Greetings and blessings to each of you. I hope you all are experiencing a meaningful Lent. Listed below are some opportunities to witness for life on your Lenten journey.
Before we touch on those, however, I want to ask you a very important question: Has your parish booked a table at the premiere pro-life event of the year?The Bishop’s 19th Annual Catholic Pro-Life Dinner is around the corner on April 14, and this year it will be better than ever, including a new location – the beautiful Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas – with convenient parking and advance check-in by e-mail. And most exciting of all, the Dinner will feature a performance by and live interview of actor and singer John Schneider, conducted by Jon Erwin, director of the amazing pro-life film October Baby due out this month on March 23. (John Schneider is also the star of Doonby,reviewed by the Vatican newspaper and in theaters in Plano and Grapevine right now – tickets on sale here.)
By now, you all should have received your Bishop’s Dinner promo packet with event flyers, a bilingual bulletin/pulpit announcement and raffle tickets. Please make sure that your parish includes the announcement in the bulletin (and hopefully includes the flyer one weekend) and displays the posters and yard signs that are being distributed to each parish. If you haven’t gotten any of these items, please contact us at 972-267-LIFE (5433) or immediately. More info is available, and dinner and raffle tickets are on sale now at prolifedallas.org/dinner.
Before the Dinner, as we journey through Lent, we have several opportunities to witness for life:
We are also called to witness for life in the voting booth at the May 29 Texas primaries. If you attended the last Parish Pro-Life Coordinator meeting, you heard the presentation on recent civic action developments including the Bishops’ call to action in response to the HHS Contraceptive Mandate. The HHS issue demonstrates the great need that we all be informed before we cast our vote. To assist in that preparation, the CPLC is providing bilingual Responsible Voting Seminars upon request. If you are interested in a presentation on Faithful Citizenship tailored to your parish, please e-mail or call 972-267-LIFE (5433). Additionally, please review the following resources:
With the permission of your pastor, these materials are great teaching tools for your parish!
Finally, I wanted to share a note of congratulations. On February 11, Bishop Farrell presented the first “Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church” to lay men and women. I am happy to announce John Arney – the Parish Pro-Life Coordinator at Blessed Sacrament – was among those who received the award!
Thanks for all you do for Life,
Jim
Jim Walker Director of Parish Coordination 972-270-3019
