WORKS

Be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves…. Faith apart from works is dead. - Letter of Saint James: 1:22 & 2:26 RSV:CE

Scroll down to learn seven actions you can easily take to be "doers of the Word", to perform works of mercy that will change hearts; help God build His Kingdom on Earth; and help save our nation by bringing it back to being under God.

First, before reviewing these actions, take two minutes to scroll down to review the scriptural basis and the true Catholic Church teaching basis for the seven actions.

Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 2, Verses 34 to 37 (RSV-CE): Peter addressing the crowd on the day of Pentecost: "Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?""

• But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him... Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:33-37, RSV-CE)

• As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace . - 1st Letter of Saint Peter: 4:10, RSV-CE

• God will render to every man according to his works - Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans: 2:6., RSV-CE

• For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified - Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans: 2:13, RSV-CE

• Rescue those who are being taken away to death ... If you say, "Behold, we did not know this," ... Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not requite man according to his work? - Proverbs 24:10-12, RSV-CE

BRETHREN, WHAT SHALL WE DO?

This section outlines actions that are in compliance with the duty of Christians and Jewish believers as set forth in Sacred Scripture and Church Teaching. Use the buttons below to link to any of the seven listed actions, or scroll down the page to view all seven one by one.

In addition, it is also our duty to keep ourselves informed. We cannot fulfill our duties in society as Christians and citizens, especially at election time, if we are uninformed or misinformed. We need truthful news sources without bias and we need wise, impartial analysis of realities underlying news events to ground ourselves with a sound world view. 

Link to our RESOURCES page for links to trustworthy news sources and sources of sound analysis from authors well-grounded in the values of the Christian (or Jewish) Faith. The perspective that is gained from the combination of accurate news and penetrating analysis is needed for us to responsible participate in our society and in making decisions, especially the decisions we need to make on November 5, Election Day.

Link to LATEST NEWS & ANALYSIS on our RESOURCES page to recent news articles, analyses, and interviews, updated frequently.

Armed with knowledge and reliable information, we need to take action. To view the eight actions recommended below, navigate this page by either of these two methods:

1. Use the headings in the following section to link to actions that you can take to fulfil your Christian (and Judaic) obligations, thus effecting positive changes in our nation's culture, or
2. Link here to our Actions Menu for links to seven actions you can take.

Our duty to take action (for example, the seven actions outlined below) derives from Sacred Scripture and Church teaching:

I: Acts of mercy and alms-giving:

This is a requirement for all Christians and Jews, as is stated in dozens of passages in the Old Testament and New Testament. Link here for 24 of these passages.

II: Voting:

It is “morally obligatory to ... exercise the right to vote...” - Catechism of the Catholic Church: No. 2240

III: Sanctity of Human life, from Conception to Natural Death:

• "Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of its existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person, among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.” - Catechism of the Catholic Church:No. 2270

• “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.” - Catechism of the Catholic Church: No. 2271

• “Knowingly voting for someone who is pro-abortion” is a mortal sin*, however, if there are two candidates and one promotes abortion at any time up until birth while the other is against abortions after 6 weeks from conception, voting for the latter is a means of lessening evil, saving many babies from a horrible, painful death.  

  * in "Examination of Conscience" - Author: Father Robert Altier, with the Imprimatur of Harry J. Flynn, D.D., Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Link here for a copy of this document.

• Link to the Abortion section of our VOTE JUSTLY page for additional information and insights on this vitally important topic.
• Link to our ABORTION page to learn from sacred scripture, Dr. Ben Carson, and other dependable sources.

IV: National Defense:

It is “morally obligatory to ... defend one’s country” - Catechism of the Catholic Church: No. 2240

Defend our country by using your purchasing power wisely to strengthen the U.S.A. and weaken our nation's sworn enemies: Link to Action 7.

Action 1:

USCCB-based Nonpartisan Parish Pre-Election Catholic Education Program

Join parishes across the Nation:

Put the direction of the USCCB into practice in your parish, putting the USCCB bulletins in the hands of all church members, resulting in conversions and a tidal wave of Pro-Life voting in all States. Send the letter below to your pastor or send him a link to this section of the site. This program is in full compliance with the explicit guidance of all documents of the USCCB website. It is also almost a duplicate of the program of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Your pastor doesn't need to extemporize from the pulpit because the USCCB flyers clearly proclaim true Catholic Church teaching, stating, for example:

 ”Inviolable human dignity is present in each person from the moment of their conception.”

 “Human abortion is the direct and intentional killing of a child in the womb.”

 “Abortion is an intrinsic evil, meaning that it is never permitted or morally justified.”

 “Many political leaders work actively to increase access to abortion. Some falsely describe it as health care and even as a basic human right. People of good will must boldly stand up against this intrinsic evil.”

In addition to the USCCB documents distributed in this program is a beautiful, moving letter by a Catholic Bishop nobly doing his job as a true shepherd of his flock: Link here to Bishop William Waltersheid's letter, "Why I am Pro-Life", on the website of the Diocese of Pittsburgh or read and download powerful selected Highlights of this letter.

You can make a difference! If you live in one of states forecasted to be a "swing state*" on November 5, this is critically important. Contact your pastor and Respect Life Team leader today!

While some Catholics are considering the option of not voting in this election because neither of the presidential candidates is proposing prohibiting abortion from the time of conception in the womb, recent analyses by Professor Roberto de Mattei (of the University of Rome), senior Roman Catholic exorcist Father Chad Ripperger, and others conclude, quoting Father Ripperger, that a Catholic’s “obligation is to vote for the lesser of two evils… to preserve the good that would be lost if the other candidate got elected” (i.e., vote to lessen evil). Link here to read these analyses and incorporate them in your prayerful discernment. Of course, we must pray for the conversion of all candidates who do not put into practice the unerring Church teaching of the sanctity of life from the moment of conception to natural death.

*Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Here is a letter ready for you to send to your pastor (after you personalize it by editing the highlighted words):

Link to our Dropbox folder for the following documents:

• the original Word file of this letter (prints on one page, 2-sided),
• the original Word file of the one-page USCCB-based Nonpartisan Parish Pre-Election Catholic Education Program, and
• the four USCCB flyers listed below and Presidential Candidate Comparison - compiled by Pennsylvania Catholic Conference for 2024 Election.

And the King will answer them, “Truly, as you did it to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me” - Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 25: Verse 40

Subject: USCCB-based Nonpartisan Parish Pre-Election Catholic Education Program

Dear Father Joseph,

I am (or we are) writing on behalf of our family and others blessed to be members of your parish to ask you to please distribute the USCCB flyers listed in the USCCB Respect Life Month Statement (attached) and as listed in the attached program of the Diocese of Charlotte, along with the attached flyer that is being distributed in the parishes of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (compiled by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference). The attached “USCCB-based Nonpartisan Parish Pre-Election Catholic Education Program” outlines a suggested way to distribute these flyers, which are vitally needed by Catholics to apply the guidance of the U.S.C.C.B. guide, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, in making voting decisions. The flyers (attached to this email) and a suggested timing of distribution are as follows:

(Refer to next frame.)

The letter continues and concludes below.

continuation of letter to Pastor:

The flyer, “There is Hope After Abortion”, about the USCCB’s Project Rachel” is included in anticipation of reactions from some women who have had abortions. The Respect Life Month Statement states, “We must likewise continue to extend the hand of compassion to all who are suffering from participation in abortion, through the Church’s abortion healing ministries like Project Rachel Ministry.” (Some dioceses, where Project Rachel is not available, promote the Rachel’s Vineyard ministry and other local counseling services.)

The Respect Life Month Statement states, “We must call for policies that assist women and their children in need, continuing to help mothers in our own communities through local pregnancy help centers and our nationwide, parish-based initiative, Walking with Moms in Need.”

“Priorities at the Polls” is important because, realistically, the 64 pages’ long “Forming Consciences For Faithful Citizenship” booklet will not be read and incorporated in the forming of consciences by more than a few Catholics. The one-page Priority at the Polls flyer clearly provides Catholics with the vitally important information that is needed for them to properly form their consciences prior to voting, including the following:

 “The threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself, because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family, and because of the number of lives destroyed.”

 ”Inviolable human dignity is present in each person from the moment of their conception.”

 “Abortion is an intrinsic evil, meaning that it is never permitted or morally justified.”

 “Many political leaders work actively to increase access to abortion. Some falsely describe it as health care and even as a basic human right. People of good will must boldly stand up against this intrinsic evil.”

 “We must do what we can to … ensure that unborn children are fully recognized and protected by our laws.”

These statements are reinforced in “The Truth About Abortion and Women’s Health” which states, “Abortion is the direct and intentional killing of a child in the womb.”

The Respect Life Month Statement states, “We must renew our commitment to work for the legal protection of every human life, from conception to natural death, and to vote for candidates who will defend the life and dignity of the human person.” The U.S.C.C.B. flyers provide church members with true Catholic Church teaching, reminding them of the moral obligation of Catholics to vote accordingly and making it clear that they need to undertake the due diligence of learning the relevant positions of the parties and candidates. Saving the priest from needing to extemporize or use more than a minute or two of his pulpit time, the U.S.C.C.B. flyers clearly proclaim true Catholic Church teaching.

With the discernment that comes from grasping these truths, a Catholic’s vote becomes a crucial moral act and a work of mercy, helping to save children’s lives and restore our nation’s culture to a culture of life. This program constitutes a work of mercy on the part of the pastor, fostering further works of mercy by all his parishioners - in their voting to save children’s lives, in helping expectant moms in need, and in helping women who have had abortions obtain the spiritual and emotional healing that they need.

Some Pro-Life Catholics are considering the option of not voting in this election because neither of the presidential candidates is proposing prohibiting abortion from the moment of conception. However, recent analyses by Professor Roberto de Mattei (of the University of Rome), senior Roman Catholic exorcist Father Chad Ripperger, and others conclude, (quoting Father Ripperger), that a Catholic’s “obligation is to vote for the lesser of two evils… to preserve the good that would be lost if the other candidate got elected”, i.e., vote to lessen evil). (Find links to these analyses on www.HolyFamilyHelp.us by using this link: https://holyfamilyhelp.us/component/sppagebuilder/page/20#toc). Of course, we pray with the USCCB for the conversion of all candidates who do not understand or respect the sanctity of life from the moment of conception to natural death, which, of course, makes in vitro fertilization (IVF) unthinkable.

In addition to proper conscience formation (guided by the USCCB publications) as the foundation for preparing to vote, Catholics need to study the records and positions of the candidates and compare the platforms of the two parties. For this purpose, the above-referenced website, www.HolyFamilyHelp.us, is an excellent Catholics-focused “one-stop” resource for this information as it relates to abortion and all other election issues (https://holyfamilyhelp.us/voting). This site is the source of the program described above. It presents facts without promoting any candidate or party. It has links to all of the attached flyers. It also introduces resources to help Christians grow in their faith ( https://holyfamilyhelp.us/faith-prayer) and develop their families as “domestic churches” ( https://holyfamilyhelp.us/family), thereby serving people long after the election. This website is recommended by Bishop Joseph Strickland, Bishop Emeritus of Tyler, Texas, and is reviewed and recommended in the 10/11/24 Life Site News article https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/new-website-launches-pre-election-program-encouraging-catholics-to-vote-for-life/?

Please make others aware of this website, as it will help bring lapsed Catholics back to church and draw non-Catholics to the Catholic Church.

Thanking you for serving as the good shepherd of our flock. Praying for you and your work for our Lord, I am / we are

Your brother (and/or sister) in Christ, Your name (or names, if husband and wife)

Attachments: USCCB-based Nonpartisan Parish Pre-Election Catholic Education Program and above-listed eight flyers.

USCCB-based Nonpartisan Parish Pre-Election Catholic Education Program

This program will achieve the following:

• provides church members with the USSCB documents that are needed to know the teaching of the Catholic Church in regard to abortion and form their consciences as true Catholics, and thus, after studying the records and positions of the candidates, make moral voting decisions;
• inspires church members to support the loving alternatives to abortion that are available locally for women finding themselves with unwanted pregnancies, providing loving help and support before and after their baby’s birth, as well as the loving option of adoption, via the USCCB’s “Walking with Moms in Need” program; and
• helps women who have had abortions to obtain the spiritual and emotional healing these women need, via the USCCB’s Project Rachel ministry.

Here are the steps of this program:

1. For any help that is needed to implement this program, call on Parish Respect Life Team members of your parish or neighboring parishes and they will gladly make copies, stuff bulletins, and do whatever else is needed.

2. Distribute the attached  flyers as listed below by including them in the weekly distribution of the parish bulletin (inserted behind the cover page of the bulletin). Add a notice in the bulletin stating that the flyers are also available on the parish website for reading or downloading. Here are the flyers in the recommended order:

(continued below, after the Program Schedule, which appears in the next frame)

continued from above,

USCCB-based Nonpartisan Parish Pre-Election Catholic Education Program

3. In every Sunday mass announcement, the Celebrant tells the people which flyers are being distributed with the bulletin, asking everyone to carefully study the flyers and stating that he is dutifully following the direction given by the USCCB and that the USCCB flyers convey the true teaching of the Church. Ideally, he will briefly quote from the key content of the flyers and/or make a brief statement as to the content of each flyer..

4. Anticipating reactions from some women who have had abortions, the flyer, “There is Hope After Abortion” (USCCB Project Rachel), is distributed on the first Sunday. It addresses the deep need for spiritual and emotional healing in every woman who has had an abortion. (The reverse side of this Word document presents the Rachel’s Vineyard ministry, which can be deleted at the Pastor’s option, and local Diocese-approved counselling help can be inserted.) These wounds need God’s healing, so addressing this and opening the door to spiritual and emotional help is a true work of mercy for these women on the part of the priest.

5. On the second Sunday, the USCCB flyer, “Walking with Moms in Need”, tells about this great parish program to help each woman-with-child-in-need before and after her baby’s birth. Ideally, the Celebrant will encourage church members to support the local charitable organizations that help these moms in need, through volunteering and/or making donations.

6. Subject to the approval of the pastor, we also recommend distributing the one-page flyer, “Why I am Pro-Life (Highlights)" by Bishop William Waltersheid of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and the flyer “The Bible, Church Teaching, and Science - On Abortion”, quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church and addressing “voting to lessen evil” when neither candidate is promoting the sanctity of life from the moment of conception.

7.Place stacks of all these flyers on a table in the narthex and let people know that they are there for the taking. Ask your flock to take them home, read them, share them with family members and friends, and pray for guidance.

8. Advertise these flyers in bulletins, Flocknotes, e-mail blasts, etc., making them prominently available on the parish website for reading and downloading (e.g., by simply linking to the USCCB website). Ask the Diocese office to make them available on the Diocese website for direct access and for linked access from parish websites.

Attachments to letter to Pastor:

Scroll down or use the links in this list to view and download a pdf file of each document in turn:

USCCB-based Nonpartisan Parish Pre-Election Catholic Education Program

1. USCCB Respect Life Month Statement, October 2024 - Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge
2. Priorities at the Polls (on the USCCB website)
3. There is Hope After Abortion (on the USCCB website)
4. Dignity of the Human Person (on the USCCB website)
5. Walking with Moms in Need (on the USCCB website)
6. Respect for Unborn Human Life:The Church's Constant Teaching (on the USCCB website)
7. The Truth About Abortion & Women's Health (on the USCCB website)
8. Why I am Pro-Life by Bishop William Waltersheid
9. The Bible, Church Teaching, and Science - On Abortion

Priorities at the Polls (highlighting added by website editors)

By Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann

As Catholics approach the polls, we are asked to weigh many important issues. The U.S. bishops have reaffirmed that “the threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself, because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family, and because of the number of lives destroyed.” While they did warn us not to “dismiss or ignore other serious threats to human life and dignity such as racism, the environmental crisis, poverty, and the death penalty,” they did give priority to upholding and defending our brothers’ and sisters’ most basic right—to live.

Abortion tragically ends someone’s life when he or she is most vulnerable and most in need of loving protection. Abortion is an intrinsic evil, meaning that it is never permitted or morally justified, regardless of individual circumstances or intentions. The personal and societal consequences of attacks against human life, whether at its earliest stages or at its final stages, are all the more serious because most often they are “carried out in the very heart of and with the complicity of the family—the family which by its nature is called to be the ‘sanctuary of life.’” This is the place where a person should be most loved, cherished, and protected.

Catholics are called to defend human life wherever it is threatened and stand up for human dignity wherever it is violated. The enormous number of human lives destroyed by abortion is one factor that elevates its importance. Beginning in 1973 with Roe v. Wade, and during the nearly 50-year period after Roe in which the Supreme Court forbade state prohibitions on abortion, nearly 64 million children have been killed—and untold numbers of women and men suffer in the aftermath.

Even with the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, a decision that returns the abortion issue to the electorate, many states continue not to recognize children in their mothers’ wombs as persons warranting protection under the law. Federal laws in our country fail to protect the lives of unborn children, and many political leaders at the state and federal level, work actively to increase access to abortion. Some falsely describe it as health care and even as a basic human right.

People of good will must boldly stand up against this intrinsic evil, especially when it is occurring on a massive scale, implemented in law and funded, in some instances, by the government. As believers and citizens inspired by the Gospel and guided by the shepherds of our Church, we must do what we can to end violence in the womb, to ensure that unborn children are fully recognized and protected by our laws, and to support mothers and fathers in embracing life.

Respect for Unborn Human Life: The Church's Constant Teaching (U.S.C.C.B. Publication)

Link to the USCCB website to view and download this document. Also, add a link to your parish website and Diocese website:

https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/abortion/respect-for-unborn-human-life

For a hard copy to distribute in your church, print this two-page document on two sides of one 8.5" by 11" sheet of paper. Here, below, are copies of the two pages. (For a legible view, use one of the above links.)

"Why I am Pro-Life", a letter from his Excellency, William Waltersheid, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh:

• Read key excerpts from this letter below.
• Link here to the full letter on the Diocese's website.
• Link here for the one-page pdf file of highlights of this document, approved by Bishop Waltersheid for use as a parish bulletin, church narthex hand-out, and parish website attachment.

Here are key excerpts from this beautiful letter:

1./ I am Pro-Life because I am Pro-Child. Whatever words a person uses to describe abortion—women’s health care, reproductive health care, termination of a pregnancy—the truth is that abortion is the killing of a human being, a child at that.

...No one has the right to deny a person this gift of life, this child is to be embraced and loved.

2./ I am Pro-Life because I am Pro-Science. Scientific research has provided ample evidence that the unborn child is a separate person from the moment of conception.

3./ I am Pro-Life because I am Pro-Woman. There is a lie propagated today claiming that abortion is health care for women and that abortion is the answer to the challenge of a pregnancy in the difficult situations in a woman’s life. The absolute opposite is the truth. Abortion does not provide a cure or health care for women. Rather, abortion degrades women, treating their fertility as a defect or a disease. Abortion enables men to objectify, use and then leave women with no support or true love when they need it the most. Abortion has nothing to do with health for women. It is cold, heartless, and destructive. Who has recounted this to me? Women themselves, over and over again. I am Pro-Life because I respect women too much to allow them to be so hurt.

4./ I am Pro-Life because I am Pro-Justice and Pro-Mercy. Every single human person is entitled to equal protection under the law. The most fundamental of human rights is the right to life. If a person is denied the right to life, then no other right has any meaning or purpose.

5./ I am Pro-Life because I am Pro-Culture and Family. Abortion strikes also at the heart of the nuclear family, betraying the fruit of marital love, a child that gives hope and life for the future. Untold damage has been done to the nuclear family as well as the culture by abortion.

6./ I am Pro-Life because I am Pro-Love. Our Lord said, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). I believe that just as Jesus Christ laid down His life for all of us, I am called as a Catholic, as a priest and as a bishop, to lay down my life for my unborn brothers and sisters and for their mothers.

Please embrace and promote the Church’s constant teaching on the Gospel of Life. Please support the Pro-Life groups that do such selfless and empowering work in our diocese. I encourage you to get involved in their work and to support them through volunteering.

Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid

Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh

The Bible, Church Teaching, and Science: On Abortion

Link to view and download this document from this website: The Bible, Church Teaching, and Science - On Abortion

Also, add a link to your parish website and Diocese website:

For a hard copy to distribute in your church, print this two-page document on two sides of one 8.5" by 11" sheet of paper. Here, below, are copies of the two pages. (For a clear legible view, use the link above.)

Dignity of the Human Person (U.S.C.C.B. Publication)

Link to the USCCB website to view and download this document. Also, add a link to your parish website and Diocese website:

https://www.usccb.org/resources/Dignity-of-the-Human-Person.pdf

For a hard copy to distribute in your church, print this two-page document on two sides of one 8.5" by 11" sheet of paper. Here, below, are copies of the two pages. (For a clear legible view, use one of the above links.)

The Truth About Abortion & Women's Health - USCCB Publication

Link to view this document on the USCCB website. Also, add a link to your parish website and Diocese website: https://www.usccb.org/resources/Women's%20Healt%20Infographic.pdf

Download the pdf from the USCCB website or from this site:

The Truth About Abortion & Women's Health

Here, below, is a copy of the document.(For a clear legible view, use one of the above links.)

In November of 2023, in the conference of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the bishops voted overwhelmingly (225-11, with seven abstentions) to approve a revised introduction to the USCCB election voting guide, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, stating “The threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks our most vulnerable and voiceless brothers and sisters and destroys more than a million lives per year in our country alone.”

Action 2:

Mobilize the USCCB's Pro-Life program, Walking with Moms in Need:

or find parishes in your diocese that have mobilized this program and link your parish website to theirs. Support your local agencies helping save unborn babies at risk by helping the babies' moms and dads. You can support them through donations (almsgiving) and/or volunteering.

Here is a link to the website of Saint Aidan Parish in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, PA, with a beautiful, compelling presentation of local resources dedicated to helping moms in need. The image to the right is a snapshot from this mpressive parish website page.

Here is a link to the USCCB website's page on Walking with Moms in Need.

Link to the website www.walkingwithmoms.com for detailed instructions in forming a program in your parish.

Link to the USCCB flyer on the USCCB website.

Action 3:

Form a "Culture of Life Team" in your Diocese:

Link the Respect Life groups in every parish, and welcome members of Protestant churches who share the Catholic Church's knowledge that life is sacred from conception to natural death and that Christians have a responsibility to help people at risk, whether they are in their mother's womb or in a nursing home or hospice. This sharing of resources and knowledge nicely augments and strenghens the USCCB Walking with Moms in Need program.

View the section below or link here to the 4-page BUILD ON ROCK flyer (also serving as a church bulletin insert) created in and for Pittsburgh and customize it for your diocese, inserting the names of local pregnancy medical centers and other agencies helping unborn babies who are at risk by helping their mothers and fathers, before and after each baby's birth.

This four-page flyer can be copied on your church's photocopier by printing on both sides of 11" by 17" paper and folding the paper. Write to us at Help@HolyFamilyHelp.us and we'll send you the original Excel file, which you can easily modify for your diocese.

Link here to read Father Frank Pavone's 2022 endorsement of this brochure. (At the time, "Father" was his title in the Church. Regrettably, and inexplicably, such is not the case in 2024.)

As one example of the good a local organization can do, Pittsburgh-based People Concerned for the Unborn Child ( www.pcuc.org ) runs a Pro-Life billboard program year-round, with a website address enabling readers to get help. As an example, here is the September 2024 billboard and website link content: www.PittsburghPregnancy.org while also helping to change hearts and build a Culture of Life.

Help save lives and help women considering abortion in all U.S. States by donating to https://visionforlifeusa.org/ a highly recommended national organization. "Most women considering abortion feel they have “no choice.” But when they are connected with a Pregnancy Medical Center, around 80% will choose life after seeing their child on an ultrasound. Pregnancy Medical Centers save precious lives. Vision for Life makes those Pregnancy Medical Centers known. in a growing number of cities."

Here's another way to help save lives and help women considering abortion in all U.S. States: Support www.40daysforlife.com , a nationwide organization with branches in most major cities, promoting the prayerful presence of Christians in the vicinity of Planned Parenthood, offering women seeking abortions loving, caring help, introducing them to medical pregnancy centers with ultrasounds, and leading them on a new path of life with loving help. Visit the Pittsburgh branch's site as a great example: https://40daysforlifepittsburgh.com/

Action No. 4: Men, join the Knights of Columbus

The Knights of Columbus are dynamic, staunch supporters of the Catholic Church and the sanctity of life from conception to natural death. Quoting from the 2023 Annual Report of the Supreme Knight, Patrick Kelly: "We (Catholics) are once again being intimidated and excluded. Our religious liberty is under threat, and our deepest beliefs are being labeled as "hate speech." Let me be clear: There is nothing hateful about the sanctity of marriage, the reality of biological sex, or the humanity of the unborn child. And the Knights of Columbus will never apologize for defending the truth!"

Link here to an article in the Knights' COLUMBIA publication about the Knights' program of donating ultrasound machines to pregnancy medical centers (with over one thousand donated at the time of this 2019 article). Link to read a heart warming COLUMBIA article about four women and their babies whose lives were changed thanks to this program.

Link to join the Knights and find the local council closest to your home or church.

Link to the current issue (and past issues) of the Knights' bimonthly publication, Columbia

The photo on the right is from the cover of the July/August 2024 issue, featuring "Helicopter Heroes", the account of two Florida Knights who courageously rescued nearly 150 people from violence in Haiti.

Action 5: Vote! and use this website to inform and empower friends, family members, fellow church members, and colleagues at work: Send a link to a section addressing a topic* you have recently discussed, to follow up on the discussion and generate additional beneficial dialogue.

* for example, the U.S./Mexico border, inflation, religious freedom, Ukraine, Israel, the national debt, etc.

CONTENT TO FOLLOW

Action 6: Don't buy from companies that fund organizations promoting abortion and anti-Christian values.

People with the afflictions of same-sex attraction and gender confusion need loving help, by being introduced to Jesus and learning about the power of chastity and the value of suffering offered up with Jesus's suffering. Instead, certain companies provide financial support to organizations that promote and glamorize the dangerous illusions of "Pride" and "Transgender", leading children and young people down an ugly Godless highway, away from the Truth, to sadness, despair, and (often) suicide. Avoid companies that use your money to promote abortion and these deviations from the "narrow path" to Heaven to which Jesus calls every soul.

Don't buy from these companies that fund organizations promoting abortion and/or anti-Christian values*:

• Starbucks
• Burger King
• Frito-Lay snacks (Doritos, Cheetos)
• PepsiCo  (Pepsi and Mountain Dew)
• Target
• Harley Davidson

• * Scroll to the next section and following section for the teaching of Sacred Scripture and the Church on homosexuality and link to the loving way to help persons with same sex attraction.

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Contrasting the dangerous and misleading glamorization and promotion of homosexuality, transgenderism, and other deviations to God's design for man and woman, causing confusion to children, teenagers, and young adults in their search for their identity and meaning in life, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) outlines the loving approach of a Christian*. The following is quoted from CCC 2357, 2358, and 2359:

"Homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act fo the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity.Under no circumstances can they be approved."

Men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies ... do not choose their homosexual condition; for most of them it is a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfil God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

• *Scroll down for insights into the phenomenon of the mass media's current obsession with "LGBTQ" and "Transgenderism".

The Creation of a Fake "Community":

How the Internet and Mainstream Media have harmfully warped the treatment of homosexuality in Society:

For millenia, prior to the age of television, the internet, personal computers and "smart" phones, flooded with the dominating all-pervasive presence of the mass media influencing people's consciousness, the reality of the existence of people with same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria was peacefully managed (with some exceptions) within families, villages, and society at large. The afflicted person lived and interacted in genuine functioning communities, his or her family, extended family, farm or other workplace, filling a function in society. There was no need for these persons to stand on a soapbox in the town square and pridefully shout to the other 96% of the population, proclaiming the greatness of his or her deviation from society's norm, i.e., one man and one woman united in love for each other, with that loving unity fruitfully creating the next generation.

Before the internet and mass media created the illusion of a world-wide "community", each such individual worked out his or her condition in the context of the family and community in which he or she lived and functioned. In a truly Christian culture, with other society members empatheticlaly practicing the Golden Rule of respect for others and charity. Nowadays, around the world, the mass media and the internet have made these people consider themselves as part of some imaginary worldwide "community" just because they share the same affliction. This phenomenon was made possible in part by the decay of Christian culture of Faith and Family, with children growing up in Day Care centers, family meals replaced by drive-through fast food, resulting in a generation of isolated lost souls longing for some sense of belonging in a community.

Teenagers and youth in their twenties who are trying to figure out their identity, lacking a traditional family for support and lacking good role models for men and women, are susceptible to this false lure of a "community". But this is only the illusion of a community. A real community is a functioning group of people who interact as part of their daily lives, such as a family farm, a village, a workplace.

Whereas 7.6% of U.S. adults now align themselves with the LGBTQ+ community*, doubling the 2012 statistic of 3.5% in just 12 years, any random look at the mass media's "news" would lead one to believe that the percentage is much higher.

• * Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/332522/percentage-americans-lgbt.aspx

This source states that people who think they are "transgender" (i.e., who think their "real" sex is not their biological sex) constitute less than 1% of the population.

Inside the Transgender Empire

Link to this informative article in the September 2023 issue of Imprimis, the publication of Hillsdale College. Authored by Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, this article is based on exhaustive research. Here are some key excerpts from this article, selected to motivate reading of the entire article to learn the disturbing reality of so-called "gender-affirming care".

"The transgender movement is pressing its agenda everywhere. Most publicly, activist teachers are using classrooms to propagandize on its behalf and activist health professionals are promoting the mutilation of children under the euphemistic banner of “gender-affirming care.” The sudden and pervasive rise of this movement provokes two questions: where did it come from, and how has it proved so successful? The story goes deeper than most Americans know.

In the late 1980s, a group of academics, including Judith Butler, Gayle Rubin, Sandy Stone, and Susan Stryker, established the disciplines of “queer theory” and “transgender studies.” These academics believed gender to be a “social construct” used to oppress racial and sexual minorities, and they denounced the traditional categories of man and woman as a false binary that was conceived to support the system of “heteronormativity”—i.e., the white, male, heterosexual power structure. This system, they argued, had to be ruthlessly deconstructed. And the best way to achieve this, they argued further, was to promote transgenderism. If men can become women, and women men, they believed, the natural structure of Creation could be toppled."

"The transgender movement is inherently political. Its reconstruction of personal identity is meant to advance a collective political reconstruction or transformation. Some trans activists even view their movement as the future of Marxism. In a collection of essays titled Transgender Marxism, activist writer Rosa Lee argues that trans people can serve as the new vanguard of the proletariat, promising to abolish heteronormativity in the same way that orthodox Marxism promised to abolish capitalism."

"Jennifer Pritzker, Maureen Connolly, Blair Peters, and their ilk occupy the heights of power and prestige, but like Doctor Frankenstein they will not be able to escape the consequences of what they have created. They are condemning legions of children to a lifetime of sorrows and medical necessities, all based on dubious postmodern theories that do not meet the standard of Hippocrates’ injunction in his work Of the Epidemics: “First, do no harm.” Although individuals can be nullified, nature cannot. No matter how advanced trans pharmaceuticals and surgeries become, the biological reality of man and woman cannot be abolished; the natural limitations of God’s Creation cannot be transcended. The attempt to do so will elicit the same heartbreak and alienation captured in the final scene of Mary Shelley’s novel: the hulking monster, shunned by society and betrayed by his father, filled with despair and drifting off into the ice floes—a symbol of the consequence of Promethean hubris."

As a beautiful example of the Church's welcoming of people with same-sex attraction and truly helping them, in this life and the next, visit https://couragerc.org/

Courage International, a Roman Catholic apostolate for men and women who experience same-sex attractions and those who love them.

This is a true community, centered on Christ, with Christ truly present, the only solution to any cross anyone has to bear, including the cross of same-sex attraction.

In contrast, as noted above, the LGBT "community" is a fake community, centered on lust and self-centeredness

Action 7: NATIONAL DEFENSE

"Know thine enemy": First, be aware of the danger we are facing, then, in the section below, learn how you can take defensive action to help save our nation.

China is ruled with an iron fist by the Chinese Communist Party ("CCP"), a dictatorship with values in extreme opposition to Christian values. Under the CCP, China is an avowed enemy of the U.S.A., and the CCP has stated that China will invade and take over the U.S.A. without firing a shot. Link to learn more on our VOTE JUSTLY page. (Link to the Population Research Institute website for overviews of books by China expert Steven Mosher, frequently interviewed on EWTN's The World Over.) Over the past 35 years, the CCP has been on a fast track to achieve this objective of conquering the U.S.A. Unfortunately, the U.S.A. has allowed this to happen. For example, the massive transfer of U.S. manufacturing to factories in China has greatly weakend the U.S.A. in many ways, including the loss of U.S. jobs, strengthening of China and the creation of U.S. dependency on China. 90% of the pharmaceuticals we use in the U.S. are manufactured in China. (Link here to Moguldom.com for the source of this information.) China's 2022 steelmaking of 1,018 million tons per year dwarfed the U.S. 81 million tons per year. (per worldsteel.org)

Heightening the concern about our nation's progressive weakening and dependency on China while China grows stronger is the evil nature of the CCP dictatorship, as evidenced by the following facts:

The CCP is systematically wiping out Christianity and Christians: Churches are being turned into “Civilization Practice Stations for the New Era”, their Bibles confiscated and replaced with Xi’s collected works, sermons replaced with political indoctrination of the “Thou shalt have no other gods before you than the CCP” kind. Pictures of Jesus Christ are taken down and replaced with pictures of Chairman Mao and Secretary Xi. (Source: Population Research Institute )

The CCP is controllng the Catholic Church in China, selecting bishops, changing doctrine, and persecuting priests who stay faithful to Church Teaching. Youth are banned from participating in masses, so that Catholicism will not be passed on to the next generation.

The CCP's policy has been a maximum of two children per family, with women pregnant with a third child being forced to undergo abortions

In 2022, the United Nations investigated the CCP's treatment of the Uyghur people (Muslims) in China, reporting that “serious human rights violations” were being committed against the Uyghur and “other predominantly Muslim communities. The report cites that "allegations of patterns of torture, or ill-treatment, including forced medical treatment and adverse conditions of detention, are credible, as are allegations of individual incidents of sexual and gender-based violence.” ..."The extent of arbitrary detentions against Uyghur and others, in context of “restrictions and deprivation more generally of fundamental rights, enjoyed individually and collectively, may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity.” Source: United Nations website:https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/08/1125932

What can I, as just one invididual, do against this massive evil empire?

Scroll down to the next section.

Action 7: NATIONAL DEFENSE: What can I do?

Whenever you shop, check the country of manufacture and avoid buying "Made in China" whenever possible. Promote this practice by asking salespeople where the item is made and tell them you want a product that is not made in China. (Tell them why. You are doing them a favor by educating them and word will spread back to their company's management and buyers.) When you buy goods made in China, you are not only helping to strengthen our nation's sworn enemy, you are supporting a cruel dictatorship.

China’s economy is only kept afloat by its exports. The remainder of its economy is not sustainable. If we reduce our purchasing of products made in China, we will weaken our enemy without firing a shot. American companies will repatriate their manufacturing sites back to the U.S. as they see that American people are motivated to avoid or minimize purchasing goods made in China. Jobs will be created here, for Americans.

Choose products made in the U.S.A. whenever possible.

Buy from local retail stores and local manufacturers in lieu of large national companies, because, if everyone is dependent on large centralized sources, an enemy can shut the country down by taking over these sources. Thus, minimize purchasing from Amazon. This will lead to a transition to a decentralized economy, eliminating dependency on huge centralized nation-wide corporations like Amazon: The greater our dependency on large centralized sources, the easier it is for a foreign enemy to shut the country down.

 Other benefits of buying local include:

• Buying local helps reduce carbon emissions, pollution and the consumption of non-renewable fossil fuels, by reducing overseas shipping and U.S. long-distance trucking. This has positive national defense benefits (larger oil reserves).
• Reduction of interstate trucking and trucking from ocean ports to distribution centers will lead to less wear and tear on highways, reducing the cost of maintaining our infrastructure.
• Reduction in the negative impact of supply chain shortages

Avoid electric cars, as they increase dependency on the national electric power grid. In case of foreign attack, the electric grid will be one of the enemy's first targets. Also, China has vast control over the mining of lithium and other minerals needed for batteries, so the widespread use of electric cars increases our dependency on China.

Vote for political candidates who understand that China is the avowed enemy of the U.S.A., with the stated objective of conquering the U.S.A., and who will promote bringing U.S. companies' manufacturing back to the U.S.A. (or at least out of China) to reduce our current great dependency on China, which is a liability in case of war, and which weakens our nation.