The
late Cardinal John O’Connor wrote these words in July 1990.
National Director
Priests for Life
I’ve sent them to you because they capsulize the reason
you are such a fierce pro-life warrior.
You recognize that abortion is an “unspeakable crime” against
humanity. You understand that the child
who suffers such excruciating pain during an abortion is your brother or
sister. You further understand that, due to its diabolical nature, abortion is
destroying the very soul of America and corrupting our entire culture.
It’s also one of the reasons you chose to join the
Priests for Life family in the first place.
Namely:
To TRAIN priests and deacons on how to be dynamic
preachers of the Gospel of Life, rouse our fellow Catholics from their slumber,
prod them into joining us on the front lines of the fight, and help us end the
injustice of legalized abortion-on-demand in America.
The name of the program that will do this specialized
pro-life training is:
The John Cardinal O’Connor Institute for the Pro-Life
Training of the Clergy
As you know, it was the late Cardinal O’Connor who
ordained me to the priesthood in 1988.
Five years later, in 1993, he released me to work full-time to train and
mobilize the clergy in the defense of life.
He told me that, in his opinion, there was no work in the pro-life
movement that was more timely or more important.
Blessed Mother Teresa certainly seemed to agree with
Cardinal O’Connor. In a note she sent back
in 1995 she wrote:
Priests for Life needs many members to educate and
encourage all the priests and deacons who must all work together to stop the
terrible war against unborn children.
Often priests and deacons do not know what to say or do to educate their
people about the terrible evil of abortion.
I am praying that those who joined Priests for Life will be able to
strengthen and support those priests and deacons who feel unable to lead their
people in the struggle against abortion.
You are one of the “many members” Mother spoke
about. You give your all so that Priests
for Life can do work you know is important, namely: “To educate and encourage
all the priests and deacons.”
From the day you decided to work with Priests for Life to
end the crime of abortion in America, you began to “strengthen and support
those priests and deacons who feel unable to lead their people in the struggle
against abortion.”
You’ve been a faithful member of the Priests for Life
family ever since. And why I’m confident you will take ownership of The John
Cardinal O’Connor Institute and help make it the hammer which the People of Life
will use to crush the abortion industry and bring us closer to the day when we
make abortion, not merely illegal, but unthinkable.
That is one of your primary objectives as a disciple of
Christ.
It is also the reason Priests for Life exists.
And The John Cardinal O’Connor Institute is going to play
a key role in helping both of us fulfill the mission God has called us to. Two of the many things that the John Cardinal
O’Connor Institute will do are:
1. Send out our priests and Pastoral Associates to dioceses
all across the country where they will stay for an extended period to: (a) Help
train priests and deacons on how to effectively preach the Gospel of Life. And (b) Meet with local activists and help
them carry out their pro-life work.
2. Bring priests and deacons here to our headquarters in
Staten Island and train them on how to preach the Gospel of Life, energize the
People of Life and get them actively involved in the fight to end abortion.
Based on the depth of your commitment to our work here at
Priests for Life and the pro-life movement in general, I’m sure this is music
to your ears.
Having a program like this has been a vision of mine for
many years.
But it was only during meetings I had with Mary
Ward-Donegan, the late Cardinal O’Connor’s sister that the vision began to take
shape in my mind. Mary was very excited
during our meetings and has written a note encouraging you to support this
vital new Priests for Life program.
Well, after many months of hard work and countless hours
of planning, The John Cardinal O’Connor Institute is ready to begin its work.
The potential for The John Cardinal O’Connor Institute to
play a leading role in our mutual ambition to crush the abortion industry is
boundless. But in order for it to fulfill its mission, the Institute
must be fully funded.
That’s why I’m coming to you with so much urgency and why
I’m asking you to consider making a contribution to Priests for Life.
The gift you make to Priests for Life today will allow us to
launch a special project that goes to the heart of our mission and is the very
reason for our existence.
No comments:
Post a Comment