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Respect Life Information
E-mail Respect Life Coordinator
Information Sidewalk Counselors
Prayers for Conversion Project Cure Florida Respect Life Conference
Project Rachel Services Meeting Dates
FertilityCare Services
Natural Family Planning
Helping couples to deepen conjugal love and achieve responsible parenthood is part of the Church's total pastoral ministry to Catholic spouses. Fulfillment of this ministry includes both education and pastoral care. This means "instilling conviction and offering practical help to those who wish to live out their parenthood in a truly responsible way" (Familiaris consortio, #35).
Natural Family Planning (NFP)
NFP is an umbrella term for certain methods used to achieve and avoid pregnancies. These methods are based on observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy.
NFP reflects the dignity of the human person within the context of marriage and family life, promotes openness to life, and recognizes the value of the child. By respecting the love-giving and life-giving natures of marriage, NFP can enrich the bond between husband and wife.
(Standards for Diocesan Natural Family Planning Ministry, p. 23)
For more information, please contact,
Linda MacKenzie,Creighton Practitioner, 813-681-5409 or
lmackfl@aol.com
FertilityCare Services
Unleashing the knowledge of your Fertility….there is an alternative to artificial methods of birth control and IVF. Learn about FertilityCare, the new reproductive science that is 99% effective to avoid pregnancy, highly effective to achieve pregnancy and offers couples who are experiencing infertility hope to achieve their dream of pregnancy without artificial reproductive technologies. This is accomplished while following the teachings of the church.
To learn more about the program, please e-mail www.FertilitycareTB@aol.com or call 681-5409.
Respect Life Meeting dates through 2011:
To be held in the Oakwood House from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the following dates:
September 12
November 7
December 5
2011
January 9
February 6
March 6
April 3
May 2
June 5
Please check the bulletin for any changes to these dates or contact lupegladu@juno.com.
September 22, 2010 through October 31, 2010
Tampa, Florida
To Sign-Up for a time slot for yourself or others, go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/tampa/
- Go to "schedule" to sign up.
- You have to register yourself, then it will let you sign-up for a time(s).
-
The boxes where you sign-up will have different colors in them, the colors are explained on the left side of the screen.
Nativity Catholic Church will be participating in the St. Petersburg diocesan 40 days for life fall campaign by praying in front of The Tampa Women's Health Center, 2010 E. Fletcher Avenue, Tampa, Fl 33612.
From September 22 through October 31, our community will be uniting with many others from coast to coast – and internationally – for a major simultaneous pro-life mobilization – the 40 Days for Life campaign.
Faithful believers across America are praying that these efforts will mark the beginning of the end of abortion in America.
Vision and Mission
40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life campaign with a vision to access God’s power through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil to end abortion.
The mission of the campaign is to bring together the body of Christ in a spirit of unity during a focused 40 day campaign of prayer, fasting, and peaceful activism, with the purpose of repentance, to seek God’s favor to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life, thus bringing an end to abortion.
Campaign Components
One of the strengths of 40 Days for Life is its simplicity. The campaign is made up of three key components:
- Prayer and Fasting: inviting people of faith throughout our city and across the country to join together for 40 days of fervent prayer and fasting for an end to abortion.
- Peaceful Vigil: standing for life through a 40-day peaceful public witness outside the local Tampa Women's Health Center, 2010 E. Fletcher Avenue, Tampa, Fl 33612.
- Community Outreach: taking a positive, upbeat pro-life message to every corner of our city through media efforts, church and school outreach, petition drives, and public visibility.
To sign up to pray during the above dates, please e-mail lupegladu@juno.com or sign up online at the above web site.
Project Cure
The 5th Annual Project Cure 3-Day Walk to End Breast Cancer
Join us for the 2010 3-Day Project Cure Walk on October 29, 30 and 31, 2010.
When several St. Stephen parishioners were informed that Susan G. Komen supports Planned Parenthood, they were shocked! Please read the LifeNews.com article at http://www.lifenews.com/nat6360.html.
These noble ladies decided to withdraw from the Komen 3-day 60 mile walk and asked that their donations be refunded. They then created Project Cure (www.projectcure.ststephencatholic.org) - a flexible walking journey in which 100% of the funds raised benefit the fight against breast cancer - the Don and Erika Wallace Comprehensive Breast Program at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute.
You can walk any day or every day, for as long or as far as you are able. Every step helps the cure!
We will begin at the Hillsborough County Park on Natures Way in Bloomingdale East and walk laps around Natures Way/Culbreath Road. Each lap approximates 4 miles. Those who are walking 20 miles a day for 3 days will begin at 6:00 a.m. and will finish at about 2:00 p.m. each day.
To register see:
http://ststephencatholic.org/pcure/files/2010/04/CURE-Registration.pdf.
For information about training:
(for the 3-Day Walk, see the 16 week or 24 week training guide at)
http://ststephencatholic.org/pcure/files/2010/04/CURE-Training-16.pdf
http://ststephencatholic.org/pcure/files/2010/04/CURE-Training-24.pdf.
You are welcome to join us in the 3-day walk and walk 4 miles, 8 miles, 12 miles, 16 miles or 20 miles on one, two or three days. On Saturday, October 30, at 9:00 a.m. join us for a Family Fun Lap - one 4-mile loop.
We are asking all walkers to help raise funds for breast cancer research regardless of how far they are walking.
To download a sponsor sheet see:
http://ststephencatholic.org/pcure/files/2009/09/2009-Project-Cure-sponsor-sheet.pdf.
Mark your calendar. Invite your family and friends to participate. Don't forget about the Family Fun Lap on Saturday, October 30 at 9 a.m.
For more information please contact:
Jeanne Lewis: lewisfamily1985@verizon.net or
Stacia Kines: stacykines@yahoo.com.
Sidewalk Counselors Pray So That Children In The Womb Are Protected
Sarah Shea, a sidewalk counselor, stands outside of Tampa Women’s Center, a clinic that performs abortions, to let women know they are not alone, they are loved, and to give them literature which offers help.
In 2006, Bishop Robert N. Lynch of the Diocese of St. Petersburg began the Ministries of Mercy initiative to support and foster parish ministries that serve the poor, suffering, and marginalized. The initiative focuses on five areas where the need is the greatest: food & clothing, shelter, life, visitation, and health. With the help of volunteers, the Ministries of Mercy are currently serving in various parishes and the following story highlights the Respect Life Ministry of Nativity Catholic Church.
On Friday, April 2, 2010, Good Friday, more than twenty parishioners of Nativity Catholic Church and surrounding parishes gathered outside of Tampa Women’s Center, a clinic that performs abortions, to pray the Holy Rosary, Stations of the Cross and the Divine Mercy Chaplet to unite the sufferings of aborted babies with those of Christ.
The Prayer Vigil was peaceful and the group stood on the sidewalk behind a white fence, near the entrance of the abortion center. As the group prayed, designated sidewalk counselors gently called out to the women entering the abortion center holding out literature. Most of the women do take the literature and it’s during this time that the counselors are able to inform them of the resource centers able to help them financially and spiritually, get their names so they can pray for them, and encourage them to choose life.
On this particular day, a mother and daughter exiting the abortion center took the literature and an employee from the abortion center approached the group to ask if anyone had an extra rosary. Two counselors gave her one, listened as she apologized for her circumstances, and told her they were praying for her so that she may find another job. “Our presence at the abortion center is important because if we were not here, there will be no one getting the information to the women,” Susan King, a sidewalk counselor of Nativity Catholic Church, said.
In addition to the Good Friday Prayer Vigil, sidewalk counselors pray at the abortion center each week. Their objective is to offer help to the women, embrace the unborn spiritually and show them human love before they die, be witness to those who pass by, and pray for the employees of the center so that they may find other jobs.
Susan has been praying at the center 2-3 times per week for more than six years. She says her visits to the abortion center are like being at the foot of the cross because little ones are dying. She also says she sees their efforts working. “Last summer, we know of twelve babies that were saved,” she says. “And recently, a girl I counseled went into the abortion center, left, and said she could not go through with it.”
To read about other life ministries, the Ministries of Mercy, and to find a ministry near you in need of donations and volunteers, click here. To volunteer your time to the Nativity Respect Life Ministry contact the parish office at 813-681-4608.
If you are a pregnant woman in need or know of someone in need, help is available by calling (727) 550-4236 or click here.
Susan King, a parishioner of Nativity Catholic Church, has been praying at Tampa Women’s Center, a clinic that performs abortions, 2-3 times per week for more than six years. She says her visits to the abortion center are like being at the foot of the cross because little ones are dying.
Please join us every Saturday morning at the Tampa Women's Center, a clinic that performs abortions. We are there from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. praying and reaching out to moms and babies in need! The address is 2010 E. Fletcher Ave, Tampa 33612.
2010 Florida Respect Life Conference
Oct. 29th and 30th
Miami, FL
Sponsored by:
The Bishops of Florida, Florida Catholic Conference
Diocesan Respect Life Directors
Registration deadline: October 15, 2010
Contact: 954-981-2922
Respect Life Calendar 2010
Please join us every Saturday morning at the Tampa Women's Center, a clinic that performs abortions. We are there from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. praying and reaching out to moms and babies in need! The address is 2010 E. Fletcher Ave, Tampa 33612. For more information, contact prov24-11@juno.com.
September
3 First Friday Bi-lingual adoration for an end to abortion. Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon in the Chapel at 6:30 p.m.
4 Helpers of God's Precious Infants Prayer Vigil in Tampa. We will begin with an 8:30 am Mass at Most Holy Redeemer Parish, 10110 Central Avenue, Tampa, 33612. We will then have a Rosary procession to the abortion clinic on Fletcher Avenue. For more information, e-mail Emma Boe at emmaboe@aol.com.
7-15 Nine Days for Life, A Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows: see the novena at http://www.usccb.org/prolife/liturgy/novenas.shtml
12 Respect Life Meeting, Oakwood House, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
18 Movie Night in Social Hall, "Sarah's Choice."
20 40 Days for Life Kick-off at St. Lawrence at 7:00 pm. There will be Mass and Adoration!
21 40 Days for Life Kick-off, 7:00 p.m. at the Tampa Women's Health Center, 2011 E. Fletcher Avenue to bless the ground we will be praying on and bless all of the people involved in this year's 40 days of prayer.
22 40 Days for Life begins through October 31.
October
1-3 Project Rachel Vineyard Retreat, BethanyRetreatCenter, contact Emma Boe 813-631-4370 or email at emmaboe@aol.com.
1-30 Baby Shower for October. Please bring items to the social hall and leave in the playpen.
1 First Friday Bi-lingual adoration for an end to abortion. Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon in the Chapel at 6:30 p.m.
2 Helpers of God's Precious Infants Prayer Vigil in Tampa. We will begin with an 8:30 amMass at Most Holy Redeemer Parish, 10110 Central Avenue, Tampa, 33612. We will then have a Rosary procession to the abortion clinic on Fletcher Avenue. For more information, e-mail Emma Boe at emmaboe@aol.com.
3 Respect Life Display, Social Hall
3 Brandon Life Chain from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Join us as we stand in prayer across America to be a silent declaration of the sanctity of life. Signs will be available to hold. More information to follow.
11 40 Days for Life mid point rally
18 Banquet of Life, PregnancyPlus Medical
22 Cemetery of the Innocents Prayer Vigil, Novemberfest field, 7:00 p.m.
29-30 FloridaRespect Life Conference, Miami
29-31 Project Cure Walk for Breast Cancer
31 40 Days for Life ends
November
1 40 Days for Life End Rally
5 First FridayBi-lingual adoration for an end to abortion. Nativity Catholic Church in Brandonin the Chapel at 6:30 p.m.
6 Helpers of God's Precious Infants Prayer Vigilin Tampa. We will begin with an 8:30 a.m. Mass at Most Holy Redeemer Parish, 10110 Central Avenue, Tampa, 33612. We will then have a Rosary procession to the abortion clinic on Fletcher Avenue. For more information, e-mail Emma Boe at emmaboe@aol.com.
December
3 First FridayBi-lingual adoration for an end to abortion. Nativity Catholic Church in Brandon in the Chapel at 6:30 p.m.
4 Helpers of God's Precious Infants Prayer Vigil in Tampa. We will begin with an 8:30 a.m. Mass at Most Holy Redeemer Parish, 10110 Central Avenue, Tampa, 33612. We will then have a Rosary procession to the abortion clinic on Fletcher Avenue. For more information, e-mail Emma Boe at emmaboe@aol.com.
4-12 Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe
8-9 National Night of Prayer for Life. On Monday, December 8 from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., our parish will participate in the National Night of Prayer for Life. This is a pro-life prayer service of exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, 20 decades of the rosary, prayer to St. Michael, meditation and hymns. This will begin at 9:00 p.m. in the Nativity Chapel. For more information, contact lupegladu@juno.com.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn, Pray for Us!
A Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows: Sept 7-Sept 15
by Rev. James Moroney, Executive Director
USCCB Secretariat for the Liturgy
For the nine days between September 7 (the vigil of the feast of the Birth of Mary) and September 15, we pray for the intercession of Mary, the Mother of our Life, our Faith and our Hope. Begin each day with the following prayers and readings:
A Novena for Life
God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be forever. Amen.
A Readingfrom the Bible
1.Luke 7:11-15
2. Matthew 1:18-23
3. John 19:25-27
4. Luke 2:33-35
5. Hebrews 5:7-9
6.Colossians 3:12-17
7. Psalm 31:2-3, 3-4, 5-6
8. Philippians 2:6-11
9. Psalm 31:15-16, 20
Holy Mother of God,
hear the prayers of the Church
for all mothers,
especially those wearied by life
and overcome by the suffering
they bear for their children.
Hail Mary...
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
intercede for them
from your place in heaven,
that the mercy of your divine Son
might lighten their burden
and give them strength.
Hail Mary...
Glory to the Father....
"As we contemplate this Mother, whose heart 'a sword has pierced' (cf. Lk 2:35), our thoughts go to all the suffering women in the world, suffering either physically or morally. In this suffering a woman's sensitivity plays a role, even though she often succeeds in resisting suffering better than a man. It is difficult to enumerate these sufferings; it is difficult to call them all by name. We may recall her maternal care for her children, especially when they fall sick or fall into bad ways; the death of those most dear to her; the loneliness of mothers forgotten by their grown-up children; the loneliness of widows; the sufferings of women who struggle alone to make a living; and women who have been wronged or exploited. Then there are the sufferings of consciences as a result of sin, which has wounded the woman's human or maternal dignity: the wounds of consciences which do not heal easily. With these sufferings too we must place ourselves at the foot of the Cross."
-
Pope John Paul II
(Mulieris Dignitatem, 21)
Day 1 – Sept. 7 Labor Day - Pray for the Suffering Women of the World
Labor day usually brings to mind images of factory workers, farmers or heavy equipment operators. Yet we also use labor to describe the first work which brought each one of us to birth: those first hours of maternal sacrifice which brought us into the world. It's too easy to forget that and all the other sacrifices which the vocation of motherhood entails. Pray for the mothers "in labor" today. Those who give birth. Those who work two jobs to support a child. Those who "go without" so their child's needs are met. Those whose patient endurance is a sign of God's love upon the cross.
Day 2 – Sept. 8 The Birth of the Virgin Mary - Pray for Mothers who will Give Birth Today
"At first I as scared," Sarah told me. "I was scared, excited and filled with the most incredible expectation. It was like those words we hear at Mass: we wait in joyful hope. I thought of all those women who feel the first kick, the stirrings of life deep within them. I prayed for them, that they would love their child, cherish their little baby and know that in being a mother they are involved in something so much bigger than themselves. They have been chosen by God to be custodians of the mystery of life. At first I was scared, and then I just cried ... with joy."
Day 3 – Sept. 9 Pray for Fathers at the Birth of their Child
"At first I was petrified," Jon told me. "Petrified that I would faint or get in the way or not know what to do to help Sarah. But then I prayed to Mary. I know, praying to Mary is something you'd think a mother would be doing. But somehow, I think Mary understood Saint Josephmore than anyone else. She probably saw the fear in his eyes and sensed the restlessness of his heart. She probably spent a lot of time praying for him as well. And when I prayed to Mary for my child about to be born, I knew she understood and heard me and prayed for me to her son. At first I was petrified, and then I put everything into God's hands."
Day 4 – Sept. 10 Pray for All Children
The eyes of a child are an infinite well of life, hope and goodness. If you doubt the value of life, look into the eyes of a child. If you are worn by life's worries, look into the eyes of a child. If you want to see tomorrow, look into the eyes of a child. And what you will see is the divine spark which brought beauty out of chaos, the infinite beauty, which is the presence of the Creator in his creation.
Day 5 – Sept. 11 Pray for Families
I know of a family which prays each night. Since the kids were little they are gathered from their games and their grumbling to the couch in the living room. There they pray for those whom they love and those they have a hard time loving. They pray for the unborn and for little babies. They pray for the sick and the dying. They pray for the Church and for their priest. Many a night it was the knowledge of those prayers that gave me hope and peace and a good night's sleep.
Day 6 – Sept. 12 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday is a time to take stock. We look all around us at Church and see them: all the people whose kids never seem to scream and who look like they haven't a problem in the world! But what if we really knew them? We would see the 'secret sufferings' that mirror our own. That's the meaning of Sunday, after all. It is the gathering of those who have looked at the their own brokenness through the lens of the cross, and live! Sunday is the perfect day to pray for all God's broken children and especially those who are tempted to break the lives of others.
Day 7 – Sept. 13 Prayer for Life, Begins in the Home
I know of another family which used to pray for unborn children every Friday night. They chose Friday because that's when Christ, innocent and without sin, was sent to the cross. There's no prayer more powerful than that said over little folded hands asking God to "take care of all the babies who you've made."
Day 8 – Sept. 14 The Holy Cross
Each time I pray, I am called to join my prayer with Christ's perfect prayer upon the cross. It is easy from the vantage of the cross to see the world clearly. To see how easy it is to join the suffering of the innocent to the suffering of him who is without sin. We should work for an end to all the forms of violence which threaten life. That is a wonderful good. But it is even more important to stand with the Virgin Mother and to beg her son to come to our aid.
Day 9 – Sept. 15 Our Lady of Sorrows
We end as we began nine days ago: with Mary, weeping silently beside the cross. Weeping for the innocent child so violently taken. Weeping for the nation which has let him die. Weeping for her child and for ourselves, we place them both in her arms.
Copyright © 1998, United States Catholic Conference, Inc., Washington, D.C.All rights reserved. The text and illustrations may be reproduced in whole or in part by Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools, organizations, and newspapers without further permission.Email us at prolife@usccb.org
Pro-Life Activities | 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington DC 20017-1194 | (202) 541-3000 © USCCB. All rights reserved.
Baby Item Donations
A baby playpen has been placed in the social hall which will be there year-round for baby donations! Please feel free to drop off baby items such as: baby diapers of any size, new and gently used baby clothing, baby food, formula, coupons, lotions, shampoos, soaps, bibs, pacifiers, strollers, (no used car seats please), etc. Travel size toiletry items are accepted too for mothers.
These items will benefit not only Respect Life Ministry, but the food pantry, the peanut butter and jelly ministry who collect toiletry items for mothers in need, and pregnancy centers.