Culture Of Life Report

Sacramento Life Center Baby Bottle fundraiser
Thanks to all our council brothers who donated to this annual fundraiser at the April business meeting.  Due to your generosity we raised $52.00 that will be donated to the Sacramento Life Center.

40 Days for Life – A few final stats
As reported by the national 40 Days for Life coordinators here are the final (and amazing) stats on the recently concluded Spring campaign:

* 100,000+ participants from 4,000+ churches

* Campaigns were held in 261 cities across the U.S.,   Canada, Australia, England, Ireland, Poland and Spain

* 8 abortion workers quit their jobs

* 883 babies were spared from abortion during this campaign, bringing the cumulative total of lives saved to almost 6,000 since 40 Days for Life began four and a half years ago (5,928 to be precise!)

Religious Liberty / Health Care Mandate
Brothers and families, it is imperative that we continue to communicate to our elected representatives that the HHS mandate is a case of the government overstepping its bounds.  This must be communicated time and again even when we are certain our elected officials disagree with us.  Also, your support of religious freedom in the form of letters to the editors, comments to news articles and internet forums are helpful too.
Don’t give up this fight.  And if you’re still on the sidelines, it is time to get in the game.  Go to http://usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/ and www.stophhs.com for info and the latest updates.  But very importantly, we must pray.  Pray for God’s will to be done in this case.  Pray that he send his grace that brings liberty and justice for all.

Visit the 953 Culture of Life blog
If you haven’t checked out the blog, open your browser and head over to:
http://kofc953sacramentoprolife.blogspot.com/

“To claim the right to abortion, infanticide and euthanasia, and to recognize that right in law, means to attribute to human freedom a perverse and evil significance: that of an absolute power over others and against others. This is the death of true freedom: “Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin” (Jn 8:34).” –  Evangelium Vitae, 20 – Blessed John Paul II

Dominic Ielati
Culture of Life Director
prolife(at)kofc953(dot)org

Culture Of Life Report

40 Days for Life – Spring Vigil recap
Thanks to those of you who participated through prayer, fast & witness during the spring prayer vigil of 40 Days for Life. I’d especially like to thank those Knights and family members who came to the sidewalk on March 24th. We had (5) Brother Knights and (1) family member come to the sidewalk where we prayed together with several others who had gathered as well at the Women’s Health Specialist abortion business at 1750 Wright Street.
Internationally, vigil participants know of 668 babies were spared from abortion because of the peaceful, prayerful presence of the people participating in the 40 Days for Life vigils. Also several more abortion business workers quit their jobs after speaking with 40 DFL vigil participants
Even though the spring vigil concluded on Palm Sunday, please don’t stop praying, offering fasts and witnessing for the end to the destruction of innocent and distinct human lives.
To learn more about 40 Days for Life, visit www.40daysforlife.com/sacramento and www.40daysforlife.com.

Religious Liberty / Health Care Mandate
Brothers and families, you may have noticed that the mainstream media has for the most part stopped covering the religious liberty issue as it regards the health care mandate. And, in fact, when they do, they are continuing to call it a “debate over contraception.”
Excuse me. Let’s be really clear about what this is about: it is not about contraception and never has been. Not one of the US Bishops has made any call to make contraception illegal. This is about the government telling religious institutions that they must violate their deeply held beliefs and pay for services that they deem to be immoral.
Now the Supreme Court has heard arguments on the legalities of the Health Care Law and if it were to be thrown out then the mandate will go with it. However it is imperative that we continue to communicate to our elected representatives that this is the government overstepping its bounds. This must be communicated time and again even when we are certain they disagree with us. Also, letters to the editors, comments to news articles and internet forums are helpful too.
Don’t give up this fight. And if you’re still on the sidelines, it is time to get in the game. Go to www.usccb.org/conscience and www.stophhs.com for info and the latest updates.

Visit the 953 Culture of Life blog
If you haven’t checked out the blog, open your browser and head over to:
http://kofc953sacramentoprolife.blogspot.com/

“To claim the right to abortion, infanticide and euthanasia, and to recognize that right in law, means to attribute to human freedom a perverse and evil significance: that of an absolute power over others and against others. This is the death of true freedom: “Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin” (Jn 8:34).” – Evangelium Vitae, 20 – Blessed John Paul II

Dominic Ielati
Culture of Life Director
prolife(at)kofc953(dot)org

Culture of Life Report

Walk for Life – West Coast – tens of thousands pray & witness for life
It is always inspiring to join 50,000 others who come together to witness for life. Those of us who went to San Francisco found great weather, heard impressive speakers and prayed together with complete strangers for our common cause. BART was an excellent way to get to the Walk as the train was filled both ways with others going to/from the Walk. Mark your calendars for Jan. 26, 2013 and attend the next Walk for Life.

40 Days for Life – Feb. 22 – Apr. 1
Please join us in the Spring 40 Days for Life prayer vigil at the Women’s Health Specialists Center at 1750 Wright St (at Alta Arden).
It is edifying to me as Culture of Life Director to see that many of you Brother Knights participate in each of these vigils. It is not easy, popular or cool to acknowledge publicly that we stand on the side of life. In fact, when many of us do stand up publicly for life, it is typical for us to be vilified by family, friends and strangers alike.
So, I ask you to pray and ask God for guidance on how you can participate in this Spring’s vigil. But most of all, as Christ himself said and Blessed John Paul II echoed, “Do not be afraid!”
Sign-up sheets will be circulated at our Feb. business meeting and through email for you to sign up to pray, fast or give witness. Please put your pro-life beliefs into action.
To learn more visit: 40daysforlife(dot)com and 40daysforlife(dot)com/sacramento

Parental Notification & Death Penalty Initiatives
Bishop Soto and the other bishops in California are asking all Catholics to support two initiatives that are gathering signatures for the fall ballot. One is for parental notification if a minor girl seeks an abortion. The other would abolish the death penalty in California and replace it with life imprisonment with no possibility of parole. Bishop Soto is asking there to be signature gathering in every parish on the 3rd weekend of February for both initiatives.
For more information, see Bishop Soto’s letter.

Did you know?
In 2008, the late Dr. Bernard Nathanson, a former abortionist and who became pro-life and was baptized a Catholic, was interviewed on a Canadian radio station. In that interview, Dr. Nathanson, who was a major part of the movement for legalizing abortion in America, “recalled the deceitful and dishonest tactics that he and NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League) relied upon to push for the legalization and acceptance of abortion. ‘We claimed that between five and ten thousand women a year died of botched abortions,’ he said. ‘The actual figure was closer to 200 to 300 and we also claimed that there were a million illegal abortions a year in the United States and the actual figure was close to 200,000. So, we were guilty of massive deception.’ “
Source: www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2008/jul/08072904

Read our blog on the Culture of Life:
kofc953sacramentoprolife(dot)blogspot(dot)com

”…You shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born.” From The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (Didache) – The Lord’s Teaching Through The Twelve Apostles to the Nations, Chapter 2. The Second Commandment: Grave Sin Forbidden, circa 100 A.D.

Dominic Ielati
Culture of Life Director