MISSION

The St. Juan Diego Pro-Life Society (A Comittee of the St. Thomas A Becket Catholic Church)

We, the St. Juan Diego Society dedicate ourselves to a non-partisan, inclusive approach to pro-life living. We embrace a Christian, Marian spirituality as Mary played a huge role in saving lives when she appeared to St. Juan Diego at Tepeyac, Mexico. She asked him to go to the local Bishop. Juan Diego did not know what sign Mary would give him to show the Bishop. When he opened his tilma (cloak), roses fell out in the middle of winter and the famous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was etched onto it. As a result, millions of lives were saved. Like Juan Diego, we are called to step out in faith We continue to rely on Mary's and St. Juan Diego's prayers  in our pro-life efforts. We rely on God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. We rely on the wisdom of the Roman Catholic Church. And like Juan Diego, we have a pro-life sign to show to the rest of the world.

We are rooted in prayer and liturgy. We pray for  women in crisis pregnancy and their care givers, for all pregnant women and their families, for our elected officials and  for the heart of our nation. We pray individually. We pray when we meet together. We have periodic liturgical celebrations.  All are invited.

We combine prayer and action by supporting the Office of Family Life programs such as the Gabriel Project, which offers parish-based assistance to women in crisis pregnancy. Activities include collecting and distributing  clothes and food, baby supplies, etc. , offering friendship and  non-clinical emotional support,  and transportation .

We also do various fund raising activities and social events such as giving roses on Mothers Day, Bake Sales, and other crafts. We are currently exploring other fund raising ideas.

We do parish adult education to include topics such as Natural Family Planning, Medical Ethics, Human Cloning, End of Life Decisions and Hospice. We plan and organize events where speakers can come and give lectures here at St. Thomas a Becket. We support our pastor in his efforts to educate us. Many of our speakers come from the local political, medical and religious communities and from speakers recommended by the Diocesan Office of Family Life.

We help our members become politically active in letting our elected officials know our Pro-Life agenda. We aim to challenge them through sending them letters. As part of the Church, we have a lot of voting power. We also participate in the March for Life in Washington, DC and the Life Chain held locally each year. We do not endorse any one party or candidate, but we do endorse Pro-Life principles. We want all political parties to see the humanity of human life from the womb to the tomb.

We need to hear from you! We are still in formation. We need your ideas. Contact: helend@his.com