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How Can You Help Build a Culture of
Life and Love?
Nebraska Catholics for Life
Join Today (See form below)
Building a new culture of life
and love starts by transforming ourselves and those around us.
Nebraska Catholics for Life (NCL)
will help you:
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Achieve a deeper understanding of
God's design for human life and love
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Speak effectively to family,
friends, and neighbors about abortion, euthanasia, assisted-suicide,
contraception, in vitro fertilization, cloning, embryo-destructive research
and other life issues
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Understand the origin and roots
of abortion, euthanasia, contraception, and other attacks against human life
and love
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Understand the what and why of
Catholic teachings on the sacredness of human life and sexuality
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Implement concrete activities
that will help build a culture of life and love
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Understand and speak effectively
about the Church's teachings on related life issues such as the death
penalty
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Understand and fulfill the
primary role that families play in building a culture of life and love
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What is urgently called for is a . . . united,
ethical effort to activate a great campaign in support of life. All
together we must build a new culture of life.
Pope John
Paul II,
The Gospel
of Life, no. 95 |
What is
Nebraska Catholics for Life?
NCL is a membership
affiliation with the Bishops' Pastoral Plan for Pro Life Activities on a
statewide level. Members of NCL will receive informative mailings from the state
Pastoral Plan office.
What is the
Bishops' Pastoral Plan for Pro Life Activities?
The Pastoral Plan is
the pro life program of the Catholic Church in the United States. It was
established by the U.S. Bishops in 1975 and reaffirmed in 1985 and 2001 to focus
attention on the practices of abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide. The
Pastoral Plan lays out a four-part plan of action that includes:
I. Spiritual Efforts
Knowing and loving
God in whose image and likeness we were created is essential to fully
appreciating the sacredness of every human being. Thus prayer, fasting, and
other spiritual efforts form the foundation of the Pastoral Plan.
II. Educational Efforts
Education deepens
our understanding of the sanctity of human life at each of its developmental
stages and of our responsibility to imitate God's love through our sacrificial
service to others.
III. Pastoral Efforts
Pastoral outreach
helps support pregnant mothers in need, the disabled, the sick and dying and
their families, and those who have been involved in abortion.
IV. Public Policy Efforts
Public policy work
is directed toward restoring legal protection for unborn children, and those
vulnerable to pressure to end their own lives.
Why Form
Nebraska Catholics for Life?
NCL is being formed to
create a direct channel of education and action between the Pastoral Plan and
individual Catholics, thereby familiarizing them with the comprehensive and
official Church teachings on life issues. NCL is not intended to replace or
compete with the important efforts of other pro life organizations, many of
which carry out essential pro life activities that the Pastoral Plan/NCL cannot
do as an arm of the Church (e.g. political activity). NCL will do what these
other organizations cannot necessarily do--present the complete and official pro
life teachings of the Catholic Church.
Get Involved!
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Everyone has a talent or ability to
contribute! Use the Pastoral Plan information from NCL to get you started.
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Pray privately and take part in
prayer services for life in your parish or city.
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Join your parish Respect Life
Committee or start one! Your pastor and State Pastoral Plan Office can assist.
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Don't walk away from discussions
about abortion and euthanasia at work or where acquaintances gather. NCL will
give you the information you need to discuss these issues with authority.
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Volunteer at a local pregnancy help
center or post-abortion ministry.
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Volunteer for a respite care program
to provide relief for families caring for seriously ill loved ones or volunteer
for your local hospice program.
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Contact your state and federal
representatives on pro life legislation--it makes a difference!
The Pastoral Plan's Four Levels
National
Secretariat for Pro Life Activities
Tom Grenchik, Executive Director
3211 4th Street N.E., Washington,
DC 20017
Ph: (202) 541-3070 Fax: (202)
541-3054
tgrenchik@usccb.org
State Office
Greg Schleppenbach, Director
215 Centennial Mall South, Suite
310, Lincoln, NE 68508
402-477-7517 Fax: 477-1503
gregschlepp@neb.rr.com
Diocesan
Archdiocese of Omaha
Rev. Damien J. Cook
St. Peter Church
709 S. 28th St, Omaha, NE 68105
(402) 341-4560 |
e-mail: fr_cook@yahoo.com
Diocese of Lincoln
Rev. Jeffrey R. Eickhoff
St. Gregory the Great Seminary
1301 280th Rd, Seward, NE
68434-7541
(402) 643-4052 |
e-mail:
fr-jeff-eickhoff@stgregoryseminary.edu
Diocese of Grand Island
Rev. Dave Rykwalder
All Souls Church
P.O. Box 250, Bridgeport, NE
69336
(308) 262-0709 |
e-mail:
fr.dave@hotmail.com
Parish
Each parish has a pro-life
coordinator(s) who implements programs/activities. Check with your Pastor to
find out who serves your parish. Contact your parish pro life coordinator to
find out what's happening in your parish!
Print Resources:
The Gospel of Life (Evangelium
Vitae), Pope John Paul II, 1995
Pastoral Plan for Pro Life
Activities: A Campaign in Support of Life, United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops (USCCB), 2001
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Living the Gospel of Life, USCCB,
1998
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Faithful for Life: A Moral
Reflection, USCCB, 1995
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Life Insight (abortion) and Life
at Risk euthanasia/assisted suicide) newsletters, USCCB's Secretariat for
Pro Life Activities
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Of Human Life (Humanae Vitae),
Pope Paul VI, 1968
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The Role of the Christian Family
in the Modern World (Familiaris Consortio), Pope John Paul II, 1981
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Instruction on Respect for Human
Life in its Origin and the Dignity of Procreation: Replies to Certain
Questions of the Day (Donum Vitae), Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, 1987
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The Truth and Meaning of Human
Sexuality: Guidelines for Education Within the Family, Pontifical Council
for the Family, 1996USCCB documents can be downloaded at www.usccb.org/prolife
; other documents can be downloaded at http://www.cin.org/ftp.html;
Or all documents can be obtained by
calling the Pastoral Plan office at 402-477-7517.
Web Sites:
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Pro Life Websites
:
Bishops' Pastoral Plan for Pro Life Activities; includes links to other
excellent web sites
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www.usccb.org/prolife
:
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Pro Life
Activities
Join Nebraska
Catholics for Life!
____Yes! I want to help form a new
culture of human life and love by joining Nebraska Catholics For Life.
Name:
_____________________________________
Street:
_____________________________________
City:
______________________________________ ZIP: ______________________
Phone:
____________________________________
E-mail:
____________________________________
Parish:
____________________________________
Enclosed is my contribution of $ ___________ ($15.00
suggested) to cover the costs of the mailings I will receive as a member of
Nebraska Catholics for Life. All contributions are voluntary and may be tax
deductible.
Mail To:
Bishops' Pastoral Plan for Pro Life
Activities
215 Centennial Mall South, Ste. 310
Lincoln, NE 68508-1813
Members of NCL will receive:
For more information about Pastoral Plan Activities and
Nebraska Catholics for Life, contact the state office at 402-477-7517 or visit www.nebcathcon.org
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