Holy Family Cluster religious education program leads pro-life prayer service

By JoANN AMMANN, Globe Intern
October 26, 2006

Supporters of life gathered last Saturday at Trinity Heights for the Siouxland Interfaith "22nd of the Month" Pro-Life Prayer Services. The Holy Family Cluster Parish Religious Education Program facilitated the service.

Director of Religious Education for the cluster, Mary Kay Daniels, was coordinator for the event. According to Daniels, getting the students to participate was a combination of a little prayer along with asking and receiving.

"I have two ways of encouraging students to participate in this service. First, I pray for the Lord to soften hearts, so the students can agree to lead prayer," said Daniels. "Then I ask the kids."

Daniels also said that the support from the Catholic community also helps for the students' participation.

"It's an experience for them, the support from their Catholic community. They get a sense of belonging to the larger church, as they participate in pro-life prayer," said Daniels. "They are validated in living the Gospel and witnessing pro-life by our Catholic community."

"I take the Scripture to heart bringing up a child in the way he or she should go," said Daniels. "I think its important to teach the kids to be counter-cultural and to teach them to speak up for life and honoring all life issues, which is a very radically different way of being in today's culture."

Daniels also mentioned the importance of young people being sensitive to life issues.

"I think there's a tremendous need for our young people to be sensitive to life issues and honor life, so they can encourage their peer groups to choose life," she said.

The prayer service began with an opening song and call to prayer. The prayer was led by students, John Daniels, junior at Bishop Heelan High School and Thomas Rausch, sophomore at East High. The two students also participated in leading the rosary, telling the stories of the luminous mysteries.

Also participating in the service was Stephany Henry, a kindergarten teacher. For the service, she read a story titled "Angel in the Waters" and invited children to come and watch her tell the story of a baby growing in the womb of its mother until birth.

Daniels, along with fourth grade student Adrian Watkins, presented pro-life posters and essays by fourth grade students. The posters included a variety of ways on how the students are affected by being pro-life, and why people should be pro-life. The essays written by the fourth graders also told of their feelings about pro-life, and what it meant for them and their families to be pro-life.

Watkins, a fourth grader, said that being pro-life is special.

"I wanted to help show people about why pro-life is special," said Watkins. "It gives us a chance to remember why we're alive and why Jesus did this for us."

Father Michael Erpelding, pastor at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Sioux City, gave a reflection on the importance of pro-life, and was able to relate that vulnerable people need to be helped, and says it is also a part of pro-life.

"To love people where they are at and to try to bring them to understand their worth is pro-life to start with," according to Father Erpelding. "If we don't do that, I don't think that we can teach the true core of pro-life. We need to reach those who are vulnerable."

Father Erpelding also explained that while creation should be good, there is always negative around.

"All creation is good, but pesky evil is always around there," said Father Erpelding. "Jesus fed, taught and healed the vulnerable to help them. If someone does not know or pray to God, they are vulnerable also and we need to work for a conversion of hearts. We need to help all them to escape."

According to Father Erpelding, it is not the lack of teaching that people are struggling with but people need to be examples.

"We do a great job of teaching but conversion is the hard part," said Father Erpelding. "We need to lead by our own example to change hearts and bring about conversion."

Father Erpelding finished by saying that prayer and helping others publicly through a variety of different ways would give better examples for those who are in need of conversion.

"We need to pray that we can educate and also convert people through politics, offering places of sanctuary, continuing to provide ample opportunities to others, and offer resources to those who have none and to be people who help others in the conversion of their souls," Father Erpelding said.

Following the rosary, the prayer service ended with the Apostles' Creed and a closing prayer by Daniels.

Marge Stanek was one of the people present at Saturday night's prayer service.

"It's never enough to be active and just going to pro-life meetings," she said. "The power of prayer has to come first and we have to pray more."

"I really respect life and I think we have to pray and get things changed. There are a lot of little babies that need our prayers," said Stanek. "The moms need our prayers, the dads need our prayers, that's why we're here."

Stanek continued to say that it is more than just the babies that need prayer and also more changes need to take place.

"Tonight's service was beautiful," Stanek said. "It's beautiful to see a leader like Mary Kay Daniels bring the youth. We need the young people. She involves them with posters and other things to show their love for life."