Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Tribunal Submits Additional Information About Reported McGivney Miracle to Vatican

Officials of a supplemental Tribunal constituted by the Archdiocese of Hartford have formally sent a new report to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The tribunal – a panel tasked with gathering additional testimony – interviewed additional witnesses, including several medical doctors, about the circumstances of a reported miracle attributed to Venerable Michael McGivney’s intercession. The report was signed and presented to Archbishop Henry Mansell on Sept. 22 and was affixed with the seal of the Archbishop of Hartford. The Postulator of the Cause, Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, travelled from Rome to Hartford for the occasion. The event was held in the chapel at the Chancery of the Archdiocese and was attended by Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, other Supreme Officers, relatives of Father McGivney and archdiocesan officials.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Knights of Columbus to Promote Volunteerism in 9/11 Tribute

The Knights of Columbus, one of the nation's most active volunteer service organizations - and the world's largest lay Catholic organization - will air a unique 60-second 9/11 tribute ad during NBC-TV's broadcast of the inaugural game of the NFL's 2009 season on Thursday night, Sept. 10.

The piece will run during halftime of the 8:30 p.m. ET game, which will feature the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The spot will run in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Dallas.

Recalling the heroism displayed on 9/11, the 60-second spot reminds Americans that "we can still see the best in humanity today," if we "give back."

The spot directs viewers to www.servicetogether.org - a Web site with resources for volunteers and volunteer organizations.

The importance of giving is captured in the commercial through the story of 9/11 hero Capt. Al Fuentes of the FDNY Marine Division. Capt. Fuentes, now retired, was buried in the rubble of World Trade Center for nearly two hours before being rescued by his fellow firefighters.

"What I have been given is another chance," Fuentes recounts in the piece. "I need to, and I will, give back: that is what the Knights of Columbus have always shown me for 38 years."

The Knights of Columbus produced the ad as a tribute to those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks and as a reminder of the importance of keeping their heroic spirit of service alive.

The spot concludes by listing a new Web site, www.servicetogether.org, set up by the Knights of Columbus to help volunteers find organizations that can put their talents to good use, and includes resources to help volunteer organizations work more effectively with the volunteers they have.

"We will never forget the tragedy of September 11, 2001," said Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus. "But we also must not lose sight of the heroic giving spirit of that motivated the heroes of 9/11 and those who volunteered in its aftermath. The problems we face today are different from those of 2001, but the need for service to our neighbor remains the same: it is truly, 'the best of humanity.'"

In addition to the game on Sept. 10, the piece will run during NBC's regional coverage of NFL games on Sunday, Sept. 13 in the same cities, and in New York, Dallas and Los Angeles during the PGA tournament.

One of the nation's most active charities, last year the Knights of Columbus donated more than $150 million and nearly 69 million hours of service to charitable causes.

The Knights of Columbus was one of the first organizations to organize a response to 9/11. On Sept. 12, 2001, the Knights of Columbus launched the "Heroes Fund" which provided emergency funding - without red-tape - to the families of fallen police, firefighters and emergency services personnel. Nearly $1.5 million was distributed via this program.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Every Pro-Life American must tell Congress Now!

"Vote against any health care bill

that does not explicitly exclude abortion!"



Health care bills in Congress could create

the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade.



1. Email now: Go to www.NRLactioncenter.com. Follow the simple directions at the bottom of the web page to send urgent messages to your U.S. senators and your U.S. House member. (Messages can be altered if you wish.)

2. Email now: Copy this entire alert into a new email. Email it to all your pro-life friends and relatives.

3. Copy & Distribute: Pass this alert out at pro-life churches and meetings.To download this form, go to www.stoptheabortionagenda.com.

4. Make Personal Contact with Your Senators and Congressmen: Use every opportunity: office meetings, fairs, town meetings, and other public events.

5. Telephone: Call the offices of your two U.S. senators and your U.S. House member (through theSenate switchboard: 202-224-3121 and the House switchboard, 202-225-3121). Give your zip code andyou will be connected to the correct offices.

Give the senator’s or representive’s staff your name and address and tell them to relay a message:

"I urge you to oppose Senator Kennedy’s health care bill (for Senate staff), or the House Democratic Leadership health care bill, H.R. 3200 (for House staff), because it would result in coverage of elective abortion in a new nationwide ‘public option’ health insurance plan, and would allow federal subsidies to go to other plans that also cover elective abortions. I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO OPPOSE ANY HEALTH CARE BILL UNLESS ABORTION IS EXPLICITLY EXCLUDED!

Check for updates at www.NRLactioncenter.com

The human heart begins to beat around 22 days from conception.

There have been more than 40 million abortions in the U.S. since 1973.

national RIGHT TO LIFE committee, inc.

PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE FREELY.

Back to the Hill: Abortion Fight in Health Care Resumes

Letter from AUL:
Dear friend,
President Obama is turning up the heat on Congress this week with an address to a joint session tonight. He’ll urge the lawmakers to move forward quickly on health care reform which, as currently proposed, threatens the unborn, the ill, and the elderly. It will be the first time that a President has addressed a joint session of Congress that wasn’t a State of the Union, or a traditional first address by a new President, since President George W. Bush spoke on the war on terrorism following the 9/11 attacks.
As we have since the White House’s health care reform efforts began, Americans United for Life Action is responding vigorously to provide the evidence about the anti-life components of the current health care reform proposals.
The AUL Action team is grateful for your support in this ongoing effort to protect life through the democratic legislative process. I invite you to check out our legal team’s “Back to the Hill” guide on our special health care reform Web site RealHealthCareRespectsLife.com to learn what to expect next as Congress considers the health care reform proposals.

There are a lot of myths spreading about health care -- even in the halls of Congress. Just the other day, Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued her “Daily Mythbuster” which ironically spreads the myth that the government will not pay for or subsidize abortion coverage under pending health care legislation. Today, AULA sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi responding to her incorrect claims. Then, on Thursday, we will brief members of Congress and legislative staffers about the elements of the health care proposals that would mandate funding and coverage for abortion.
The following week brings another important meeting: Earlier this summer we sent a letter to the President relaying your concerns about health care reform and requesting a meeting to discuss abortion funding in his plan. The White House has responded to our request, and we will be meeting with two of President Obama’s top domestic policy aides, Melody Barnes and Tina Tchen, on September 17.

At that meeting, I will give the White House our Keep Abortion Out of Health Care petition. If you haven’t already signed it, please visit RealHealthCareRespectsLife.com and add your name to the thousands who have already signed. And remember to send the message to members of Congress too! Our AUL Action site has a form that enables you to contact your legislators quickly and easily.

Thank you for all your support as we work to protect and defend life!

For Life,
Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D.President & CEO

How the Hyde Amendment is Under Attack and Why You Should Care
One of our greatest concerns about the current health care reform proposals is that they would circumvent the Hyde Amendment, which thanks in part to legal efforts by AUL has prevented abortions from being funded through Medicaid.
In the years leading up to Roe v. Wade, Medicaid began paying for abortions as many as 300,000 per year by 1976. In September of that year, Congress passed the Hyde Amendment, which restricted the use of taxpayer dollars for elective abortions. Not surprisingly, the Hyde Amendment was swiftly challenged in court. A four-year court battle over the Amendment’s constitutionality culminated in Harris v. McRae, where AUL’s Vice Chairman, Victor Rosenblum, successfully defended its constitutionality before the United States Supreme Court.

Congress continues to approve the Hyde Amendment each year as a “rider” on the annual appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”). This amendment has prevented the use of taxpayer dollars for hundreds of thousands of abortions.

Nevertheless, the Hyde Amendment -- which is not a statute but requires Congressional approval every year -- remains vulnerable to attack. Pro-abortion lawmakers would love nothing more than to exclude the amendment from the next appropriations cycle, thereby allowing courts to mandate taxpayer funded abortion under Medicaid.

What’s more, pro-abortion lawmakers are finding backdoor ways to use taxpayer dollars for abortion. A prime example can be found in the health care bills currently before Congress: while the Hyde Amendment applies to programs under HHS appropriations, the health care bills will bypass the annual HHS appropriations process to fund new health care spending and entitlements. Because history has shown that where abortion is not explicitly excluded, courts will interpret legislative language to include it, health care reform must explicitly exclude mandates of any kind for abortion and explicitly state that federal funds shall not pay for abortion or for plans that cover abortion.

AUL led the way in the 1970s to stop federal tax dollars from paying for most abortions. Nearly four decades later, the battle rages on. AUL Action needs your help. Ask your elected representatives to demand the explicit exclusion of abortion coverage and funding in the health care bills before Congress. For more in-depth analysis of the Hyde Amendment and the abortion mandates in the health care reform bills, see our legal team’s report on “The Vulnerable Hyde Amendment” at RealHealthCareRespectsLife.com.