Queen of Angels Respect Life Committee
Meeting Minutes from February 7, 2006
We opened with a prayer at approximately 7:15 pm and discussed the following:
Patti had a meeting with the pastor in January to discuss the committee and reported the pastor is very supportive of our efforts and interested in our committee. He offered to attend some meetings and do what he could with what little extra time he has, to assist us in our work.
Education and Public Information:
Patti attended the recent Speak Out Illinois conference and reported on her experience in seeing speakers like Fr. Frank Pavone, hearing educational talks on Stem Cell Research, meeting other pro-life advocates and gathering information from the exhibits on display there.
Life Logic is scheduled for March 29th, (not the 28th as indicated in the last meeting’s minutes). The subject is Adoption. Patti has contacted the local Catholic Charities office and has secured Ms. Pamela Barnett, the Program Director of their Maternity/Adoption Department to speak. Ms. Barnett is a very experienced speaker and offered to talk about adoption from the point of view of a teenager, considering it as an option for her unborn child, but in further discussion we opted for an evening of discussion from the point of view of potential parents, considering adoption or fostering in their homes. Patti is working on promotional materials and will begin to advertise this event in the Guide, through the school, in neighboring parishes, local papers, etc..
Stella Peters suggested that our connection with the school might be better served via phone than e-mail. Patti to attempt again.
Pastoral Care:
We are in the process of contacting the Archdiocesan office and Aid for Women to locate a mom for this year’s Adopt-A-Mom project. More information is forthcoming. A suggestion by the St. Vincent DePaul Society that we work together, with overflow materials (beyond those needed by our mom) going toward their teen mother program. The committee was strongly in favor of this collaboration. Patti to discuss more thoroughly with Ann McCormick, president of that group.
As a follow up to last month’s memorial of Roe vs. Wade. Our committee is putting a flyer in the Guide, in English and Spanish entitled Healing After Abortion. The flyer presents the position of the church regarding forgiveness and offers prayers and resources for women (and men) facing post-abortion trauma. This insert should be in the bulletin the weekend of February 19th or 26th.
Patti has promised to replenish the pamphlets in church, which led to a discussion regarding the placement of the materials and the bulletin boards. Patti to bring this up to the pastor when it is convenient.
Spiritual:
Stella brought up the possibility of having a prayer service in conjunction with this year’s Respect Life month in October. We all agreed to add this to that month’s agenda. We also discussed the possibility of a healing mass, or a baptism for the unborn. Patti offered to bring up the possibility with the pastor and other local priests.
Public Policy and Advocacy:
There was a brief discussion of current legislation and materials from actions presented at the Speak Out Illinois conference were reviewed.
The evening ended at approximately 8:10 pm.
