Thursday, October 27, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
So, now what?
So. ..Now What?
One of the things that had started to eat at me a bit during the run-up to the conference
is that there is still so much work to be done at my own parish. This made me question
the validity of staging a large event. Should I be working on such a thing when my own
house isn’t really in order? And so on.
This of course brings us to the nature of the “Big Event” and how such things do or do
not influence the culture around us. The first and most obvious thing to note is that
they tend to preach to the choir. Most of the people at these things already get it and
while they may learn some interesting things here and there but not much in the way of
principles or concepts. Conferences, marches and other events also serve to excite the
participants, but that excitement does eventually wear off. What happens then?
The key thing is, don’t wait. That is, don’t wait for the next event, conference, march,
fundraiser, retreat, etc. What I would love to see is people taking whatever inspiration
they may have gained from the Culture of Life Conference and use in their parishes.
Collaborate with some others in your parish or Knights of Columbus council and get
a speaker in to discuss whatever may be most needed where you are. Or maybe not
a speaker, why not a prayer group, adoration, first Saturday devotions, evangelizing
the community around you, etc. Or plug into one of the great apostolates already out
there like 40 Days for Life, Project Rachel, Help Pregnancy Crisis Aid, Holy Family
Radio or any of the dozens of others that are out there but I don’t know about. Use your
imagination and your talents, even talents you don’t think you have. You’d be surprised
what you can accomplish with a little help.
So, once you plan it your event, email us, let us know so we can promote the good things
going on in the Grand Rapids Diocese. Just knowing that there a number of good things
happening will encourage many people, even those who are never able to attend the
events.
Now, don’t take this to mean that we aren’t going to be doing the Second Annual
Culture of Life Conference: The Family in the Modern World come spring of 2013. We
certainly are. We just want don’t want things to stop with the conference. So, get out
there and start building and renewing the Culture of Life in the Grand Rapids Diocese!
One of the things that had started to eat at me a bit during the run-up to the conference
is that there is still so much work to be done at my own parish. This made me question
the validity of staging a large event. Should I be working on such a thing when my own
house isn’t really in order? And so on.
This of course brings us to the nature of the “Big Event” and how such things do or do
not influence the culture around us. The first and most obvious thing to note is that
they tend to preach to the choir. Most of the people at these things already get it and
while they may learn some interesting things here and there but not much in the way of
principles or concepts. Conferences, marches and other events also serve to excite the
participants, but that excitement does eventually wear off. What happens then?
The key thing is, don’t wait. That is, don’t wait for the next event, conference, march,
fundraiser, retreat, etc. What I would love to see is people taking whatever inspiration
they may have gained from the Culture of Life Conference and use in their parishes.
Collaborate with some others in your parish or Knights of Columbus council and get
a speaker in to discuss whatever may be most needed where you are. Or maybe not
a speaker, why not a prayer group, adoration, first Saturday devotions, evangelizing
the community around you, etc. Or plug into one of the great apostolates already out
there like 40 Days for Life, Project Rachel, Help Pregnancy Crisis Aid, Holy Family
Radio or any of the dozens of others that are out there but I don’t know about. Use your
imagination and your talents, even talents you don’t think you have. You’d be surprised
what you can accomplish with a little help.
So, once you plan it your event, email us, let us know so we can promote the good things
going on in the Grand Rapids Diocese. Just knowing that there a number of good things
happening will encourage many people, even those who are never able to attend the
events.
Now, don’t take this to mean that we aren’t going to be doing the Second Annual
Culture of Life Conference: The Family in the Modern World come spring of 2013. We
certainly are. We just want don’t want things to stop with the conference. So, get out
there and start building and renewing the Culture of Life in the Grand Rapids Diocese!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
The Vacation is Over
Well, we've had about a week off and did our level best to not think too much about the conference or any related things during that time. I for one, was not completely successful. For the first couple of days, ideas just swirled around in my head like crazy but they have finally settled down a bit, coalescing into two or three ideas of where to go from here.
One of those ideas is to get some more people writing for this blog so it can become a real hub for all culture of life issues (eventually, I'll post on why I say "culture of life" rather than "pro-life" or "respect life") for the Grand Rapids diocese. So, if you are interested in writing for the blog, please let us know. Just email at kofccultureoflife@gmail.com and we can get that ball rolling. Also, if you just stumble across some good links, feel free to send those in as well.
One of those ideas is to get some more people writing for this blog so it can become a real hub for all culture of life issues (eventually, I'll post on why I say "culture of life" rather than "pro-life" or "respect life") for the Grand Rapids diocese. So, if you are interested in writing for the blog, please let us know. Just email at kofccultureoflife@gmail.com and we can get that ball rolling. Also, if you just stumble across some good links, feel free to send those in as well.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Success!!!
Thanks to everyone who came out for the 1st Annual Culture of Life Conference on Saturday. We had a turnout of just over a 100 people which is better than we had dared to hope. The speakers all came through and delivered not just information but a powerful message that I think really demonstrated the breadth, depth and unity of the Church's teaching on the dignity and value of human life.
In the immediate future, you can look for a link to the conference on YouTube as well as DVD to follow. We are hoping to put some additional content on the DVD about some of the other local pro-life apostolate.
Beyond the immediate future, the second conference (look for it spring of 2013) is already starting to come into focus a bit. And we will also be working with some of those apostolates on smaller events in between the conferences.
For now, checkout Project Rachel and Rachel's Vineyard. This is a great ministry and worthy of much support. Some info about upcoming events are posted below.
Come to the Mass celebrating 20 years of Project Rachel in Grand Rapids taking place on October 12 7:00 PM. For more information go here: http://ccwestmi.org/index.php?
For more information or to register:
Toll Free: 800-800-8284 (Michigan Only)
Phone: 616-340-1824
E-mail: mwalsh@ccwestmi.org (Maggie Walsh)
Website: Click Here
In the immediate future, you can look for a link to the conference on YouTube as well as DVD to follow. We are hoping to put some additional content on the DVD about some of the other local pro-life apostolate.
Beyond the immediate future, the second conference (look for it spring of 2013) is already starting to come into focus a bit. And we will also be working with some of those apostolates on smaller events in between the conferences.
For now, checkout Project Rachel and Rachel's Vineyard. This is a great ministry and worthy of much support. Some info about upcoming events are posted below.
Come to the Mass celebrating 20 years of Project Rachel in Grand Rapids taking place on October 12 7:00 PM. For more information go here: http://ccwestmi.org/index.php?
Also, there is a retreat coming up from the related ministry of Project Rachel. Here's all the info.
Rachel's Vineyard Retreat
Dates: October 28-30, 2011
Rachel's Vineyard weekend retreats are a beautiful opportunity for any person who has struggled with the emotional and spiritual pain of an abortion experience.
Designed for women and men, the retreat process is an opportunity to surface and release repressed feelings of anger, shame, guilt, and grief. It offers women and men the chance to experience the mercy and compassion of God and to grieve the loss of their unborn child or children.
A Rachel's Vineyard Retreat helps the soul find voice and transforms the pain of the past into love and hope. It is open to people of all faiths.
Designed for women and men, the retreat process is an opportunity to surface and release repressed feelings of anger, shame, guilt, and grief. It offers women and men the chance to experience the mercy and compassion of God and to grieve the loss of their unborn child or children.
A Rachel's Vineyard Retreat helps the soul find voice and transforms the pain of the past into love and hope. It is open to people of all faiths.
For more information or to register:
Toll Free: 800-800-8284 (Michigan Only)
Phone: 616-340-1824
E-mail: mwalsh@ccwestmi.org (Maggie Walsh)
Website: Click Here
Now, I'm going to take some much earned time off!! Look for us to start posting again in about a week.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Two Days!
It's hard to believe but we are only two days away from the conference. We are expecting a respectable turnout but there is still plenty of room for more. Just show up and pay at the door.
There are also a number of other apostolates that will be represented at the conference. Presently, we are expecting 40 Days for Life, Catechetical Foundations, Holy Family Radio, Catholic Studies and Project Rachel/Rachel's Vineyard.
See you on Saturday!
There are also a number of other apostolates that will be represented at the conference. Presently, we are expecting 40 Days for Life, Catechetical Foundations, Holy Family Radio, Catholic Studies and Project Rachel/Rachel's Vineyard.
See you on Saturday!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Less than a week!
As amazing as it is, we are less than a week away from the 1st Annual Culture of Life Conference! It looks like it is going to be a far bigger success than we could have hoped for with around 100 people attending and more people still emailing asking about it. We still have a lot of work to do with getting the final details in order but it will all be worth it.
I also have to apologize for the lack of updates lately. The place where I work has had some crazy stuff happen over the last couple of weeks and I've pulling a lot of twelve hour shifts as a result. This week will be light as well as we work to iron out the details for the conference.
As for the future of this blog, we intend to carry it on as we plan on doing these once a year and we want to keep the news coming on various culture of life related issues. To that end, we'll be looking for additional contributors so that we can keep the blog active with a number of voices so that it becomes more of a forum for conversation than a bulletin board. If your are interested, let us know!
I also have to apologize for the lack of updates lately. The place where I work has had some crazy stuff happen over the last couple of weeks and I've pulling a lot of twelve hour shifts as a result. This week will be light as well as we work to iron out the details for the conference.
As for the future of this blog, we intend to carry it on as we plan on doing these once a year and we want to keep the news coming on various culture of life related issues. To that end, we'll be looking for additional contributors so that we can keep the blog active with a number of voices so that it becomes more of a forum for conversation than a bulletin board. If your are interested, let us know!
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