National Pro-Life Report June 2014
Dear Friend of HLI (Ireland),
Our ASK Majella service has SAVED 15 babies since January!! Thanks be to God and His Blessed Mother - and HLI (Ireland's benefactors). Instead of 2-4 crisis pregnancy helpline calls per month before Christmas, the numbers have shot up to 40-50 calls per month, with a high of 52 calls as in March.
 This is GREAT NEWS!!!
Kate Meenagh, Dr. Rita O'Connor and their volunteers have fielded dozens of "morning-after pill" calls. These are just as crucial as surgical abortion calls. At a recent supporters evening in Dublin, Kate shared her own story and the powerful impact we are having on the internet. By God's grace, we have succeeded to "put out into the deep" of the digital social media, just as Pope Benedict XVI called us to do. THANK GOD THANK GOD THANK GOD.
Prayer Crucial I cannot empasise enough how crucial are your daily prayers, Memorares, Masses, rosaries and Holy Face devotion for the protection and fruitfulness of this work. Kate, Dr. Rita and team are literally struggling - and prevailing by God's grace - with those unseen "principalities that St. Paul speaks of.
If you would care to have a Mass offered once a month or even a single Mass for the protection and fruitfulness of ASK Majella's critical work, that would be truly irreplacable.
It is prayer that has got us this far.
Contraception root of abortion
I had the privilege of hosting Fr. Shenan, Boquet, President of Human Life International, based in Virginia, USA. Fr. Shenan travels the globe at least 6 months of the year working to strengthen the Church and HLI / pro-life movements everywhere.
A holy and ardent priest, we had several days of meetings and discussing the Irish and global pro-life scene. Father Shenan states the undeniable truth abortion can't be properly opposed until contraception is addressed. In every country of the world, he sees the devastation contraception causes to marriage, life and family.
Contraception lies at the root of the abortion crisis. This is a pivotal aspect of HLI's work in Ireland and worldwide.
HLI President invokes Saint Patrick
We traveled to Slane Hill, where St. Patrick is understood to have lit the Paschal fire in defiance of the pagan king Laoghaire. We prayed that St. Patrick would once again light the fire of Ireland's faith, that Ireland once again be a light for the nations.
Sinn Féin and the Church
The local elections have reflected a big loss of support in the usual mainline parites and a big surge for independents and Sinn Féin.
Sinn Féin have publicly backed same-sex marriage and has a pro-abortion policy.
Recently in Northern Ireland, all 29 out of 29 Sinn Féin MLAs voted to allow the pro-abortion Marie Stopes clinic to remain in Belfast. Sinn Féin's support for so-called "Gay marriage" reflects a global push for same worldwide. Profoundly in conflict with Catholic Chruch teaching, the push for "Gay marriage" is a serious and real challenge for the Church.
Distruction of Marriage
One "Gay" proponent last year candidly stated that the push for "gay" marriage is not about equality but about having the institution of marriage as most know it cease to exist. Masha Gesen, a journalist and author who campaings for homosexual "rights" made the comments last May in Australia on a panel at the Sydney Writer's Festival.
She said:
“It's a no-brainer that (homosexual activists) should have the right to marry, but I also think equally that it's a no-brainer that the institution of marriage should not exist. ... (F)ighting for gay marriage generally involves lying about what we are going to do with marriage when we get there - because we lie that the instuitution of marriage is not going to change, and that is a lie. The institution of marriage is going to change and it should change. And again, I dont' think it should exist." (Lifesite news 1 May 2013)
HLI Ireland's Marriage Day
In our ongoing programme of addressing the roots of the issues in Ireland, we hosted a powerful half-day for married couples in Armagh on May 17th. John Pridmore, former East London gangster gave a heart-moving insight on the consequences of making choices not in keeping with God's law. Peter Perrem gave a powerful talk on five ways to build unity;
1) God's place for marriage
2) Communication
3) 4 steps to healing hurts
4) The gift of sexuality
5) Spirituality of marriage.
I had the role of speaking of the true nature of marriage and contraception's disintegrating effect on marital harmony. A Blessed day for all.
Pre-viable Induction
A controversy has erupted between pro-life groups within Ireland and England. Some are maintaining it is permissible to induce the birth of a pre-viable baby (that is a baby that is too premature to live on its own outside the womb) to save the life of the mother. It is better, they say, to at least save the life of the mothere than to lose both.
Others are saying that you cannot do evil that good may come out of it. They maintain that one must do everythin to save bouth the mother and the baby and that we cannot kill one to save the other.
In an address to large families in 1951, Pope Piux XII in essence taught that every effort must be made to save both mother and child - and having done that: "nothing is left to man except to strive until the very last moment to help and to save, and to bow in respect before the laws of nature and the dispositions of Divine Providence." More on this again.
Holy Face Devotion
Never before have we so needed the Holy Face Devotion - revealed to be Heaven's rememdy to the ills of our time - especially to counteract the assault on marriage and life. Call to the Guadalupe Centre in Knock to pick up your Holy Face materials and venerate the Vatican Approved stamped relic. Serious nationwide atonmement is necessary for our allowing the present state of affairs to emerge. More on this later.
Cloak Charity Shop
Call into the Cloak Charity shop on your next vist to Knock. In honour of St. Joseph, proceeds go to our pro-life mission. We are now receiving larger items for auction such as house clearances, cars, boats, jewellery and whatever you care to donate.
Will you volunteer in Knock?
Will you volunteer one day per month in Knock? A great team of volunteers is making a big difference during the busy season. We need more help!
Every blessing,
Patrick McCrystal
Executive Director
Special Book Offer
For your gift of €35 / £30 or more to our pro-life pro-family work, I would like to send you this complimentary gift:
Abandonment to Divine Providence a spiritual classic by Fr Jean Pierre De Caussade.
 A book that will greatly help you make sense of Life's challanges and help you grow in trust in God in all things. You will advance in:
• Trusting in the will of God in all circumstances.
• How to approach doubt, suffering and trial.
• The duties of souls living in abandonment to Divine Providence, peaceful and childlike surrender.
• The call to trusting, peaceful and childlike surrender to grace.
• The sacramental nature of the present moment.
• The nature and excellence of the state of abandonment.
• Knowledge of the assistance of Fatherly Providence to those who have abandoned themselves to Him.
• How Divine action unceasingly assists the sanctification of souls.
For your gift of €35 / £30 or more. |
