerless under the law. They seek to speak for the voiceless. They do this in various ways, but the basic work is to foment a dialogue in the culture: Why is it we say social justice, solidarity, and preferential option for the poor and think it's compatible with the slaughter of the most innocent human beings. 2nd segment: This week's benefactor card raffle winner is Kevin and Allison Gingras from Raynham They win the book by Neil Combs. If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit . For a one-time $30 donation, you'll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM's weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We'll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 3rd segment: Scot welcomed Marianne Luthin of the ProLife Office of the Archdiocese of Boston to the show. He said the archdiocese provides both education on the issues, but also direct help to men and women who have been affected by abortion. Marianne said Project Rachel is an outreach to men and women who have had past abortions. She said as the anniversary rolls around, women who've had abortions often are confronted by their choice, up to 40 years ago. Marianne said so many people don't know about Project Rachel and many of the women who reach out to them hear about it for the first time in the parish bulletin. She said the bulletin is their number one referral source. Even a pamphlet is hard to promote because they are afraid someone might see them take one. Marianne said they hold retreats throughout the year. Many of the women who go on the retreat say they've confessed their abortions, but find they can't forgive themselves. On the retreats they hear the stories of other women who've gone through the same thing. Marianne said everything about the retreats is confidential, including the location of the retreats. She said the upcoming retreats are Feb 2, March 16, April 6. To contact them, their phone number is 508-651-3100. Or email them at . She said the retreats are specifically for women who've undergone abortions themselves. She added that one of the reasons some men and women have left the Church has been due to participation in an abortion, and this is a way to bring people back to the Church, especially in this Year of Faith. Scot encouraged listeners to mention to their pastor that they'd like to see the bulletin announcement in their parish bulletin and that it should run as often as possible. Marianne said women have said women have told they needed to see it more than once to act on it. Scot said the ProLife Office is also working with the Office for Permanent Deacons to organize Holy Hours for Life in parishes. Marianne said they started five years ago. Part of the mission of deacons is to preach and this is a natural extension of that mission. The Holy Hours will take place in 150 parishes this year and has become a tradition throughout the archdiocese. Marianne commented on the 40th anniversary of the March for Life and how it has grown and become much younger in the age of participants. It has truly become a witness for life. Young people today are even more pro-life than their parents today. Marianne pointed out that technology has changed how we see abortion. When Roe v. Wade came down, they didn't even have ultrasounds. Scot noted that many parishes are having baby showers for life. Marianne said over 100 parishes are participating. It started with one woman who couldn't go to the March. Parishes collect goods for the use of women in crisis pregnancies.

Summary of today's show: Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell discussed the life and death of Thomas O'Connell, Fr. Mark's father, this past week, and the elder O'Connell's contributions as a university librarian, but also as a support to Fr. Mark's vocation. Later, they discussed some of the headlines of the week, including Cardinal Timothy Dolan's letter to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on efforts to expand abortion access; the upcoming 40th anniversary March for Life; Project Rachel retreats; the 10th anniversary of the implementation of Ex Corde Ecclessiae; and this Sunday's Mass readings. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell Links from today's show: Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: Remembering the Life of Thomas O'Connell and Pro-Life News 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show. He also welcomed Fr. Mark O'Connell and noted that Fr. Mark's father died a week okay yesterday and his funeral Mass was this past Wednesday. Fr. Mark said it was quite an experience to celebrate the funeral and have so many priests and religious and laypeople come out for the wake and funeral. He said it's an amazing brotherhood of the priesthood and you experience it when you go through something like that. Fr. Mark's father was 91 years old and had suffered from Alzheimer's. Scot said Fr. Mark had described his father as a man who loved his faith and loved learning. He was a university librarian in his career, working at Harvard, York University in Toronto, and Boston College. He retired in 1986 and remained an educator, but pretty much concentrated on his children. He was constantly feeding them articles, poems, and literature, especially to Fr. Mark to use in homilies. So to write a homily for his father was in some ways an extraordinary task, but it was also easy because of the box of clippings he had saved from his father. Fr. Mark said there's a weird blessing with Alzheimer's which is that it's a long goodbye. So much of his father faded away, but love remained. He also talked about how his father was very supportive of his call to the priesthood. He related how they didn't want him to feel pressured when he first started thinking about it and how he was extremely supportive throughout his priesthood. Fr. Mark related a story of his childhood attending church. They would all site in the same pew, in the same row. It was his job to put the money in the offertory basket. Eventually, he realized that his father gave different amounts each week and his father said he gave more for good homilies. He gave more if the homily was shorter or if the priest had a good story or smiled. He was Fr. Mark's first professor of homiletics. Scot said it seems Mr. O'Connell wanted priests to be warm and genial and a good storyteller. He related that children see God in the same way they perceive their own father: as a tough, hard-love guy or a tender, loving dad. So it's important that priests reflect the love, the kindness, and the warmth of God the Father. Fr. Mark said his father throughout his priesthood always asked him if he'd smiled. Scot said Fr. Mark said in his homily that he had always had his Catholic magazines and periodicals to his parents' house, where his father would read them first, highlight the articles, and tell Fr. Mark what in them he should read. Mr. O'Connell was also a lifelong reader of the New York Times and he was always cutting out articles and sending them to Fr. Mark. He had very eclectic tastes. Scot said Bishop Walter Edyvean said the Archdiocese is tremendously indebted to Thomas O'Connell for building world-class Catholic libraries in Boston for generations who will benefit from his work. 2nd segment: Scot said they will now be discussing the rest of the news of the week after yesterday's discussion of Disciples in Mission. He said much of the news focuses on the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. As chair of the US bishops' pro-life activities committee, Cardinal Seán will be prominent in most of the events. Also, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York wrote an open letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo regarding a new bill that would expand abortion access. Dear Governor Cuomo: Congratulations on your third State of the State message earlier today. There is much to cheer in your report, and my brother bishops and I look forward to working with you to advance much of this agenda. In particular, we share your absolute horror at the many incidents of gun violence that have had such a terrible impact on our society, none more so than the unspeakable massacre of 26 innocent children and women at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. We commit ourselves to working with you to address this urgent problem as you look toward meaningful reforms of our gun laws, improvements in care for the mentally ill, and safer schools. Allow me also to single out for praise your continued interest in reforming and improving our state's health care system, as well as your support for a long-overdue increase in the state's minimum wage. I am hopeful that real progress can be made in these and other areas that enhance the lives of those who are living below or near the poverty level in our state. Yes, there is much to praise. However, I would be remiss if I did not renew my great disappointment regarding your continued support for the radical Reproductive Health Act. I know that you appreciate the fact that millions of New Yorkers of all faiths, or none at all, share a deep respect for all human life from conception to natural death. I also know that you are aware that New York State's abortion rate is, incredibly, double the national average. Sadly, nearly 4 in 10 pregnancies statewide end in abortion. In some parts of New York City, the rate is higher than 60 percent, mostly in the impoverished Black and Latino communities. As we have discussed in the past, we obviously disagree on the question of the legality of abortion, but surely we are in equally strong agreement that the abortion rate in New York is tragically high. There was a time when abortion supporters claimed they wanted to make abortion “safe, legal, and rare.” Yet this measure is specifically designed to expand access to abortion, and therefore to increase the abortion rate. I am hard pressed to think of a piece of legislation that is less needed or more harmful than this one. I do hope you will reconsider this position. I stand ready and eager to discuss this or any other matter with you at any time. My brother bishops and I would very much like to work closely with you to reduce New York's scandalous abortion rate and to provide an environment for all women and girls in which they are not made to feel as though their only alternative is to abort, something which goes against all human instinct, and which all too often leads to lifelong feelings of regret, guilt and pain for them, and for the baby's father as well. I look forward to discussing all of these issues with you further when I visit Albany on March 19 and 20 for the New York State Catholic Conference's Catholics at the Capitol event. Wishing you and your family every blessing in the New Year, may I remain Faithfully yours, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan Scot said we face similar issues in other states and nationally as well. The rhetoric is that abortion should be safe, legal, and rare, but they're always trying to expand access to abortion. Fr. Mark said it's a critical time for legislation on abortion. He added that Cardinal Seán has said that the tide is turning on abortion among young people, who are increasingly pro-life. It would be tragic to allow greater access to abortion when clearly there are too many abortions as it is. A recent major poll finds that 83% of Americans support restrictions on abortion and a large percentage want all abortions banned. Fr. Mark said we have 40 years of abad law that is open-ended and doesn't make distinctions. It's time for the end. Scot encouraged listeners to consider attending the March for Life on Friday, January 25, if at all possible for this historic anniversary. Hundreds of thousands and up to one million people march from the Capitol to the Supreme Court each year. Fr. Mark said Cardinal Seán loves that the March is like-minded people who aren't afraid to speak up to this issue. Scot said he's been to the March once about 15 years ago. Fr. Mark noted that there are similar marches elsewhere in the country including the West Coast Walk for Life on the same weekend. Scot added that Project Rachel retreat opportunities are coming up this spring. Project Rachel is a confidential Catholic outreach ministry offering hope and healing to women and men hurting from past abortions. The dates are Saturday, February 2, 2013; Saturday, March 16, 2013; Saturday, April 6, 2013; 9:00AM – 5:00 PM. ; or call 508-651-3100 Fr. Mark said he is a trained Project Rachel confessor. He said both men and women can receive tremendous healing from this wound in their life. Also in the news, we are approaching the ten year anniversary of Ex Corde Ecclessiae. Fr. Mark O'Connell explained that the Vatican document addressed the relationship of Catholic universities and theologians with their local bishop and diocese. The 1983 Code of Canon Law said Catholic theology professors need to get a mandate from their local bishops in order to teach the faith. Ex corde Ecclessiae in 1993 put that mandate into effect. It also addressed the importance of universities in general. Ten years, the US bishops implemented that document. It was a tense situation where theologians didn't want to lose their academic freedom and bishops wanted to ensure the integrity of the teaching of the faith. Now ten years later, the bishops are looking back at how the implementation has gone. Scot said his sense is that things got kind of crazy in the 1970s, where some professors teaching at Catholic universities got tenure and were teaching clearly heretical things. Fr. Mark said theologians don't have the right to publish their opinions as if it were valid Catholic teaching. They can be on the cutting edge of theology, but they have to remain respectful of the Church's teaching. Fr. Mark said there's a special responsibility when using the word “Catholic” that you are handing on what is authentically Catholic 3rd segment: Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. 1st Reading for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Sunday, January 13, 2013 (Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7) Thus says the LORD: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. a bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching. I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. Gospel for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Sunday, January 13, 2013 (Luke 3:15-16, 21-22) The people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Scot said many people wonder why Jesus had to be baptized. When we are baptized, we have Original Sin washed away and we become part of God's family. Fr. Mark said it's not the same baptism we go through. Jesus was baptized in the water by John and the blood of his crucifixion. Jesus was baptized symbolically to mark the beginning of his ministry. Scot said how much it should mean to all of us to hear from God to say to us at the end of our lives, “You are my beloved Son with you I am well pleased.” Fr. Mark said what he takes from this every year is how we can all use a bit more fire in our life, to burn with the Holy Spirit. Scot said this Sunday marks the end of the Christmas season.

Summary of today's show: October is traditionally Respect Life Month and the first Sunday is Respect Life Sunday. That has a special meaning this year as Massachusetts voters prepare to go to the polls and vote on a ballot question that would legalize physician-assisted suicide. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams talk with Janet Benestad and Marianne Luthin about the activities planned for the month in the Archdiocese, including a Respect Life Mass on October 7, a virtual town hall with Cardinal Seán on October 3, and a Rosary novena to stop assisted suicide as requested by the Cardinal. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today's guest(s): Janet Benestad and Marianne Luthin Links from today's show: Today's topics: Respect Life Sunday and Month 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show and noted that Fr. Matt Williams is decked out in his best garb for the Celebration of the Priesthood Dinner tonight at the Seaport Convention Center. Scot said it's the fourth dinner of the type. Fr. Matt said he's been a priest for nine years and he's still meeting priests for the first time. Fr. Matt just returned from Michigan where he was working with Renewal Ministries. They'd been invited out to be on a TV show that Ralph Martin hosts and which airs on CatholicTV and EWTN. Scot noted that October is dedicated to Our Lady, but it's also Respect Life Month. Fr. Matt said in October we focus on the devotion of the Rosary, which is a powerful weapon for life. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Marianne Luthin and Janet Benestad to the show. Marianne is head of the ProLife Office. She said in October, the 195 dioceses in the US hold local and diocesan events to promote the Church's teaching on thedignity of human life. She said one of the big ones in Boston is the baby shower program, which supports the Crisis Pregnancy Help Office. More than 100 parishes now participate in supplying the practical items that assist mothers in need. Scot asked how one would organize a program in their parish. Marianne said people can call 508–651–1900 to get whatever assistance they need. Another activity is a Mass on October 7, the feast of the Holy Rosary. Respect Life Sunday is traditionally the first Sunday of October. She said the Mass will be at Holy Cross Cathedral at 11:30am. They're asking everyone to come at 11am to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel to recite the rosary novena to defeat the physician-assisted suicide ballot question. Janet Benestad said this November we face the challenge of defeating Question Two in November, which would legalize assisted suicide. She said Cardinal Seán has initiatied a rosary novena starting October 3, the same date as a virtual town hall meeting that will air that night on CatholicTV. It will go to October 11. She said assisted suicide goes against everything we believe about the dignity of the human person and the preciousness of human life. Scot noted Cardinal Sean recorded videos for every day of the novena that will air five times per day with him praying the rosary with the Little Sisters of the Poor. It's an opportunity to pray the rosary every day as a renewed habit. Fr. Matt said as we look at the culture of death, we recognize that physician-assisted suicide emerges because there has been a consistent devaluing of the human person. In the Dominican Republic in August, he preached about the spiritual poverty in the US and they explained to the people there about assisted suicide. The people there were horrified by the very idea. This is a call for us to become aints and there's no better way to become a saint than to draw closer to Jesus through Mary in the rosary. Scot said Cardinal Seán composed a series of reflections for the recitation of the rosary in this novena. Marianne said October 7 will the opportunity for people from across the archdiocese to come together and pray and encourage one another o do everything possible to oppose it. She said there hasn't been enough public attention paid to this ballot question and people don't know about it. Scot said this is a life or death vote yet so few have heard about this. He said it's a troubling way to propose and enact complicated legislation like this. Janet said it's not hyperbole. Most people are unaware that terminal diagnoses with six months to live are usually inaccurate and doctors often don't make such prognoses, yet this is the criteria for the law. Also, people don't know that a person who applies under this law isn't required to get a mental health evaluation, to see a palliative care specialist, or even to inform a spouse or parent. Scot noted that these aren't Catholic or religious arguments against the law, but are common sense based on the common good. Scot said this is far from a death with dignity. Janet said a death with dignity includes proper care or being surrounded by family and loved ones. She added that this isn't one pill, but about 90 very bitter pills that must be consumed all at once and they can have very nasty side effects. Scot said the Marianne that one concern is that by legalizing a state-sanctioned form of suicide, it would make other kinds of suicide seem more acceptable. She said many in the medical community are very concerned about this bill. She said the American Medical Association code of ethics says doctors should not participate in assisted suicide because it will interfere in their ability to provide proper care. She noted that so much has been done with palliative care to bring pain under control and prevent a death in agonizing suffering. She added that some of the worst kind of pain is emotional or spiritual pain and giving someone a bunch of pillsis not showing them love or care or devotion. Scot said one of the arguments advanced in favor of the bill concerns pain and suffering, but he notes that in Oregon where it's legal only one in 100 who request assisted suicide cite the pain. Janet said most say they cite control over the time and manner of their own death. This is a question of autonomy and the pro side of the question are promoting a radical autonomy. The law would put the terminally ill in a separate category of persons as viewed by the state, where their right to life is not respected or protected. Marianne said every place she's talked about this question, she hears from people who have had a loved one in these circumstances and many Catholics mistakenly believe we are called to suffer without pain relief or that we are to undertake any possible treatment to continue life even if we are dying. She said the Catechism of the Catholic Church in section 2278 explains this clearly. Marianne said every Catholic should have a healthcare proxy, a legal document recognized by the Commonwealth that makes sure our moral beliefs are respected at a time when we are no longer able to make medical decisions for ourselves. We need to make sure our loved ones know what to do in these circumstances. Scot said Cardinal Seán profiled three better ways to care for the dying in a column in the Pilot last week, including palliative care and hospice care. Janet said palliative care addresses chronic or terminal illness. Hospice care provides care for the terminally ill and their families in treating the whole patient and not just the disease. They are clearly better options than suicide. Fr. Matt said the proponents make an argument from compassion to help the suffering and dying. He said it's compelling to many because the emotive arguments carry so much weight and strength over the reasoned arguments. Janet said true compassion never offers suicide, but treats the condition, offers the proper painkiller so they are not suffering unnecessarily. We don't recognize the dignity of a human being by offering them lethal drugs. Scot said Cardinal Seán will write in this week's Pilot about the collateral damage of suicide which affects family, friends, co-workers and even people who have contemplated suicide themselves. There is a phenomenon of copycat suicides. Scot said how can a state work to prevent suicide among young people while promoting it at theend of life? A decision to take your own life has societal consequences. That's a tough argument to make against the personal experiences of individuals. But emotional situations don't make a good basis for moral laws. We need to consider the wider implications for everyone and how it will affect everyone. Marianne said the ballot question defines self-administration of the drug as the person taking the medication, but it's virtually impossible for someone to take these very bitter pills by themselves even if they're healthy. The pro-suicide groups send around teams to help the ill to prepare the pills by putting them in food or drink and are directly involved in the death of the ill person. The group most often involved is called Compassion in Dying, but their previous name was the Hemlock Society. Janet said that while the bill allows for a conscience provision for the physician, but there's no conscience provision for pharmacists. Also if a family member wanted to intervene, there is no formal means for them to ask that it be prevented. It's almost too much for family to bear. It is never a recognition of dignity to acquiese to suicide. 3rd segment: This week's benefactor card raffle winner is Glenn Smith from Bedford, MA He wins the book by Johann Christoph Arnold. If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit . For a one-time $30 donation, you'll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM's weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We'll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 4th segment: Janet said people should make sure everyone knows that this will be on the ballot when they enter into the voting booth. Then explain to them in 30 seconds why this is a bad bill. Scot said it might be the only perspective a voter will hear and it could convince them. Janet said very often it's the conviction of the person who opposes this bill that will sway others. Cardinal Seán is asking people to pray the rosary novena every night. Marianne added that Cardinal is asking us to cooperate with a broad swath of people, not just Catholics. She also said people must register to vote and encourages even absentee college students to vote. Voter registration forms must be sent in by October 17. Scot said there is no hard deadline on submitting an absentee ballot. Scot said at the end of October parishes will have all kinds of materials for people to take and share with others and he encouraged listeners to clean out their parishes of these materials and share them. Marianne said every month should be Respect Life Month and she notes that we are approaching the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. She noted that Project Rachel offers assistance to women who've been through abortion. They have numerous retreats throughout the year.

Summary of today's show: The Good Catholic Life is one year old! Scot Landry, Fr. Matt Williams, Susan Abbott, Fr. Chip Hines, and Fr. Mark O'Connell talk about their favorite shows and guests and how the show has affected them and their ministries. Also stories of how the show has affected others they've talked to. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Matt Williams, Fr. Chip Hines Links from today's show: Today's topics: Our one-year anniversary 1st segment: Scot welcomed listeners to our one-year anniversary show. We'll be looking back at some of our favorite shows with our co-hosts, Fr. Matt Williams, Susan Abbott, Fr. Chip Hines, and Fr. Mark O'Connell. Fr. Chris O'Connor is traveling right now. Susan said when Scot asked her to be a co-host, she thought she just wouldn't have the time to take away from her work, but the Lord and her immediate supervisor, Janet Benestad, made it clear she should do it. She had been on CatholicTV a number of times and knew what that was like and had had no idea what it would be like to be on radio, but it turns out is been great fun. Fr. Matt Williams said he remembers discerning a year ago whether to do the show. For the first month, he was nervous before each show, but now it's a normal part of his day. He's developed his own style. Susan said Scot told her that Thursday would be the easiest show because it was just the news, but it turns out that the packets are up to 39 pages of articles from The Pilot and The Anchor. Scot said he gives them at least an hour to prepare for the show. Fr. Mark O'Connell is on the phone. He said his discernment didn't take long. He knew his parents would love to hear their son the priest on the radio. He said they are the show's biggest fans. He said his biggest surprise is that he hasn't been fired from the show. He was apprehensive at first, but really enjoys it. He especially loves when they interview his brother priests and their weekly look at the Sunday readings. Scot said we have tried to invite a lot of our priests on the show and it seems they are most often available on Fridays. Scot said two of his favorite shows included the moving witness of Fr. John Sheridan in leading a parish through the abuse scandal and Reconfiguration. Then Msgr. Frank Strahan is a legend among the priests of the archdiocese. Fr. Mark said he also loved to see the amazing variety of ministries in the Archdiocese of Boston. It is astounding to see the variety here. Scot said Fr. Chip Hines had previous broadcast experience with CatholicTV's Spotlight show. He said TV is uncomfortable because the camera captures everything. He does enjoy coming into help out. Scot said Fr. Chip has filled in quite often at the last minute. Fr. Chip said it's fun to come up with something impromptu. They recalled a show when there were some technical difficulties and after reading a document, Scot turned to Fr. Mark and asked him what he thought. Fr. Mark fumbled for a second, and admitted he wasn't paying attention. Scot said our Wednesday shows have taken place a few times in other locations, including Madrid and Washington, DC. Fr. Matt said it's been fun to be on the road during times where he's been working in youth and young adult ministry. He recalled the great interview from the March for Life with Cardinal Sean and Sister Olga. Most especially when you can get the young people on in their witness. Scot said one of his favorite shows was Cardinal Spellman High School in Brockton during Catholic Schools Week. He was almost speechless at their technology program and at their campus ministry, including an amazing Mass that has a waiting list of priests who want to celebrate it. Fr. Matt said the Mass is very lively and the Holy Spirit is strong there. Scot said unlike Fr. Matt, Susan sees the same group every Thursday pretty much to discuss the news, including Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy. Susan said of the shows she's participated in, the favorite was the Holy Thursday show last year, looking at Holy Week and the Holy Father's Stations of the Cross. She also loved being on the show with the Sisters of Notre Dame. Scot said one of the things he's picked up on the Thursday shows was getting current on Catholic news every week, not just in the local Church, but nationally and internationally, including some of the documents in the news. Susan said as much work as it is, it really is an impetus to read. She can't not read through her weekly packet. She did note how many wonderful positive stories, including local baker Andy LaVallee and last October's series in the Pilot on Project Rachel. Certainly we need to be aware of what we need to act on, but also what's happening that's wonderful and lifts us up. Scot said it also has helped to appreciate the amount of content in our Catholic newspaper. He also said he's also proud of being able to bring clarity to issues that have had erroneous information in the public or in the media. He recalled interviewing Msgr. William Fay on Pastoral Planning to clear up some misconceptions in the Boston Globe. He said recently he and Fr. Chip were able to talk about his practical experiences as a pastor leading two parishes to show the challenges he's been facing. One of the best aspects of the show for Fr. Chip is being able to give that perspective. Fr. Chip talked about how pastoral planning has been such a positive experience. Scot said on Tuesdays and Wednesdays they often get to go in depth in some papal documents and he's glad to be able to share that content with people in their daily lives. Fr. Matt said in the past couple of months they've been able to dive into a couple of the Holy Father's letters and documents which are so rich. one of the most influential was the World Day of Communications message in which the Holy Father talked about Twitter that was the encouragement he needed to get going with it. 2nd segment: Scot said one of the first things he thinks of for our first year is the generosity of Jim and Joanne Wright who brought the Station of the Cross network into Boston and gave us this great time slot on WQOM. Rick talked about the great people in Buffalo that he works with regularly. Scot said there have been 276 guests on the 254 shows, 76 priests and bishops, 20 religious, 10 deacons, and 168 laypersons. We have profiled exactly 100 ministries, including 41 of the 50 or so ministries here in the Pastoral Center so it's been a broad presentation of the Catholic faith. Fr. Chip said one of his favorite shows was when Lino Rulli was on and it was one of the funniest shows we've ever had. Scot said Lino is one of the funniest people in America. He's a pioneer in Catholic radio. Fr. Chip said it was a giggle fest on the show. Scot said there's so much good going on in the Archdiocese and we don't have enough vehicles to get the good news on. Susan said religious education wasn't one of the 100 so she would like to get them on soon. One of her favorite shows was when it was broadcast from Madrid. Scot asked her how often she gets to listen to the show and he favorite co-hosts. She said she listens to the recorded broadcast on her computer several times per week and of course, Fr. Chip and Fr. Matt are her favorites (who are the ones in the studio with her.) One of her favorite shows was the interview with Rocco Palmo, the blogger at Whispers in the Loggia, an expert on Church news. Scot asked Fr. Matt how The Good Catholic Life has affected his outreach to the events he organizes through his office, Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults. Being able to excite the listeners about what's happening: World Youth Day, March for Life, Hunger for Justice, and Eucharistic Congress, for example. It plants seeds and he hopes it inspires people. Fr. Matt noted that we've received emails from people who say the show has helped them come back to the Church. Scot said he often heard from people who said they were concerned about their grandkids' generation, and these shows help people hear about the good things that this generation is doing. Susan and Fr. Matt talked about the Award Ceremony for the Office for the New Evangelization and all the great submissions they've received for awards. Scot said one of Rick's favorite shows was our 100th show. Rick is the one who plans the shows and it was Joe Melendrez, the Rosary rapper. At first, they were unsure, but as soon as they heard it, they saw it was done in a respectful way and then they heard about his burrito ministry. He had won a burrito a day for one year and he eventually started inviting friends to come with him for lunch every day and he would talk about his life. Another of Rick's favorites was Tom Craughwell, author of a book about some interesting and crazy stories in their lives. Of course, another of his favorites was episode #15, which had Rick's mom, Maureen Heil, as a guest as well as Sr. Lisa, talking about the Pontifical Mission Societies and Sr. Lisa's mission trips to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Sr. Lisa was funny, sarcastic, bombastic and a lot of fun to listen to. One of Scot's favorites was his interview of Jim Stenson, who has done a lot of talking about being a Catholic dad and raising Catholic children. That was our Father's Day show. It's a joy to interview people we've been fans of for so long. Fr. Chip said he'd been interviewed by Lino Rulli before, but meeting him in person was special. Fr. Chip said he also especially enjoyed the two shows interviewing Artie Boyle, who works in the Pastoral Center, who had been healed of a terminal illness after visiting Medjugorje. Scot said it was originally supposed to be one hour, but it was so good that they spontaneously recorded a second hour. Fr. Matt said the story is well worth going into the archives to listen to again. Scot mentioned other guests from the youth ministry area, like Bob Rice. Fr. Matt said last year they had Bob Rice come speak at an event. He's a professor of catechesis at Franciscan University of Steubenville, a gifted musician, and a speaker in demand all over. Susan said Bob was an amazing speaker and she often refers rot the notes she took that day. Fr. Matt said we've also had Randy Rause from Life Teen as well, and it's wonderful to have these people you look up to come and share their stories. Scot said Susan's cross is she has to put up with two Landrys on Thursdays. She said it's lovely to see the interview, but she said (jokingly), that he can be very fresh to Scot. 3rd segment: Talking about how the show gets made and some of the technical details and statistics. after 253 shows and 278 shows we're not rookies anymore.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Marianne Luthin, Director of the Archdiocese of Boston Pro-Life Office Links from today's show: Today's topics: Project Rachel Boston Summary of today's show: Marianne Luthin talks with Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor about Project Rachel, an outreach ministry of hope and healing to men and women hurting from past abortions. Project Rachel Boston was one of two diocesan programs highlighted at the recent US bishops' conference meeting as examples of the need to spread this ministry nationwide, helping women who often say, “God can forgive me, but I can't forgive myself.” 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show. It's the end of the semester at St. John Seminary. They had their big December 8 celebration on the Feast of Immaculate Conception. Bishop John D'Arcy,retired bishop of South Bend and and former faculty at St. John's gave a reflection to the men on his priesthood. He said they should be aware of the beauty and dignity of the priesthood and live that with vigor and a desire for holiness. Fr. Chris said Bishop D'Arcy is on fire for the Lord and has a great gift with a real shepherd's heart. Fr. Chris said the seminarians are now finishing up work and getting ready to head home to be with their families. Fr. Chris said he is looking forward to this weekend for the Patriots-Broncos games which pits Tom Brady against Tim Tebow, who is very well-known as a devout Christian who talks about his faith. Scot said are criticizing Tebow for being willing to talk about his faith and being willing to live it,. 2nd segment: Scot said it must have an honor for Marianne to go down to Washington last month to do a press conference on behalf of the bishops about Project Rachel. She said three cardinals did a joint presentation to all the US bishops on Project Rachel, including Cardinal Seán, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston, and Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, DC. The Project Rachel programs in Boston and Washington were being profiled and the hope is those programs can provide assistance and training to other dioceses who want to start one. Marianne said the program is named after the Old Testament matriarch Rachel. In the book of Jeremiah, Rachel weeps for her children who are no more. The Lord comes to her and says to her to cease her cries of mourning because there is hope and healing. Marianne said an important part of the Scripture is that no matter how many tears Rachel shed or how many years, she couldn't heal herself. On the healing that came from God made it possible. Marianne said Project Rachel began in Boston in 1985, one of the first in the US. They started it with a full-year of prayer, every day a parish praying for it. The project cares for women who've had an abortion and all those who might have participated in the abortion. It provides retreats for women and men seeking wholeness and healing. Every woman's story is unique and so they begin wherever they can in that healing process. Many women come in after many years after seeing a brochure. Other women are younger and the wound is fresh. The women range in age from teen all the way to elderly. Marianne said it is all completely confidential. No one knows where the retreats will be and they don't even publish the list of priests who are involved. Scot said the Mass of Remembrance for miscarried children that we profiled a month ago showed that many parents don't talk about the pain of miscarriage for years after. Marianne said a vast majority of women don't talk about the abortion after. Where would you talk about it? Very seldom is there an opportunity to talk about personal experience because it is taboo. Much of what we know about post-abortion healing we learned from helping people deal with miscarriage and the very profound grief. Even up until recently, the medical community didn't talk about miscarriage, never mind abortion. Fr. Chris said many women have a difficult time forgiving themselves. The late Cardinal John O'Connor said we fall into a trap when we fail to recognize that the Cross is infinitely more powerful than any sin we've committed and that there is a loving God ready to forgive us. Marianne said women sometimes say, “God can forgive me, but I can't forgive myself.” 3rd segment: In October, the Pilot published five first-person accounts of women who've been on Project Rachel retreats. Marianne said Project Rachel provides a confidential support group that meets monthly with a Scripture theme or healing theme. Last summer, the women talked about letting other women know there's a safe place to come for hope and healing. Several wanted to write their testimonies but doing it anonymously. The Pilot agreed to the idea. My personal journey of healing began after six long years of the most deafeningly silent pain. Six years of the heaviest regret. Just as profound as my deep need to turn back the clock was my triumphant return to who I once was, thanks solely to Project Rachel. I remember during those dark years, I would wake up each morning, and for a few brief seconds, all was well. Then I would remember what I had done. The grief was all-consuming. But, like so many other women, I kept it locked inside. I had accepted my fate. I was unforgivable. The enormity of what I had done actually made my steps heavier. Even my shoulders hung lower. I cried alone almost daily. For brief periods I could take my mind off of it. Sometimes I would even forget long enough to try and enjoy a comedy at the movies, but then mid-laughter I'd remember and my laughing would stop because, well, I didn't deserve to laugh. Growing up in a Catholic family that attended Mass every Sunday, I never expected that I, of all people, would be in this situation. I convinced myself that I had committed an unforgivable act. I felt utterly alone. I desperately needed to connect with other women who were suffering as I was, and I longed to be the woman I used to be. And then one fateful Sunday morning during Mass, my husband handed me a church bulletin, pointing out the words on the back: “Project Rachel — a program for post-abortion healing through the archdiocese.” I couldn't believe my eyes. It took me several months to muster up the nerve to call. I had done a fine job of beating myself up for years and I certainly didn't need the person on the other end of the phone to make me feel any worse. But, when I finally called, it was not like that at all. The voice on the other end was warm and full of hope for me. My journey of healing began on that day that I made that phone call. Thanks to Project Rachel, I am me again. The retreat allowed me the opportunity to experience God's love and forgiveness — something I had decided I was not worthy of. Little did I know that God was there, all along, offering me his love. Project Rachel literally lit the path for me. From the moment I arrived at the retreat house, the warmth of God's love engulfed me. Furthermore, I was able to connect with other women who knew the despair that I knew, and we were able to experience the joy of receiving the gifts of hope and healing together. I actually feel lighter. The power of forgiveness is life altering. I am happy again, and the people whom I love sense that. I will always regret my decision, and I will continue to carry my quiet secret with me. It has become a part of who I am, but it no longer defines who I am. Fr. Chris said it captures many of the points talked about here: the sense of hopelessness that she is unforgivable; the idea of the Evil One convincing us our sins are indeed unforgivable, yet we know in the fiber of our beings that this is why Christ came in to the world, to forgive our sins, to reconcile us to one another. Scot said it was amazing that it takes several months to work up the courage to make the phone call after deciding to find out more about this ministry. Marianne said women will call when they are ready to accept God's healing. Many women will say they couldn't make the call until some time after picking up the brochure. But at some point the grace breaks through. she said the Number One referral source for Project Rachel is the parish bulletin. Women don't want to pick up a brochure because people will notice, but the parish bulletin is more anonymous. Marianne said the first phone call a woman makes to Project Rachel is a conversation, not counseling. They know why the woman is calling so they don't have to have that awkward part of the conversation. Having the retreat going on gives an excuse to call. Fr. Chris said his advice to anyone experiencing a need for confessing abortion is to go in and ask Father to help them to make their confession. Don't hold back because you don't know how to start confessing it. Scot asked about Project Rachel's format. Marianne said it's held in a place that's not too big and without other groups there at the same time. It's primarily a one-day Saturday retreat because so many women can't get away for a whole weekend. The purpose of the retreat is to provide an an opportunity for the women to have a healing encounter with God. There is sacramental reconciliation, adoration, private prayer and reflections. It concludes with a Mass. Attendance is limited to 10 participants. If you go higher than that, they're concerned women may not have the time to get all they can out of the day. The next Come to the Healing Waters retreat is January 21. They can find out more by calling the helpline 508-651-310 or send email to . 4th segment: Marianne said the Living Well post-retreat support group assists women with ongoing help and a place to talk with people they can trust after going on the Come to the Waters of Healing retreat. They found after the retreats that many of the women wanted to grow in the spiritual life and many of the women didn't have anyone in their circles to help them grow spiritually. It helps them to live out their Catholic faith. This is why parishes are such an important part of the continuing work of Project Rachel. Scot asked for advice for someone who knows someone hurting from abortion and wants to help. Marianne said to trust your instincts and rely on the Holy Spirit. They can call the Project Rachel line for help and advice. Marianne said she has a list of parish bulletin editors who are particularly committed to Project Rachel. If pastors know it's important, they will pass the word on. Some volunteers also make calls from their office to parishes. Scot suggested a man can bring it up to the parish secretary or pastor. Marianne said one of the most effective arguments is the numbers: nearly one in 3 women in the United States will have an abortion in her lifetime and it's the same proportion for self-identified Catholic women as for non-Catholic. Marianne added that there is an incredibly dedicated network of priests across the Archdiocese providing assistance to women and men who are suffering after abortion.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: Vatican thoughts on financial crisis; Pope in Assisi; World Mission Sunday and Bl. John Paul Saturday; Profile of Cushing; Project Rachel Summary of today's show: What is the authority of a Vatican document? It depends on what you mean by “Vatican”. Scot, Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy discuss the recent economic paper released by a pontifical council that's making waves, not least for its comparison of Church teaching to Occupy Wall Street. They also consider Pope Benedict's visit to Assisi today for the 20th anniversary of an interreligious peace meeting at which the Holy Father spoke in no uncertain terms about the responsibility of religions for violence done in their name. CLoser to home, Cardinal Sean celebrated World Mission Sunday and the first feast of Blessed John Paul this past weekend at Holy Cross Cathedral. Two series continued in the pages of the Pilot with a profile of the storied Cardinal Richard Cushing and an anonymous memoir of a woman who sought healing through Project Rachel. Finally, we remembered the oldest and longest-serving priest in the Archdiocese, Fr. Paul R. Francis, who died this week. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Greg and Fr. Roger back to the show. They talked about a trip that Greg and his wife took last week to Mexico for their 20th wedding anniversary. Fr. Roger has been busy leading clergy retreats in Pennsylvania and Arizona in recent weeks. He's been doing these retreats in many places over the past few years. He preached on Pope John Paul's Theology of Body, which is intended to help priests as they counsel and work with married couples. 2nd segment: Scot said the first story is about a document published this week by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Fr. Roger said the document is significant as a study document by Catholic leaders, but it does not have the authority of papal encyclical or a teaching of the Magisterium. It' intended to help us reflect on the moral issues involved in our examination of economic issues. It tries to applies Church teaching to economic issues, but it's up to us to put it in its context. Scot said the document said there usually needs to be a mechanism that fosters the common good in global economic transactions. While it may suggest a global financial authority. This has met some criticism, including some who say it shows the Vatican is out of touch. Greg said the sentiment in the Brumley's article may be harsh—the Church wants the poor to be protected from the unfettered effects of capitalism—in practical terms this is an idea that won't be possible. Scot said Cardinal Turkson of the Pontifical Council said that those who are part of Occupy Wall Street and the Vatican agree in that financial institutions should be held accountable. Fr. Roger said it surprise him that the Vatican has discerned what Occupy WallStreet is about when those in the movement themselves don't know. Scot noted that said that people don't distinguish the different types of pronouncements from the Vatican: When people reach the conclusion that the Vatican is talking nonsense, they do not ordinarily distinguish between the sound fundamental principles of Church teaching and the questionable economic analysis that follows. Nor do they make fine distinctions on the different levels of Church teaching authority. They conclude simply that the Vatican talks nonsense. So by reaching beyond their field of expertise, Vatican officials undermine their own teaching authority. Scot added that Occupy Wall Street in this country cannot be separated from partisan politics and so using it as an example of a broad-based movement would be off-base. Fr. Roger said that Cardinal Turkson is from Africa and has experience of multinational companies coming into the continent and taking advantage of the poor, however his experience should also tell him that turning to governments to control such things is fraught with the danger of corruption and exacerbating the problem. Scot turned to Assisi, Italy, where the Holy Father is meeting with 200 leaders of world religions for the 20th anniversary of an interreligious meeting for peace that Pope John Paul II called for the first in the mid-1980s. Pope Benedict called out the danger of the use of religion as a means of violence against those who do not hold to that religion. He also said militant secularism is also attacking religion as if it brings only violence. He said that militant secularism—especially in the form of socialism and fascism—have racked up a higher body count than all religious wars. At the the same time, he asked for forgiveness for the times the Church has been involved in religious violence. Pope Benedict also brought to the gathering some atheists who want peace in order to have them help the entire movement ensure that religion is always for the good of the human person. The meeting was held in Assisi because St. Francis is acknowledged by all in his sanctity and that he is still 800 years later an agent for peace worldwide. 3rd segment: Scot said this past Sunday was World Mission Sunday and Cardinal Seán celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross which included people of many languages and cultures. Cardinal Seán's homily touched on the physical and spiritual needs of the poorest in the world, and living the Great Commission of the Gospel of St. Matthew. Fr. Roger said he calls his own parishioners in New Bedford to the new evangelization. If we've come to experience the depth of Christ's love, we're going to want to share him with others. On Saturday, the Cardinal Seán also celebrated a special Mass, this one for the Adopt-a-Priest Apostolate on the occasion of the first feast of Blessed John Paul II. He quoted Loretta Gallagher who leads the effort who assured everyone that there's no need to start a pen pal relationship with the priest, they just need to pray for them. For those who want to adopt one of the remaining priests available, go to . After the Mass, papal biographer George Weigel spoke about John Paul's life. One topic he discussed was that Pope John Paul witnessed to the Gospel to more people in person than anyone else in the history of the world through his many mission trips. He also talked about how keeping Christianity in the culture is important. He noted that the Polish state survived being subsumed by the Soviets though the people's preservation of their language, literature, and way of life. 4th segment: Scot said this week is the third in a series of profiles on the bishops of Boston. This week it's Cardinal Richard Cushing. Scot said he was surprised by some of the facts he learned, including that he was once thrown out of a school in South Boston and that he enlisted in the military but was given a medical discharge. Greg said he enjoys writing these articles because he learns so much about the bishops that he didn't know, even for Cardinal Cushing, who is one of the most storied of our bishops. Fr. Roger said Cardinal Cushing had a strong missionary spirit that reminds him of St. Philip Neri. He said Cushing was probably frustrated when he was told he was't going to the missions but was staying in the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, but when he became Archbishop that missionary spirit led to the founding of the St. James Society which has sent many priests to the missions. Scot also noted that this week's Pilot includes another installment in a series of anonymous columns from Project Rachel written by a woman who had an abortion and later came to know the peace and healing of God's mercy. He recommended those who want more information to go to the or call 508-651-3100. Greg noted how each of the profiles show how different each experience is for the women involved, but yet there are similarities including the external pressures they felt and the lack of choice they thought they had that forced them into this course of action. Fr. Roger said he often hears from people who tell him that they've done something they think God won't forgive them for. He said it's a wonderful experience to help them discover God's love and mercy and forgiveness. Scot said that earlier this week the oldest and longest ordained priest in the archdiocese, Fr. Paul R. Francis, has died and his funeral was celebrated this week by Cardinal Seán.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Antonio Enrique, editor of The Pilot, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston; and Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: New nuncio for US; Year of Faith; human trafficking; IntegrityRestored.com Summary of today's show: Antonio Enrique from The Pilot and Fr. Roger Landry from The Anchor join Scot and Susan to discuss the news of the week, including the appointment of a new papal nuncio to the US, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, known for management skills in the Vatican City-State; the announcement of a Year of Faith by Pope Benedict; the Mass. bishops asking the state Legislature to take action on a human trafficking bill; the Obama administration revoking a contract with the US bishops' migrant services agency to provide care for trafficking victims because they won't promote contraception and abortion; a new website that helps Catholic men who are addicted to pornography; and Cardinal Sean joining the circus… for a day. 1st segment: Scot welcomes Susan back the show. He asked her about the confirmation preparation training program, which has been taking place in many locations across the archdiocese. The focus of the workshops was revisiting the theology of confirmation and how do parish confirmation programs for teens align with it. It included a presentation by Fr. Jonathan Gaspar, co-director of the Office for Worship and Spiritual Life, on the theology of confirmation. Scot and Susan discussed their hope that confirmation will be more than just a graduation from religious education or graduation from going to church. Susan said she also met with members of the Brazilian community religious education community at the initiative of Fr. Michael Harrington of the Office for Cultural Diversity. They assessed the needs of the fast-growing community and discussed their future needs. Scot said he's heard there are as many Portuguese-speaking Catholics in the Archdiocese as there are Spanish speakers. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Antonio and Fr. Roger to the show. He asked Antonio about the appointment of Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano as the new nuncio to the US. Antonio said Vigano was previously the secretary-general of the Vatican City Governorate. Scot asked his sense from his friends in Rome on he appointment. Fr. Roger said Americans will like his management style because he brought many American management best practices to the Vatican, which was controversial in Rome. It streamlined operations and saved 25% on the cost of running the Vatican without cutting any budgets, in part by cutting out “friend-of-a-friend” contracts and deals with vendors to the Vatican. Fr. Roger wondered what criteria Vigano will be favoring in his recommendations on new bishops for the US, whether it will be management ability or more pastoral sensibilities or more likely some combination of both. Scot and Susan discussed the role of the nuncio as the papal representative to both the Church in the US, but also to the government of the US. Scot and Antonio discussed that Vigano said he has big shoes to fill in replacing Archbishop Sambi who died in the middle of the summer. They agreed that in this case it is true as Sambi was much loved in the US. Antonio knew Sambi over many years, back to when Sambi was the Pope's representative in the Holy Land, a very difficult role. He was very down to earth, very cordial, and had a strong sense of humor. Scot said Pope Benedict declared a Year of Faith to begin October 11, 2012 through the Feast of Christ the King in November of the next year. Fr. Roger said the Pope chose the Year of Faith to begin during a Synod of Bishops in Rome next October on the topic of the New Evangelization. In order to pass on the faith, we need to know it and love and Pope Benedict knows most of us in the faith need a brush-up on our faith. October 11, 2012 is the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and the Feast of Christ the King is the end of the liturgical year, which focuses us on eternity. Scot said both Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II have dedicated their papacies to the correct implementation of Vatican II. Susan said until there is another ecumenical council in the Church we will continue to revisit and focus on this council, the most recent. Susan asked Fr. Roger if he thinks that the apostolic letter Porta Fidei (“Gate of Faith”) is the third in the Pope's series so far of the two encyclicals on Hope and Love. Fr. Roger said we can expect before the end of the year a teaching from the Pope that will help us prepare for this year of faith. Scot asked Antonio what it says that the Pope is basing some of his hopes for the Church on the work of the new evangelical and missionary lay movements in the Church. Antonio said the Church needs to adapt in every generation to the needs of the people. John Paul II saw in these new movements the role of being able to bring the Good News to this new world we live in that doesn't take for granted the truths of the faith. When you have a Christian culture, you can assume that people understand the context of faith. But when the culture becomes post-Christian, people need a more fundamental experience of their faith and the new movements help people witness the faith and have a personal experience of the faith through the members of the movements. They can show how lives can change through the experience of the faith. Scot asked Fr. Roger about all the themed Years we've been seeing over the past decade or so: Year of the Rosary, Year for Priests, Year of St. Paul, etc. Fr. Roger said Pope John Paul brought this custom from his native Poland where the Church often focused on a particular topic. Pope Benedict continued that tradition. Fr. Roger wishes we had a special theme every year, even on the diocesan level. He said Pope Benedict is seeing across the world where people are taking for granted what they think they know about the faith based on a few teachings from the Catechism. But we need a deeper relationship with Christ to ground that faith and bring us deeper. 3rd segment: Scot said the Mass. bishops just urged the passage of antihuman trafficking legislation in Massachusetts. Antonio said both the Mass. House and Senate passed two separate bills on this issue. Trafficking is a tremendous problem for people who are often not free to make their own choices, including young people caught up in gangs, women in prostitutions, and illegal immigrants who end up as virtual slaves. The bills were passed in June and the bishops are urging that the work on the bills be completed in this session and not forgotten. Scot read from the bishops' letter, including a request to make sure criminal penalties are imposed. Sen. Mark Montigny, chair of the committee that dealt with the bill, welcomed the bishops' statement. Susan said the Sisters of St. Joseph in Boston have been working with this issue of human trafficking and have a lot of information on the topic on their Scot suggested that people could call their state senator and state representative to have them push this bill forward. In related news out of Washington, DC, an agency of the US Catholic bishops was denied further federal grants to help trafficking victims because the Obama administration said they weren't promoting abortion and contraception to the women they were helping. The Migrant and Refugee Services agency has been on the forefront of the work to help victims of trafficking, but now that contract has gone to companies that weren't even qualified to engage in this work. Fr. Roger said this shows how the Obama administration militantly pushes abortion and contraception even when doing so hurts the people that are supposed to be helped. Scot said it shows how when a pro-abortion administration comes into office in the US that the abortion ideology becomes so fundamental to policy. He said this is bullying against pro-lifers. This administration doesn't allow people of faith to do their service to society in ways that are compatible with their faith. Antonio said Catholics need to make their voices hear. Scot said this happened because of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union in 2009 saying this failure to force Catholics to support abortion was a violation of the separation of church and state. Susan said this prejudice is outrageous, especially when we are working so well for the solution of the problem that is supposed to be addressed, the care of victims of trafficking. Anotnio noted that the US bishops have created an office to monitor the issue of religious freedom in the US. There seems to be an unwritten rule in the Obama administration: ABC, Anyone but Catholics. Scot said we talk about this now because it's the infancy of an oppressive secularist attitude in this country. He recalled the haunting poem from Nazi Germany: First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me. Susan added the quote from Edmund Burke, “All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing.” 4th segment: In the Anchor this week is an article on the website IntegrityRestored.com, which helps people who have porn addiction. Fr. Roger said porn addiction affects so many people, including men, women, and young people. It's one of the most difficult addictions from which to be freed. Psychologists said it's much more addictive than even what happens with cocaine. Fr. Roger said it's not often talked about in the Church. We need to talk about not just the harm it causes, but also the resources available to help people. He showed a video in his parish that showed how it causes harm to marriages and other relationships. He said this new websites is by Dr. Peter Kliponis, who was one of the US bishops' experts on this topic for helping people with this addiction. Fr. Roger said when he found out about this website he wanted to promote it. The website has many eye-popping statistics on this website: There are 4.2 million pornographic websites There are 420 million pornographic web pages There are 68 million daily pornographic search engine requests – Google, 25% of all search engine requests There are 4.5 billion average daily pornographic emails There are 100,000 child porn websites worldwide Men admitting to accessing pornography at work: 20% U.S. adults who regularly visit Internet pornography websites: 40 million Christians who said pornography is a major problem in the home: 47% Adults admitting to Internet pornography addiction: 10% Scot said he's also seen a statistic that 70% of male college students view pornography at least weekly. How does that affect how they view women on campus? What are colleges doing to stop it? This new website offers great tools for overcoming this addiction. Susan said she was shocked to see that the largest population of Internet pornography users are 12-17 year olds. How does this affect the formation of their view of women throughout the rest of their life? Scot said it makes him wonder how these boys will look at his own daughter. Antonio noted the perniciousness of Internet porn because you don't have to go outside the home to find it. He said he teaches his own children about modesty and chastity and treating others with dignity. The only way to really solve this is person to person, one at a time, in families. He noted that porn destroys the ability to relate to another person. It is most prevalent in the years when young people are supposed to be learning how to relate to others, preparing for marriage and family life. In the Anchor article, Pope John Paul is quoted as saying that the opposite of love isn't hate, but objectifying someone else, treating them as an object. Kliponis said there is hope for healing and recovery. It isn't easy, but it happens. Scot ran quickly through local stories, including a $1.2 million gift from the Mosakowski Family Foundation to support Catholic schools on the North Shore. He also noted a Pilot story about Cardinal Sean visiting the Ringling Bros. circus in Boston. Susan said the are fantastic. The national chaplain for circus folk is Fr. Gerry Hogan, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston. There is also a continuation of the series from Project Rachel, and the appointment of a new pastor of St. Therese parish in Billerica. Fr. Roger pointed out in the Anchor an article about parishes preparing for the first Feast Day of Blessed John Paul II on Saturday. Antonio pointed out the ongoing series about the bishops of Boston, with its second installment this week.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: Death of the oldest pastor; retirement plans; $1 million for Catholic schools; Project Rachel; Episcopalian converts; assault on religion; the bishops of Boston Summary of today's show: Greg Tracy joins Scot and Susan to discuss the news of the week in the Pilot and the Anchor newspapers, including a new retirement offering for archdiocesan employees; the death of the Archdiocese's oldest pastor at 96; a $1 million gift for Catholic schools; another Project Rachel testimonial; Episcopalian converts coming into the Church en masse; the federal government's assault on freedom of religion; interesting statistics on abortion rates; and A new series on the bishops of Boston. 1st segment: Scot asked Susan how her four-day week is going and she said a four-day week after a three-day weekend is just like having a six-day week to catch up. The religious education office has been having workshops all over the archdiocese to train parish leaders to do confirmation preparation. The goal is to ensure that parish confirmation preparation is uniformly high quality. Susan also shared the Joseph Anthony Abbott, her grandson, was born today to her son and daughter-in-law in Los Angeles. Another grandchild is due on February 4, which would make 8. Scot also wished his niece, Molly McDermott, a happy 5th birthday. 2nd segment: Scot said a big story in the Pilot this week is that 3,000 archdiocesan employees in the Pastoral Center and in parishes and schools will have a new 401(k) plan. While employees have a pension plan, younger employees will have a smaller payout at retirement and putting some away for themselves now is a good idea. Greg said a large readership of The Pilot are those who work for the Archdiocese and so it's a significant story. The reality is that the Archdiocese began the switch from a traditional pension plan to a 401(k). Most organizations have made the switch because they have become very expensive as people are living longer and Social Security isn't expect to cover everyone in the future. So the Archdiocese has selected a new model for retirement. There is currently a 403b plan, which is similar to a 401k, which was additional voluntary contributions, but did not include contributions from the employer and the 403b was spread over all kinds of vendors and plans. The 401k has all the benefits of the 403b but is much more portable and well-known. Scot noted the obituary in this week's Pilot for Msgr. Stanislaus Sypek who died this week at age 96 and was still an active pastor, not retired. He was ordained in 1943. They reviewed his long career of service to the Church. Also, Fr. Clyde Leonard died this week at 84. He was ordained in 1964 at 37 years old. That was unusual at the time. Fr. John Connelly, pastor of Sacred Heart, Newton, is the oldest serving pastor at 89 years old. The State Street Foundation made a large gift to the Campaign for Catholic Schools of $1 million for the benefit of Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy in Dorchester and Mattapan. Greg attended the press conference and noted that the kids from the school will remember their whole lives how the people in the State Street Bank building cared for them enough to support their education. The State Street CEO said it's an investment in the community. A good educated workforce benefits the entire business community. Catholic education has an immense success rate and is a good place to invest. Scot noted how the former mayor of Los Angeles has begun a campaign to raise $100 million for Catholic schools there. Scot also noted the preparation for the Lenten launch of the “Why Catholic” program that follows up the Arise program. It is a 4-year journey through the Catechism, with 4 twelve-week sessions. It encourages small-group formation, which helps build community within parishes. 3rd segment: Scot said over the past few weeks the Pilot has published moving anonymous testimonials from women who've had abortions and received healing through the Project Rachel program. Susan said it's beautiful testimony, not just to the love of God, but also to the work of our Pro-life Office. Scot said it hit him in the gut to hear how she said she felt unlovable and unforgivable by God. Scot noted that Bishop Hennessey says in the Light Is On For You videos that nothing you have ever done is too big for God to forgive. Greg said it was striking to see how the woman's mother, who pressured her daughter to get an abortion, was herself reconciled to God as well. 4th segment: Scot said Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, DC, received an entire Episcopalian community into the Church, including their pastor who is beginning his formal studies toward ordination. This is seen as a precursor to the declaration of an Ordinariate in the US, which is somewhat equivalent to a diocese covering the whole country. In the past, Episcopalians who converted to Catholicism have had the pastoral provision that allowed them to use a particular Anglican-use liturgy that preserves the traditions of their faith while incorporating them into Catholic belief and practice. Greg said these incorporations have happened in bits and pieces, but in 2009, Pope Benedict formalized the process by which entire communities can enter the Church together. In the military services, there's been a push to have chaplains officiate at same-sex marriages. Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Military Archdiocese said this won't happen with Catholic chaplains or Catholic chapels, but other chaplains are concerned. The Archbishop said the federal Defense of Marriage Act should prevent such impositions on chaplains in federal service. Scot said Fr. Roger Landry wrote his editorial in the Anchor this week on Archbishop Timothy Dolan's recent list of five ways that the federal government is mounting an assault on religious freedom, including mandates for insurance to pay for contraception, sterilization, and abortion; forcing the bishop Migration and Refugees Services to provide “reproductive services” in order to continue to receive government contracts; pressure on Catholic Relief Services in a similar vein internationally; the Justice Department attacking the Defense of Marriage Act as bigotry; the Obama administration taking a position against the “ministerial exception” before the Supreme Court; and a push to redefine marriage in the states with pressure from above. Scot said people often tell Catholics not to impose their faith on others, but that's exactly what's happening in the other direction. He said people need to be vocal in order to not give the impression that the majority agree with these impositions. Another article shows that married women are much less likely to have abortions. The abortion rate among cohabitating women was 59 percent, formerly married and not cohabitating was 31.8 percent, women who never married and not cohabitating was 28.1 percent, and wives was 7.7 percent. In cohabitation, the future of the couple is uncertain and this it's hard to be able to welcome new life with generosity. Greg said there's been a societal shift in that marriage is no longer about family, but it's just about love and romance. They are part of it, but not the complete picture. Scot said there is a new series of articles on the bishops of Boston, starting with Bishop John Cheverus from his birth in France. Greg said the 100th anniversary of Cardinal O'Connell becoming Boston's first cardinal comes up on November 11 and was the motivation for this series.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Antonio Enrique, editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: Life issues; Capital punishment; New Roman Missal; Faithful Citizenship Summary of today's show: Scot and Susan consider the news of the day with Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy, including Respect Life Sunday; federal efforts to undermine New Hampshire's defunding of Planned Parenthood; renewed emphasis on Catholic teaching on the death penalty; an explanation of why the words of the Mass are changing from one of the chief architects of the change; the adopt-a-priest prayer apostolate; the US bishops' guidance on faithful citizenship; and the death of the archbishop who wore combat boots. 1st segment: Scot said the Catholic Media Secretariat gathered with Cardinal Seán this morning to pray for the success of media evangelization. Susan said the Cardinal spoke beautifully of All Souls Day marking the first anniversary of WQOM. This past Sunday was Respect Life Sunday. Also Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth, leader of the international committee on English in the Liturgy that provides the new translations of the Roman Missal was in Boston last week. Plus other local and national news stories. 2nd segment: Scot said Respect Life Sunday was marked by a Mass at the Cathedral with Bishop Hennessey this past Sunday. He said the protection of life was not first among equals of issues; it is first. He also called for consistency on this issue. Susan said he emphasized how God is merciful. Scot said Bishop Henessey is an apostle of the confessional. After the Mass was a 5-kilometer walk from Boston Common as a fundraiser for pro-life causes. Greg said he noticed this year that pro-life expanded beyond abortion to many new threats to life on many fronts, including assisted suicide. Fr. Roger said his parishioners who went to the walk were buoyed by seeing that they are not alone in the pro-life witness. They noted the push for assisted suicide in the Commonwealth. With abortion, we're trying to push back a law legalizing abortion, but with assisted suicide we're trying to prevent it in the first place, which is always easier. Scot said there were 4 speakers on Boston Common, including 18-year-old Sean Harrington. Scot said another story concerns New Hampshire's attempt to end government funding of PLanned Parenthood in the state. In return, the Obama administration is undermining the authority of the local executive council to parcel out federal funding by mandating it directly to Planned Parenthood. Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary for health and human services, and President Obama are trampling on the rights of taxpayers and states. Fr. Roger said they are not championing choice, but are championing abortion. In the Pilot this week is a second column in the Project Rachel series of anonymous testimonials from women who've had abortion and received assistance in post-abortion healing. Scot said it's some of the most powerful writing he's seen in the Pilot. Susan said this woman's statement that as an 18-year-old rape victim, she didn't think she had a choice or didn't deserve to have a baby was very chilling. 3rd segment: Scot said one of the many aspects of being pro-life is our stance on capital punishment. While the Catechism is not unilaterally opposed to capital punishment, do we need to be putting people to death in this day and age. Greg said it deals with this issue of capital punishment because while the Church has historically supported capital punishment, that thinking has evolved over the years so that the death penalty is not the best option. Our methods of incarceration have changed so that the case that we need to put someone to death to protect society has been mostly defused. Scot read the Church's teaching that is in the Catechism: 2258 “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being.”56 2267 The traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude, presupposing full ascertainment of the identity and responsibility of the offender, recourse to the death penalty, when this is the only practicable way to defend the lives of human beings effectively against the aggressor. “If, instead, bloodless means are sufficient to defend against the aggressor and to protect the safety of persons, public authority should limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person. “Today, in fact, given the means at the State's disposal to effectively repress crime by rendering inoffensive the one who has committed it, without depriving him definitively of the possibility of redeeming himself, cases of absolute necessity for suppression of the offender ‘today … are very rare, if not practically non-existent.'[John Paul II, Evangelium vitae 56.] Fr. Roger said what drives support for death penalty in the US, even among Catholics, is a sense that the justice system doesn't result in justice all the time. For example, stories of criminals getting off on a technicality or being released after light sentences. He said if we're able to have a life sentence really mean a life sentence, then support for the death penalty will go down. He said there is a frustration among pro-lifers of a conflation of abortion, euthanasia, and death penalty. Abortion and euthanasia are always wrong, while the death penalty has even been used by the Church. In the First World, the need for the death penalty has been reduced almost to nihility. But there are cases, such as perhaps in cases of men like Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein, where having them living even with a life sentence would allow them to continue their depredations through others. Scot said it does seem that while it's a different issue from abortion, too often people who are anti-abortion but are pro-death penalty—with language that is based on revenge—that it opens up pro-lifers to accusations of hypocrisy. 4th segment: Scot said Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth, executive director of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy, which oversaw the 10-year effort to re-translate the Roman Missal, was in Boston last week. He said 75% of Catholics still don't know that we will be changing the words of Mass as of November 27. Susan said in her parish they've been practicing some of the new responses in Mass. Msgr. Wadsworth anticipated some who would say the translation is now more formal by saying that the English-language missal will be used in 11 countries where the formal form of English is more common while causal English is very different. therefore, perhaps we use the more elevated language to make it more uniform and approachable. Greg said there are moments in life where there should be more ceremony and more solemnity in order to have greater gravity and reverence. Msgr. said the Mass will be richer and more beautiful as we adjust to these changes. Fr. Roger said it will help us to appreciate God's majesty more through the poetic structure of the language. When we read Shakespeare, there is an awe of what it says. The same way we will have a sense of awe. People will also be able to see the clarity between what we hear in the prayers of the Mass and the words of sacred Scripture. The words of the Mass will now more accurately reflect the biblical verses from which they come. Scot also noted that the Serra Club announced its third annual adopt-a-priest Mass. The Serra Club lets people volunteer to pray for a particular Boston priest for a whole year. The Mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral on October 22 at 10am with Cardinal Seán. The Mass will be for the Feast Day Mass for Blessed John Paul II and papal biographer George Weigel will also speak. Scot said another article in the Pilot is a profile of the 13 men who recently were ordained permanent deacons. The article lists their varied occupations and family situations. For the first time, Cardinal Seán has given the deacons both a primary parish assignment and a secondary assignment with one of the central ministries. On another story about “youth across the world armed with Mary's Rosary this October” in the Anchor, Fr. Roger noted that October is traditionally the month of the Rosary. This based on the historic Battle of Lepanto centuries ago in which the Rosary prayer was a key to victory over the Turks who were attempting to invade Europe. 5th segment: Fr. Roger said the new CatholicVote app lets citizens contact their representative and senators and where the stand on issues. It comes from the same programmers who created the “Confession” app. Scot said the US bishops have re-issued the document “Faithful Citizenship,” which they issued in 2007, but with a new introduction by Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York. Susan said the new introduction re-emphasizes that there is a hierarchy of issues that Catholics must consider. Fr. Roger said re-issuing the document helps Catholics study this document anew instead of getting the message that somehow the Church's teachings have changed. It's an opportunity to really educate our consciences so we do everything in the name of the Lord. Scot noted that Archbishop Hannan, the nation's third-oldest living bishop, died in New Orleans last week. He was the eulogist at John F. Kennedy's funeral. Greg recalled meeting the Archbishop a couple of years ago. He noted that the archbishop was a paratrooper in World War II and did a lot to help New Orleans rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Gregory Tracy, Managing Editor of the Pilot; Father Roger Landry, Executive Editor of The Anchor. Summary of Today's Show: Scot is joined by the Thursday roundtable and discusses a new Catholic-themed movie, a fundraiser for teens by teens in Weston, Respect Life Sunday, and more. 1st Segment: Scot and Susan lamented the Red Sox collapse last night - but moved on quickly in order to not be too depressing! Susan asked Scot what's been going on with him. Scot said it was a busy week in the Pastoral Center, with a visit from Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth from the International Commission on English in the Liturgy and presentations. Scot said he is also headed to Kansas City tomorrow for the Catholic New Media Conference organized by the Star Quest Production Network. He continued and said he was disappointed that he signed up for the conference before he knew this weekend was also the CatholicTV telethon - it is the first time in a long time that he hasn't been able to participate. Susan agreed that CatholicTV was an important part of evangelization in the Archdiocese. Scot said he participated in the launch of a new Catholic radio station - 1230AM, WNEB in Worcester this past Sunday - a station called Emmanuel Radio. 2nd Segment: Scot started out by discussing a new movie from Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen called The Way - a story about an ancient Catholic pilgrimage called the Camino de Santiago (or "Camino" for short). Scot commented that he hadn't know until the premier screening that Martin Sheen took his last name after Bishop Fulton Sheen. Greg said everyone asks him what he thought of the film - overall, Greg said, he thought it was a good movie. Many movies have a religious theme, he continued, but start with the end and fill in the gaps. He said The Way, on it's own merits and with a secular point of view, was still a good character-driven music. Scot agreed it was a good movie for both Catholic and secular audiences. Scot took a minute to congratulate the occasional fill-in cohost on The Good Catholic Life, Father Chip Hines, on his recent appointment to St Martha parish in Plainville. He had been serving as the administrator at that parish. Scot brought up a story in the Pilot about students in Weston are using social media to help fundraise for the Cor Unum meal center in Lawrence. Greg said that the fundraiser, entitled "Feeding Frenzy," is special because it is particularly geared towards teens and students to help feed other teens and youth. Greg highlighted that the Cor Unum meal center is different from a standard soup kitchen because it not only serves 3 meals a day, but serves them sit-down style - not in a cafeteria line. Greg said the goal is to raise about $25,000 to help fund the meal center. Scot highlighted two great stories in the Pilot with pictures this week - one about the Celebration of the Priesthood dinner last Thursday, and one about the Blessed John XXIII Lawn Party. Both events were very successful, Scot continued, and raised money for senior priests and the seminary respectively. The last piece of local news Scot brought up was the combination of two Catholic high schools - Trinity Catholic Academy in Newtown and Mount Saint Joseph Academy in Brighton - to form a new high school named Saint Joseph's Preparatory High School. The new school will be located on the current campus of Mount Saint Joseph Academy and serve a co-ed student body of approximately 400 students. 3rd Segment: Scot reminded everyone that it is Respect Life Sunday this coming Sunday. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, chair of the USCCB committee on Pro-Life activities spoke persuasively about threats to life, Scot said. “The unborn child, the aging parent who some call a ‘burden' on our medical system, the allegedly ‘excess' embryo in the fertility clinic, the person with a disability, the cognitively impaired accident victim who needs assistance in receiving food and water to live—each today is at risk of being dismissed as a ‘life unworthy of life',” Cardinal DiNardo said. Scot said he thought it was good that the Cardinal was so specific about the precarious life situations that need help from all people of good will, not just Catholics. Susan said that the focus on Respect Life Sunday is sometimes just on the abortion issue, but she agreed that Cardinal DiNardo reminded us we need to consider the "womb to tomb" fight for life. Scot said that Bishop Robert Hennessey will celebrate a Respect Life Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross at 11:30am on Sunday, followed by the Mass Citizens for Life Respect Life Walk at 1:30pm. Fr Roger said that the walk is an important way to energize the community to think about pro-life issues, especially because of all the protestors who remind us that our views aren't always held by others. Scot highlighted another testimonial from a participant in Project Rachel, a ministry in the Archdiocese of Boston that helps women who have had abortions seek healing. Greg said that it is sad that more people haven't heard about Project Rachel and the wonderful work they do, and that the Pilot will be publishing a series of letters from participants every week throughout the month of October. Susan said that the retreats are a one day event, but the work that goes on is a blessing to the Church and to the women who participate. Scot brought up that Fr Roger's editorial in the Anchor this week is entitled "A Commonwealth of Kevorkians, or Good Samaritans?" Fr Roger said he was trying to give an echo for the readers in Fall River of Cardinal Sean's comments at the Red Mass in Boston last weekend about the attempted legalization of assisted suicide in Massachusetts. Fr Roger continued, saying that the editorial is a herald call for people to make them aware that the issue is again on it's way. He said we need to have a campaign to educate citizens to prepare them for the possibility that the initiative may make it to the ballot next November; a campaign that will inform citizens to talk to their coworkers and family about the value of life. Fr Roger said that we need to acknowledge that we can never help someone commit suicide - Scot added that if someone is on a bridge thinking about jumping, we would never consider pushing them off - we'd always try to talk them down. Scot reminded everyone that all suicide is a tragedy. 4th Segment: Scot and Father Roger opened the segment by discussing Pope Benedict's addresses to the German people this past week. Scot said he imagined it was an important trip for the Pope, who is trying to fight against secularization in his home country. Fr Roger said the first and most important thing Pope Benedict did was help German Catholics remember that the Church is not just a society of individual people, but a real communion of inter-related people giving witness to God's own love for us. Fr Roger said that the Pope seemed to be speaking out against institutionalism, something we need to hear in the United States as well. Fr Roger continued and said that Pope Benedict was also emphasizing an ecumenical spirit with a visit to Martin Luther's birthplace and talking about Luther's search for God - Fr Roger said that every one of us as Catholic Christians need to continually have the same hunger for God within our Church. Lastly, Fr Roger said the Pope wanted secular Germans to remember they always need to be grounded in truth. Susan said that a message she took from the Pope's visit was that "where there is God, there is a future." Susan also said she was surprised at a comment from CNS that the Pope was connecting on a high level - she said it isn't a surprise to her as the Pope is a renowned academic. Scot said his favorite quote from the Pope's addresses was emphasizing that a new strategy was not needed to re-evangelize people, but rather seeking total transparency. Scot concluded the show by discussing a blunt letter from Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York to President Obama about the administration's positions on gay marriage. Scot read a short passage from the letter: That is why it is particularly upsetting, Mr. President, when your Administration, through the various court documents, pronouncements and policies identified in the attached analysis, attributes to those who support DOMA a motivation rooted in prejudice and bias. It is especially wrong and unfair to equate opposition to redefining marriage with either intentional or willfully ignorant racial discrimination, as your Administration insists on doing. Scot emphasized that the Archbishop is trying to call the President out about failure to follow campaign promises about the meaning and value of marriage and the family. Father Roger concluded the show by saying that Archbishop Dolan has "taken the gloves off" - in the past, the bishops have been very courteous, but that the President's distancing from promises should make citizens reflect whether or not he represents their views on the issue.

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Brendan O'Connell and Marianne Luthin * [Life Matters TV](http://lifematterstv.com/) * [Pregnancy Help Boston](http://www.pregnancyhelpboston.org) * [Number of Abortions - Abortion Counters](http://www.numberofabortions.com/) **Today's topics:** Life Matters TV **Summary of today's show:** Brendan O'Connell talked with Scot about his widely available cable access program, Life Matters TV, that has had more than 300 episodes and can reach more than 1 million homes in Massachusetts. Marianne Luthin of the Pro-Life Office also discussed the various ministries of the Archdiocese helping women in crisis pregnancy and suffering from having had abortions. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Marianne Luthin, director of the Pro-Life Office, and Brendan O'Connell, host of Life Matters TV, available on Boston cable access television. Marianne was one The Good Catholic Life show #8. Scot asked Brendan how he became involved in pro-life work. Over a 20 year period, starting in business school, he started to see how the public was deceiving the public purposefully and it bothered him. When he was about 35, he started dating a woman who'd had an abortion and got pregnant again. She was in law school and her parents offered to pay for school if she had an abortion. She instead had the child and started dating her when the child was 1-1/2 years old. When he moved back to Boston, he had written to a pro-choice Republican running for office saying that he would never vote for him and he ended up as a Mass. Citizens for Life chapter president. He realized the need to get our voice heard and our message out there. He said there were many people who could be convinced of the value of life. Scot said he often see intentional mischaracterizations of people in the media. Brendan said his show looks at life issue from legal, legislative, biological, political, and spiritual viewpoints. He had no idea when he began that life is being attacked at so many different levels, from the beginning of life to the end of natural life. Around 2050, he said, there is predicted there will be a dramatic decline in world population because of the initiatives against life. He had as a guest recently Don Feder who shared many of these statistics. Scot said there are many efforts our Church takes on life issues, including education through the media. Marianne said Brendan has had her on his program to talk about Project Rachel. Even though it's a secular program, she gets many responses from people who seek out help from the Church. Scot said leadership in the pro-life movement can't be easy. Brendan said he's been ostracized. Sometimes people in your own family won't talk to you. The program is in 1.3 million cable homes. He has realized that other side isn't on television, except through the occasional commercial. He realized that they have nothing to talk about except the process of killing people. He said one aspect that he's covered on the show is the economic impact of abortion, 53 million people in the US who are dead now who would have contributed to the economy. Brendan said the show is a tremendous sacrifice because he often take part-time jobs to support himself. Yet he's been invited to the White House as well. He wants to grow the program throughout New England and nationally. **2nd segment:** Brendan said the program came from wanting to have our voice heard. It was a struggle to get it on in Boston on cable access. They had filled out the application to the local cable access organization, but they couldn't get approved until Mayor Menino's former press secretary helped him get through the bureaucracy. He had a passion for getting the word out to people to change hearts and influence minds. Marianne said it's important to have such programs. We have only about 18% of Catholics in pews on Sunday and if you look at abortion statistics, you see that Catholic women have abortions at the same rate as the rest of the population. Cable access gives them access to the whole population, not just those who come to Church. The show airs in about 130 communities in Massachusetts, which is about 65% of cable viewers in the state. Being on cable access is good because people often are clicking through from local stations to other cable show and pass right by the cable access. By being low on the dial, there's a higher probability that people will click through and see the show. He has a lot of post-abortive women who confide their experiences on the show. He had a guest recently, Melissa Ohden, who survived an abortion. When she turned 14, her older sister was going to have an abortion and the adoptive parents revealed that Melissa was adopted. At 19 she sought her biological parents and 11 years later found out that she was aborted alive and survived a saline-infused abortion. She had many medical problems as an infant, but is fine now. There is a documentary about her, ["A Voice for Life."](http://www.avoiceforlife.com/) She also found out that her mother was coerced into the abortion and was more than 30 weeks into the pregnancy.  Marianne said the Pregnancy Help Center in Brighton works every day with women being pressured into abortion and it gets worse in a bad economy. They are often abandoned by the fathers of the babies. If even your parents don't support you, it leaves you in a very difficult situation. That is why the Church's work in pregnancy help is so important. More than 100 parishes across the archdiocese provide assistance in this area. Pregnancy Help is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese at [PregnancyHelpBoston.org](PregnancyHelpBoston.org) or at 888-771-3914. Scot said 313 episodes of LifeMatters TV is very impressive. Brendan spoke of some of his favorites. He had Fr. Tad Pacholczyk on in 2004 to talk abouit embryonic stem cell research. This has been a frequent topic, including Fr. Kevin Harrington and Fr. Nicanor Austriaco. Mary Ann Glendon was also a guest on the show. He gives her credit for refusing an honor at Notre Dame when President Obama was asked to speak. He's also had Nellie Gray, Ambassador Ray Flynn, and Cardinal Seán. Brendan said Nellie Gray has a unique perspective on abortion, that they should be considered crimes against humanity. She is a key organizer of the March for Life, which brings hundreds of thousands of people every year and get almost no press coverage. How would someone get Life Matters TV on their town local's cable access station? Brendand assumes there would be one pro-life person in each town. Go to the Life Matters TV and become a town sponsor. It costs nothing to become a local sponsor; they just need to be the local person requesting it. They could become involved in raising awareness of the show, especially in their local parishes. Brendan takes care of most of the distribution, although a town or two may require the local sponsor be the one to bring the DVDs into the station. In the top 40 metropolitan areas in Massachusetts, they're all in but about 3 or 4 of them and he'd like to get in those as well. They would also like to get more than one sponsor for each town in case there's someone who moves. **3rd segment:** When we talk about the teachings on the dignity of human life, we should refer to Pope John Paul's encyclical Evangelium Vitae. He talked about the fact that our sense of the dignity of human life is undergoing an eclipse. * [Evangelium Vitae](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031995_evangelium-vitae_en.html) In talking about the eclipse of the value of human life, everyone acknowledges there are some things that are very wrong. But the pope points out in abortion and euthanasia, we've got them upside down and our culture calls them human rights. >All this explains, at least in part, how the value of life can today undergo a kind of "eclipse", even though conscience does not cease to point to it as a sacred and inviolable value, as is evident in the tendency to disguise certain crimes against life in its early or final stages by using innocuous medical terms which distract attention from the fact that what is involved is the right to life of an actual human person. The challenge is to break that eclipse. Scot said the debate of the issues uses lots of euphemisms: Who isn't in favor of choice or women's rights? But who suffers more than the women, except for the babies? Marianne said in her work with Project Rachel she sees so much pain. It is a ministry to those who have undergone abortion. Many women have identified their entire adult experience around this pain of abortion. Yet everyone around them have said, "What's the big deal?" The woman is in grief from a loss that is never going to be completely reconciled. Scot said Planned Parenthood and others profit from this pain, sometimes using our tax dollars, and then use that money to market to other women. Scot said some people say that calling ourselves pro-life and not anti-abortion desensitizes people to the evil of abortion. Brendan thinks pro-life is a better term because it's optimistic. In fact, pro-choice as a term was a response to pro-life. They change the language to make it all palatable. Now abortion is only considered after implantation in the womb because Planned Parenthood sells contraception that itself aborts the baby by preventing implantation. Thus women are told it's just contraception and not abortion. The stress on a woman of taking an abortion pill, like RU-486, can even be greater than a surgical abortion. Brendan said research shows that it has a more devastating impact physically and psychologically. The reason is that the women are ingesting the pills themselves and don't have an abortionist to blame in their mind and they then don't have anyone to turn to. Also, it takes 3 or 4 days to work, but once the pill is taken it can't be stopped, which can be agonizing for a woman who changes her mind. Brendan pointed out that the pills also suppress the immune system, which is leading to illness and even death for women who take them. Marianne said the Centers for Disease Control released a study that has shown women dying from RU-486. Nevertheless the FDA approves the pill in the US. Scot said if the drug did not receive so much political support because of abortion, it would never be legal. Brendan also brought that a guest, Dr. Joel Brind, talked about the increase in the number of younger women having breast cancer. Many studies show that there is a real abortion/breast cancer link. Women who've had abortion have a much higher percentage of breast cancer starting ten years out from the abortion. It's primarily abortion of a first pregnancy. The women's breast does not complete development until the first pregnancy and with abortion the development is stopped abruptly and leads to the developing cells becoming cancerous. **4th segment:** Scot asked Marianne about some key initiatives in the pro-life office. The Archdiocese is one of the few US dioceses that runs its own crisis pregnancy center. They also run Project Rachel, a post-abortion ministry for women and men feeling grief and sorrow from an abortion. There is a network of priests who minister to them, they have counselors on call, and they provide a series of retreats. Project Rachel is at [ProjectRachelBoston.com](http://projectrachelboston.com/) or call 508-651-3100. Her office also overviews parish-level respect life education for students as well as parish baby shower programs to help provide support and resources for women who need help continuing their pregnancies. The Catholic Daughters of America every year do a ministry called Pennies for Life, where they collect pennies outside of parishes. They have raised $100,000 from pennies and provide those funds to various pro-life ministries.

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Stephen Rock, pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Reading; Beirne Lovely, General Counsel for the Archdiocese of Boston; Fr. Frank Pavone, Director of Priests for Life; Bill Wise, parishioner at St. Paul Parish in Hingham * [Archdiocese of the Military Services, USA](http://www.milarch.org/site/c.dwJXKgOUJiIaG/b.6287817/k.3DFD/Home__Archdiocese_for_the_Military.htm) **Today's topics:** Memorial Day remembrances by a Vietnam veteran and a former Navy chaplain; Priests for Life **A summary of today's show:** On Memorial Day, Scot talks with Beirne Lovely about his experience as a Marine serving in Vietnam and as a veteran on Memorial Day; with Fr. Frank Pavone about the ministry of Priests for Life and this weekend's appearance at St. Paul, Hingham; and Fr. Stephen Rock, a 34-year Navy chaplain and now pastor of St. Agnes, Reading. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Beirne Lovely, general counsel for the archdiocese and a former Marine, to the show. Scot asked him about his military service. He was commissioned as a Marine officer directly from Dartmouth College in 1967, followed by six months in Marine officer training, and then directly to Vietnam. He was stationed there for 13 months, all of 1968, which was one of the worst years of the war, including the [Tet Offensive](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive). He spent his whole tour up north, including a [Khe Sanh](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khe_Sanh) and the [DMZ](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_Demilitarized_Zone). He was very close to the North Vietnamese border, serving as a platoon commander in an infantry company. He became a company commander when his company commander was killed. Scot said his perception of the Marines is that they are the ones who go in first, taking on the most difficult and most life-threatening assignments. Beirne said that was true. The Marine Corps had responsibility for the northern region of South Vietnam so they primarily were facing uniformed, trained [North Vietnamese Army](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_People%27s_Army) soldiers rather than [Viet Cong](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viet_Cong) guerillas, so that's a fair statement. Beirne has been out of active duty with the Marines for 40 years now. What's it like to be a veteran on Memorial Day, remembering all those who have served and given their lives? Beirne said he lost a lot of friends in Vietnams. He arrived in Vietnam on an airplane with about 40 infantry Second Lieutenants and of those about half were killed and virtually all of the rest were wounded, so he has a special memory of service. He spends Memorial Day with other veterans in his hometown of Milton, which has services of recognition of veterans. He's spoken at a number of memorial services. He stays in touch with them year-round. He belongs to a number of veteran organizations to gather and recall the services of others. It's a difficult day in some respects because it reminds him of the friends he's lost as well as the people who served with and under him who were killed. He remains close to a small cadre of friends who he survived with and periodically they gather. Every year they celebrate the Marine Corps birthday on November 10. Boston is famous for its [Marine Corps birthday recognition](http://www.necn.com/11/10/10/US-Marine-Corps-turns-235/landing_newengland.html?blockID=349493&feedID=4206). They have a Marine Corps luncheon with over 2000 at the Hynes Convention Center. It's the biggest gathering of Marines in the country and often the [Commandant](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commandant_of_the_Marine_Corps) or the assistant commandant come and speak. They have a number of Medal of Honor winners who are present. Msgr. John McDonough, a priest of Boston and former Chief of Chaplains for the Air Force (who Scot and Beirne jokingly call "the General") and Fr. Rich Erikson, the vicar general of the Archdiocese and reserve Air Force chaplain, have attended the last couple of years with Beirne. Scot asked Beirne about the message he often delivers about the debt we all owe to those who are willing to give their lives in service to their country, particularly those who have lost their lives. The principle message he tries to send is one of respect and thanks and admiration for those who have served. This past week was recently Armed Forces Day, which honors everyone, living and dead, who have served. Memorial Day is a special time to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. When he talks to young people, many of them have no idea of this reality and have not experienced this and hopefully never will. But given Iraq and Afghanistan, people are more cognizant. He tries to make them understand that people can have a special calling and sometimes we have to do what we don't like to do. No one likes war, but someone has to fight it. Scot said Beirne served in a time when the respect for the military was low during the War in Vietnam. Beirne said during his last parade at Dartmouth College before graduating, they had to move to the stadium because there were so many protesters. He remembers having eggs thrown at him. Coming back from Vietnam, he recalls spitting at him or looking the other way or yelling at him. Quite a different experience than what troops experience today. He doesn't hesitate to say that he thinks Vietnam was a mistake, but when one is serving in the Armed Forces, you don't challenge your superiors, from the President on down. Scot said we may face some of the same issues today where some don't agree with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which can lead to an attitude towards men and women in uniform. It seems to have gotten better, but Scot's not sure that we still show proper appreciation for those who offer their lives in protection of our country. What's Beirne's sense of how we as a society, particularly in Massachusetts, appreciate our servicemen and women? He thinks we're getting much better at it. He thinks veterans are being accorded the respect that they're due. It's painful for him to watch. He wasn't a big supporter of what we did in Iraq or the strategy in Afghanistan. It's difficult to conceive how the war will be "won". He has friends, whose children are in the service and going back for their third, fourth, or even fifth tours. In a sense, you're waiting for the bubble to burst. Vietnam was somewhat similar. Beirne was at Khe Sanh for 100 days. It was a famous base in a valley that was ill-situated. He remembers taking patrols out every day for 100 days and running into small-arms contact every day without exception and forcing his troops to walk through the densest of brush. Today, the young people are forced to drive on roads which they don't have complete control over and there's no way to combat the improved explosive devices (IED). One of Beirne's jobs, his hardest, was when he came back from Vietnam. He was assigned to Newport naval base as executive officer of the Marine barracks over a couple hundred Marines. His job every fourth day was to make casualty calls to families of Marines who had lost a loved one. He probably did 100 of those over 3-1/2 years. That was the most painful task. There's nothing worse than knocking on the front the door and telling a mother her son is dead. Scot said, they know as soon as they see you. It's a very quick notification in the sense that you have to get it out: "Mr Lovely, I'm sorry to tell you that your son, Charles, was killed two days ago in the Republic of Vietnam serving his country." It just doesn't get any worse than that. After the notification it was his job to follow through and handle the funeral and coordinate the military honors at the funeral. Of all the things that bring him tears, he's not ashamed to say it, is thinking about those people who gave their lives. Scot said, both for our Catholic and non-Catholic listeners, Memorial Day takes on an air of "what cookout are you going to?" using the language of celebration, not thinking of how difficult it is for someone who's made 100 of those calls and lost so many friends. What suggestion does Beirne have for everyone, but especially Catholics? Beirne said he was not the most devout and faithful Catholic when he finished college. But he remembers in Vietnam the role of the chaplain. At Khe Sanh, you had to stay in a trench all the time. They were taking 2,500 rounds per day of heavy artillery. These chaplains were notoriously visible, which gave him a great deal of comfort. His message to people is to pause some time during the day to think about those who have worn the uniform and have made the ultimate sacrifice for their God and their country from their perspective. Scot would add to that to pray for the souls of the faithful departed, particularly those who have served in the military. Something we're very good at in the Church is remembering those who have gone before us. If you happen to encounter someone you know has served, thank them for their service, however short or long it is. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Bill Wise and Fr. Frank Pavone to show. Scot asked Fr. Frank to describe Priests for Life's ministries. He said this is the group's 20th year. They help priests to be more clear, articulate, and effective in proclaiming the Gospel of Life, counseling those who may be tempted to abort, helping those who have had abortions to find forgiveness and peace. * [Priests for Life](http://www.priestsforlife.org/) Their ministry goes beyond what priests are called to do. Priests for Life ministers to the whole pro-life movement, training laypeople in the spirituality of being pro-life, how to defend life; ministering directly to those who've had abortions, via Rachel's Vineyard; operating the Silent No More campaign, in which men and women who've lost children to abortion share their testimony publicly; reaching out to people to exercise their political responsibilities consistent with the Church's teachings; reaching out to African-Americans, led by Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King; and more. * [Missionaries of the Gospel of Life](http://www.priestsforlife.org/missionary/) * [Rachel's Vineyard](http://www.rachelsvineyard.org/) * [Silent No More Awareness campaign](http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org/) * [African-American Outreach](http://www.priestsforlife.org/africanamerican/) * [Fr. Frank Pavone on Twitter](http://twitter.com/frfrankpavone) * [Priests for Life on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/ProLifePage) * [Fr. Pavone's channel on YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/frfrankpavone) Scot asked Fr. Frank what image does he hope that Catholics in the pro-life movement portray. He said the secular media is always trying to portray the extremists, but that isn't what we are as Catholics. Fr. Frank points out that this is a movement that is positive and one of inclusion. It goes against the "[Roe v. Wade](http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0410_0113_ZS.html)" decision, which said that the word "person" does not include the unborn. The pro-life view has open arms, welcoming and nurturing all human life. We say to the society, what Jesus says to us: "I am with you." I do not condemn you. I want to help you to say yes to life, to find solutions to your problems. Scot recalled that Marianne Luthin, pro-life director for the Archdiocese, [described](http://www.thegoodcatholiclife.com/2011/03/18/program-0008-for-friday-march-18-2011/) Boston's Project Rachel retreats and how they bring healing to women who've suffered abortion. He said the Rachel's Vineyard ministry does the same thing. It's important for us to share that it's important to help people both before and after abortion. Fr. Frank said the pro-life movement is a pro-woman movement. Pope John Paul said the pro-life stance is a stance in solidarity with the woman. We say that very clearly. We don't say, Let's love the baby and forget about the mother. They sometimes counsel women who've had as many as 25 abortions. Someone who's gone through something like that and is reconciled to the Church, then other people can say that there's hope for them, even for those involved in other sins. Scot said St. Paul's parish has asked Fr. Frank to speak at all the Masses and lead an evening discussion on June 4 and 5. Bill Wise said he and his wife attended a conference of Catholic CEOs in Naples, Florida, through [Legatus](http://www.legatus.org/). He and his wife knew Fr. Frank from other events, including the National Prayer Breakfast in DC. Fr. Frank had said at the time that he'd met Cardinal Seán last January and how he was so supportive of his ministries. Bill said he was moved by the Holy Spirit to invite Fr. Frank to Hingham. Fr. James Rafferty, the pastor of the parish, graciously extended his invitation and the pro-life committee organized the event. * [St. Paul Parish, Hingham](http://www.stpaulhingham.net/) Fr. Frank was grateful for the invitation and that there was a weekend relatively soon to come visit. He said anyone who wants him or any of the priests who work with him to visit their parish are welcome to contact Priests for Life. There are six priests from various parts of the country who do this work full-time. On Saturday, June 4, 7pm-9pm, Fr. Frank will give an encouragement and signs of progress and victory in the pro-life movement together with a look forward to some key projects and opportunities in the months to come. Then he will listen to the people to hear their impressions, their questions, their concerns. He wants them to feel they got exactly what they need to take the next steps in their ministry. Fr. Frank said it's been at least five years since he's been in the Boston area. Scot asked Bill how many people can be accommodated at St. Paul's for this gathering. Bill said they are prepared to welcome anyone who comes. He said they will see a good representation of the youth of the parish on Saturday night as well. Fr. Frank will be preaching at the 4pm vigil Mass on Saturday and then at the 7am, 9am, and 11am Masses on Sunday. The Saturday night gathering will be tentatively in the St. Paul School hall, or in the church if they need more room. Scot made the point that Priests for Life is not just for priests, but for everyone. Fr. Frank agreed and said the group is there to serve both clergy and laity. Much of their work is directed to people in the pews and people of other denominations as well. This is a matter of life itself and there's nothing more fundamental than that. **3rd segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Rock to show. He's pastor of St. Agnes in Reading and a former Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard chaplain. Scot said he's retired as a military chaplain and asked him about the assignments he's had as a Navy chaplain. Fr. Rock said he served for 34 years, the first 13 in the Reserves and the rest on active duty. He served with the Marines in [Okinawa, Japan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Base_Camp_Smedley_D._Butler); on board the USS Long Beach out of San Diego, (which was built in Quincy); [Camp LeJeune](http://www.lejeune.usmc.mil/), North Carolina, with the Marines; and then [Naval Air Station Sigonella](http://www.cnic.navy.mil/Sigonella/index.htm) in Sicily, Italy. From there he was called back to Washington to serve as personnel director for chaplains serving the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. * ["Fr. Stephen Rock named new pastor in Reading," The Pilot, 4/13/2007](http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=4468) * [St. Agnes Parish, Reading](http://www.st-agnes-reading.org/) Scot asked how many Navy chaplains are there? Fr. Rock said there were 1,100 chaplains around the world, 235 of them active duty priests. That was at the time he left he job in 1996. As he understands it now, there are less than 100 priests on active duty. * ["Chaplains in short supply to minister to the armed forces," Rhode Island Catholic, 2/24/11](http://thericatholic.com/news/detail.html?sub_id=3880) After that job, he assigned himself to the [USS Theodore Roosevelt](http://www.roosevelt.navy.mil/) out of Norfolk, Virginia, an aircraft carrier with 5,000 sailors and Marines on board. From there he went back to the Marines in Okinawa and then around the world again to [Naples, Italy](http://www.cnic.navy.mil/Naples/index.htm), which gave him an opportunity to be in Rome on several occasions. For his last assignment, he returned to New England for the [Coast Guard Academy](http://www.cga.edu/) in New London, Connecticut. He spent 3 great years with those young men and women. Scot asked him what attracted to being a naval chaplain when he was in the seminary. Fr. Rock said his father had a cousin who was a chaplain with the Army Air Corp in World War II and he's sure he heard some of those stories growing up. Also growing up in Boston, he had a great love of the ocean and stories of naval history here. He wanted to be a priest in conjunction with serving the country and traveling and seeing the world. Scot asked what it was like to be a chaplain on the Roosevelt, how it's different from being pastor of a large parish in Reading. Fr. Rock said he was the senior chaplain on the ship with two Protestant chaplains who served under him along with a couple of enlisted personnel. Their role was to provide not only for the religious needs of the men and women onboard, but also the personal needs that are the equivalent of social work. They would handle all the Red Cross messages from the US regarding a death in the family or issues back home. They became pastors for the whole trip. The difference between being a chaplain on the ship and a pastor in a parish is just the uniform. In the parish he has the collar on and on the ship he has the uniform on. Some of the sailors would refer to him as "Captain" (his rank), but most would call him "Chaps" or "Padre" or "Father". It was always a sign of endearment. He wasn't into the rank. He remembers a sailor telling another, "Don't worry about his rank. He couldn't care less about it. He's more interested in being with us." Fr. Rock saw that as the ultimate compliment. His responsibilities as a chaplain extended beyond the Catholics. Fr. Rock said chaplains are responsible to provide religious opportunities for everyone. So of course he would celebrate the Masses, which occurred on the Roosevelt on Saturday night, Sunday morning, and Sunday afternoon. He would also helicopter to other ships in the carrier's task force. There was no Jewish chaplain so he would work with the Jewish community onboard to prepare lay-led services. Before they would deploy, he would connect one of them with a local rabbi for training. They would do the same for all the other faith groups as well. Scot asked if there were big difference between serving with the Navy versus serving with the Marines and serving with the Coast Guard. Fr. Rock said that one interesting difference is that there were more Catholic Marines than there were Catholic sailors. He's heard different explanations, but he doesn't know how to explain it. He said there's a deep desire in people for a better understanding of God, and who more than those putting themselves in harm's way. They want to know there is a God who cares and loves them. That is the same between the services. The chaplains serve as role models and to share with them not only their hardships, but also the love of God and the hope that comes from a relationship with God. Scot asked what it's like to be at sea for long periods. Fr. Rock said it's awesome to see the beauty of God. Being a person of faith, you try to see God everywhere in His creation. At sea, you see the ocean, the clouds, the sunrises and sunsets, and the night sky. Also the animals you find at sea. You get a whole sense of God's creation. In 1987, he was on an [Aegis cruiser](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ticonderoga_class_cruiser) coming out of the Persian Gulf through the Straits of Hormuz about midnight. The Captain told him that they would have Mass that night out on the deck between weapons mounts and they jokingly named it St. [CIWS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanx_CIWS) of the Sea. It was incredible in terms of the brightness of the stars and the phosphorescence of the ocean so they didn't need any lights for the Mass. The men and women could sense that God was with them in this place in a very special way. It's one of his best memories celebrating Mass at sea. **4th segment:** Scot asked Fr. Rock what is like to be chaplain in the Far East during his two stints at Okinawa for himself the men interacting in a culture different from our own. Fr. Rock said it's a blessing for our military to have assignments around the world because they are put in contact with other cultures and they don't have a choice. When they get there, they can embrace it and go out and discover it, or they just stay on the base. For those that want to learn as much as they can, there's a richness that opens up for them. Fr. Rock was blessed to have a priest in the local diocese, a Capuchin Franciscan from Wisconsin who'd been there since the 1950s. He was a great mentor to all the priests coming through Okinawa and he gave them a view into the local culture that was very Shinto Buddhist but also connected to the Catholic Church. The more Fr. Rock understood Shinto, it was like reading the Old Testament. He remembers being at a ceremony in a town in northern Okinawa called [Nago](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nago,_Okinawa), for the cherry blossom festival, which is a big celebration for Japan. There was a huge banyan tree in the middle of the city, in front of which was an altar covered with fruits and vegetables and other items, like sake. Of course, Fr. Rock didn't understand Japanese, so he just had to go on what he saw was happening. But he watched them chant, beat the drum, and dance around, and then take the food on the altar and throw it up into the tree, and then take the big bottles of sake and pour them on the roots of the tree (which disappointed the Marines he was with). Later on the day, one of his chaplain friends who'd been a missionary in Taiwan before becoming a chaplain said to Fr. Rock that's right out of the Old Testament. Wherever the patriarchs had encountered God in a special way, they would build an altar and offer sacrifice to God in honor of that visit. For the Shinto, in the ceremony they weren't worshipping the tree, but worshipping the gods as they understood them. What they did know is that because the tree was so big and unique in Okinawa, they believed the gods as they understood them must have touched earth in this particular spot. The Franciscan missionary told him that they were able to use much of the folklore to help the people understand Christianity because of the connections to Christian understanding. The more he traveled in Asia and visited Shinto shrines, he saw the devotion of the people at them and their sense of the divine mystery. They had no understanding of it as we do, but they recognized that there was something beyond them. At these places of worship they would be present while we in the West, without our scientific way of thinking and wanting to figure everything out, have lost a lot of the sense of the sacred and the divine. The biggest difficulty for Christianity in that part of the world is the crucifixion. They can't understand the humiliation of the cross. Fr. Rock recalls a book that said the way to the Japanese heart is through the compassion of Christ and the stories of Scripture like the Samaritan woman and the the woman with the hemorrhages. Fr. Rock said it enriched the spiritual lives of those from the West who were able to experience it. Scot asked Fr. Rock how often he brings his experiences in the Navy to his preaching at St. Agnes. He replied that it depends on what's going on. He tries not to tell Navy stories all the time, but there are opportunities to bring his experience to a particular reading. Scot asked him to describe St. Agnes. He said it's a busy parish with a lot going on. They have had a great foundation of faith-building in the parish. They had Fr. Arthur Flynn as pastor for 33 years and they did a lot of great spiritual development at that time. Fr. Rock wants to go from being a good parish to a great parish and move forward, improving their outreach. That's one of the big differences from being a chaplain. On a naval base, you take care of the chapel and maintain things for two or three years or maintain the chaplaincy on a ship, and you move on to another assignment. But now Fr. Rock is close to his fourth anniversary at St. Agnes, which is the longest he's been in one place for the last 25 years. So on the one hand, he could sit back and relax, but on the other, there's so much that needs to be done working with all the parishioners and growing the parish. Something they've took on was the project related to the book, "From Maintenance to Mission," by Fr. Bob Rivers, to be come a church that is mission-oriented. They started the process a year ago and in October they did the parish-wide survey during the homily at Mass. The surveys were sent to the [Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate](http://cara.georgetown.edu/index.html) at Georgetown, who complied the data and put it together in a report. Then they did focus groups which involved about 140 people. In February, they had a listening day at which 175 people came to the church for six hours. They were excited to be able to talk and be heard. Then in March they had a discernment day, trying to narrow down all the ideas of listening day into some practical things they could move forward with. That was another six hour day. They have another one coming up at the beginning of June that they call vision day, to lay out what they will do for the next three years in outreach. It begins a process that is Christ-centered and will be all laid out on Pentecost weekend. Scot said he will have Fr. Rock and some of his parishioners back on the show to talk about this process which could be a model for other parishes. He thanked Fr. Rock for his service to our country and as a priest here in the Archdiocese of Boston. Fr. Rock said Memorial Day is a reminder to us of the sacrifice of all who have gone before us and a good day to remember them, to pray for them, and to thank God for the gifts we have in this country of those who are willingly to go in harm's way on our behalf.

  **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell  **Today's guest(s):** Marianne Luthin, director of the Archdiocesan Pro-Life Office * [Archdiocesan Pro-Life Office](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Pro-LifeOffice.aspx) * [Pregnancy Help Boston](http://www.pregnancyhelpboston.org/) * [Project Rachel](http://www.projectrachelboston.com/) * [Respect Life Education Office](http://www.respectlifeeducation.com/) * [Holy Hour for Life](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/HolyHourForLife.aspx) **Today's topics:** Archdiocesan Pro-Life Office, Pregnancy Help, Project Rachel, Respect Life Education, Mass readings for Sunday, March 20, 2011 **A summary of today's show:** Marianne Luthin shared the breadth of the Pro-Life Office's work, including Project Rachel retreats for post-abortion women; the Archdiocesan Pregnancy Help Center, which provides counseling and assistance for women in crisis pregnancies; and Respect Life Education, which creates curricula and trains teachers for school-age children and sponsors chastity speakers. Fr. Mark O'Connell and Scot Landry also previewed this coming Sunday's Mass readings on the Transfiguration of Jesus.  **1st segment:** Fr. Mark reflects on his week: worked on 16 marriages cases, said Masses in four different places. Scot said that he met today with priests who work in the Central Region of the Archdiocese to talk about the work he's doing in Catholic Media. He found them very receptive to what they're doing in media. The Church is very active in pro-life efforts. The March for Life is one activity, as well as the Way of the Cross for Life on Good Friday. Many priests, deacons, seminarians, religious and laity all participate. But there is much more, which Marianne Luthin will share after the break. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcome Marianne Luthin. Project Rachel retreat is coming up on March 26. It is an outreach ministry across the US and the world designed to offer hope and healing and reconciliation to women and men who've participated in past abortions. It takes its name from Rachel in the Old Testament, and in the Holy Land there is a shrine to her where women come to pray for safe childbirth. It recalls [Jeremiah 31:15-17](http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/jeremiah/jeremiah31.htm) where Rachel weeps inconsolably and the Lord comes to her to tell her to cease her cries of mourning, there is hope for the future. Marianne knows many women cry tears of desolation for years and it is the mercy of God that can heal those tears. There are countless millions of women who suffer the effects of abortion. There are 1.2 million abortions in the US every year and with every abortion there is both a father and a mother, and sometimes their parents and medical workers and friends and family who participate. It is estimated that nearly 1 in 3 women of childbearing age in the US have had abortions and Catholics abort at about the same rate as non-Catholics. Fr. Mark asked if the women on these retreats are those who have recently had abortions or if it's those for whom it's been a long time. Marianne said that they often find its women coming to them after years living with abortion. She had one woman who was in her 90s who'd had an abortion 69 years ago. The most common reaction of a woman having an abortion is a sense of relief right after it happens. But it's after that fact, maybe after getting pregnant again or on the anniversary of the abortion, that all these issues come to the fore. Scot asked whether she encounters many women who believe incorrectly that they can't be forgiven for the abortions. There are probably many who do who never call or contact her office. She estimated that close to 80 percent of the women who call them say something like, I understand God forgives, but I can't forgive myself. Many woman go to confession after confession, but can't experience the healing love of Christ. On the "Healing Waters" retreats, they begin by helping them understand it's a totally confidential process. They don't even list the location of the retreat publicly. They also ask the participants not to repeat any stories they hear and that raises the comfort level of the women attending. Ideally, no more than 10 women are on any retreat because the team needs to be able to offer each woman exactly what she needs to experience the healing love of Christ. Fr. Mark asked how common it is for men to come forward to ask for help. Marianne said it is very rare.  The schedule of the day includes Scripture reading; personal witness; a social worker who speaks to the women; a Penance service; quiet time for personal prayer; Eucharistic adoration; information about monthly support groups; and ends with Mass. Scot said he's seen the information about the retreats primarily in bulletins. How would Marianne recommend people spread the news about it to women who've had an abortion? She said that it is very tricky and the person would have to know the woman very well; that each situation is different. This is why the bulletin ads are so important, because they offer a confidential, low pressure means of spreading the word. But someone could also say something like, "I've heard about Project Rachel, they have retreats, a website, and there's a video on the website." There's also a section on the website of testimonies of women who've been through Project Rachel and the difference its made in their lives. Those 30-40 women represent a cross-section of every kind of woman. Every woman will find something to match her experience.  Other retreats will be May 21 and June 25, all on Saturdays, 9am-5pm. The phone number is 508.651.3100. If someone wants to support Project Rachel financially, they can write a check made out to "Project Rachel" and send it to the Pro-Life Office, 5 Wilson Street, Natick, MA 01760. **3rd segment:** There was an article in the Pilot last week about the new ultrasound machine that is just part of what the Pregnancy Help Center of the Archdiocese does. The center was founded by lay volunteers in 1973. The Archdiocese took it over as a full-time ministry in 1985. They offer services in 3 languages. They have two trained nurses who offer help in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Women struggling to make a decision about abortion can find counseling, information, and now an ultrasound. Ultrasound can make a tremendous difference, particularly with this new machine because you can see the baby's heartbeat at 6-1/2 weeks, which is about when most women find out they're pregnant. Having spoken to hundreds of women who've had abortions, she knows many women regret having made the decision to have an abortion too quickly. They never had the time to reflect on the full-range of what they were doing. Fr. Mark said the ultrasound sounds wonderful, but it may sound scary to some people. Marianne said it's the women herself who makes the decision to have an ultrasound. The ultrasound is housed at the ob-gyn offices at St. Elizabeth Medical Center. So when a woman comes to the Pregnancy Help center, she meets with a counselor first to talk about where she is in her pregnancy and what her concerns might be. The ultrasound enables her to understand more fully where she is in her pregnancy. Often when she sees a picture of her child, she forms a bond with him. Ironically, in an abortion the abortionists use an ultrasound, but won't let the mother see it. Not every woman needs or wants an ultrasound. Some women have already made the decision not to have an abortion, but now have been abandoned by others in their lives or need a lot of help to continue. The Pregnancy Help center is not just about telling women not to have an abortion, but provides positive assistance right through the time of birth, even up to several years after. Each counselor develops a personal relationship with each client and knows what she needs: financial assistance, housing assistance, referrals to services, help with employment issues, assistance with maternity and newborn needs. Marianne said that thanks to parishes in the Archdiocese, they are able to offer the practical assistance to these women in need. Fr. Mark asked about lack of insurance, and Marianne said the women are signed up on the spot. * [Pilot story on ultrasound machine](http://pilotcatholicnews.com/article.asp?ID=13088) * [Cardinal Seán's blog on visiting the Pregnancy Help office](http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2011/03/11/catholics-come-home-2/) **4th segment:** A lot of the material goods used in the pregnancy help centers are gathered by parish-based baby shower programs. The program was founded by one woman 26 years ago at Holy Ghost Parish in Whitman who wanted a way to participate in a pro-life work and so she invited friends to bring an item for an expectant mother and it grew from there to become the pregnancy help parish baby shower program. Many parishes will set up a place in the back of the church for people to drop off items for expectant mothers and children. There are practical ways for everyone to help.  Fr. Mark encouraged parishioners in parishes where the baby showers aren't held to talk to their pastor about setting one up. Marianne said groups like the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Daughters of America are also active in providing assistance. Many young people are getting involved, engaging the whole parish and working to explain the program to others. Once you make that one-to-one human connection of providing a specific gift, like a child's snowsuit, to a specific child, even if you don't meet them yourself, it makes a lasting impact. Other ministries include the Spiritual Adoption program: take as an intention in your prayer life one particular mother and child and at the end of the 9 months hold a baby shower. March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation is a good time to begin because that it is when Christ came to us as an unborn child. Respect Life Education's main program is the curricula for middle schools, including "Created for Love", written specifically for  parish-based religious education in the Archdiocese of Boston. They also sponsor talks by nationally known chastity speaker Jason Evert in the archdiocese. Lenten Pro-life retreat on April 16, 9am-2pm at the Daughters of St. Paul convent in Jamaica Plain. Everyone is encouraged to attend, including those who've been involved in pro-life ministries. They will have a reflection by Bl. John XXIII Seminary seminarian Edward Rama, who before seminary was very involved in pro-life ministry in his parish. * [Lenten Retreat - Come Away With Me For Awhile](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Events-Calendar/Event-Detail.aspx?id=19738) **5th segment:** To get the most out of Mass, we have to prepare. The more you put in to it, the more you get out of it. Each Friday, Scot and Fr. Mark will talk about the readings coming up for that Sunday's Mass. First reading is from Genesis 12:1-4 and the Gospel is Matthew 17:1-9. The two readings are interrelated. This is the Transfiguration Gospel. There aren't many times in the Gospel that we hear the voice of God the Father. He doesn't just identify Jesus as His Son, but tells the disciples to listen to Him. Scot believes this is significant. How many times do we just hear the Scriptures, but not really listen to them and internalize them? Fr. Mark said the first reading and the Gospel build up to that line, "Listen to Him." In the first reading, the covenant with Abram has three promises. The great nation is fulfilled in Moses, with the exodus from Egypt; the great name is fulfilled in David, who became the kingdom, and the great blessing is in Jesus, ultimately in the cross, but starting with the Transfiguration of Jesus.  Scot said another connection between these readings is the idea of going forth: Abram goes forth from his home. The disciples and Jesus went up the mountain to pray, but came down to minister. And now the disciples were not the same anymore. Fr. Mark noted that Peter wanted to stay in the moment, but Jesus leads them down the mountain to where the work is. Every now and then we have glorious "mountaintop" experiences, but faith is lived in the real world "down the mountain." Scot also noted that the disciples were afraid, but Jesus tells them, "Do not be afraid." He also asked Fr. Mark what we should make of Jesus telling them not to tell anyone about the vision. Fr. Mark said he thinks it's too much for them to understand in the context, that this is a glimpse of Jesus' glorification, but that the fullness of glorification would come in the cross and that people could not understand the full extent of glorification except in light of the cross and Resurrection. Lent is a calling to us to change, to be transfigured. * [Readings for March 20, Second Sunday of Lent](http://www.usccb.org/nab/032011.shtml)