Brother Knights,

We should not forget what has brought us together as Knights; as we are the defenders of the Catholic Church. Therefore, each of us has the responsibility to act individually and as a group to protect the “culture of life” of our Church.

Let me remind you that in his 1995 Encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, St. John Paul II called on all Catholic faithful to bear witness to the Gospel of Life and to build the “civilization of life and love”. In keeping with this mission and our Order’s Catholic principles of charity, unity, and fraternity, the Knights of Columbus stands strong in its conviction that every human life is a gift of God, endowed with certain inalienable rights—the first among these being the right to life. Even in the midst of difficulties and uncertainties, we believe that human life is sacred and inviolable, and ought to be defended with maximum determination.

Please understand that your efforts are bearing fruit. The pro-life movement is advancing on many fronts. Last week we witnessed the decision Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. The U.S. Supreme Court also upheld freedom of speech for pro-life Americans in a June 26 decision in the case of McCullen v. Coakley. The Court unanimously declared unconstitutional a Massachusetts law barring pro-life advocates from public sidewalks near abortion facilities. Of course we need to advance on the legislative front and that is where you are so important in the movement to advance the “culture of life”.

These victories are not enough! Each of us has the responsibility to write to our elected representatives on the state and federal level and to make it known how we feel. As a Knight, you should encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same.

Let us stand together in this mission of nurturing a culture of life. I leave you with this prayer:

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the Resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part in ending abortion. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never to stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected, and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice not just for some, but for all, through Christ our Lord.
Amen!

God Bless.
Hector Garcia
Culture of Life Director

The Right to Life and the Dignity of the Human Person must remain our focus as Catholics.
Let us not forget that human life is sacred. The dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. Direct attacks on innocent persons are never morally acceptable. As we have seen, human life is especially under direct attack from abortion.
I urge each Brother Knight to reflect on the cost to each of us and to society if we remain silent.
A critical Bill will be heard in Committee on May 6!

Bishop Soto urges each of us to place calls to Assembly members to support measure to prohibit sex-selection abortions.

Please urge your state Assembly member to support AB 2336, a measure to prohibit sex-selection abortions, to be heard by the Assembly Health Committee on May 6.

Call Assembly member, Dr. Richard Pan, the chair of the Assembly Health Committee, at (916) 319-2009.

AB 2336 will be heard on Tuesday, May 6 at 1:30 p.m. in the Assembly Health Committee, which is chaired by Assemblyman Richard Pan (D-Sacramento). The committee will meet in Room 4202 of the state Capitol.

Prayer for Life
Eternal God,
Creator and sustainer of life,
bless us with the courage to defend all life
from conception to natural death.
Bless us with the strength to respect
all peoples from east to west, from north to south,
so that we may truly follow
the call of Jesus
to be neighbor.
we ask this in the name of Jesus,
who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

*From Being Neighbor: The Catechism and Social Justice, USCCB, April, 1998

God Bless

Hector Garcia
prolife@kofc953.org

Brother Knights,
We are in a period of penance, prayer, sacrifice and good works. While we must all take some time for personal prayer and spiritual reading, we must also continue with our good works.

Please take some time to reflect on these words:

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
— St. Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)
How many of us have looked into the eyes of a troubled young woman and have taken no action on her behalf. Today Wynette Sills offers you the opportunity to help those troubled young women that are unclear on the choices they should make between supporting life and supporting death. You have until April 13th to join Wynette. You can call her at 916-955-1577 or you can email her at: wsills@succeed.net.
I urge each of you to join Wynette Sills in prayer.

I hope to see you standing with your fellow Knights and with Wynette.
Remember: Ora et labora – pray and work!
God Bless,
Hector Garcia
Culture of Life Director

Brother Knights,
Spring, the season that represents life is upon us once again. So please take a moment to look around you and you will undoubtedly see your Mothers your Fathers, your Brothers and your Sisters. Their lives have bloomed because their Mother did not choose to cut their life short. Each of us should take some time and devote our efforts to saving a life.
Please use the month of March to stand up for life. Take a few minutes to call a friend and pass the word about springtime and the sanctity of life.
I am asking that each of my Brother Knights join with me in prayer on March 7, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. during the Sacramento 40 Days for Life at 1442 Ethan Way and Hallmark Drive. Let us spend one hour in prayer together. Praying outside an abortion facility is one of the most important pro-life activities we can do.
40 Days for Life continues the prayerful tradition started in 2007, mobilizing people of faith and conscience now in hundreds of cities across the United States, Canada and the world. On March 5, the prayer campaign will begin in Sacramento and cities everywhere. I sincerely thank you for standing with us for these babies who are created in God’s image and worthy of our time!
The Knights of Columbus will unite with others across America and around the world for a massive, coordinated, pro-life mobilization. This campaign is an effort to bring together people of all faiths to pray for an end to the loss of pre-born human life and for the healing of those affected by abortion. We are praying that, with God’s help, this groundbreaking effort will mark the beginning of the end of abortion in Sacramento — and throughout the world.
While all aspects of 40 Days for Life are crucial in our effort to end abortion, the most visible component is the peaceful prayer vigil outside the abortion facility on Ethan Way. The vigil is peaceful. Participants agree to a Code of Conduct with a pledge that they will conduct themselves in a Christ-like manner. You can help make a life-saving impact by signing up for at least one one-hour block of time. Everyone is welcome!
If you are unable to attend, please take some time to write to your Congressional elected representatives. I urge you to support legislation to take us one small step toward a society that promotes life and not death for unborn children and their mothers. The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H.R. 7) deserves your support, so please write your letter today.
Choose Life !
Hector Garcia
Culture of Life Director

Brother Knights,

Together we can celebrate God’s wonderful gift of human life and as a group we should ask our government to respect and protect life from its very beginning. We need to work on this.
I urge you to support legislation to take us one small step toward a society that promotes life and not death for unborn children and their mothers. The No  Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H.R. 7) is sponsored by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and 163 other members. It deserves your support.

H.R. 7  will write into permanent law a policy on which there has been strong popular and congressional agreement for over 37 years: The federal government should not use its funding power to support and promote elective abortion, and should not force taxpayers to subsidize this violence. Even public officials who take a “pro-choice” stand, and courts that have insisted on a constitutional “right” to abortion, have agreed that the government has every right to “encourage childbirth over abortion.”

Please contact your Congressional Representative  and urge him/her to vote for H.R. 7 when it comes before the full House of Representatives.
Please Pray !

Please come pray for LIFE on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday morning this week, 9:00 am to 11:00 am, which is when abortions are done at 1442 Ethan Way.

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Spring 40 days for Life
March 5, 2014 – April 13, 2014
1442 Ethan Way, Sacramento

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All Night Vigil!

All Night Vigil for Life first Friday of each month – St. Rose Parish on the first Friday of the month, February 7th ,  with Mass beginning at 7:30 p. m. St. Rose Catholic Church, 5961 Franklin Blvd, Sacramento.

The  Vigil begins after the 7:30 pm Mass, and continues throughout the night and continues on Saturday morning, February 8th, with Mass at 8:00 a.m., prayer will then begin again at 1442 Ethan Way.

Knights of Columbus

Pasta for Life to benefit – the Sacramento Life Center and the Bishop Gallegos Maternity Home.will benefit from the kind acts of the Knights.  Please join us!

When: February 27th, 6:00 p.m. is the social Hour,
7:00 p.m. Dinner, 5961 Newman Court

Tickets are $20 each or $25 at the door.
Make your reservations today by calling Past Grand Knight Richard Saldana at 916-712-7355
You can email him with your reservations.  See additional details at the FB page!

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Catholic Legislative Work

California Pro-Life Council Legislative Banquet
Tuesday, February 25th,  Location: The Grand, 1215 J Street, with registration at 6:00 p.m.  and dinner served at 7:00 p.m.  Tickets are $75 each.  Speakers will include prominent pro-life legislators that are championing the cause for Life in our state.   Business-Casual attire.   To book your seats or sponsor a table, please click here.   For more information, please contactHeather Keevers by email

Educating The Young

Sacramento Life Center Essay Contest for Junior High and High School students. This year’s question is, “What should be the father’s role in the decision to choose life over abortion?” Please call the Sacramento Life Center at 916-451-4357 and see their flyer for all the details you need.

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Pro-Life Retreat

Pro-Life Retreat, hosted by the Sacramento Catholic Diocese,  featuring Father Leatherby will be held Saturday, February 22nd at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, starting at 10:00 am, through 5:00 pm. Cost is $10, which includes lunch.  See the flyer here and register for the Retreat at proliferetreat.com

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The Last Word

There are many ways you can be a “citizen lobbyist” on behalf of the sanctity of life at the local, state, and federal levels. I will be providing more information on this topic in the coming months.

God Bless
Hector Garcia