Pro-life service looks at promoting culture of life

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
January 22, 2004

Over 500 people were on hand for the Siouxland Pro-life Interfaith Prayer Memorial held Jan. 18 at Central Baptist Church in Sioux City to mourn 31 years of legalized abortion in the United States.

In opening comments Dr. Don Cork of Central Baptist Church described the gathering as a reunion of believers who share a belief in the wonder and grace of life.

Greg Schleppenbach, state director of the Bishops' Plan for Pro-life Activities in Nebraska, offered the keynote address. His message centered on the origin and roots of the culture of death as well as reflection on how the people can work to create a culture of life through patience, humility and charity.

He started his talk with a passage from the Gospel of John built on the theme that whoever loves God must also love their brother.

"We commemorate today, the 31st anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. We commemorate the loss of more than 40 million of our youngest brothers and sisters. We reflect on the countless tears and wounded souls who have been wounded by abortion - women, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends and grandparents," said Schleppenbach.

The pro-life advocate quoted Mother Teresa who said that the decision of Roe vs. Wade had deformed a great nation.

Schleppenbach said that it has pitted people against each other, aggravated the degradation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society and portrayed the greatest of gifts - children - as a competitor, intrusion and inconvenience.

"Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human beings entitlement by virtue of his humanity," he stressed.

The pro-life advocate said that cloning should frighten people very much.

"Abortion represents the taking of human life made in the image and likeness of God - a very serious trespass of God's authority as the author life. Cloning I believe takes the step even further, trespassing in God's domain as the author of life because cloning not only involves the taking the human life made in the image and likeness of life, but it involves the making of human life in our own image, by our own specifications, for our own use," said Schleppenbach.

He urged people to work against cloning and other attacks against human life in the area of biomedical research.

"Think of the culture of death as a plant, a weed that you can see from the ground up. We have been working in the pro-life movement attacking that weed, trying to destroy it and its various manifestations with very little understanding or attention to the root underneath it," said Schleppenbach, who added that many people know that if you pluck a dandelion from the ground, it usually comes back.

He said it was imperative that people got to the root of the problem and pointed out that Pope John Paul II provided a blueprint for understanding the culture of death and rebuilding a culture of life and love.

The speaker referred to the Bible story when God asked Cain where was his brother and the response was that he didn't know he was his brother's keeper.

Unfortunately, more and more frequently the American society responds in this same way to people in need - to the pregnant mother in need of support; the dying, elderly, lonely; the homeless and the poor.

"Today's failure to take responsibility also takes the form of abandonment - abandonment of women, abandonment of the elderly, abandonment of those in need," stressed Schleppenbach.

He asked those gathered if they were aware that the pioneers of the feminist movement were very much opposed to abortion. They saw abortion as an abandonment of women, an exploitation of women.

The speaker mentioned that the pope has said the culture of death has been brought about in part by a perverse view of freedom marked by individualism, materialism and relativism.

When Jesus was asked: Who is your neighbor? He offered the parable of the Good Samaritan. In using this example, Schleppenbach said, "We don't get to choose who we go out of our way for - to help, to love, to support. We have been chosen to go out of our way to help anyone in need."

He told them to be careful that they don't let the business of life interfere with their willingness to reach out to others in need.

"Sin creates a spiritual blindness in our culture," said Schleppenbach. "It will take spiritual renewal within our churches, within our families, within our own hearts before we are going to see cultural change."

The first step in building a culture of life and love, he noted, was to proclaim the Gospel of life - to know, live and radiate your faith.

The speaker concluded his presentation with words of Mother Teresa - she had said to begin helping others with the first one.

As in years past, the service included the presentation of roses where young people ranging in age from 1 to 31 processed to the front of the church with roses. The roses represented the lives lost in the 31 years of legalized abortion in this country. Larry Walsh, a parishioner at Blessed Sacrament Church in Sioux City and an organizer of the prayer memorial, offered narration during the procession.

Following the keynote address Sherri Rossiter, director of the Nativity Parish Choir in Sioux City, sang a solo - Masterpiece. The Nativity Choir led the music for the service.

Bishop Daniel N. DiNardo was on hand for the interfaith memorial. In closing comments he mentioned that some the people had probably heard the news that the pope was transferring him to Texas to serve as the coadjutor bishop in the Galveston-Houston Diocese.

"I have been honored to work in this community, especially those in this community who attest to the culture of life," said the bishop, who added that he deeply appreciated the ecumenical dimension of the pro-life movement in the community. "It is powerful. I will miss that. I will miss this sense of purpose, the sense of perseverance."

Bishop DiNardo offered the closing prayer.

Following a coffee social, Pastor Al Weiss led a short prayer service at Trinity Heights' Tomb of the Unborn Child where the roses were placed out in the cold to die, symbolizing lives lost through the cold reality of abortion. Pro-life prayer services are held at Trinity Heights on the 22nd of each month.