May God’s abundant blessings be upon you and your family. Thank you for your steadfast help in strengthening our commitment to pro-life activism and education.
July was truly an "epic" month for life in our great state, with North Texans traveling on multiple buses and in carpools, on multiple days, to stand for life at the Capitol in Austin and pray as we've never had to pray before, in the midst of intense spiritual warfare, for the passage of sweeping pro-life legislation in the Second Special Legislative Session called by the governor. Praise be to God – the pro-life omnibus bill HB2 received the votes for final passage in the Texas Senate on July 12, went to the governor on July 16, the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and was signed into law by the governor on Thursday, July 18. CPLC Executive Director Karen Garnett and Texas (and Diocese of Dallas) Pro-Life Chairman for the Knights of Columbus Tom Clark were among those invited by the governor's office to be in attendance at this historic signing ceremony, and were honored to represent all of us on that great day.
Just this morning, as we begin the month of August, we received a report that the 42nd abortion facility in the U.S. has closed this year – the year of Exodus 20:13 – including the Planned Parenthood abortion center in Bryan-College Station, birthplace of 40 Days for Life, which closed its doors today. God is doing the miraculous – and truly "moving mountains" – as we've begged Him to do. Expect to see many more abortion facilities in Texas close as the new law goes into effect!
Looking to the weeks ahead, please mark your calendars for:
Quarterly Parish Pro-Life Coordinators Meeting and Annual Commissioning Service, August 10 at St. Patrick, Dallas – Following the special Mass, this will be a very important meeting announcing projects and plans for the fall, including a special presentation by Jennifer Allmon and Frances Leon from the Texas Catholic Conference in Austin – please send a representative if you are unable to attend!
Hispanic Congress of the Americas, August 16 – 18 at Plano Centre – Let's be sure to give a big North Texas welcome to Cardinal Seán O'Malley and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, as well as numerous other bishops and expert speakers who are coming
August 4 is the feast of a great saint, St. John Vianney. According to his biography, when John decided to become a priest, he found out that his lack of formal schooling was inadequate to prepare him for the rigors of seminary study. Yet he pressed on and his vision allowed him to seek a private tutor until he was eventually ordained. Not only did he become a priest, but his dedication ultimately led Pope Pius XI to name him the patron of parish priests. St. John Vianney would say, “Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there: If you set it on fire, it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky. Public prayer is like that.” This quote should encourage us to continue to pray publicly so that the rest of the world can see that mighty fire, proclaiming that life is a gift from God.
We also celebrate the feast of the pro-life patron saint, St. Maximilian Kolbe, on August 14, and the great St. Monica and her son St. Augustine on August 27 and 28. May the intercession of all the saints help bring about conversion of hearts and aid us in our efforts to build a culture of life!
Thanks for all you do for life, and I look forward to seeing you on August 10 at St. Patrick's!
Blessings,
David
David Carr Director of Parish Coordination 469-230-9664