Day: May 2, 2013

On
Lillian Quinones, for the Catholic Herald

Lila’s way: Take some risks

Heroes for Life by Lillian Quinones

Author’s note: This is the third in our series of interviews on Heroes for Life — Catholics who are doing extraordinary things for the pro-life movement. Below are comments from Lila Rose, a recent graduate from UCLA and the founder of Live Action, a pro-life youth organization, Lila Rose is a veteran activist at age 23.

Lies and Live Action

I found out about abortion at a young age and it changed me; I wanted to do something. After six years of being active in our local community, I founded Live Action in 2003 when I was 15. That was the beginning of my vision of approaching pro-life activism with aggressive education by using the truth revealed through undercover investigations in abortion centers.

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On
Lillian Quinones, for the Catholic Herald

Heroes for Life: Lila’s way: Take some risks

Author’s note: This is the third in our series of interviews on Heroes for Life — Catholics who are doing extraordinary things for the pro-life movement. Below are comments from Lila Rose, a recent graduate from UCLA and the founder of Live Action, a pro-life youth organization, Lila Rose is a veteran activist at age 23.

I found out about abortion at a young age and it changed me; I wanted to do something. After six years of being active in our local community, I founded Live Action in 2003 when I was 15. That was the beginning of my vision of approaching pro-life activism with aggressive education by using the truth revealed through undercover investigations in abortion centers.

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On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Taking the pledge

MADISON — Eddie Cotter, executive director of the Dead Theologians Society (DTS) headquartered in the Diocese of Madison, took the pledge 26 years ago.

Cotter met members of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart (PTAA, also known as the Pioneers) while visiting Dublin, Ireland.

Taking the Pioneer pledge

“I didn’t have a history of drinking,” said Cotter, “but I thought it would be a good thing to take the Pioneer pledge.”

This meant that Cotter promised to abstain from all alcoholic drink, wear the Pioneer emblem featuring the Sacred Heart, and recite the Pioneer prayer twice daily.

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On
Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

Dodgeville students advance to ‘Odyssey’ world finals

DODGEVILLE — Two teams of students in grades three through five from St. Joseph School in Dodgeville will be competing in the World Finals of the Odyssey of the Mind. The competition is set for May 22-25 on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing, Mich.

The Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics.

“Our school became involved in it just last year because some parents asked about it, and I had always wanted to get it going,” said Principal Sharon Wimer. “It seemed like a great opportunity to promote creative thinking and originality, and showcase some of our talented students.”

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On
Fr. Donald Lange

A mother leaves indelible marks of love on our heart

Seeing with Jesus' Eyes, a column by Fr. Donald Lange

Enrico Caruso, the great tenor, grew up in poverty. His mother sacrificed to pay for his first singing lesson. However, his voice teacher told him, “You can’t sing. Your voice sounds like the wind in the shutters.”

Enrico walked home discouraged, with shaky steps and tearful eyes. “Mamma” he sobbed, “My teacher said that I can’t sing! I want to quit singing lessons.”

Enrico’s mother hugged him and said, “My son, you’ve got a great voice. Don’t give up. Someday you’ll be a great singer!

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On
Tony Magliano

Trial exposes abortion’s horrific downward spiral

Making a Difference column logo

“This case is about a doctor who killed babies and endangered women. What we mean is that he regularly and illegally delivered live, viable babies in the third trimester of pregnancy — and then murdered these newborns by severing their spinal cords with scissors,” states a Pennsylvania grand jury report regarding the alleged procedures of Dr. Kermit Gosnell.

From his Philadelphia abortion mill euphemistically named “Women’s Medical Society,” Gosnell performed late term abortions with few questions asked. “Too young? No problem. Didn’t want to wait? Gosnell provided same-day service,” states the report.

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On
Larry Wipperfurth

We don’t need more laws, but tougher enforcement of gun laws we now have

To the editor:

I had to respond to Mary Uhler’s editorial on curbing gun violence (April 18 issue of Catholic Herald). She compares motor vehicle deaths to firearm deaths and draws the conclusion that both should be regulated the same.

I formed my own opinion by looking at facts, something the media has failed to do lately. She states that the death rate from motor vehicles per 100,000 is similar to the rate of firearms deaths, and then goes on to quote the opinion of a bishop from Stockton, Calif.

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On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Conscience rights: Urge Congress to protect religious liberty in health care

Over 56,000 people joined me in contacting their members of Congress about the importance of protecting conscience rights in health care. We were responding to an appeal from the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment (NCHLA).

The NCHLA is urging us to continue to fight for conscience protection under the Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010 and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012.

Challenging provisions of Affordable Care Act

Catholic dioceses, as well as Catholic and other religious nonprofit organizations and businesses, have filed lawsuits challenging the mandate that is part of the Affordable Care Act.

Archbishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, said in a statement reported by Catholic News Service (CNS) that the goal of these litigants is “nothing less than securing the freedom of the Church to continue to obey the Lord’s command — and, in turn, to serve the common good — by providing charitable ministries in health care, education, and service to the poor, all without compromising Catholic beliefs.”

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