Changed |
Respect
Life / Pro - Life |
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THE EMPTY CRADLE |
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| One of these two devices is responsible for millions of innocent children deaths every year | |
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| Guess which one | |
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A Rosary Vigils held at Holy Spirit's
Pro-Life Memorial Third Sunday of each month following all the Sunday morning Masses. To pray five decades of the Rosary to end abortion. |
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Holy Spirit
Catholic Church Fountain Valley CA., links to the Calendar for
Life. |
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The Pro Life Community |
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A Bi Monthly E-Newsletter from the CalendarforLife.org with a selection of Pro Life Events. |
Thursday May 09, 2013 |
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Calendar For Life 111 East Dunlap Ave #294, Phoenix AZ., 85020 877-570-2450 calendarforlife@ureach.com www.calendarforlife.org |
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Respect Life Month 2011 St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church Frisco, TX I had the honor of hearing this beautiful story at a recent Respect Life event. It was presented by our own parishioner, Susan, and I encourage you to read it and reflect upon it during this month in which we focus on the sanctity of life.Fr. Larry My name is Susan I am the Respect Life Coordinator at St. Francis. My husband Dave and I have been parishioners for over 10 years. We are also the proud parents of three adopted children. Chandler is 6, Bennet is 4 and Dorie Beth is 2. We adopted all three children through Catholic Charities in Dallas as infants. We have an open relationship with all three of our little ones birth moms and their families. All three women mean the world to us. We have enormous respect for them and the selfless gift they gave us through adoption. Each of our three adoption stories are beautiful and I could write a book telling the story of each one, but now I want to tell you the story of our third little miracle, Dorie Beth. I asked her birth mom, Marcella, and she gave me permission to tell it. Three years ago Marcella was 32. She was going through a hard time in her life. She was trying desperately to get her life on track, but just couldn’t seem to do it. She has a little boy, Grant, who was about 2 months old at the time. Grant has a rare genetic blood disorder, called Glanzmans Thrombasthenia, which is similar to hemophelia, where his blood has trouble clotting. When he gets a cut, his body usually cannot stop bleeding on its own. He must go to the ER and in many cases has to have a platelet transfusion or even a whole blood transfusion. Each tooth that he loses or each skinned knee could truly be a fatal incident. As he gets older, the risk will get worse. Marcella found herself pregnant again, from the same birthfather as Grant. The two babies would be less than a year apart in age. Marcella was a single mom. She already had her hands full taking care of Grant and since the two have the same biological parents, the likelihood of this child having the same disease was very high. Marcella was overwhelmed with all the things going on in her life. She made the painful decision to have an abortion. Talking about this step is still really painful for Marcella. She has a hard time even telling the story, but she did tell me that she went to Routh Street abortion clinic. She told me she noticed people outside praying. She went inside and they put her on the table to have the abortion. She said she just started crying and said she couldn’t go through with it. By the grace of God, she realized this child was no different than her Grant, a child. She left the abortion center in tears and went home determined that she was going to place this child for adoption. She researched several agencies and was at a loss until her eighth month when she was in the ER with Grant and a nurse told her about Catholic Charities. She started working with them and eventually chose to meet us. We knew going into this adoption that there were a lot of risks. This baby could be born with the same blood disorder as Grant, as well as other potential complications, but we felt a peace to move forward. I was able to go to a few doctor appointments with her. The whole family even attended an ultrasound session. It was such a fun time of bonding for all of us. Marcella invited me to be in the delivery room and asked me to cut the cord. That was a first for me! Marcella gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, who is completely healthy. Praise be to God! We were all so excited to have a new little baby girl in the family. I can still remember Chandler running up and down the hospital aisles passing out pink bubble gum cigars to everyone he saw. We named her Dorothy Elizabeth (Dorie Beth). Dorothy, which means “Gift from God,” after my mom who had been praying for this child long before we knew she existed. Marcella and I have become very close. We get together about once a month. She looks so forward to seeing Dorie Beth. We love Marcella and consider her and her family extended family. Marcella was able to save Dorie Beth’s cord blood and after much testing, the doctors determined that Dorie Beth and Grant are a complete blood match. After Christmas, Grant will have a complete bone marrow transplant, where he will undergo chemotherapy to wipe out his bone marrow and Dorie Beth’s cord blood stem cells and possibly bone marrow will be transplanted into him. Grant will be in the hospital for a minimum of two and a half months and will be in isolation at home for six months to a year afterwards, but ultimately, Dorie Beth will save his life. If Marcella had gone through with the abortion, not only would she have lost this precious child, she could have lost her little boy, as well. God has a plan for each person. This adoption has made all of us better people. I know Dave and I (as well as Chandler and Bennet) are better for having known Marcella, Grant and her family. Marcella is a different person. She’s going to school, living with her grandma and is a wonderful mommy to Grant. She has made a complete life transformation. I know it was the hardest decision that our three birth moms ever had to make when they chose adoption. I also know that they would have liked to raise their baby on their own. Instead, they made the most selfless choice possible. They chose to do what was best for their child and place them in a loving family. I can’t imagine life without Dorie Beth now. Her two brothers adore her and think she hung the moon. Dave … he’s in love with her. She already has him wrapped around her little finger. And to think... we were so close to never knowing her. We are just one example of a family that has grown from someone else’s gift of Life. I don’t know who was outside that day at Routh Street abortion clinic praying for Marcella and Dorie Beth, but I do Know those prayers worked and saved our baby’s life. |
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Guilt, regret, shame
depression. These are just some of the many emotions women express days, |
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Year for Priests: join our spiritual bouquet and tell us your
stories |
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A Winning Team: |
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Timeline of a pre born child
The
timeline below only reinforces the awesome nature of God, the Author of
Life. Each of us started our lives in this manner.
The Grassroots Abortion War
At 17 days, the new life has developed its own blood cells; the
placenta is a part of the new life and not of the mother. A person is a person, no matter how small. |


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