The Holy Family is the “soul” solution for a wounded world. Abortion wounds women, men, and their children. Even more, it wounds families.
When men and women live in a holy family with God at its center, each member flourishes while the incidence of abortion drops.
Pulse Life Advocates asks you to pray this Novena over the next 9 days to ask God for blessings upon your family, as well as upon our Holy Family webinar, which begins Sunday, March 6th at 7PM.
The free webinar will run over four successive Sunday evenings at 7PM through March 27th. Each episode runs about 50 minutes. Advance registration is required here.
As we’ve written, the family is the “pay it forward” system. Women, men, and children ALL fare better within this structure when mom and dad are married. As Dr. Peter Kreeft writes in “Food for the Soul:”
“The family is the single most important institution on earth. All the happiest, most peaceful, and most enduring societies in history have had a deep respect for the family. It is the first place where we learn life’s most important lesson: unselfish love, the love that consists in the gift of your very self and life to others.”
Our Novena begins with a quote followed by prayer.
Thank-you for joining us in this Holy Family Novena.
***
“The charity which burned in the household at Nazareth should be an inspiration for every family. All the Christian virtues should flourish in the family, unity should thrive, and the example of its virtuous living should shine brightly.” Pope John XXIII
***
~ DAY FOUR PRAYER ~
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Holy Family, you were close to our Heavenly Father on Earth, uniting your wills to His, and are now close to Him in Heaven. I ask that you intercede with Him on my behalf.
(Mention your intentions here)
Mary, Mother of God, your primary vocation was bearing and raising your Child and for that, you are venerated among all women. Pray for God’s blessings upon all people whose primary work is in the home. May they see the great dignity of their work especially when it seems mundane or monotonous.
Holy Family, you who once walked this Earth, accompany my family as we strive to follow your example by walking in your footsteps.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Read more at: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/holy-family-novena
***
[The Holy Family Webinar is free and begins Sunday, March 6th at 7PM. Watch a preview below. You must register in advance so we can email you a link to view. Register here.]
The Holy Family is the “soul” solution for a wounded world. Abortion wounds women, men, and their children. Even more, it wounds families.
When men and women live in a holy family with God at its center, each member flourishes while the incidence of abortion drops.
Pulse Life Advocates asks you to pray this Novena over the next 9 days to ask God for blessings upon your family, as well as upon our Holy Family webinar, which begins Sunday, March 6th at 7PM.
The free webinar will run over four successive Sunday evenings at 7PM through March 27th. Each episode runs about 50 minutes. Advance registration is required here.
As we’ve written, the family is the “pay it forward” system. Women, men, and children ALL fare better within this structure when mom and dad are married. As Dr. Peter Kreeft writes in “Food for the Soul:”
“The family is the single most important institution on earth. All the happiest, most peaceful, and most enduring societies in history have had a deep respect for the family. It is the first place where we learn life’s most important lesson: unselfish love, the love that consists in the gift of your very self and life to others.”
Our Novena begins with a quote followed by prayer.
Thank-you for joining us in this Holy Family Novena.
***
“The family is called to be the temple or house of prayer: a simple prayer, full of effort and tenderness, a prayer that makes life so that life becomes a prayer.” SAINT POPE JOHN PAUL II
***
~ DAY THREE PRAYER ~
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Holy Family, you were close to our Heavenly Father on Earth, uniting your wills to His, and are now close to Him in Heaven. I ask that you intercede with Him on my behalf.
(Mention your intentions here)
Joseph, Foster Father of Jesus, you silently carried out the simple labor of a carpenter to provide for your family. Bless all parents who labor without complaint to support their families. Pray that they may in time see the spiritual fruits of their labor.
Holy Family, you who once walked this Earth, accompany my family as we strive to follow your example by walking in your footsteps.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Read more at: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/holy-family-novena
***
[The Holy Family Webinar is free and begins Sunday, March 6th at 7PM. Watch a preview below. You must register in advance so we can email you a link to view. Register here.]
The Holy Family is the “soul” solution for a wounded world. Abortion wounds women, men, and their children. Even more, it wounds families.
When men and women live in a holy family with God at its center, each member flourishes while the incidence of abortion drops.
Pulse Life Advocates asks you to pray this Novena over the next 9 days to ask God for blessings upon your family, as well as upon our Holy Family webinar, which begins Sunday, March 6th at 7PM.
The free webinar will run over four successive Sunday evenings at 7PM through March 27th. Each episode runs about 50 minutes. Advance registration is required here.
As we’ve written, the family is the “pay it forward” system. Women, men, and children ALL fare better within this structure when mom and dad are married. As Dr. Peter Kreeft writes in “Food for the Soul:”
“The family is the single most important institution on earth. All the happiest, most peaceful, and most enduring societies in history have had a deep respect for the family. It is the first place where we learn life’s most important lesson: unselfish love, the love that consists in the gift of your very self and life to others.”
Our Novena begins with a quote followed by prayer.
Thank-you for joining us in this Holy Family Novena.
***
“God is the Trinity, He is a communion of love; so is the family despite all the differences that exist between the mystery of God and His human creature, an expression that reflects the unfathomable mystery of God as Love.” POPE BENEDICT XVI
***
~ DAY TWO PRAYER ~
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Holy Family, you were close to our Heavenly Father on Earth, uniting your wills to His, and are now close to Him in Heaven. I ask that you intercede with Him on my behalf.
(Mention your intentions here)
Holy Family, after receiving warning from an angel, you fled to Egypt to save your son from the killing of innocents that was taking place in your hometown. Come to the aid of all families who are in exile, and come to our aid when the powers of this world act against our children, our God, and us.
Holy Family, you who once walked this Earth, accompany my family as we strive to follow your example by walking in your footsteps.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Read more at: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/holy-family-novena
***
[The Holy Family Webinar is free and begins Sunday, March 6th at 7PM. Watch a preview below. You must register in advance so we can email you a link to view. Register here.]
The Holy Family is the “soul” solution for a wounded world. Abortion wounds women, men, and their children. Even more, it wounds families.
When men and women live in a holy family with God at its center, each member flourishes while the incidence of abortion drops.
Pulse Life Advocates asks you to pray this Novena over the next 9 days to ask God for blessings upon your family, as well as upon our Holy Family webinar, which begins Sunday, March 6th at 7PM.
The free webinar will run over four successive Sunday evenings at 7PM through March 27th. Each episode runs about 50 minutes. Advance registration is required here.
As we’ve written, the family is the “pay it forward” system. Women, men, and children ALL fare better within this structure when mom and dad are married. As Dr. Peter Kreeft writes in “Food for the Soul:”
“The family is the single most important institution on earth. All the happiest, most peaceful, and most enduring societies in history have had a deep respect for the family. It is the first place where we learn life’s most important lesson: unselfish love, the love that consists in the gift of your very self and life to others.”
Our Novena begins with a quote followed by prayer.
Thank-you for joining us in this Holy Family Novena.
***
“How precious is the family, as the privileged place for transmitting the faith!” POPE FRANCIS
***
~ DAY ONE PRAYER ~
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Holy Family, you were close to our Heavenly Father on Earth, uniting your wills to His, and are now close to Him in Heaven. I ask that you intercede with Him on my behalf.
(Mention your intentions here)
Holy Family, you traveled to Bethlehem without knowing where Mary would give birth. You relied on God to provide, and what He provided for His Son was a manger in the midst of animals. Help my family to rely on God for our needs and trust in His ways, even when they are not what we expect.
Holy Family, you who once walked this Earth, accompany my family as we strive to follow your example by walking in your footsteps.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Read more at: https://www.praymorenovenas.com/holy-family-novena
***
[The Holy Family Webinar is free and begins Sunday, March 6th at 7PM. Watch a preview below. You must register in advance so we can email you a link to view. Register here.]
By Maggie DeWitte, Executive Director Pulse Life Advocates
Summary:
Chuck Hurley from the Family Leader makes his case
• Chuck Hurley The Family Leader – filed an amici brief
• Sam Langholz Assistant Attorney General
• Chris Schandevel Legal Counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom – filed an amici brief
• Alan Ostergren Chief Counsel The Kirkwood Institute – filed an amici brief (wasn’t at oral arguments; was at the briefing at the capitol after).
***
Today we heard oral arguments on the 24-hour bill. This bill was signed into law by Governor Reynolds in the 2020 legislative session. Before Governor Reynolds could even sign the bill into law, Planned Parenthood filed lawsuit against the bill, and filed an injunction so the bill could never be enacted or enforced. Planned Parenthood was successful in their injunction. This case made its way through the court system, finally landing in the Iowa Supreme Court, where we heard oral arguments regarding this case today.
The Planned Parenthood lawsuit noted two key issues:
From left to right: Kristi Judkins, Chuck Hurley, Maggie DeWitte
1) that a 24-hour waiting period was unconstitutional and
2) that it was a violation of the single subject process. The 24-hour bill was an amendment that was added to another bill, and Planned Parenthood argued that that was a violation. Attorney Langholz refuted that argument well today during oral arguments.
In addition to the 24-hour case, the 2018 ruling that created a so-called fundamental right to abortion in our Iowa constitution was presented and attorney Langholz stated it should be overturned. We are hopeful and optimistic that this ruling will go in our favor and expect to get the ruling on this case sometime before June 30.
From left: Kim Laube, Maggie DeWitte
If the ruling goes in our favor, then the 24-hour bill would need to go to trial. That process could take up to another year depending on how things are scheduled. Additionally, we would hope that the 2018 ruling would be reversed. This was a good day and a good start in helping us get to the point where we can finally make common sense regulations regarding abortion in our state to safeguard women and families. And then ultimately eliminate abortion in our state altogether!
We will continue our efforts to pass the Protect Life Amendment regardless of the court’s ruling this summer. We were successful in getting the PLA passed last legislative session. It must be passed in one more legislative session (2023) and then go before the vote of the people. We will continue to diligently work to get the Protect Life Amendment passed as we know that is the surest and best path forward to return our Iowa Constitution back to what is was before the 2018 ruling and put the role of creating law back into the hands of our duly elected legislators.
By Maggie DeWitte, Executive Director Pulse Life Advocates
Maggie DeWitte reporting from the Iowa Capital
February 18, 2022, was the first funnel this legislative session. Any bill that did not get through the subcommittee and committee process in one chamber was considered dead. We had several pro-life bills that we were working to get passed. Here is a list of the different bills.
SF2029 A bill relating to the post-fertilization age of an unborn child relative to an abortion and making licensee discipline and civil penalties applicable. This bill stated that if a physician determined the baby was 12 weeks old, they would not be able to perform an abortion. This bill would have changed our current 20-week abortion ban to 12 weeks. We registered in support of this bill. Unfortunately, it did not pass out of committee and is dead for this session.
HF2210 A bill relating to abortion complications and statistical reporting. This bill would provide reports on abortion complications and improve our abortion reporting here in Iowa. We registered in support of this bill, but unfortunately it did not pass out of committee and is dead for this session.
HF2289 This bill relates to the prohibition of abortion in our state. This is a ‘trigger’ bill that states should Roe vs. Wade be overturned, abortion in Iowa would be outlawed. We registered in support of this bill; however, it did not pass through the committee process and is dead.
HF2389 (previously HF2219) A bill related to medication abortions including required informed consent and the dispensing of abortion-inducing drugs to patients within the state, providing penalties. This bill requires that any woman entering an abortion clinic to obtain a chemical abortion, MUST be informed via written materials, signage and verbally that she can get an abortion pill reversal to stop the chemical abortion should she change her mind. It also states that RU-486 must be dispensed in a health care setting. This will hopefully eliminate mail order abortion pills in our state. We registered in support of this bill, and it passed the committee process and is now eligible for debate on the House floor.
HF2206 This bill related to the nonconsensual termination of a human pregnancy. This bill would correct a bad court ruling and make it a crime to attempt to cause a woman to abort. We registered in support of this bill, and it passed the committee process with bipartisan support and is now eligible for debate on the House floor.
HF2447 This bill relates to an assault of a pregnant person and providing felony penalties. We registered in support of this bill, and it passed the committee process and is eligible for debate on the House floor.
SSB3145 The MOMS Act: This bill would offer funding to nonprofits that help mothers who choose life. Iowa’s over forty pregnancy resource centers are already doing great work, but we believe this will help new centers start in needy areas of Iowa and help current centers expand their services. Because this bill includes an appropriation, it may need to take a few more steps for it to move through the process.
HF2420 (previously HF2267) This bill relates to the newborn safe haven act. Iowa already has a save haven law, but this bill will expand it from 30 days to sixty days in which a parent can voluntarily release custody of a newborn infant. We registered in support of this bill, and it passed the committee process and is eligible for debate on the House floor.
Sometimes the most beautiful blessings are born at inconvenient times.
Mary’s Helping Hands is one of those blessings.
Lauren Burke and Carissa Wright (above), co-founders of Mary’s Helping Hands, are both mothers right in the thick of things. Crying babies. Short nights. Older kids’ activities. Laundry and more laundry. It can be exhausting. Any average person would say, “let your kids grow up a bit before starting a non-profit organization.”
Not Lauren and Carissa. They couldn’t ignore the overwhelming sense that the Holy Spirit was leading them to serve underprivileged women experiencing unplanned pregnancies.
In their research, Lauren and Carissa realized that many mothers are done with their baby items and looking for a good place to donate them. So, with their kids in tow and a handful of volunteers, they led a donation drive at Sacred Heart in West Des Moines. A few cars turned into several and before they knew it, the parish center was full of all things baby: piles of all sizes of baby clothes, bottles, nursing gear, diaper bags, maternity clothes, books, toys, and the list goes on.
Mary’s Helping Hands was born. Starting in the homes of Lauren and Carissa, they quickly realized that they needed more space. They found a storage unit. More and more donations came in. That one storage unit quickly turned into 4 storage units.
Mary’s Helping Hands started serving mothers in our community on April 15th, 2021. Since that day, they have been able to serve over 220 mothers, 240 babies, and 50 toddlers. Over 17,000 items have been given free of charge, no strings attached.
Lauren explains what she sees first hand: “The needs are extreme. Many of the women who are coming to us for help are homeless and they have nothing. They are living in extreme poverty and are desperate for any help. We are just seeing the tip of the iceberg, there’s so many more women out there that haven’t heard about us yet. It’s the most humbling experience of my life. Mary’s Helping Hands is the answer for finding the help these women need and deserve.”
Mary’s Helping Hands goes far beyond the physical needs of the women they serve. Each and every woman that reaches out is given the respect and dignity they deserve. Their mission statement is: “We provide hope, love and support for expecting mothers who may need a helping hand with basic needs for their child’s first years of life.” Some of the women who ask for help have no support system. Mary’s Helping Hands is there for them in difficult times, providing an ear to listen, a heart to love, and prayers to strengthen.
It is true, the timing of Mary’s Helping Hands may not have been ideal for Lauren and Carissa, but their “yes” to Christ has led to an amazing blessing in our community. It’s a good reminder to not wait for that perfect time in our lives. Go ahead, accept those beautiful blessings at inconvenient times and see the glorious creations of God!
For more information on Mary’s Helping Hands, visit the website at: maryshelpinghandsiowa.org or email MaryshelpinghandsSH@gmail.com.
By Tom Quiner
I have shown tremendous restraint at avoiding politics on my personal Facebook page, including commenting on others’ political FB posts. There is little upside to commenting. People get mad. No one is persuaded. However, a recent bit of political satire (above) provoked me.
I interpreted the cartoon to suggest that left-wingers are charitable, interested in others, and altruistic in contrast to right-wingers who are selfish, uncharitable, and self-absorbed. (I acknowledge that I may have totally missed the point.)
I’m acquainted with the woman who posted the satirical cartoon. She attends my parish, so I responded with restraint:
“It’s an interesting assertion, but I’m not sure if it’s really accurate. If one wants to use political affiliation as a metric to gauge compassion, the liberal Huffington Post points out that Republicans (54%) are more likely than Democrats (45%) to donate money to charity. Even more, Republicans (33%) are more likely to volunteer their time for a cause than Democrats (24%). I typically avoid commenting on political posts on FB, but because of my respect for you, I thought you would be open to a different way of looking at things if the evidence was compelling enough. I certainly know generous people of all political stripes, as well as others who aren’t. And it’s very possible I missed the entire point of the cartoon. Thanks for letting me weigh in.”
She reacted to my commentary well and ‘liked’ it, eventually removing the cartoon from her page.
Relevance to the abortion debate
What’s this have to do with the biggest issue of our age, abortion? Generally, ‘right-wingers’ are pro-life while ‘left-wingers’ are pro-abortion.
When a man and a woman conceive a child, they are now a family, an ‘us.’ Left-wingers are not the least bit ‘us-oriented’ when it comes unborn family members; they are ‘me’ oriented.
So this piece of political satire misses the mark again. ‘Right-wing’ pro-lifers adopt unwanted babies; they support women’s pregnancy resource centers who offer authentic healthcare; they help fund post-abortive counseling resources to help women traumatized by their abortions; and they help women after their babies are born through pro-life organizations like Catholic Charities and the Knights of Columbus, to name but two out of many.
The abortion movement is me-oriented. The pro-life movement is actually you-oriented, although we view our unborn brothers and sisters as part of ‘us.’
Political satire is a great tool for conveying a political point of view with power and pithiness. It can also distort reality, as I believe this one does. Sometimes, we can’t let it pass. Sometimes, we shouldn’t let it pass.
[Have you registered yet for upcoming free webinar, “The Holy Family?” Don’t wait, register now. The 1st episode runs Sunday, March 6th at 7PM. Watch the trailer below:]
By
For nearly 50 years, the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade has been the nation’s biggest barrier to protecting and defending the lives of unborn children.
In Iowa, the biggest barrier to protecting innocent babies’ lives is the 2018 Iowa Supreme Court decision Planned Parenthood v. Reynolds.
But on Wednesday, Feb. 23, Iowa’s version of Roe v. Wade will face an oral argument challenge before a new group of State Supreme Court justices.
This is a very, very big day for protecting babies in Iowa, for if the State Supreme Court reverses or alters Planned Parenthood v. Reynolds, it could pave the way for legislators to once again pass pro-life laws in our state.
Coalition member and attorney Chuck Hurley of The FAMiLY Leader will be there, seated before the Court to represent pro-life Iowans during the arguments.
And here are 5 ways in which YOU can get informed and involved, too:
- Learn: 60 Iowa legislators signed on to a brief, urging the Court to overturn Planned Parenthood v. Reynolds. The court will read and consider the brief before oral arguments even begin. You can learn more, or even read the brief yourself, here.
- Watch live: The Iowa Supreme Court will broadcast the oral arguments, from 9:00-9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23, through this link.
- Watch for analysis afterward: Coalition members, The FAMiLY Leader and Pulse Life Advocates, will be on site, even at the table in the courtroom, and will follow up with an insider’s analysis of what happened during the hearing – so keep an eye on TFL’s website and Coalition social media accounts following oral arguments! Pulse Life Advocates will provide updates on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
- Pray: Invite your family, your friends, your small group, and your church to join with you in praying for innocent life to be protected!
- Give: The Iowa Coalition of Pro-Life Leaders works non-stop to protect life in the womb in Iowa – at the Capitol, in the culture, and on Feb. 23, in the State Supreme Court chambers itself! Join our work by giving today!
Cohabitation flourishes even though it is an inferior living arrangement compared to marriage. And yet couples increasingly cohabitate and defer marriage even though the happiness quotient is higher with married couples.
Pulse Life Advocates is concerned with the issue, as the incidence of abortion sky rockets with unmarried couples.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, 19% of all pregnancies in the U.S. (excluding spontaneous miscarriages) ended in abortion in 2019. But the number plummets to 4% among married women compared to 28% for unmarried women.
Moving beyond abortion, Pew Research conducted comprehensive research on the subject of marriage. They discovered the happiness quotient is significantly higher among married couples compared to cohabitating ones as you can see the in the chart below:
The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting piece on Saturday, “Too Risky to Wed in Your 20s? Not If You Avoid Cohabitating First.”
The piece pointed out that today’s couples get married later than in decades past, and explains why:
“The thinking goes that, if you wait until 30 or later to marry, you’re much more likely to have the maturity required both to make a good choice and to be a good spouse. The fact that the median age at first marriage for American women is now almost 29 (it’s 30 for men)—and higher still among those with at least a college degree—suggests that this view is widely held.”
Some research shows that the likelihood of divorce drops if couples wait until 30 to get married, with this exception:
“As we recently discovered, however, there is an interesting exception to the idea that waiting until 30 is best. In analyzing reports of marriage and divorce from more than 50,000 women in the U.S. government’s National Survey of Family Growth (NFSG), we found that there is a group of women for whom marriage before 30 is not risky: women who married directly, without ever cohabiting prior to marriage. In fact, women who married between 22 and 30, without first living together, had some of the lowest rates of divorce in the NSFG.”
Let’s face it, divorce reduces the happiness quotient for everyone: the couple, their kids, their extended families, everyone (other than the attorneys!).
Twenty something couples who opt for marriage over cohabitation begin enjoying all the benefits inherit in relationships built upon commitment, beginning with a higher happiness quotient. And if the couple have a shared faith life and create ‘holy families,’ the happiness quotient is off the charts.
As we’ve discussed before, children enjoy better outcomes raised within a framework of marriage.
So the upside to living within not just a marriage, but of creating a holy family, is so off the charts, that we’ve created a free 4-part webinar beginning March 6th promoting it. How do you watch? Simply register today and learn more!
The Holy Family is the ‘soul’ solution for a wounded world.