March for Life

Earlier this week, thousands of people – a majority of them young people – endured frigid temperatures and slippery snow as they marched through the streets of Washington, D.C., to protest legalized abortion in this country, which has claimed the lives of more than 55 million unborn babies since 1973.

Group from the Lincoln
Diocese with Bishop Conley.

Among them were nearly 600 youths from our listening area, including Jacinta Benton, a junior at Pius X High School in Lincoln. Benton said the Jan. 22 March for Life, which marked the 41st anniversary of the legalization of abortion by the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, was a positive and joyful way to give a voice to the voiceless children who have been aborted.

“We held signs and chanted things like ‘We love babies, yes we do, we love babies, how ‘bout you?’:)” Benton said.

She said in addition to bringing back fun memories and new experiences from D.C., she came home with a deeper respect for life and for Catholics.

“Sometimes you forget there are other Catholics in the world who are as on fire with their faith as you are,” Benton said. “It was very refreshing and hopeful to see how many others agree and hope for the same thing: the end of the genocide called abortion.”

While many of us were unable to go to the March for Life, we can do something similar by participating in the Nebraska Walk for Life Jan. 25 in Lincoln. The 10 a.m. walk will begin on the north side of the State Capitol Building and conclude at the UNL Student Union. There Emily Horne, a legislative associate with Texas Right to Life, will speak about how Texas closed abortion facilities and stood up to pro-abortion forces at the Texas State Capitol last summer.

A pro-life Mass, sponsored by the Bishops’ Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities, will precede the walk at 9 a.m. at St. Mary Church on 14th and K streets in Lincoln. Bishop James Conley of Lincoln will preside at the Mass, with Bishop William Dendinger of Grand Island concelebrating. Father Walter Nolte, chaplain to the Respect Life Apostolate for the Archdiocese of Omaha and pastor of St. Bernard Parish in Omaha, will be the homilist.

Jeff Schinstock, director of youth ministry for the Diocese of Lincoln, said he tells people to go to pro-life marches because “seeking justice brings people to seek Jesus Christ.”

While a march may not affect or change the abortion laws in this country, it does change hearts, he said.

“It serves as a beautiful seed that leads to flourishing spiritual lives,” Schinstock said.

More important, it is a large and loud step towards protecting the vulnerable, he said.

I agree. A large group of people walking through the streets of a city, holding signs about God’s love, mercy and forgiveness makes bystanders think. Hopefully it changes the hearts and minds of pro-abortion advocates or those indifferent to the abortion issue.

I’ve participated in several local and national pro-life marches, and I do it to be a voice for the voiceless, for my all those babies who weren’t given a chance to live because they were aborted. I march for the moms who choose life even when it’s not an easy choice, for the parents who choose adoption over abortion, for those women who want to be mothers but can’t because of infertility, and for the couples who have been hurt mentally, physically and spiritually by abortion. 

I also march for those organizations that help pregnant women contemplating abortion choose life. It’s one thing to protest, but it’s another thing to sit next to a scared, pregnant woman and promise to help her through her pregnancy. I think it’s just as important to support pregnancy care centers, which provide all sorts of assistance to mothers and fathers, including free pregnancy tests, medical services, educational programs, baby items and ultrasound screenings.

So, let’s not give up. Continue the good fight to end abortion. Pray, speak out and support life from conception to natural death. 

Blogged by Lisa Maxson, senior writer/reporter

Giveaway! Win Tickets to The Beauty of Possibility in Lincoln

Our friends at the Lincoln Crisis Pregnancy Center in Lincoln, Neb. are hosting a fantastic pro-life event on Thursday, Dec. 5 and we have two sets of tickets to give away! To enter, simply leave a comment on this blog (at the bottom) with your e-mail address. 

We'll choose the winners randomly on Monday, Dec. 2 at 8 a.m. 

More About The Beauty of Possibility
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Embassy Suites Downtown Lincoln
Doors Open at 6:30 pm
Desserts and presentation starts at 7:00 p.m.

About the Speaker
Ryan Bomberger has a rather unique perspective of the innate nature of Purpose.  His biological mother was raped yet courageously chose to continue the pregnancy, giving him Life. He was adopted as a baby and grew up in a loving, multi-racial Christian family of 15. With siblings of varying ethnicities, he grew up with a great appreciation for diversity. Ten of the thirteen children were adopted in this remarkable family. His life defies the myth of the “unwanted” child as he was adopted, loved and has flourished.

Today, he is an Emmy® Award-winning Creative Professional who founded The Radiance Foundation (TRF), a life-affirming 501(c)(3), along with his wife, Bethany.

From congressional briefings on Capitol Hill to launching billboard campaigns in major cities across the country to advocating for adoption at major conferences to inspiring youth with their one-of-a-kind multimedia presentations, TRF has had incredible opportunities to address hundreds of thousands across the country.

Don't forget to enter by commenting below and be sure to share this contest opportunity with a friend!

Walk for Faith and Pro-Life Conference

I recently attended two really great events: the Walk for Faith and the Nebraska Pro-Life Conference.

I was only able to attend the beginning of the penitential walk but I wish I could’ve stayed for the whole thing. It was mighty cold, but the scenery, peacefulness and prayerfulness were amazing.

The 5.4-mile walk began at 8:30 a.m. at the 4-H camp near Schramm Park, and included repetitive prayers throughout - The Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Stations of the Cross, Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary and petitions. It concluded at the Holy Family Shrine near Gretna with confessions and noon Mass. Each participant offered a private intention for the walk.

About 60 pilgrims participate in the Walk of Faith Oct. 19 near Gretna. 

Those who participated in the walk, confession and Mass also received a plenary indulgence because the shrine is a designated site for plenary indulgence during the Year of Faith.

Father Jim Buckley, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Omaha, coordinated and led the walk. He said he participated in a similar walk in Ireland and thought it was “very effective spiritually,” and wanted to bring it home to the Archdiocese of Omaha.

Many times during the walk, participants prayed, “I will attempt day by day to break my will into little pieces. I want to do God’s holy will, not my own.” Father Buckley said this was the purpose of the walk – to strengthen your will to do good things you don’t want to do.

Angie Krejci of St. Joseph Parish in Springfield came to the walk with her husband and five children because they wanted to participate in this “unique opportunity.”

“We live in this area. We love to hike and it’s beautiful out here, so when we heard about it, we wanted to be a part of it,” she said. “I think it’s good for our kids to see us doing this together. Sometimes we do fun things as a family at the park or the zoo, but this was something that we could do together that was part of our faith.”

Father Buckley said he hopes to hold this walk again next year. If he does, I want to participate in the whole thing.

Pro-Life Conference

Titled “Life, Dignity and Disability: A Faith that Welcomes,” this year’s pro-life conference, which took place at Ramada Plaza Omaha, featured speakers and topics that focused on disabilities.

I arrived just before Father Shenan Boquet, president of Human Life International, gave the first talk of the day, which centered on the dignity of the human person. He said our culture needs a “re-introduction to Jesus,” who shows us the path of life by his actions – of accepting all people no matter their state in life.

He said we live in a society fabricated by the culture of death and we need to be humble yet bold in our proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ, especially when it comes to abortion, euthanasia and other sins against life.

Nathaniel Cunningham, a member of St. Teresa Parish in Lincoln, said he came to the conference this year to hear Father Boquet and the other speakers, including Peter Kreeft, a philosopher from Boston College, and Jeff and Sarah Schinstock, his friends from Lincoln.

Sarah and Jeff Schinstock of Lincoln share their story of raising a child with disabilities
at the Nebraska Pro-Life Conference Oct. 19 at Ramada Plaza Omaha.

I attended the Schinstocks’ breakout session on parenting a child with a disability and was moved by their honesty and deep faith. The couple spoke candidly about their relationship with their oldest daughter, Regina, who has severe autism – and the joys and challenges of raising a child with special needs.

“As Catholic Christians we have to recognize the dignity of every single soul, of every person created by God, and see them the way God sees them,” Sarah said. “It’s such a beautiful message to bring to the culture, which is such a culture of death, and to show them the beauty and the joy that these incredible gifts from God bring to our lives, especially our Regina, helping us to be less selfish and less prideful and grow in virtue.”

The annual pro-life conference is never a disappointment and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the dignity of the human person, relevant issues related to life and practical ways to fight the culture of death.

I just hope the conference and the walk won’t again be on the same day.

Blogged by Lisa Maxson, Senior Writer/Reporter

Prayerful protest draws hundreds despite rain

Cold temperatures, wind and rain didn't keep hundreds of people – including Richard Majorek – from participating in yesterday’s annual Life Chain in Omaha.

Richard Majorek, a member of St. Thomas More Parish in 

Omaha, prays during the Life Chain Oct. 6 in Omaha.

“The devil is going to try to keep me from being here any way he can … he’s going to send this rain storm, but he doesn't know how persistent I am,” said Majorek, a member of St. Thomas More Parish in Omaha who has been coming to the Life Chain for nearly 10 years.

He stood by himself near 73rd and Dodge streets, without an umbrella, holding a sign that read “Adoption: The Loving Option.”

“I’m pro-life and my faith calls me to be here,” he said.

The Oct. 6 Life Chain, which took place from 2 to 3 p.m., extended along Dodge Street between 60th and 90th streets. Many, like Majorek, held signs with such phrases as “Abortion Kills Children,” and “Lord, Forgive Us and Our Nation,” and praying for mothers considering abortion, unborn babies and conversion of hearts.

Megan Kangiser, a junior at Creighton University in Omaha, stood with other members of Creighton’s Students for Life group on the corner of 72^nd and Dodge, praying the rosary and singing.

Several members of Creighton University’s Students for Life 

group participate in the Life Chain in Omaha. 

“Today’s about conversion,” she said. “I realize standing out here isn’t going to actually fix too much, but hopefully someone’s heart will be converted.”

In cities across the state – and North America – pro-life advocates lined streets Oct. 6 for an hour to pray for an end to abortion.

In Hastings, Neb., where it also was cold and windy, Michelle Sorensen stood with her children – Jack, 7, Paxton, 6, and Ava, 3 – along Burlington Street, hoping to get people driving by to think about abortion.

“The Life Chain is a great way to teach children about life and love,” said Sorensen, a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Roseland.

The Life Chain is about being a witness in the public square for the cause of those killed or injured by abortion, said Ann Marie Bowen, president of Nebraskans United for Life.

“We come together in faith and from all faiths to prayerfully demonstrate our peaceful presence for the end of abortion,” she said.

Blogged by Lisa Maxson, Senior Writer/Reporter.