Author: concernedprolifemale

MARK HOUCK FOUND NOT GUILTY ON BOTH COUNTS

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After a week of testimonies and a deadlocked jury, Mark Houck was found not guilty of violating the FACE Act. This comes after a horrifying scene in September 2022 when the FBI raided Mark’s home for violating federal law and causing trauma to his wife and seven children at his home.

In a press release from the St. Thomas More Society, Peter Breen stated that they are “thrilled by the outcome” of the blockbuster case.

“Mark and his family are now free of the cloud that the Biden administration threw upon them. We took on the Goliath – the full might of the United States government – and won. The jury saw through and rejected the prosecution’s discriminatory case, which was harassment from day one. The Biden Department of Justice’s intimidation against pro-life people and people of faith has been put in its place.”

Even Ashley Garecht, a spokeswoman for the Pro-Life Union of Greater Philadelphia, stated that pro-lifers, “rejoice and celebrate that Mark Houck has been found not guilty on all counts.”

“This case was always about a father’s right to protect his son, and never had anything to do with the FACE act,” she said. “We are grateful to the judge for his integrity, and to the jurors for their thoughtful deliberations. We are grateful to Mark’s attorneys who labored so diligently in his defense. And we are grateful for all of those who surrounded and supported Mark and his family in prayer through this challenging ordeal.”

“Most of all we praise and thank God for his protection and provision,” Garecht added. “To Him be all the glory.”

Defense attorney Brian McMonagle, who is working in tandem with the Thomas More Society, also told the jury during his Friday closing argument that Houck had “a right to be on that sidewalk” and argued that the case centers around the First Amendment.

Even McMonagle told the jury that the case was all about politics after waiting one year after the altercation occurred and was twice dismissed by the municipal court.

Even Fr. Frank Pavone celebrated the monumental victory.

“Congratulations, Mark, congratulations to the entire pro-life movement, congratulations to the St. Thomas More Society for the legal defense, Peter Breen, Tom Brejcha, and all our friends there,” Pavone said.

“Forward we go to more victories,” he added.

Indeed, let us march on to more victories.

Students for Life Hosts Summit Day After March for Life

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Students for Life of America will host its annual conference in DC on Saturday, January 21st. This will be the first following the Dobbs decision.

The conference will feature Trent Horn, Kristan Hawkins, Seth Dillon, and Allie Beth Stuckey. It is for high school, college, and pro-lifers from all walks of life. This is an opportunity to network and connect with fellow pro-lifers and to better engage our culture through politics, media, education, medicine, and even law.

To register, visit here.

2023 Pro-Life To-Do List

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Happy New Year!

We tend to create a list of things to accomplish during the year. For the pro-life cause, it is no different. Here is a list of things to do in 2023.

  • Attend the March for Life
  • Take part in prayer vigils in your area
  • Ask your pastor to host monthly Holy Hours for an end to abortion
  • Donate maternity items to pregnancy resource centers
  • Have a birthday fundraiser benefit a pro-life charity
  • Learn CPR
  • Give blood
  • Write to your representatives holding them accountable when they don’t vote on issues that protect life from womb to tomb
  • Create signs that promote And Then They Were None for the workers and volunteers to see
  • Chalk pro-life messages on the sidewalk
  • Listen or watch pro-life interviews
  • Host a pro-life movie night at your parish or campus
  • Host a fundraiser for a pro-life group
  • Attend a pro-life dinner
  • Give food, clothing, or shelter to those without a home
  • Attend pro-life conferences
  • Write a pro-life op-ed
  • Make a movie with a pro-life message
  • Write a pro-life short story
  • Read up on pro-life apologetics

Make 2023 a life-saving year

One Month Until National March for Life

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Believe it or not, the National March for Life will continue in Washington, DC.

Be ready to attend on Friday, January 20th. For many, they will make a week or days-long stay in our nation’s capital. The good news is Roe v Wade will not celebrate its 50th anniversary.

The event will continue to become an annual event for all to recommit to the cause. Many states will see the issue be decided by their state legislature. At the same time, we must continue to educate the weak and mediocre minds on why abortion should be unthinkable.

Here are the details about the March for Life.

CONTINUE ATTENDING THE MARCH FOR LIFE

2023 STATE MARCH SCHEDULE

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We have a slate of states that will host their annual state marches.

Thanks to the Dobbs v Jackson decision in June 2022, the abortion debate has been sent to the state. Pro-lifers, this is your call to action to defend life at its most vulnerable stage in your state level.

Illinois will host its inaugural state march in Springfield on Tuesday, March 21st.

To view the schedule of state and province marches, visit here.

PRO-LIFERS CELEBRATE 40 YEARS; LOOK TO FUTURE

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The biggest night for 1,200 pro-lifers across the Greater Philadelphia area occurred on November 20th. Those gathered celebrated the past year’s accomplishments on the state and national level while looking to the future.

Ashley Garecht, a board member of the Pro-Life Union of Greater Philadelphia, took time to address the crowd and plea to those gathered to double their efforts in the now Post-Roe society. Though the Supreme Court made a half-century error right, it didn’t “the end to abortion”. Instead, the issue was sent back to the states.

The event was broken into two parts. The first was hearing from a keynote speaker. Given the 40th anniversary of the dinner, it was a no-brainer that the keynote speaker this year was David Bereit, former director of 40 Days for Life.

Bereit helped lead the first 40 Days campaign at a Planned Parenthood in Bryan, TX which is now the national headquarters for this life-saving ministry since 2013. 40 Days is now in 700 cities throughout the United States and the world.

Bereit, a native of western Pennsylvania, felt great to be back in his home state, but he knows more happens in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

He opens his remarks with where he was with the Dobbs decision and acknowledged the fact that more work must be done now that the abortion issue will be decided state by state. He and his wife Margaret wept for the decision and those that continue to be lost.

“The most important work is ahead of us.” David said as he alluded to the 32,123 abortions in Pennsylvania in 2021 with half in the Greater Philadelphia area and drawing attention to the results of the recent state elections.

Bereit offered three things all pro-lifers can do.

The first is to understand the nature of the struggle. Bereit shared his visit to Grand Rapids on visiting a place that changed his life on 72 Ransom Ave. He met the owners of a pregnancy resource center in a once-abortion facility after being a church for a hundred years. The people of faith came together and prayed for the abortion facility to close and it did in 1999. As he was touring the facility, he heard harrowing stories of the once-abortion facility as went room from room. Pro-lifers have to understand the “spiritual struggle on the issue of abortion and engage it with prayer and fasting.”

“With God, all things are possible,” Bereit exclaimed.

The second is to hear the call from God to get involved. Bereit challenged those gathered to ask God how can they answer the call to be part of the pro-life movement.

“It is a question worth asking. Then we must listen to God’s answer.” Bereit suggested.

Drawing from his friend David’s idea to be present for 40 days and 40 nights outside of a Planned Parenthood in their community, they answered the call to stop abortions from happening in their community. It paid off as abortions dropped by 28% in its first campaign.

The third piece of advice he offers is to work together. He wants all pro-lifers to come together to pray, fast, and give alms for the cause of life.

The next part of the evening served as the second biggest hallmark of the annual gathering. The Pro-Life Union of the Greater Philadelphia area awarded pro-lifers past and present for their ground-breaking achievements. The evening saw the debut of two new award categories, the St. John Neumann Award and Warrior of the Decade hence the 40th anniversary of the dinner. The other awards given that evening are the St. John Paul the Great Be Not Afraid and Defender of Life.

Fr. Chris Walsh was the first recipient of the St. John Neumann Award. Fr. Walsh was an active member of the Pro-Life Union for the last 15 years. He put much effort into improving the spiritual aspect of the coalition. He was chosen for the award as he continues to strive to serve God and his people, no matter the challenges that lie ahead of him.

The organization gave its inaugural Warrior of the Decade to four worthy recipients, Mary Daly, Molly Kelly, Father John McFadden, and Kim Savage.

Since 1969, Mary Daly has been at the forefront of the pro-life movement. Her accomplishments are many, but it is something to be emulated among every pro-lifer.

Molly Kelly is considered the “Golden Girl” of the pro-life movement. She was instrumental in bringing the chastity message to thousands of students. She has emceed the annual dinner for many years and is known for her great enthusiasm and her Irish humor.

Another priest from Philadelphia has made the list of award recipients this year. Fr. John McFadden was the pivotal mover and shaker of the establishment of Mothers Home in Darby, which today serves pregnant homeless moms. He also took part in many of the operation rescues in the early pro-life movement.

The final recipient of the Warrior of the Decade is Kim Savage. Kim was placed for adoption by her birth parents and it has been her guide in her involvement in the pro-life movement as she depends on Jesus. She was the founding director of Generation Life and takes the pro-life and chastity message across the Delaware Valley and beyond.

Ed Blaney is the recipient of the 2022 St. John Paul the Great “Be Not Afraid” award. For 24 years, Blaney has organized Pro-Life Benefit for Guiding Star Ministries. He also spent countless hours in front of the abortion facilities on Comly Road and Center City Philadelphia.

40 years and the dinner continues to go strong. We march on.

USCCB ELECTS NEW PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT, AND PRO-LIFE CHAIR

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This week, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops elected a new president, vice president, and a new pro-life chair instrumental in enforcing canon law.

Archbishop Timothy Brogolio, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Military Services, was elected the new president of USCCB. Brogolio has been a prominent critic of the vaccine mandate that affects military members coerced into taking it.

“No one should be forced to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if it would violate the sanctity of his or her conscience,” he stated. “The denial of religious accommodations, or punitive or adverse personnel actions taken against those who raise earnest, conscience-based objections, would be contrary to federal law and morally reprehensible.”  

His vice president is no stranger to the pro-life movement. Brogolio’s vice president is Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore. His last position was chair of the pro-life ministries overseen by USCCB. He currently is the Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, which he has held since 2005.

In his role with the bishops’ pro-life committee, Lori has spoken out repeatedly in favor of assistance for pregnant women and against President Joe Biden’s advancement of abortion. He has been a vocal proponent of the bishops’ 2020 “Walking with Moms in Need” initiative to help pregnant women, mothers, and babies.

“The president is gravely wrong to continue seeking every possible avenue to facilitate abortion instead of using his power to increase support and care to mothers in challenging situations,” Lori said on October 25.

USCCB appointed a new chair of pro-life ministries. Succeeding Lori is Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, VA. He has scolded both Biden and Pelosi on how they’ve supported abortion while claiming to be “Catholic”.

When asked about denying Pelosi communion, he said the decision was “pastoral, not political” and said the communion denial was not a punishment but a way of encouraging someone to repent and get right with God.

“All people, including those who are not public individuals, have to approach the sacraments truly in communion with the Church and Our Lord,” Burbidge said.

Last month, Burbridge criticized Biden who promised to sign a bill allowing abortions up to birth.

“The role of Congress is to pass laws that serve the common good — and yet this priority of the president only brings about pain and death.”

Let’s see what the Brogolio administration can do in the next three years.

25-YEAR TRADITION ENDS IN WASHINGTON

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Cardinal Wilton Gregory, a cardinal of our nation’s capital, announced the end of a long pre-March for Life tradition.

In a statement yesterday, the cardinal stated “After a consultation process that involved dialogue with other dioceses, ministry leaders, and the partners who assist the Archdiocese in hosting the annual Rally and Mass, The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has decided not to move forward with hosting the larger multi-Diocese Rally,” the cancellation noticed stated.

The letter told pro-life youth that “as difficult a decision as it was to cancel” the rally that draws in thousands every year, the Archdiocese of Washington still “support[s] their local work and pray[s] for their success” and asked for groups who’ve planned to come to the youth rally to continue supporting the National March for Life at the National Mall and attend the Vigil Mass at The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of Tyler, TX, denounced the move by the Archdiocese of Washington, arguing that the cancelation could hurt the pro-life voice nationally.

In a tweet, he argued, “I must protest this cancellation. We have an extremely anti-life President & we cancel our national voice? Yes to state efforts, but we desperately need a national voice for life at this critical time.”

The question that many of us have is why. Why would a cardinal cancel a long tradition that has gathered thousands of youth from before the March for Life in our country? It has been a long-standing staple for the experience in January every year since 1997.

People are asked to persuade his eminence to reinstate the tradition by visiting this link here.

Memorial Mass In Remembrance of Pro-Lifers

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Mass of Remembrance – Monday, November 21 at St. Mary Magdalen, Media for all in the pro-life movement who died in 2022. A rosary will be recited at 7 PM. Mass will begin at 7:30 PM

We remember:  Randy Beckman, Rev. Mr. Frank Bizal, Harold Boston, Dan Brusstar, Marcia Cassidy, Tom DeShula, Patrick Hinnegan, Kathy Lauber, Pastor Herb Lusk, Rosemary Mascaro, Mike McGrail, Bishop Robert Maginnis, Betty Maier, Dan Moran, Joe Scheidler, Jim Sedlak, Brother Bob Sembrat, Sandy Slater, Marcella Wall, Dr. Mary Wirshup

2022 MIDTERM RECAP

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As the dust is settling for parts of the nation, the red wave never made it to shore. There has been a mixed bag of wins and losses for both sides.

Some may think that this could have been one of the hardest-fought races if there was enough election integrity. Indeed, it would. Sadly, many leftist billionaires poured in millions to halt pro-life amendments for getting the yay votes, keeping the states run by pro-abortion activists, and having fear-mongering tactics take up commercial spots. And when it is over, Republicans will likely gain a slim majority to control the House of Representatives. As for the Senate, two victories or a sweep from Arizona, Georgia, or Nevada, in favor of the Republicans, can make Joe Biden finish his first term as a lame duck.

If there is one lesson pro-lifers can learn is this, politicians will not end abortion. Instead, as Abby Johnson has said time after time that abortion will end when we change the hearts and minds of every American. Our faith must be placed in Jesus Christ, our sovereign king.

Here is what we know about the 2022 midterms and what can we do to prepare for bigger wins in the 2024 races for president, senate, and house.

O-H-I-O

There is a saying, “When Ohio goes, so does the nation”.

Ohio scored some pro-life victories.

Mike DeWine won re-election in becoming governor of the Buckeye State.

Pro-Life Ohioans help sweep the state court with pro-life wins. Sharon Kennedy will become the new chief justice of the state. Pat Fischer and Pat DeWine also won two open associate justice seats. These victories place a pro-life majority in the state court to 5-2.

The biggest headline in the state is JD Vance’s victory in becoming the next senator from Ohio. Vance defeats pro-abortion “Catholic” Tim Ryan.

THREE TIMES A CHARM

While Chuck Schumer and Kathy Hochul will claim victory, there was a bright spot in a house race as three pro-abortion “Catholics” lost their seats in House races.

Peter Lawler defeated Sean Maloney, a pro-abortion “Catholic” representative.

Zach Nunn defeated Cindy Axne to flip District 3 of Iowa.

Anna Luna defeats pro-abortion candidate Eric Lynn for Florida District 13 seat.

Republicans missed many golden opportunities to hold or flip seats, yet this is not the time to lick our wounds. We must continue to stand against abortion. The only way to make America pro-life is to continue to be a voice for the voiceless.

Our allegiance and faith shall be placed on Jesus Christ. Never give up. Keep fighting the good fight. Let’s finish this race to make America pro-life today