Respect Life Committee

Our mission is to advance what Pope John Paul II has called "the most important work of all" –preserving the sanctity of all human life. This Committee cooperates with the Diocesan Social Awareness Office. Activities of the Committee include Baptism presentations, an annual Mass for People with a Disability, voter drives, collections for Birthright and Genesis, Life Chain on Respect Life Sunday, and organizing an annual bus to the March For Life in Washington, D.C. We meet monthly on the third Thursday of the month at 7:30pm in the Saint Scholastica Pastoral Center.  All Meetings are open and all are welcome to attend any Meeting to learn the current pro-life news.

Contact: Cathy Zuza
E-mail: [email protected]
Schedule: Fr. Duch Pastoral Center (Saint Scholastica) on the third Thursday of each month (7:30pm)

On Friday, January 13, five people were signed up to go on our bus to the March for Life on January 20. Over the next week, by the grace of God, that number increased to 41 – mostly overflow from other parishes' buses. So, on Friday, January 20 at 6am, we all boarded the bus at St. Scholastica's, bound for Washington DC. The group consisted of 28 adults, 8 teens and 11 children under 13, ranging in age from 4-90. There were four families of one (plus two friends) -- seven children each. Six people were from our parish; the rest came from Natrona Heights to Baden.

We went to DC because we believe in the sanctity of all human life, from conception to natural death. We wanted our Congressmen and women to know that we want them to respect life also, Sadly too many do not and/or are waffling on the issue.

We began our trip with a prayer for our safety and success for our mission by Fr. Brennan. Then donuts and drinks were passed out and everyone settled in for the trip. After a rest stop at Midway Plaza on the Turnpike, petitions to our senators and representatives were passed out to be signed, asking them to vote for legislation that supports all human life, and against those bill that don't. While the petitions were
circulating we prayed a rosary for life with prolife meditations read by two of the teens.

We arrived in DC after 11, were dropped off near the Mall, and proceeded to the staging area for the Rally. Speakers included Jonathon Roumie(THE CHOSEN), Tony and Lauren Dungy, Christine Francis, MD, Sr. Mary Casey and twin sister, Casey(has Down's Syndrome), Gina Torres, Tameka & Ariel Walden (Tameka was urged to abort Ariel because of supposed serious defects in prenatal testing. She didn't, Ariel was fine and sang National Anthem at March.)two Senators, St. Rep. Trenee McGee(black, prolife Democrat), among others.

To see footage of the March go to March for Life FB page and/or Youtube. The crowd was amazing! THOUSANDS of people, young and old, families pushing strollers, high school and college groups, elderly and handicapable people in wheelchairs, from states near and far, all there to promote the sanctity of human life. After the speeches we filed into the street which filled with marchers all the way to the Capitol and Supreme Court. At the Supreme Court women, and men, who had had, or participated in abortion talked about how it had negatively affected their lives. Some pro-abortion people tried to drown them out, but the truth was heard. It was exhilarating to be in such a crowd of happy, like-minded people. After marching, we, unfortunately, did not have time to visit our congressmen and women. The petitions were later mailed to them. So we headed to the hotel to meet our bus. With all on board, we headed home, with a couple of short videos, stopping in Frederick for dinner. Back on the bus we recapped the day – the number of young people there was noteworthy. We talked about what to do at home – pray, educate self and others, write to legislators, state and federal, go to 40 Days for Life, support pregnancy care centers with time and donations.....
We arrived home about 11:30 pm, a tired, but wonderful group of people, glad we had gone to witness for Life.

--Cathy Zuza