Father Mark Matthias, administrator of Saint Joseph the Worker Parish, Haddon Township, speaks about the sacredness of life during the “United for Life” event June 11 in Linwood.
LINWOOD – Sharing stories of her first abortion at the age of 17 – and the many that followed – her struggles with alcohol and ultimately “being restored by God,” Ethel Hermenau brought a life-saving message to the crowd before her.
“If God can save me, bring me out of the mire and pit, and change my whole world around,” he can do so for others in similar situations, said Hermenau, one of several pro-life speakers at the “United for Life” gathering held June 11 in Our Lady of Sorrows Parish Hall. The event was organized by the Diocese’s Office of Life and Justice in order to educate and guide parish leaders in building and maintaining effective pro-life ministries. Nearly 100 people were in attendance.
“This is a human rights crisis, and every day we should be fighting in defense of our children. People have to engage … we can’t be afraid,” said Hermenau, project director for LIFENET South Jersey and a parishioner of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Absecon.
Father Mark Matthias, administrator of Saint Joseph the Worker Parish, Haddon Township, spoke about how life is sacred. “Life is made in the image and likeness of God. The more people are enlightened to this fact, the more they’ll do everything they can to preserve it.”
In his talk, Father Matthias presented ways to combat misconceptions about the Church that are circulating in today’s culture. For those who say the Catholic Church is waging a war against women, he said, explain that “the Catholic Church is for the rights of all women. … Since Roe v. Wade passed in 1973, over 63,000,000 babies have been aborted in the United States. The Catholic Church is not waging a war; it’s waging a rescue mission.”
Other speakers included Janice Weber, and Ginny and Joe Sosnowsky; the three are involved with pro-life ministry at Saint Damien Parish, Ocean City. Weber advised others to build a pro-life ministry through prayer and worship, legislative advocacy, and outreach and awareness programs.
Ginny Sosnowsky agreed. “Pray together, encourage each other and put prayer into action.”
Lois Dark, coordinator of pro-life ministry in Saint Simon Stock Parish, Berlin, said she was inspired by the speakers’ messages as well as the opportunity to exchange ideas with others.
“The mission is to save children, mothers and fathers,” she added, explaining that she wants to expand the pro-life message further by reaching out to youth and young adults in her community.
Calling the pro-life issue “the pre-eminent issue for the Church today,” Ed Stafford of Saint Thomas the Apostle, Brigantine, was present with six others from his parish’s ministry to get more information and to network. “Jesus calls us to the work for the building of the kingdom, and that’s what this is,” he said.
Donna Ottaviano-Britt, head of the Secretariat for Pastoral Outreach for the Diocese of Camden, said she was pleased with the energy she felt in the room. “God has created every person with mission, purpose and a unique design,” and all in attendance want to “make sure that every person gets their chance to be an image of God in the world.”
“Let those people be born, let them live and let them contribute in the way that God has destined them,” she said.
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