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- Newsletters -
November - Month of the Holy Souls - 2005 A lay initiative in the Catholic Diocese of Lismore to inspire and support pro-life prayer, education and action in conformity with the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. Our newsletter is published bi-monthly as a means of communication between those who attend our meetings and those who are unable to attend and distributed free to anyone who works and prays that the Gospel of Life will flourish in our Diocese. Donations are welcome. Meetings 11am on 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month in the Cathedral and/or Parish Centre. Editor: Angela Martello, apost5@apostlesforlifesite.org =============== This Newsletter is following hot on the heels of the September-October issue, mainly because that issue was on the late side, but also because I decided to do both a November Issue - to remember the suffering souls in Purgatory - and a Christmas one. It’s a bit hard to have the spirit of both seasons in the same issue. In this issue: • Letter of Appreciation • “Multiply the Value of Your Prayers 10 times! 100 times! Even 1000 fold!!” For those of you who are receiving this by email or on the website this double sided tri-fold brochure may be printed out and distributed far and wide. Here is the URL: http://www.postabortionhelp.org/new/resources/Indulgences_Brochure2_ROC.pdf We know that the souls in Purgatory - the Church Suffering – are powerless to help themselves – but we can and must help them! On the other hand, they can help us in our apostolate. This simple publication explains how we can help the suffering souls who have been involved in sins of abortion, and how they can help us in our work. We all know the extra zeal that comes with the grace of repentance. You are free to copy as many of these as you can distribute, and that goes for the whole newsletter. • In For Life An article I received recently, written by a prisoner who is literally In For Life Graham Preston is one who is just not prepared to stand by while babies are killed. • I am just a Mother! is a delightful response from one who is not just a Mother but is well aware of the importance and the joys and pain of motherhood. • Order Form for Tapes/CDs of the Family Life International Conference in Melbourne. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From the Heart of a Mother….. A little boy I know died today. He is a saint! He came into the world dangerously early and fought and suffered and kept fighting to stay here, despite all odds – defying the odds. He knew pain, but he knew love. His parents loved him. His brothers and sisters loved him. Everyone who ever heard about him loved him, and prayed, prayed, prayed for him. At each hurdle the call went out for prayer and they were prayed from the heart. The parents’ loving sacrifices for their son were continual and faith-filled. Their gift from God was showered with love from the Church as well - Baptism, anointing, blessings, consecrations, rosaries, litanies of love and of course, many heart-felt offerings of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. So now he has gone home to the Father. Thy will be done - oh, dear sweet Lord God! And again we pray, pray, pray in thanksgiving for a child who was loved unto death. And for graces and mercies to flow to his father, and especially to his mother in their loss and grieving for their dear brave little boy – their little saint in Heaven! their intercessor at the throne of God! Now he prays for us!.....................Michele Marychurch 12th October 2005 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Photos by Wanda Skowronska, pictured here, who spoke on Catholics Psychology and The New Age
To the wonderful person who financially assisted Heather and myself to attend the Melbourne Family Life International Conference: On behalf of the both of us, I wish to thank you and we pray for you, from the bottom of our hearts! The trip/conference was educational and inspiring not to mention fun for us two “country mice” in the “big smoke”! It was so good to meet fellow pro-lifers, Catholics, genuine people, educated and confident speakers, inspiring warriors for Christ, supportive clergy and, as I keep saying to Angela, some fellow wacky souls! God is so clever with our uniqueness, our talents, our gifts. We’re not all
So thanks again, benefactor, for allowing contact with other aliens! I’ve prayed earnestly for courage, from the Holy Spirit, to act now, since the ‘enkindling’ of the ‘fire of His Love’ has been accomplished. Michele Marychurch (God can’t help but be moved by this prayer! - Ed.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Graham Preston of Protect Life Late this afternoon I was admiring the beautiful cloud formations as the sun was setting. One thing rather spoiled the scene however – that was the heavy metal grill which partially obscured my view. This grill formed a ‘cage’ which completely enclosed the tennis-court-sized yard in which I was standing. This exercise yard was attached to a 24 cell prison unit (holding 40 prisoners) and this unit, part of a prison complex holding about 700-800 men, was located on the edge of Brisbane. I am a Christian, and unlike some who ‘find religion’ in prison, I was a Christian before I entered this place. So, what is a Christian doing in prison in Australia, especially if that Christian is ‘in for life’? Well, I haven’t killed anyone. In fact, just the opposite is the case, I’m in here because I, along with others, have tried to save lives. I am in prison because I have been trying to stop preborn babies being killed by abortion. Many times people have expressed astonishment when they find out that someone could end up in prison for opposing abortion. It must, therefore, be made clear that I, and several others in our group, Protect Life, have not been merely saying that we don’t like abortion. We don’t stop at writing letters to politicians or with holding placards on the footpaths outside these ‘clinics’. For the last three years we have been engaging in non-violent direct action at the doors of these places of death. On about 60 occasions we (the numbers involved in the actual sit-ins have ranged from just one up to about six) have simply sat in front of the entrances and refused to move. In doing so we have been endeavouring to prevent the pre-born children being taken in to that place where it is intended they be killed. For our efforts we have been arrested, charged, convicted, fined, and now I am in prison for the third time. I have not actually been sentenced to a prison term on any of these occasions. Rather, I am being held because when we are arrested now we are required to agree not to go back to that abortion ‘clinic’ until after the hearing has been held (usually a period of 2-3 months). As a matter of principle I have refused to say that I will not go back there, so I have been detained in prison. Are we crazy? What do you think? Some people think we are, but most people, including most Christians, don’t seem to know what to think. So, often very little is said to us about the actions. That silence can be more difficult to take than the criticisms of those who disagree with us. (Intriguingly, more interest in and support for our actions has been expressed by the inmates I’ve talked with in prison, than has been shown by most people outside.) So, is it crazy to go to jail as part of trying to stop abortion? People say to us, “But can’t abortion be stopped by other less radical means?” Well, the record of the last 30 years is not encouraging in that direction. Perhaps 1.5 million or more pre-born children have been killed in Australia during that period, and there is little indication that significant changes for the better are happening. Tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, another 300 or so children will be killed. If we knew where and when 300 or so born children were about to be killed (as we do with those being aborted – check in the Yellow Pages under Pregnancy Termination Services), would we consider we ought to immediately, directly intervene to save them? Surely. “But don’t such actions cause too much trauma for the women seeking abortions, and besides, don’t we have to respect their choice?” We certainly don’t want to create unnecessary upset, but in any situation where someone acts to prevent somebody being killed, it is certain that considerable trauma will occur. Think about it: none of us would allow the above fact to prevent us from intervening were we to come across a woman in the act of killing her two-year-old child. And neither would we feel we needed to respect her ‘choice’ to kill the child. The reality is, in both instances a child is about to die, and if we are to be consistent, a similar response is required in each instance. Beyond that, it must also be recognised that many women suffer very significant emotional and physical problems following abortion. Not intervening helps no one. “But”, we hear people say, “such direct action is illegal: how can you justify breaking the law?” Much could be said in response to that, but only a brief response can be made here. A number of examples from the Bible, ranging from the Hebrew midwives disobeying Pharaoh (Ex 1:17) to Peter and the apostles defying the Sanhedrin (Acts 5:29), indicate that the law is not to be taken as the absolute, final arbiter of what Christians should do. This is not to advocate anarchy but to say that where gross injustice is being done or allowed, and in particular where innocent human lives are being taken, civil disobedience is warranted, indeed required. Who would suggest that Corrie ten Boom and her family were wrong when they illegally hid Jews from the Nazis? This is what it all comes down to – are babies before birth morally equivalent to babies (and all other human beings) after birth? For Christians, the fact that the incarnate Jesus grew and developed in his mother’s womb for about nine months, just as the rest of us have done, should be sufficient grounds for establishing the full worth of human life before birth. Certainly, from a biological point of view there is no disputing that human life begins at fertilisation. So, we have a situation where hundreds of human beings are deliberately killed each working day in this country. And we largely allow it to go on - unchallenged, unhindered and even unremarked. We may believe abortion kills children; we may say that abortion kills children; but if we don’t act in ways that are consistent with abortion being the killing of children, are we responding to this horror with the serious commitment that it demands? Obviously not everyone can be, or even ought to be, involved in direct action to stop abortion. But that does not mean that no one, or even that not very many people, ought to intervene directly to save lives. Being in prison is undesirable and at times quite unpleasant. But is it better to be a free person in a society which calmly lives with the wholesale destruction of innocent, young human lives? Just what are human lives worth? Graham Preston for more information: prestonlife@optusnet.com.au He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it --- Martin Luther King, Jr. I am just a Mother! A few months ago, when I was picking up children from school, another woman
whom I knew well rushed up to me. Emily was fuming with indignation. “Do you
know what you and I are?” she demanded?”
Before I could answer and I didn’t really have one handy, she blurted out the reason for her question. It seemed she had just returned from renewing her driver’s license at the Registry Office. Asked by a woman behind the desk to state her ‘occupation’. Emily had hesitated uncertain as to how to classify herself. “What I mean is,” explained the woman, “Do you have a job or are you a…” “Of course I have a job,” snapped Emily. “I’m a mother”. “We don’t list Mother as an occupation. Housewife covers it,” said the woman emphatically. I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high-sounding title, like Official Interrogator or ‘Town Registrar”. “And what is your occupation?” she probed. What made me say it, I do not know. The words simply popped out. “I’m Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.” The Clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in mid-air, and looked as though she hadn’t heard right. I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words. Then I was amazed as my pompous pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire. “Might I ask” said the Clerk with new interest, “Just what do you do in your field?” Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I hear myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t?) in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoor and out). “I’m working for my Master’s (the whole darned family) and already have four credits (all daughters). The course is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother cares to disagree?). But the job is more than run-of-the mill careers, and the rewards are in the satisfaction, rather than just in money.” There was an increasing note of respect in the official’s voice, as she completed the form, stood up and personally ushered me to the door. As I drove into our driveway buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was
greeted by my subjects (and lab assistants) aged 13, 7 and 3. And upstairs, I
could hear out new experimental model, 6 months into the child-development
program, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt triumphant. I had scored a beat
on bureaucracy. And I had gone down on the official records as someone most
distinguished and indispensable to mankind, in spit of being “just a mother!”
Home…what a glorious career. Especially, when there’s a title on the door. Author unknown. Reprinted from Cardinal Newman Catechism Centre Newsletter. Dec 1999 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/aug/05080803.html GENEVA, Switzerland, August 8, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A press release issued on July 29th 2005 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a division of the World Health Organization (WHO), declared the little publicized classification of combined estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives (OCs) as carcinogenic. The IARC placed the contraceptives into their Group 1 classification, the highest classification of carcinogenicity, used only "when there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans." Combined estrogen-progestogen OCs are the most commonly prescribed forms of contraceptives. According to the IARC "worldwide, more than 100 million women - about 10% of all women of reproductive age - currently use combined hormonal contraceptives." This outright declaration by the WHO of the proven dangers of combined OCs comes as an unexpected surprise to many who have been working for years to publicize their dangers. "I'm stunned that they would come out and say that, because they've been denying this for years," said Toronto area MD and medical adviser to Campaign Life Coalition, Dr. Shea. But he added, "They're really only admitting something that's been known." In 2003 the National Cancer Institute (NCI) became one of the latest added to the list of scientific bodies that had found a substantially increased risk of several types of cancer amongst combined OC users, citing a "significant increase" of the risk of breast cancer, as well as an increase in the risk of cervical and liver cancers. DESPITE THIS ADMISSION, NO SIGNIFICANT STEPS HAVE YET BEEN TAKEN TO PROTECT WOMEN’S' HEALTH AND TO CURB THE USE OF COMBINED OCS. The IARC press release further confirms the NCI's findings, declaring that: "Previously, combined oral contraceptives had been determined to be carcinogenic to humans, but only primary liver cancer was specifically implicated. The Working Group concluded that combined oral contraceptives alter the risk of several common cancers in women. They increase a woman's risk of cervical cancer, breast cancer, and liver cancer." Despite the immediate danger to the nearly 100 million women worldwide who are regularly ingesting the newly-defined 'carcinogenic' contraceptive pills, the IARC did not recommend that the regular prescription and easy availability of combined OCs should undergo any review. In this the IARC parallels the NCI's study concluded with the recommendation that, instead of the obvious remedy of decreased use of the medically dangerous combined contraceptives, women should undergo frequent mammograms and Pap tests, to discover and curb already developing cancers. See the IARC release: http://www.iarc.fr/ENG/Press_Releases/pr167a.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Family Life International (Australia) CD/tape Order Form Name:____________________________________________________ Address:___________________________________________________ Phone:______________________email:___________________________ Audio tapes / CDs $7.00 each (1 – 3 tapes / CD $1.45 postage) Special: set of 12 tapes / CDs $70 including postage PLEASE TICK and WRITE CD or TAPE whichever you require. An Abortion/Breast Cancer Survivor Tells Her Story Eve Sanchez Silver The World’s Vanishing Children Steve Mosher The War on Women Steve Mosher Contraception and the Corrosion of Civilization Dr Les Hemingway Disengagement of the Family from the Church Fr Paul Stenhouse MSC Bringing the Gospel of Life to Youth: Mission Impossible? Fr Paul Newton One Doctor’s Experience in Promoting Natural Family Planning in Gen’l Practice Dr Valerie Peers Catholics, Psychology and the New Age Wanda Skowronska The Eucharistic Dimension of Marital Love Eamonn Keane Education and The Gospel of Life Eamonn Keane In The Beginning of Creation God Made Marriage Gerry Keane The Looming Economic Catastrophe: What Abortion is costing Australia Richard Grant PLEASE FIND ENCLOSED $_____.____ My Cheque □ Money Order □ Mastercard □ Visa □ Bankcard□ Other □ Cash □ Name on Card………………………………………………………… Expiry Date___/____ Card No _ _ _ _ /_ _ _ _ /_ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ Please send order form to: Family Life International, PO Box 205, Broadway NSW 2007 or Fax 02 9519 9622
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amartello@apostlesforlifesite.org
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Apostles
for Life News 
Sitting
on couch: Ben O’Brien of the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, Fr Linus Clovis,
Spiritual Director of Family Life International. And Richard Grant also of the
Helpers who spoke on The Looming Economic Distaster: What Abortion is Costing
Australia. Sitting on laps: Little O’Briens, also Helpers!! 
roses, or buttercups or daisies. We can’t be. But there in Melbourne we all were
urged by Love (God) to work for the unloved – the forget-me-nots. 
Some of the talks were not only encouraging, informative and often shocking,
but very comforting to me. I heard people who spoke the same language, if you
can relate to that. Standing up for fundamental truths, calling good “good” and
evil “evil”, trying to uphold the family, and just plain ‘Keeping the Faith’
often makes you feel alien. 
“In For Life” 
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION CLASSIFIES CONTRACEPTIVES AS HIGHLY CARCINOGENIC
