Council 953 donated $250 dollars recently to Tubman House, an 18-month transitional living program that serves formerly homeless youth and their children in Sacramento. Often, this work involves supporting young women in dire circumstances who choose not to have an abortion, but to keep their baby. Tubman House unexpectedly lost out on a government grant that would have provided funding for several more years, a grant which Tubman House had always received before. Council 953’s emergency donation was doubled thanks to a matching grant by Sierra Health Foundation. Tubman House extends a big “thank you” to our Knights!
The 9th annual Walk for Life will be held on Saturday, January 26, 2013. The Info Faire at Civic Center Plaza will open at 11 am, followed by the main speaking event at 12:30pm, and the Walk at 1:30pm. The Walk will end at the Justin Herman Plaza. Please consider witnessing to the sanctity of life by participating in the Walk. For a bus ride, please contact Gary Hickman at (916) 806-6736. For more information about the Walk, please visit: www.walkforlifewc.com.
In other pro-life news, Catholic World Report warns of eugenics on the rise in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Lichtenstein. The story, dated November 27th, describes how a new pre-natal screening test for Down syndrome targeting women in their 12th week of pregnancy and beyond, could push Down syndrome abortions to 100%. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna, is quoted thus: “The issue here is artificial selection or eugenics, pure and simple. Is the infernal expression ‘life not worth living’ going to become reality again?” Reaffirming the dignity of persons with Down syndrome, Life Site News on November 28th covers a student-athlete with Down syndrome, denied the chance to play, becoming a state champion. The student-athlete, Eric Dompierre, attends Ishpaming High School in Michigan, where he is a kicker for the varsity football team, the Hematites, and now the winner of Sports Illustrated’s “Underdogs” contest. During the Hematite’s championship season, Eric not only kicked several field goals, but also scored a touchdown!
President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Timothy Dolan has written an article entitled, “Looking Back on Election Day.” The article appeared on November 15th in his regular column for Catholic New York. The President of the USCCB writes: “I worry that the Democrats have gone from wanting to keep abortion ‘safe, legal, and rare’ to the party that wants abortion at every stage of pregnancy, with no defense at all of the baby in the womb, completely funded by the government.” Elsewhere the Cardinal writes: “There is no denying that the president and his party are on record in promoting guidelines that gravely intrude upon religious freedom, and in their desire to expand unfettered access to abortion at all stages. These two issues are of towering import to people inspired by the principles of human dignity and the sanctity of life.” To read the article, please go to: www.cny.org/stories/Looking-Back-at-Election-Day,8444
A blesséd Christmas to one-and-all!
William (Bill) James
Culture of Life Director, Council 953