A few weeks ago Mayor Kinney, mayor of Philadelphia, announced that the city would be giving $500,000 to a fund to pay for abortions, abortion travel, and other abortion support services.
Chuck and Theresa Kuhar stood with the Thomas More Society and sued Mayor Kenney and the city
LEARN MORE HERE
The following is an email from Aimee Murphy, the founder of Rehumanize International. To learn about this pro-human organization, visit here.
I can hardly believe that I leave in less than 36 hours to begin my 90-day, nationwide book tour for my debut solo book, Rehumanize: A Vision to Secure Human Rights for All! Knowing that “all politics is local,” as part of our ongoing outreach, I’ll be traveling to 40+ cities, giving low/no-cost lectures to community groups, schools, churches, and more to share this all-too-necessary message of human rights for all human beings to integrate this vital ethos and rehumanizing work into your local communities.
My first week has back-to-back-to-back events: Detroit on Tuesday 8/23, then South Bend on Wednesday 8/24, Chicago on Thursday 8/25, Madison (WI) on Friday 8/26, and Omaha on Saturday 8/27. After that, we’ll hit up Denver, Salt Lake City, Helena (MT), Seattle, Reno, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Topeka, and St. Louis. (Stay tuned for more details on those events in the coming weeks, friends!) I hope if you live near any of these cities, you’ll join me for some excellent events where we crack the spine on my book and talk about this vital message of our shared, inherent human dignity—no matter the circumstance!
Help jumpstart my 13,400-mile BOOK TOUR!
It will be a grueling 3+ months on the road, and I need your help to cover gas, some meals, and some other travel expenses. We still have $3,000 left to raise!
If you’d like to specifically help with gas or groceries to keep us moving and fed healthy meals, you can also donate gift cards for nationwide gas or grocery chains!
Oh, and if you want to meet up along the tour, check out my slated schedule and send me a message: aimee@rehumanizeintl.org.
Thank you so much for following and supporting our work to create a more peaceful world, where every human is respected, valued, and protected. I’m so grateful for your support and friendship.
For peace and life,
Aimee Murphy
Founder, Rehumanize International
The following is an article written by Tom Stoopes, a writer in residence at Benedictine College in Atchinson, KS.
Jesus tells the Good Samaritan story in the Gospel for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, and it comes just in time for us to learn what we are supposed to do in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
God is demanding that we be willing not just to preach what is right, but to act on it — even with those who we don’t naturally get along with; even with those who actively oppose what we stand for. Because that is what he did for us.
Before we apply it to our times, notice what the Good Samaritan story meant in the First Century.
As Jesus tells the story, a man “falls victim to robbers” on the rough downhill road from Jerusalem to Jericho. People looking for money violated him and didn’t care what happened next in his life — “They stripped him and beat him and left him half-dead.”
A priest and Levite passed by without helping him. We think of them as haughty, uncaring people, but in the First Century context they could easily have had very good reason not to stop.
They may have needed to avoid ritual uncleanness because of their duties to God and their congregations. Touching a dead person would put a priest out of commission for a week. They also may have feared for their safety. The road to Jericho was notoriously unsafe. Robbers could be lying in wait for someone to stop to help the injured man, or the victim might even have been a decoy placed to attract do-gooders who could themselves be robbed.
We can guess that the priest and Levite are like the scholar Jesus tells the parable to. He knows the law. He knows that “You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” The scholar sees the commandment clearly — especially, perhaps, the “love him with your mind” part — but is unclear about the service part, asking “Who is my neighbor?” The priest and Levite in the story are “know-it-alls” who fail in the same way.
But a Samaritan traveler comes and “moved with compassion at the sight” pours oil and wine over the wounds of the victim, bandages him, carries him on his own mount, and pays for him to stay at an inn.
There are two ways to think of the parable. Applying it to ourselves, we are the Good Samaritan and need to “go and do likewise,” as Jesus puts it, serving others in crisis. Applying it to the Church, all humanity is the victim of the rebellious angels, Christ is the Good Samaritan and the Church is the Inn where we recover while we await his Second Coming.
But here’s another way to think of the parable after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
What if women who are pregnant in difficult circumstances are the victim in the story? They too were often used by men and then discarded, and many faced a financial crisis as a result. For them, we have made our whole world like the rough road from Jerusalem to Jericho, where we expect women to be sexually available outside of the protection of marriage, and allow men to walk away from their responsibility once women, inevitably, become pregnant. Corporations that eagerly pay for their abortions make matters worse, paying to get rid of the child so that nothing will interfere with their workers’ hours in the office.
So, if abortion-minded women are the victims, men who use women for sex and corporations who use them for their own profit are the robbers.
And who are we? Too often we are the priest and Levite in the story.
On the matter of abortion, many of us are experts in God’s law. It is crystal clear to us that an unborn child should never be killed. But we forget the second commandment.
One woman I spoke with said that seeing a priest holding an “Abortion Is Murder” sign actually made her more likely to have an abortion because it only made the shame of her situation feel overwhelming. On the other hand, the same woman was moved by her sister’s “Choose Life” sign and found her greatest healing by finally confessing her sins to a priest.
In other words, pro-life messages were only effective for her when she heard them from people who simultaneously believed the truth about the right to life and loved her personality, and treated her mercifully.
Then, notice what the Good Samaritan in the story offers the victim: costly, lengthy, hands-on help. That kind of personal care is the only form of service that works when you are dealing with a person in crisis.
Another woman who had an abortion told me that many pregnancy resource centers she called offered her a pro-life message and a list of phone numbers where she could find help. Her desperate state of mind made it impossible for her to face the exercise of organizing help from various quarters, so she headed to the abortion clinic. It was only when a pro-life woman called her and pledged to help her each step of the way, before and after giving birth, that she turned away from abortion.
Frankly, we could all do a lot more for women who face crisis pregnancies.
It is absolutely true that pro-abortion voices willfully ignore the many wonderful things the pro-life movement is doing to serve women. And it is also true that no matter what, it is wrong to kill a human being and abortion should be illegal.
But at the same time, it is undeniable that pro-lifers could give more money, offer more hours, make more phone calls, and post more encouragement and love for women facing difficult circumstances.
We not only can do more but to be authentic followers of Jesus, imitators of the Good Samaritan worthy of eternal life, we must. “You have answered correctly” Jesus is saying to pro-lifers. But now “do this and you will live.”
It’s not knowing the truth, but doing it that matters. “For this command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you,” the First Reading, from Deuteronomy, says. “No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.”
But through it all, never forget that Jesus is the true Good Samaritan.
We Christians are not God’s gift to the universe. Far from it. We are all victims of sin and death, the world’s robbers and only Christ can save us. The whole Second Reading is a beautiful meditation on the radical Christ-centeredness that is the essence of Christianity. “Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God,” St. Paul writes. “[A]ll things were created through him and for him.”
He is the Good Samaritan who came from heaven, a stranger in our streets, and gave us costly service to restore us to health, “making peace by the blood of his cross.” He left us in the hands of the Inn, his Church, where he pours out the “oil and wine” of his sacraments for our healing and guards us in his safe house.
We serve those who have fallen victim to evil not because we are better than them, but because we stand together with them in need of a savior.
Going to the beach? Chances are, you will be seeing plenty of beach-goers lounging out with a good book to read. Pro-lifers can too.
We are presenting once again the summer reading list for all pro-lifers. But first, let us visit our previous posts.
Here’s the 2021 reading list
Here’s the 2020 reading list
Here’s our first-ever reading list
Here are some recent releases and interesting finds through the internet search for our 2022 list.
Happy Reading. Have a great and safe summer. Get to Mass.
The Senate Bill Women’s Health Protection Act was defeated today. Along with 50 republicans that stopped it from codifying Roe v Wade into federal law, one lone Democrat crossed party aisles to prevent this so-called “healthcare bill” from being passed… Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
The bill would’ve wiped out 500 pro-life bills passed on the state level while expanding abortion to the point of coercing medical staff against their moral conscience and even allowing non-medically licensed people to perform the procedure.
We have another pro-life victory, despite a deadlock in the senate and a razor-thin pro-death majority in the House of Representatives.
Pray. Fast. Hold the line. Hold your elected officials accountable. We’re not done yet.
Bear in mind, that this debate will be decided when we make abortion unthinkable and it begins in our community. Continue changing hearts and minds.
On Wednesday, the pro-life community has learned of the tragic loss of Vicki Thorn, foundress of Project Rachel, at the age of 72.
She shared her first indirect encountered when a friend needed help. “All I could do was just love her and be present to her, and make sure she was OK,” Thorn would recall years later. “But it was a life-changing experience for me, in understanding that abortion was not a non-event, that it left enormous footprints in someone’s life, and enormous pain.”
In 1984, Thorn founded Project Rachel while working for the Respect Life Office in Milwaukee. The idea of her ministry came from Jeremiah 31:25, which reads, “In Ramah is heard the sound of sobbing, bitter weeping! Rachel mourns for her children, she refuses to be consoled for her children — they are no more!”
In his statement on the tragic loss of Vicki Thorn, Archbishop Listecki recalled that “Vicki’s life was dedicated to a single mission; caring for men and women wounded by abortion. As the founder of Project Rachel, she single-handedly created a post-abortion healing ministry at a time when none existed,”
In 2021, Vicki Thorn received Evangelium Vitae Medal from the University of Notre Dame. View the presentation here.
Today, Project Rachel is flourishing through a majority of Archdioceses throughout the United States and in 25 additional countries.
More information about Project Rachel is available on the ministry’s USCCB’s website, or by calling 888-456-HOPE (4673).
Once again, we are mourning the loss of one of our pro-life warriors. Betty Maier left us on Sunday, March 6th to join the many of our pro-life community who have gone before her. Betty and her husband, Dave, could be found on Saturday mornings (and other days of the week) praying and offering help to women in front of the Planned Parenthood (formerly the Northeast Women’s Center) on Comly Road.
In the 1980’s when Sister Maryanne Regensburger and I decided to open another (but much needed) maternity home in SE Pennsylvania, I asked Dave and Betty to be part of this new ministry. Without hesitation, they both agreed and were a very large part of our new program, Guiding Star Ministries. With the help of Betty and Dave, we established a Board of Directors, a Mission Statement, and met with Monsignor Charles Devlin, the Vicar for our area of Philadelphia at that time, for his guidance. Monsignor Devlin was very enthusiastic about our mission and paved the way for our Board to meet with the Archdiocese to see about getting an empty convent to use.
After a presentation at St. Jude’s parish in Chalfont, we were directed by Jennette Wynn, Respect Life Committee Co-Ordinator of St. Jude’s, to St. Benedict’s parish in the Germantown area of Philly (where Betty and Dave lived). Father Moore, pastor of St. Benedict’s was excited about this program, and after discussing it with the few nuns who were living there, graciously gave us the convent to begin our ministry. These nuns made arrangements to move to St. Raymond’s convent, a neighboring parish.
Betty was a great inspiration to everyone. She was always there to offer her guidance and support for our program, and to everyone in the pro-life movement. She will be greatly missed not only by her family, but by those of us who worked with her to end the killing of God’s precious little ones. I’m not sure if she was ever recognized for her untiring pro-life work here on earth, but I’m certain in heaven she will be. Rest in peace, Betty, good and faithful servant!
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to be send to the following in Betty’s memory: Guiding Star Ministries, 1940 E. Chelten Ave., Phila., PA 19138; Legacy of Life, 25 S. Main St., #217, Yardley, PA 19067 or AlphaCare, 3807 Lancaster Ave., Phila., PA 19104, would be appreciated.
Below is more information on Betty from Mike McMonagle, President of the Pro-Life Coalition of Pennsylvania.
For many years, Betty Maier served as a highly faithful and effective pro-life activist in our area’s pro-life movement. On Sunday, March 6, 2022 Betty died at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital after a prolonged illness. Her husband Dave and some of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren gathered around her in prayer and song (Amazing Grace) at the time of her death.Betty Maier (née Walton) grew up in Germantown in St. Francis Parish and became a Registered Nurse through then St. Joseph Hospital. She and Dave married in 1955 and were blessed with seven children, 18 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.Because of their Catholic Faith, Dave and Betty became intensely involved in the Philadelphia area pro-life movement through many activities. They engaged in faithful sidewalk counseling prayer vigils at the Planned Parenthood abortion chamber on Comly Road and provided tremendous leadership for Guiding Star Ministries Maternity Home at the former St. Benedict Convent in Germantown.
On social media, Dr. Monique Ruberu and Marlene Downing shared some great news. The first is shared by Monique.
Nine months ago, a scared young girl went into 777 Appletree and took an abortion pill. She later regretted this choice and called the abortion center to find out if anything could be done… they told her to go to the ER… the ER had no help for her, but while she sat there she desperately searched the web and came across Marlene Downing who was the Hope Pregnancy Center Director. Marlene took the late-night call and called me… at 10 o’clock at night I told that girl to meet me at my office… I took Marlene with me on the phone for safety since I had never met anyone this late alone in my office…
The minute I laid eyes on her I knew I had nothing to worry about… this sweet mama was nothing but love.
I gave her her 1st progesterone shot and arranged to follow up… prayed with her and Marlene….
Soon after I met her to do an ultrasound and make sure the sweet baby was still alive and she was. We went for lunch to celebrate that day!
From Marlene.
Today is a joyous day. I have to tell the story even though my beautiful friend Monique did an amazing job telling it.
I was given permission by the mom to educate you all on the miracle that took place in a beautiful mother’s life.
Let me first start out by saying that Dr. Ruberu, myself, and countless others live a life of servitude to mothers and babies daily. It is our mission to assist and love not only the babies but the mothers. We have so many stories left untold because it’s not at all about recognition of us but leading lives that represent our father in Heaven. We take this very seriously.
BUT … this story holds so many layers that need to be told because telling it can be educational and a saving grace for others.
Last year I was the director of Hope pregnancy center. I took after-hours calls. It didn’t matter where I was..driving, grocery store, in bed in the middle of the night I answer the phone calls directed from the center to my personal line.
This time I was headed to the grocery store and the phone rang. I answered. On the other line was a young woman asking if this was a place that she can call to speak to someone about abortion. I responded that we don’t do abortions but I would love to talk to her before she makes that decision. She said I’m looking for someone to help me. She said she took the abortion pill and regrets taking it.
My heart dropped because of the life or death reality of the matter but I was excited that she called. There were a few things that I needed to know first. One -When did she take the pill ( a mother has 72hrs to change her mind to increase the chances of saving the life of her baby)
Two- are you able to call the hotline now? (Abortionpillreversal.com)
She said that she would. I told her to call the hotline and call me back once she’s spoken with them.
I continued into the store, got my groceries, and headed home. She was on my mind the entire time but I didn’t want to interrupt the process so I waited to call back. An hour went by I called her back. I asked what happened when she called the hotline. She said because she had a peanut allergy they couldn’t subscribe the pill to reverse it but she may be able to go to the ER to get a shot. The shot would not affect her allergy. So I said I highly doubt that they will help in the ER but I told her to let me know when she sees a doctor there. In the meantime I called the only person that I could 100% count on to do everything she could possibly do in this situation Monique Ruberu I told Dr. Ruberu what was going on, she said “see what the doctors say in the ER and I will talk to my husband in case I have to shoot over to my office. “ I said awesome I’ll call you back.
I waited for the young woman to call, no call so I called her and asked what was going on. She said the ER doctors didn’t want to give her the shot… I asked her how far she was from Dr. Ruberu’s office. She put it in her GPS .. she was exactly 16 minutes away! I called Dr. Ruberu and stayed on the phone with her until she got to the office because after all I never met the young woman and she never met her to be there at 10pm in the dark of the night.
When the young woman arrived Dr. Ruberu and I was already praying for the baby over the phone and it was now my time to hang up knowing that everyone was safe and things were moving forward.
Later that night I got a text thanking me for introducing her to Dr. Ruberu. She felt so much better knowing that there was a chance her baby would live.
Later that week there was a follow-up visit to check the heartbeat the heartbeat was strong! So we all went out to eat to celebrate life! (Picture above)
I continued to pray and talk to the young woman about concerns at home in early pregnancy. There came a time of hardship when she needed an immediate place to stay. I contacted Wendy Stanton and Pat Stanton of Our Lady’s House maternity home and they prepared a room for her. She stayed the majority of her pregnancy there and was later transferred to another Maternity care Facility.
During her stay, city life Church reached out to Hope Pregnancy Center to sponsor a baby shower. I worked with Trish to organize the shower. It was awesome. It was there that the beautiful young woman got most of what she needed to prepare for life as a new mom! (Picture below)
The same night we threw the baby shower, my mother passed away of Cancer. I worked and directed the center all of that day knowing my mother was in the hospital not doing well and helped set up and throw the baby shower. The last person left at 7:45.. I got in my car at 8:15pm at 8:20pm I received a phone call from my brother telling me that my mom didn’t make it.
So at the celebration of life, God saw fit to take one. He is beautiful in ALL things.
The care for this mom and baby will continue. Our relationship is more than an experience .. she is truly like family. She is a beautiful young lady, she loves God and that’s why she changed her mind. She said that she knew something wasn’t right and she had to fix it.
Here is the last thing I want to say. BE AVAILABLE… Had I not picked up the call, had doctor Ruberu chosen to stay in the comfort of her home, had Pat and Wendy not opened their home, had we not prayed… that beautiful baby would not BE HERE.
God has a plan and purpose for you that includes others around you. Don’t be selfish.. Don’t grow weary in well-doing.
PRAISE GOD!!!!!!
OH, AND ANOTHER THING- Women do regret abortion so we won’t stop talking about it and educating everyone on resources and ways to overcome it.
Today, the pro-life community received the devastating news that Sue Thayer, a former Planned Parenthood employee in Iowa, lost her battle to cancer.
In a social media post, Shawn Carney summarized it well:
“The only former Planned Parenthood manager to lead a 40 Days for Life outside her former workplace which led to its closing.”
Two years ago, the Philly Pro-Life community had the blessing and honor of hosting her visit to the Greater Philadelphia area.
Learn about her testimony
Here’s a blog post about her visit to 40 Days campaigns in the Greater Philadelphia area.
Eternal rest, grant unto your sister Sue Thayer, O Lord. and let the perpetual light shine upon her.
May she rest in peace
I went to the Padre Pio Shrine in Barto, Pa seeking inspiration.
How could I summarize St Padre Pio?
He had many spiritual gifts; the stigmata, bi-location, gifts of prophecy, and visions. Some say he was cantankerous and would throw people out of the confessional, yet pilgrims still sought him out, desiring edification. He was intense, yet known for the carefree mantra, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry.”
There is much to say about such an enigmatic man!
But while at the shrine I ran into Deb Mirenda, co-captain of the Philadelphia Chapter of Life Runners. She reminded me that Padre Pio was the patron saint of the unborn. And, as it turns out Padre Pio had an active role in the creation of Life Runners too.
In 2006, Pat Castle, had an incredible encounter with Padre Pio, Pat was participating in the Pikes Peak Ascent race, a marathon up a mountain. Just when the going got tough, Padre Pio gave him encouraging words which strengthened his resolve to push forward, finishing the race under his goal of three hours!
After this encounter, Pat co-founded Life Runners. Today Life Runners is the largest pro-life running/walking group in the world with 16,841 teammates in 40 nations. Teammates have the shared goal of “crossing the finish line that ends abortion.” Teammates wear bright blue shirts with the Jeremiah 1:5 message, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew You….”
The word of God on these shirts often speaks to people who happen to read them while running or walking by.
Deb shared a few such stories;
“While running the Philly Marathon, Ted (my husband) was a couple miles into the early part of the race and having a lil mental convo w/ himself along the lines of: ‘why am I doing this; why did God put me here, etc. And Lo-n-behold, he feels a tap on his shoulder from another runner, “Hey, what’s this ‘Remember the Unborn’ message about?” … So they ran the next couple miles together sharing a Pro-life conversation. The guy wound up joining and has been a member of the Philly team since.
Another time while a few of us were doing the Valley Forge Revolutionary 5mile Run, another runner noticed our shirts & shared with us that her mom was a young single mom when she had her & thus the Protection of Unborn Children is a very personal cause for her. She promptly joined and is a consistent teammate wearing her shirt and sharing the message.”
On another occasion, a woman saw the shirt and was inspired to join because her mother had become pregnant with her when she was just 15 years old in 1975. The woman shares, “When I run, I remember that some people advised my Mom to have an abortion. I’m grateful that she and my Dad wanted me to be born, even though the pregnancy was unplanned. They married in the summer of 1975 and celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary in July.”
Such beautiful stories of the power of the word of God to evangelize! And as Catholics, we often forget that many people are hungry and looking for faith. If we make ourselves available we allow the holy spirit to use us. Padre Pio was a man that engaged in a spiritual battle every day. His weapons were prayer, the sacraments, and the rosary.
As we begin this 40 days for Life in Philadelphia we are called to engage in this battle too. But Life Runners proves that fighting for life can be fun! And we don’t engage in culture wars alone. We need teammates.
Padre Pio said his ministry would begin after his death. And he seems to be good on his word. I think if there is one thing to add to his “Pray, hope, don’t worry” it might just be and get moving!
Interested in joining Life Runners? Visit: www. LifeRunners.org.
Running is Optional! But jerseys are required and Faith/prayer is necessary!
Watch an interview with Pat Castle about his encounter here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f_dRVoUl1c
Here is also an article I wrote about the Liferunners Chapter in Philadelphia during the 20216 Philadelphia marathon.
Voices for Life 