Walk for Life West Coast

CEC for Life

Don’t foget that this evening at 8pm EST CEC for Life will be doing a webcast at www.mogulus.com/cecforlife.  Be sure to tune in and also join in the conversation!  Yours truly will be joining Fr. Terry online via webcam.  Should be interesting…

Watch this!!!

What an encouraging word!!!

Youth Retreat Promo

You can thank Nathanael White for this…

Standing in Silence

Below is an article written by Justin Bethany regarding his experience on the Day of Silent Solidarity.

On October 21, 2008, I participated in the Day of Silent Solidarity at my school. Throughout the day, many people would ask me why I was silent. The answer is a simple one: “I am losing my voice for one day for those who have lost them forever.” The Day of Silent Solidarity is to make a stand for the unborn who are murdered in the womb. These precious babies have had the chance to use their voices stolen from them by their mothers and were not able to speak out for their life. Because these babies can not speak, I took a vow of silence, along with others around the world, to outwardly make a stand in my school and community by keeping silent. I also made this stand because it is an eye opener for people who are not aware and/or for abortion. It is to tell people that abortion is not acceptable and that the pro-life community will not rest until it is legal. This may be my own personal stance, but it is also to tell the enemy that this is who I am and that this is how I will be until abortion is abolished. Unfortunately for him, he will not be able to blow me over because my roots go to deep.

Fortunately, I was not alone in this battle. I go to a private Catholic high school and last year I went to the priest in my school to ask him if I could participate in this event. He took to the idea greatly and helped me organize it as an actual event in my school. I was able to put up signs advertising the event and it was announced over the loudspeaker. The day of the battle about 200 students of 2400 participated in the event. That was my junior year. My senior year (this year) I was on my way to ask my school’s priest if I could again set up this event when I saw a sign for it in the hallway. I was stunned, yet very excited and went to see the priest. He told me that he had all intention of hosting the event this year as well and each year after. I was amazed, but very thankful that this battle would be continued even after I have graduated and left my school.

Besides a few dirty looks and curses, I did not receive much opposition from people in my school that day. The real opposition that I face in my school is the fact that I put up a pro-life sign on my locker, but it always gets ripped down or crudely drawn on. The first time this happened, I was surprised, but now I expect and keep spare signs in my locker. I did receive opposition that day when I went to a Planned Parenthood in Huntington Village with my school’s priest and a few students and teachers from my school. Many people driving by would yell at us and curse. We even had a lady who worked in the Planned Parenthood come out and try to make us go home. On the other hand, there was a good many people that drove by and gave us the thumbs up in appreciation for what we were doing. Of course opposition is never fun, but it does mean that a message is getting across.

The day and the morning of the day I was psyched. I could not wait to make my stand. Throughout the day I felt courage to make the stand and even though some of my friends did not join me, I knew that they were behind me. Walking in the hallway I would see people that I did not even know participating in the fight. This made me immensely happy. It showed me that there were other students in my school who did not need me to ask them to participate. They just knew that it was the right thing and that they should make a stand. So they did and seeing them also gave me courage because it let me know that I was not alone.

To everybody who fought that day, I congratulate you because I know that it is not easy to make such a radical stand amongst your peers. It is an amazing experience because we often try to fit into the crowd and not be noticed. This event says the opposite. It tells us to be different, to stand apart from our peers, and make a difference. If you are considering participating and fighting next year, I encourage you deeply to do it and commend you for thinking about doing it. It is not easy, but it is worth it. I pray that you will help in bringing the fortress of abortion crashing to the ground and make it illegal in the world.

Justin H. Bethany

West Hempstead Street Fair

God gave us a most beautiful day to host our Church’s first street fair booth. Mixed in among vendors selling pickles on sticks and Elvis CD’s, our booth was giving away pro life materials and information about our church’s many services to families and individuals. Intercessor choir music and Kelly Tanza’s “Choose Life” single joined with unseen heavenly forces to proclaim that God is pro life.
Throughout the morning and afternoon we gave away “good news” – New Testaments, choir tapes, Changed Lives at the Cathedral booklets, Intercessor invitation cards, church ministry info, and a variety of respect life materials.
I’d like to thank the many people who helped make this event so successful:
Celeste Broyles from LI Coalition for Life who provided great printed pro life materials for our table as well as fetal models showing the growing baby at various stages of development. These models were the biggest attention-getter and drew fair goers to our table. Celeste also helped by training me at the previous week’s Westbury Street Fair, where LI Coalition had a pro life table.
Fr. Joe Ciccarello and Fr. Stephen Maloney – for their active support and generous supply of materials.
Alan Melanson and Jamie LeGrand – for involving the youth group. Alan and Jamie took several youth group members to Ireland last year as part of Fr. Terry Gensemer’s annual CEC for Life pro life mission trip. While there they worked in the streets with Youth Defence, the pro life organization that’s responsible for keeping abortion illegal in Ireland.
Grounded and Settled Youth Group members – You are awesome! You did it all!
Jeanne Bifulco – Jeanne and her daughter Hayley worked at the booth for the entire day. Their knowledge of respect life issues greatly blessed all those that met them. Because they are local West Hempsteaders and know many in the community a lot of neighborhood people came to see our display (and the huge dish of candy they brought!).

Our youth group ran the booth from giving away materials to answering questions. Several, like twins Brian and Andrew Kenney, Asher Korycka and Justin Bethany, wanted to take the “good news” to the streets. They came out from behind our table and greeted passersby offering them church invitation cards, pro life information and “Smile, your mom chose life!” stickers. Our youth were quite creative in displaying their pro life beliefs. Several, including Rachel Korycka, Sara Ott and Gina Roy drew “Choose” and “Life” on the backs of their hands while Sara covered her face with the previously mentioned “Smiley” stickers.
We got along well with our neighbors. The woman on the left even asked us to mind her tea kettle booth while she grabbed a bite to eat. Our neighbor on the other side had a daughter about the same age as our youth group members. Several times I noticed her wistfully studying our young warriors in action. I wonder what kind of impressions she was left with.
Encouraging Comments from Fair Goers
“My son was born at 24 weeks. My doctor had recommended an abortion rather than deliver him prematurely. Twenty-six years later he’s doing fine.”
An 86-year old grandmother told us, “I was only 2 lbs when I was born – look at me now.”
Several stopped to encourage us, “This is a good thing you’re doing. Thank you.”

Liturgical Muscle Memory
A really funny moment occurred as we started playing the House of Prayer tape. It was queued to the point where Bp. Craig proclaims (at full volume), “The Lord is with you!” Alan turned around startled as though the bishop had just appeared and the youth group members came to attention, their body language saying, “And also with you!”

Jeanne Bifulco patiently explained God’s truths to a high school senior who held very different beliefs. She said later that he’s been to their home where she’d previously given him a New Testament and is praying for his salvation.

As I saw the week before at the Westbury Street Fair, young people are drawn to the models of the developing child. Unlike some adults, they are comfortable viewing and handling the models and asking questions. We gave away 100 actual-sized models of a 15-week old (from conception) child. Along with each model we gave people a card that described what the child could do at each of the first 15 weeks.

Also participating were: Joseph Ciccarello, Brianna Osborn, Daniel Heaphy, MacKenzie Rohde, Josiah Maloney, Abigail Tanza, and Kristen Tanza.

new video

Watch it, laugh, and then pass it on…