Pro-Life Leaders Give Witness to Culture of Life

By Irene Lagan
Special to the HERALD
(From the issue of 8/22/02)

FALLS CHURCH — Even after learning that 98.8 percent of all deaths in Falls Church are due to abortion each year, pro-life representatives from parishes throughout the Arlington Diocese were not deterred from witnessing their commitment to the culture of life through prayer, seminars and discussion at the annual pro-life leadership conference. The daylong conference was held on Saturday, Aug. 17, at St. James Parish in Falls Church.

Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde, who arrived early to pray a rosary of closure in front of the former abortion facility on South Broad Street, opened the conference with a Mass concelebrated by Father Cornelius O’Brien, pastor of St. James, and Father Richard Hogan, a nationally recognized pro-life speaker from the diocese of St. Paul in Minnesota.

In his homily (see complete text on page 7), Bishop Loverde encouraged and exhorted those present to renew their commitment to the pro-life cause. He urged participants to "take up [the Rosary] again to stop abortion," reminding them that it was "Mary’s merciful intervention that brought about the beginning of the miracles of Jesus and his public life."

Citing the most recent Virginia Center for Health statistics, Bishop Loverde indicated that "the annual death rate in Falls Church due to abortion is 80 times higher than all the other causes of death. Where is the moral outrage?" he asked. "The Holy Father tells us that we must begin with a commitment to life. But, how do we do this?"

The bishop said that we must first "live by a consistent ethic of life. We cannot, for instance, be against abortion and then hand our kids condoms." We must vote for pro-life representatives to government offices; oppose the current UN politics of handing out birth control pills and other "gadgets" that foster the culture of death; give public witness of prayer through the Mass and rosary, and "live as St. Paul instructed us by praying always to end abortion." Developing the "art of persuasion" through education, providing information about alternatives to abortion, and using the language of the Holy Father’s encyclical "The Gospel of Life" were Bishop Loverde’s final suggestions for fostering a commitment to life.

Father Hogan, author and associate director of the Natural Family Planning Outreach, gave the keynote address at the conference. An authority on Pope John Paul II’s theology of the body, Father Hogan is both a consultant for marriage and family in the Arlington diocese, an editor of a series of books designed to teach the faith to young people and the author of several books including Covenant of Love and Faith for Today.

Father Hogan focused on putting life issues into perspective within the context of our current cultural climate. He emphasized, among other things, that the pro-life movement is "not primarily a political protest movement," but is rather a moral struggle between two cultures, "the culture of life and the culture of death."

Father Hogan argued amusingly that the culture of death is supported by the "Mary Poppins principle": a spoonful of truth helps the lies go down.

To counter the milieu of death, Father Hogan suggested that we must convey a message of truth, freedom and life to young people; that the Church must become "more self-contained and less mainstream so as to become more cohesive within"; and that we must demonstrate true compassion in word and deed.

Other speakers included Jim and Ann Thunder, authors of the newly released advanced medical directives (available from the diocesan Family Life Office), and Ellen Curro, a pro-life therapist, physician's assistant and author.

Bishop Loverde gave the closing address at the conference, providing parish pro-life representatives with eight practical suggestions for implementing what they learned during the course of the day: work closely with pastors; be well-organized within the parish by staying informed via email, parish bulletins and other available means; further the mission of Project Gabriel in assisting expectant mothers in need; stay informed legislatively, particularly with regard to cloning; pray, particularly in October as a month dedicated both to life and to the Blessed Mother, and by keeping prayer at the center of all pro-life efforts, especially through holy hours; encourage participation in the Walk for Life held each October; and use language that is persuasive and informed by the Holy Father’s "Gospel of Life."

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