News and Updates

Several people from St. Paul's CEC in Henderson, NV joined hundreds of others on the landing in front of the Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse in Las Vegas for the annual "Lights for Life" service.  The ecumenical service was deeply moving as speaker, singer/songwriter, author and artist Juda Myers of Freedom Ministries (www.juda4praise.com) shared her experiences and feelings about finding out that her conception was the result of a hostile assault and subsequently being put up for adoption etc.  Her speech included the topics of conception with purpose, forgiveness, walking strong and undefeated.

Pro Life Youth Rally in Maryland impacts everyone involved. The youth were all encouraged that they can make a difference for the Sanctity of Life and in building a culture of Life.

Dear Friend of Life,

We are extremely excited that many of you will be joining us for the March for Life in January!

All of our rooms at the Holiday Inn Capitol have been booked!

If you would still like to make plans to attend, then you might consider other venues for finding a room. Some suggestions we have are trying an online booking agency(i.e. Priceline.com, travelocity, etc). If you are driving to the March, then another possible venue would be to find a hotel outside of Washington D.C. in surrounding towns such as Arlington, Alexandria, etc. If you stay within the city, you will most definitely pay a higher cost for a room. In an effort to gain more rooms at a discounted rate, we have tried calling other hotels and have been turned away simply because they do not have the room because of the thousands of people attending the March. The decision is ultimately yours, but I highly recommend not waiting until the last minute to make reservations.

Reflections on Ireland Youth Trip 2009 by two CEC For Life Youth

by Cassandra Donatelli

This year, 6 people from my church took a 10 day trip to lean pro-life work in Ireland. The trip is an annual event put on by Fr. Terry Gensemer and hosted by Youth Defense of Dublin. The trip has been an annual event for many years now and it has inspired many young people in the USA to do things as great as what Youth Defense has done for Ireland. Youth Defense is a Roman Catholic Organization that has been working for many years to keep abortion illegal in Ireland. (for more information about Youth Defense please visit www.youthdefence.ie.

The Road Show takes place every year but, starting last year, Youth Defense has been hosting a Rally for Life In Dublin. The Road Show is YD’s annual trip around Ireland during which they educate people about the harmful effect abortion has on everyone involved. In each town we set up a booth with a petition to keep Ireland abortion free to be signed by passers by. We all held signs with information about abortion and a child’s life in the womb. We also passed out flyers with more detailed information. So much happened on this trip I have a hard time keeping it organized.

Friday July 3, 2009: We all arrived at Dublin airport at different times. My group and I arrived around 1:00 pm. Once everyone was settled in, we met in a rented building to prepare for the rally. We all made signs had a quick meeting to discuss the rally. After that, we all went home for some much needed rest.

Saturday July 4: Everyone met again at the rented building to load the Youth Defense van, and bring the signs and banners to the street where the rally was to begin. By 12:00 noon, people began to arrive. Everyone was given a pre-made sign and a programme describing the events of the day. By the time we began walking, there were over 3,000 people marching. Hundreds more joined us as we made our way through the streets of Dublin. In the middle of the rally was a truck with speakers blasting fun music that got everyone’s attention. We ran into about 100 pro-choicers along the way but their voices were blocked out by our music and cheering. It was an extremely high energy and enjoyable rally. A few hours after the rally ended, about 100 people met in a rented hall below a hotel to listen to Norma McCorvey speak. She was Jane Roe, in the Roe v. Wade trial. She told us her story from being coerced into the trial and her journey to Christianity and her work today.

Sunday July 5: At 10:30, the six of us met in Fr. Terry’s Hotel room for Sunday Mass. Everyone participated in the readings and the psalms before Fr. Terry blessed the Bread and wine bought in the convenient store up the road. Once Mass was over, we were allowed to explore Dublin and do as we chose. My friend and I visited the National Museum of Dublin’s Archeology Building. It was a beautiful building filled with an amazing amount of history. I would recommend it to anyone.

Monday July 6 and Tuesday July 7: We remained in Dublin on Monday and Tuesday to help out at the Youth Defense office. We mainly cleaned up the leftover programme packets from the rally and packed boxes with leaflets for the Road show. On Monday night we met again with Norma McCorvey at an Italian restaurant and had a nice dinner with many interesting conversations.

Wednesday July 8 - Saturday July 11: On these days we participated in the Road Show. We traveled to Drogheda, Monaghan, Donnegal, Sligo, Cong, and a few other towns. We drove for hours through parts of Ireland where the only sign of people were a few scattered farms. Every part of the Irish country was beautiful from the sheep to the mountains and cliffs. The Road Show itself was an amazing experience. We all learned so much about talking to people and also listening. In Drogheda, there were hundreds of people signing the petition and there were few who came up opposing us. In Sligo, few people wanted anything to do with us and some even got angry and tried to throw down our signs. Each new town was a new experience.

Sunday July 12 - Monday July 13: These were the days we traveled back home after our amazing trip. There were mixed emotions as some of were relieved to use our own beds again and all of us were sad to leave friends behind.

Our trip to Ireland was an amazing experience. I personally plan on going again next summer for the duration of the Road Show and perhaps bringing along some others with me. We need to teach others about the harmful effects of abortion and before we teach, we have to learn. The guys at Youth Defense are wonderful teachers and are willing to teach anyone willing to learn so that one day, our world can be abortion free.

Life

by Max Watters

 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live Deuteronomy 30:19:

 

            If everyone understood this scripture they would understand the truth about what abortion truly is and think twice about the issues surrounding life and death issues. It certainly changed my way of thinking when I watched a movie about the horrors of abortion in grade 12 Religion Class.  After that class I was eager to do my part and try to make a difference. When I heard that Fr. Terry Gensemer was returning to Ireland to train youth to make a stand against abortion, I had my mind set on going on this trip.

    Ireland was a trip of a lifetime; forging new friendships with those who share the same beliefs was awesome.  Being able to reach out to Irish teenagers with the truth about abortion was a great feeling. We did have some people sharing their positive and negative words to us; but it did not prevent us from lifting our heads high and telling the truth that abortion kills. Not only did we make a difference in the hearts of the Irish youth, we also had a lot of fun.  Those who we participated with the Road Show are passionate people standing in the truth and in caring resolve.  I want to thank Fr. Terry for taking me on this mission trip, it has given this Canadian his first international experience and I look forward to the opportunity to join in next year’s rally.

 

Thank you Fr Terry and the Youth Defense of Ireland

Lots of Love

Max Watters

CEC for Life meets with Priests for Life

On February 18th Archbishop Craig Bates, Father Terry Gensemer (Director of CEC for Life), and Alan Melanson (Board Member of CEC for Life) were invited to attend a meeting held by Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life at their headquarters in Staten Island, NY. Archbishop Bates and Canon Gensemer both sit on the Board of the National Pro Life Religious Council (NPRC) with Fr.Pavone and other national Pro-life Leaders. Fr. Pavone asked the Patriarch and Fr. Terry to come to New York to be guests on his two television shows and other media outlets, primarily to highlight the ministry of the NPRC.

Upon arrival they were warmly greeted by the Priests for Life staff. After a luncheon with the staff, the Patriarch and his party joined the Priests for Life Pastoral team for a review and discussion of Cardinal Ratzinger’s book, New Outpourings of the Spirit. In attendance at this Priests for Life monthly meeting were Fr. Frank Pavone (Priests for Life), Janet Morano (Silent No More), Kevin and Theresa Burke (Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries) and Dr. Alveda King (Martin Luther King, Jr.’s niece and pro-life activist). Abp. Bates, Fr. Terry, and Alan were invited to sit in on their planning meeting and monthly reports of the accomplishments of the different ministries.

After being interviewed, the members of Priests for Life asked the Patriarch to give an account on both how the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church came into existence and got involved in the pro-life ministry. After some brief discussions on the ecclesiology of the ICCEC, Fr. Frank Pavone asked how they could support our communion in pro-life efforts. They offered us a number of different materials and extended an open hand of communication as both Priests for Life and the ICCEC work togother, not only to end abortion, but to get the message out that all life is sacred. Fr. Pavone and Priests for Life has supported and encouraged the ministry of CEC For Life since it’s inception and our entire communion has greatly benefited from our relationship with this great organization.

See more photos here