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- Newsletters -
Well Folks, It’s a shame this is a newsletter and not a book – there is just so much to tell. Yes, life is never dull in the pro-life camp! I’m sure that most of you will agree about that. Since last newsletter, along with the regular meetings and activities, there’s been Anne Lastman’s tour to five locations between Coffs and Kingscliff, as well as our Annual Retreat in Bellingen - all this happening over five days. I thought all that would be exhausting but No! God is good! Then there was the Melbourne Family Life International Conference which was a real bobby-dazzler, a great encouragement and eye-opener for the three of us who attended from Lismore – Heather Barrett, Michele Marychurch and myself. There were wonderful people and a great line-up of speakers to choose from. Shame we couldn’t bi-locate! Still we will be able to order tapes/CDs of the talks we missed. More about that later. What makes Family Life International such a great organization, and why do we Apostles for Life model our organisation on it and support it wholeheartedly? 1st They don’t leave God out of the picture. 2nd Being Catholic, they (and we) have all the benefits the Catholic Church has on offer – the Holy Mass, the Rosary, the Sacraments. 3rd Not only do we have authoritative teaching but they help us to be able to explain it. 4th They do not compromise or deal in half-truths, but share the whole Gospel of Life in season and out of season. 5th They cover the fullest range of issues which tie in to give the full picture. 6th They understand why the world is in the mess it’s in, and how to get out of it (the mess that is, not the world). And no, I’m not exaggerating! Our late Pope John Paul II told the founder, Father Paul Marx, that this apostolate is “the greatest work on earth”. Inside the cover page you will find a press release from Australian Vaccination Network about the recent Vatican statement on the use of aborted foetus in vaccines, an issue that Children of God for Life have been fighting for many years. Murwillumbah At the beginning of the year I wrote: If you do not yet have a regular monthly Rosary for Life in your Parish Church, maybe you can start one. We depend on prayer. Can you help? Trish Jandura tells me that now they have a Rosary for life in Murwillumbah every second Monday of the month! That’s wonderful news, Trish! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Report on the Visit of Anne Lastman 26th – 30th August 2005 to Coffs Harbour, Bellingen, Lismore and Kingscliff
Nobody could fail to be enthralled and moved by Anne’s story of how she came to this work of healing for those who suffer emotionally and spiritually after abortion. Anne’s own personal experience, together with over ten years of working with women and men, supported by her own extensive studies in theology, psychology and grief and loss, along with a passion for helping those who suffer, and an openness to the grace of God, enable her to offer hope for those who have long despaired of ever overcoming the pain and grief of their joyless lives. During our Apostles For Life Retreat at Bellingen, because we spent two days together, sharing meals and conversations, praying and seeking God’s help and will for our pro-life apostolate, Anne was able to share with us on a deeper level. We even had the pleasure of meeting one of Anne’s “girls”, together with her husband and gorgeous baby boy, who had traveled over three hours to meet with Anne. Anne spoke to a group of fifteen people after the 5pm Mass in the Parish Centre in Lismore. At every meeting, there was at least one person who came out of her personal need to come to terms with her own or a close family member’s abortion. Often the question arose as to the apparent lack of adverse effects in some people. As Anne pointed out, the immediate reaction after abortion is usually relief that the immediate “problem” has “gone away”, but many of Anne’s “girls” are in their later years who are, up to thirty years later, dealing with their abortions. The trigger could be the loss of a grandchild or a parent or even a TV soapie. Anne has even been called to a dementia unit where a woman is distressed because “I killed the children.” Delayed onset is often one of the marks of post-abortion distress. The warm hospitality offered by Pastor Jim and Mrs. Ruth Gallagher at the Baptist Church was deeply appreciated by Anne and all who attended the luncheon. We are very much at ease and of like minds when it comes to the relief of the distress of those affected by abortion. Anne speaks so passionately of the love and mercy of Jesus and the need to acknowledge the humanity of the child lost, of his/her membership of the family and the need we have as surviving members to remember him/her as we do any deceased member of the family. The need to name the child and accept the forgiveness of God and of the child, and to acknowledge him/her in a physical way such as a plaque or a tree planted. Our final meeting was at St Anthony’s in Kingscliff and was attended largely by parishioners of Kingscliff, Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads. In the last two parishes, prayer groups meet regularly to pray for the protection of mothers and children, and for all involved in abortion. As there are two abortion clinics in Tweed Heads where mothers take their babies to die, there is a great need for prayer. Anne told us that, the devil comes to an aborting mother to deceive her that the baby is “tissue”, a “clump of cells”, “product of conceptus”, anything but a baby. However after the abortion, he comes back to torment her with the fact that she has killed her baby and so God will never forgive her, that she is too bad to receive His Love and Mercy, that she has committed an unforgivable act. The lie is there before, and it is there after, in different form, but equally destructive of Life. That God loves her and wants her back in His embrace has to be implanted in the mind of the woman and so move into her heart, to begin her healing process. Anne sees her work, in brief, as moving the child from the woman’s shoulders where it is a burden, and to transplant it into her heart, where it can remain peacefully until she meets her child “who is now living in the Lord”. (Evangelium Vitae 99) Thank you, Anne, for coming to us, and thank you to all who helped to make her visit possible and fruitful. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Family Life International (FLI) Conference Melbourne 16th, 17th, 18th September 2005 Be Not Afraid To Live the Gospel of Life This was my third and best yet FLI Conference. Not for nothing is it called International. It was wonderful to meet and hear: Our Spiritual Director Fr. Linus Clovis from St Lucia in the West Indies who gave the Conference Dinner speech on the history of Our Lady of Guadalupe stopping human sacrifice in Mexico under the Aztecs. Our International President, Steve Mosher, is an American social scientist who, after his work in China, brought to the eyes of the west the horror of the One-child policy. He spoke to us on The World’s Vanishing Children and The War on Women. The lilting Irish tones of Eammon Keane resounded through the halls as he spoke on Education & The Gospel of Life and The Eucharistic Dimension of Marital Love. Dorothy Kuek hails from Sarawak in Malaysia and she shared with us her work in the Diocesan Human Life Service where she counsels, teaching Natural Family Planning, and Chastity education. Dorothy’s warmth, intensity and caring concern were obvious in her talk and in all her conversations. Eve Silver, a Hispanic American, a Medical Research Analyst, lecture and member of the American Writer’s Association, also happens to be a two-time survivor of breast cancer after abortions and she spoke on The Abortion Breast Cancer Link. She has the most marvelous way of getting her point across with her dry wit and lively repartee. I could have listened to her for hours. Wanda Skowranska (Polish of course!) spoke on Catholics, Psychology & the New Age and Richard Grant (a retired Melbourne labour market economist and Helper of God’s Precious Infants) on the The Looming Economic Catastophe: What Abortion is Costing Australia. Dr Les Hemingway in his own wry and common sense way talked about Contraception and the Corrosion of Civilisation and gave away copies of his book – the best I’ve seen to explain the issue – Contraception and Common Sense, while Dr Valerie Peers told us about how she came to stop prescribing the Pill and to promote Natural Family Planning in her general practice. Gerry Keane, author of Creation Rediscovered and a founding member of the Kolbe Center for the Study of Creation talked on In the Beginning God Made Marriage. And Anne Lastman, Fr Paul Newton, Fr Paul Stenhouse………….. Thank you, Gail! You’re a treasure! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Letters to the Editor
Dear Angela Please find enclosed photos I took at Coffs Harbour 26th August. Thought they turned out quite well. I am sure all those who attended the talk given by Anne found it all very interesting. You hear about all these things that happen and read about them, but it certainly makes a difference to hear someone like Anne who has experienced these things in her life – made me and I am sure all those who attended more aware of the suffering so many people have to bear. Thank you for the opportunity of this experience. Lynne Higham Secretary Catholic Women’s League Australia NSW Inc. Lismore Diocese ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Grace and Peace Dear Angela Please find enclosed a cheque for the money collected from the hall in Kingscliff. Thank you for your good work and for supporting such a great speaker (as Anne Lastman). My wish would be that we could have such a person in every parish. May God bless you and your loved ones. Noreen, Palm Beach ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Subject: Pro-abortion speaker at WYD opening ceremony Friday, August 12, 2005 5:30 AM Dear Colleague, I write to you on a matter of grave urgency. It has come to my attention that a high-ranking pro-abortion bureaucrat from the United Nations will be addressing the opening ceremony of World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany in a few days. The speaker, Eveline Herfkens heads the UN Millennium Campaign. She comes from Holland where she held many high-ranking governmental positions. Ms. Herfkens supported the notorious abortion ship that drops anchor off the shores of pro-life countries and performs illegal abortions. Herfkens was quoted as saying the ship "a concrete answer to an awful problem." She also suggested that the Dutch government financially support the abortion ship. What in the world is this woman doing speaking anywhere near World Youth Day? Herfkens runs the Millennium Development Campaign of the United Nations, which is problem enough. The Millennium Development Goals, which are about to be approved by the UN will include a call for "reproductive rights," which includes the right to abortion. We must stop her appearance at World Youth Day. You can help but only if you act right now. Time is running out. Please send the following message to Cardinal Meisner of Cologne who is the president of the WYD Diocesan Management Board. Cardinal Meisner likely does not even know of this woman's dubious political pedigree, so we urge you to be nice to him when you write. Here is where to write: presse@erzbistum-koeln.de World Youth Day is too important an event to be sullied by the presence of pro-abortion UN bureaucrats. We must act globally to stop this now. Please act immediately to stop this outrage. Act now. Yours sincerely, Austin Ruse, President, Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute Here is just one of the replies:
Thank you to all the people who acted promptly. Did Cardinal Meisner cancel the invitation? I can find no evidence that it went ahead. It seems that we were able to stop this obscenity. If you have further info please let me know. (Editor) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Noah's Ark
1: Don't miss the boat. 2: Remember that we are all in the same boat. 3: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark. 4: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big. 5: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done. 6: Build your future on high ground. 7: For safety's sake, travel in pairs. 8: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs. 9: When you're stressed, float awhile. 10: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals. 11: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Population Research Institute Once again the Philippines, a country with a living Christian culture, is under attack for having too many children. The population controllers are attempting to impose a two-child policy on the relatively pro-life, pro-family Filipinos, who now average less than three children. For the full story check out: Steve Mosher’s Population Research Institute at http://www.pop.org/main.cfm?EID=837 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Earth Charter Initiative Catholic Theorist Cites UN Threat VATICAN, Nov. 29, 00 (CWNews.com) -- Msgr. Michel Schooyans, a noted Belgian political theorist, has expressed serious misgivings about the process of "globalization" as it is seen by the United Nations leadership. Msgr. Schooyans, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences and consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Family, offered his thoughts to this week's Vatican conference on globalization and the family. He suggested that in the eyes of UN officials, globalization means "a concentration of power that has the odor of totalitarianism.” The UN, the Belgian professor observed, "thinks that the world in its entirety has more value than the person.” He added that according to this view-- which he said is heavily influenced by New Age thinking -- Christian humanism "has to be abandoned and rejected, in order to exalt a neo-pagan cult of Mother Earth." Msgr. Schooyans, who teaches at the Catholic University of Louvain, said that the "Earth Charter" currently being prepared by UN officials offers clear evidence to support his charges. In that document, he reported, the human race is depicted as "a part of a vast universe in the process of evolution," and even marked today by "an unprecedented growth in population that overtaxes economic and social systems.” The underlying philosophy of the Charter, he said, sees all religions -- but particularly the Catholic faith -- as obstacles to progress. The UN, Msgr. Schooyans concluded, is now aiming to create a new world order over which a "supergovernment" would preside. This powerful new government would suppress intermediate structures, and seek "more and more centralized control of information, knowledge, technology, human life, health, commerce, politics, and law." "The Church will have no choice but to fight against such a form of globalization," Msgr. Schooyans remarks. http://cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=14364
AUSTRALIAN VACCINATION NETWORK
Vatican says, "Parents must oppose vaccines from human foetal remains" For the first time ever, the Vatican has issued a statement condemning the use of any and all vaccines derived from human foetal remains and exhorted Catholics and all others who oppose this use, to lobby for the development of alternative, morally acceptable treatments that do not use foetal remains. The new instructions from the Vatican provide strong support for parents, doctors, public health officials and vaccination information organizations who have long resisted the use of vaccines based on foetal remains. These vaccines include such commonly-used shots as the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), Varicella (chicken pox), smallpox, rabies, Injected Polio and Hepatitis A. In a careful analysis of the moral issues involved in the use of vaccines developed from foetal tissues, the Pontifical Academy for Life concludes that pharmaceutical companies have a grave moral obligation to provide vaccines that do not use foetal remains. The same Vatican document states that parents, "have a duty to take recourse to alternatives... They should use conscientious objection and oppose by all means - in writing, through various associations, mass media, etc, the vaccines which do not yet have morally acceptable alternatives." The Australian Vaccination Network, a national health lobby group, calls on Minister Tony Abbott, whose views on the subject of abortion are well known, to immediately recall all vaccines in Australia which use these products. Anything less would be sheer hypocrisy for a government whose views on this issue are so clear and well-publicised. The AVN also calls on the government to publish a list of all new vaccines which are now under consideration for inclusion in either the childhood or adult vaccination schedules and to indicate which of these vaccines have used foetal remains in either their development process or in the vaccines themselves. This is the only way in which parents will be enabled to make informed choices as to which vaccines, if any, they will choose to have administered to their children or to themselves. Meryl Dorey, National President, Australian Vaccination Network View the original documents at http://www.cogforlife.org/vaticanresponse.htm
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amartello@apostlesforlifesite.org
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At Coffs Harbour, Anne spoke to a meeting of approximately twenty women
predominantly members of the Catholic Women’s League from Grafton, Coffs Harbour
and Bellingen. I would like to pay tribute to the warmth of the hospitality
shown to Anne and myself, by the members of the Catholic Women’s League. 
Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark. 
