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| Upcoming LMF Centre Events in 2010 |
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Tuesday 9 March
Afternoon for Couples Hoping to Conceive
Retreat Day for Mothers
Saturday 8 May
Tuesday 20 July
Marriage and Family Sunday
Sunday 25 July
Mass for Pregnant Women
Sunday 15 August
Father's Day Breakfast
Saturday 4 September
Respect Life Sunday
Retreat Day for Divorced and Separated Women
Saturday 6 November
Tuesday 9 November
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| LMF News |
 March 2010 |
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Dear friends,
Greetings! Well the newsletter is finally here. It would have been out a few days earlier but I was fighting with Dreamweaver (or maybe it was Dreamweaver fighting with me). I am happy to say though that I have triumphed and the good news is that everything that was supposed to be in the newsletter is in!
On the 21st of this month we celebrate World Down Syndrome Day, and you will find in the first article some information about a small way you can bring attention to this important cause.
We have included a number of videos this month, as well as some podcasts that we have recorded for the Xt3 Lenten calendar, so be sure to have a listen to those.
Also, don't forget to visit the coming events section at the end, you might find something with your name on it. Our Centre is holding our first event for the year and that is an information afternoon on 17 April for couples hoping to conceive. We just had the date confirmed as this was going out so if you are interested in further details, just drop us an email at lmfnews@sydneycatholic.org and we'll get the flyer to you as soon as it is prepared. We had a very good turn out for this event last year and we are looking forward to hosting it again.
Enjoy this month's newsletter and please do pass it on to others who you think may be interested, (that would include anyone who is married, has a family or has a life).
Wishing you a blessed Lent.
The Life, Marriage and Family Centre Team |
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Celebrating World Down Syndrome Day |
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Have a Cup of Tea on 21 March!
Since 2006, the 21st March has been celebrated annually as World Down Syndrome Day. The date was chosen to highlight the fact that Down syndrome is caused by the triplication of the 21st chromosome. The annual observance of World Down Syndrome Day aims to promote  awareness and understanding of Down syndrome and to gain support and recognition of the dignity, rights and well being of persons with Down syndrome.
Internationally, 90% of women who are given a pre-natal diagnosis of a Down syndrome pregnancy choose to have an abortion. This is a tragic situation and it must recognised for what it is, eugenics by abortion. Following World War II the international community vehemently condemned the eugenic policies of the Nazis in their pursuit of 'racial hygiene' yet today a new eugenics is well and truly underway.
In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, "there is a tendency to give priority to functional ability, efficiency, perfection and physical beauty to the detriment of life's other dimensions which are deemed unworthy. The respect that is due to every human being...is thus weakened while children whose life is considered not worth living are penalised from the moment of conception".
If you would like a way to commemorate and honour those with Down syndrome why not organise a small morning or afternoon tea at your home, workplace or church? 'Tea for 3-21' is in its fourth year and is a simple way to remember the positive contributions of those with Down Syndrome. Click here to find out more information.
And here's a little video called 'God Doesn't Make Mistakes' which you might enjoy. (It was written by the father of a Down syndrome child).
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Pregnant...Again? |
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When Family Disagrees With Your Growing Family
Danielle Bean - A dad recently emailed me this message: "We found out that we are expecting our 6th child. After the initial shock wore off, we are happy with the idea. My question is, how do we tell family? We have told a couple of close friends but hesitate to tell family because of our  current situation.
I am sure it is familiar to you, tight space, tight budget, home school and now pregnant. Family has a way of saying things that no one else would. How does one deal with the situation gracefully?
We are trying to put it all in God's hands but it can be, and is, quite difficult. It is tough to walk the road before us sometimes. We are confident that we can handle what God has given us, but man it does seem a daunting task standing at the bottom of the hill looking up."
First of all, let me say, CONGRATULATIONS! I am sure you won't hear that from some people you would like to hear it from in the coming weeks, and I know that can sting. But God has entrusted you and your wife with another tiny soul, and that is a blessed event indeed.
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Priests and the Parish Family |
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Saying Thank You to Father
19 June 2009 - 11 June 2010 has been declared by Pope Benedict XVI as The Year of the Priest. At some time we and our families have all experienced the care and compassion of priests in our lives and know what a difference they make. Let's all use The Year of the Priest as an opportunity to pray for our parish priests and let them know they are valued members of our spiritual families. The Vocation Centre of the Archdiocese is making a St John Vianney Postcard available to help you do just this!
The postcard includes:
(1) a biography and an icon of St John Vianney, whom has been proclaimed as the patron and model for all priests,
(2) a prayer for your Parish (or other) Priest, and
(3) a place where you can write a short note of support, love and encouragement for your Parish (or other) Priest to affirm and encourage him in his ministry.
These postcards have been sent out to Parish Pastoral Councils and Parish Vocation Coordinators in the Archdiocese and should be available in your church soon. If you can't find a Postcard there you can obtain them through the Vocation Centre. Just contact Elizabeth Arblaster, Special Projects Officer at elizabeth.arblaster@sydneycatholic.org or on (02) 9390 5937.
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Are Animals Persons? |
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Margaret Somerville - Anybody who sees the powerful and immensely distressing documentary, "The Cove", which testifies to the horrible slaughter of dolphins in Japan, should not be able to turn their backs on the brutal and cruel treatment of these animals to which it testifies. Likewise, Matthew Scully's book, Dominion, which documents the hell that "factory farmed" animals endure  as well as a variety of other cruelties, elicits the same response -- that we must do whatever we can to stop these practices.
Some ethicists, philosophers and scientists have suggested that one remedial response would be to confer personhood on at least some animal species for the purpose of protecting them through ethics and law, including by attributing rights to them.
Biologist Lori Marino proposed this recently, citing philosopher- ethicist Thomas White's new book, In Defence of Dolphins. Princeton philosopher Peter Singer proposed the same in the early 1980s. While I strongly endorse their goal of preventing cruelty to all sentient creatures, and believe that we humans have obligations to protect them, I don't agree with trying to achieve that through making animals persons.
My reasons for rejecting personhood for animals include that it would undermine the idea that humans are "special" relative to other animals and, therefore, deserve "special respect."
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Update on 40 Days for Life |
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Turnarounds of All Varieties
In last month's newsletter we had an article on the 40 Days for Life Campaign that is currently being run at Surry Hills in Sydney. 40 Days for Life is an international, peaceful vigil of prayer held outside abortion clinics, around the clock, for 40 days. The vigil in Surry Hills has been bringing many Catholics together in a single Lenten aim, to pray for an end to abortion. They had some wonderful news last week which we add in here from their website:
As many of the Forty Days Sydney team is already aware, we had a 'turnaround' at the clinic last Friday. A young Asian couple who had gone into the clinic, emerged after a consultation and instead of using the  clinic's 'services' they chose to pray a Rosary with our vigilers! In abortion clinic vigil parlance we call this a 'turnaround'. That one word often encapsulates an intriguing story of hope lost, hope found and a redeeming end.
When a couple decides not to have the abortion they had planned, it sets in motion a wonderful chain of events that only moments before seemed lost forever. Think about it. A couple who decides not to abort their child will give birth instead of grieve over lost parenthood. That child will draw a first breath. That same child will see a smiling face for the first time, say a first word, take a first step, have a first day at school and one day, perhaps, have children of their own. Entire generations, new family trees, countless experiences, memories and loving affections all saved by virtue of that one fateful decision not to abort.
Visible turnarounds may seem rare at the clinic but surely an entire 40 Days campaign for the sake of one child's life is worth it. The inestimable value of each human being created in the image of God should always be close to our hearts. We know that Our Lord Himself would have shed His Precious Blood on the cross for the salvation of just one soul. As Christians, we must be willing to give our all to the pro-life movement even if the only consolation for an entire life's dedication to the cause is the fleeting thought that we may have, in some small way, contributed to the saving of but one life. That is enough.
Read the complete story here and see photos from the procession with Bishop Porteous
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The Suffering Church in Haiti |
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United with our Brothers and Sisters
On 12 January the nation of Haiti was affected by a catastrophic earthquake that affected an estimated three million people including leaving one million homeless and approximately 230,000 dead. These are more than just figures in a news report though; these are families, just like yours and mine whose lives have been turned upside-down.
One aspect of the disaster that did not get coverage in the secular media was the devastating effect the earthquake had upon the Catholic Church in Haiti. The Archbishop of Port-au-Prince lost his life, as did 31 seminarians. The Cathedral, seminary and many churches have been severely damaged.
The following short video looks at what has happened to the Haitian Church and her people. It has been produced by Where God Weeps, a project of Aid to the Church in Need, which highlights and supports the suffering Church in so many parts of the world. (Click on video).
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Dating Mr or Miss Wrong |
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Questions to ask about your relationship
RevolutionOfLove.com - During my dating years when I was in my 20's I went through a number of "phases". At first I was not practicing my faith and dating any guy that I found interesting. This lead to a number of "dysfunctional" relationships, with a few being more damaging to my soul than others.
 After my conversion and returning to God, I moved up in my standards and only considered guys who were practicing Christians. (I didn't know any really practicing Catholics at the time.) This lead to my meeting some nice guys, but when it came down to getting more serious our differing faiths always stopped us from continuing the relationship.
In my mid 20's I considered a religious vocation and struggled with the idea of never marrying. However, it was at this point that I learned the true meaning of a vocation (whether married to Christ or a man) and my relationship with Jesus grew and deepened. After some time I was eager to love Our Lord in whatever my chosen vocation.
Needless to say, religious life was not the route God chose for me so I was back to praying for a holy spouse, except that this time I was a faithful Catholic only interesting in dating another faithful Catholic. Frankly, this greatly narrowed the amount of datable prospects. Where was I to find a guy who was a faithful Catholic, believing and living all the teachings of the Catholic faith, was someone that I was interested in and, to top it off, was interested in me? Let's just say, there were times when I was more than just a little frustrated.
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2.1 Children = Stable Population |
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A Fresh Look at a Serious Problem
OverpopulationIsAMyth.com is a project of the Population Research Institute which is research and educational organisation dedicated to objectively presenting the truth about population-related issues, and to reversing the trends brought about by the myth of overpopulation.
A few newsletters ago we presented the first of their POP 101 videos aptly titled 'Overpopulation is a myth' and now we bring you the second episode '2.1 Kids: Stable Population'. These videos take a fresh, humorous approach to the serious demographic issues facing the world today. Click on the image below to watch the video.
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'Hot Topics' Podcasts |
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Dealing with the Difficult Issues
The Life, Marriage and Family Centre has been working with Xt3.com to record some 'Hot Topics' podcasts for their Lenten calendar. We have now completed half and you can listen to the first four here:
Marriage vs Cohabitation.
Dr Bridget McKenna.
Homosexuality.
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Surrogacy & A Child's Sense Of Identity |
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The Queensland Government late last year introduced the Surrogacy Bill 2009 which just last month (12 February) was passed into law in Queensland.
This new law allows any adults over 25 years of age - not only married couples, but also a single man, single woman or same-sex partners - to obtain a baby using reproductive technology such as IVF and the womb of a surrogate "mother".
Surrogacy itself is inherently wrong, since it involves the premeditated intention to separate a child from his or her birth-mother - a violation of nature that traumatises both the woman and the baby and defies our obligations under the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child. It will produce another stolen generation, with profound psychological implications for both "mother" and baby, but approved by government.
This type of surrogacy has yet to be passed into law in NSW but there are vocal groups calling for similar laws to be introduced. All of us should be aware of what surrogacy is about, and where possible, be making it clear to our elected representatives that we do not approve of this type of procedure, which fails to take into account the rights of the child.
A comprehensive and interactive website, www.kidsrightscount.org.au, was launched last year to inform people about surrogacy in Queensland. It has much valuable general information though including a section of 'FAQ's' and how to 'Take Action'.
The little animation below explores just one of the issues at the heart of surrogacy legislation...the child's loss of identity in the adult's pursuit of their own desires.
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Ultrasound and Abortion |
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Why so many abortion workers have turned pro-life
Jon A. Shields & David Daleiden - Abortion rights activists have long preferred to hold themselves at some remove from the practice they promote; rather than naming it, they speak of "choice" and "reproductive freedom." But those who perform abortions have no such luxury. Instead, advances in ultrasound imaging and abortion procedures have forced providers ever closer to the nub of their work. Especially in abortions performed far enough along in gestation that the fetus is recognizably a tiny baby, this intimacy exacts an emotional toll, stirring sentiments for which doctors, nurses, and aides are sometimes unprepared. Most apparently have managed to reconcile their belief in the right to abortion  with their revulsion at dying and dead fetuses, but a noteworthy number have found the conflict unbearable and have defected to the pro-life cause.
In the aftermath of Roe v. Wade, second-trimester abortions were usually performed by saline injection. The doctor simply replaced the amniotic fluid in the patient's uterus with a saline solution and induced labor, leaving it to nurses to dispose of the expelled fetus. That changed in the late 1970s, when "dilation and evacuation" (D&E) emerged as a safer method. Today D&E is the most common second-trimester procedure. It has been performed millions of times in the United States.
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Why Can't Women Be Priests |
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Jason Evert
1. Why doesn't the Church allow women to be priests? I know plenty of women who could give a more moving homily and be more understanding in the confessional.
There aren't many issues within apologetics that require as much sensitivity as this one. In a culture where opening the door for a woman can be seen as an act of misogyny, it's no surprise that male-only ordination strikes some as sexist on the Church's behalf.
It can't be denied that there are women who could be more moving orators than some priests and provide more consolation within the confessional. But the debate over ordination is not over who could be a better priest but over who could be a priest at all.
So, if a woman's abilities are not in question, what's keeping the Church from ordaining her? For one, it should be noted that Jesus did not ordain any women. He selected all of his apostles, and none were women.
Some say that he was bound by the cultural norms of his era to suppress the roles of women, but no one has been able to prove that this was his motive. Furthermore, this accuses Jesus of sexism and it paints an inaccurate portrait of Christ, who had no qualms about shattering the cultural norms regarding interaction with women (Matt. 9:20; Luke 7:37; John 4:27). The idea of priestesses was not unknown to him, since it was a common practice in religions of his time and culture, though not Judaism. (If Jesus had wanted women as priestesses, he would have had the ideal candidate in Mary. Here was a woman who could have spoken the words of consecration literally: "This is my body. This is my blood.")
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The Difficulty of Infertility |
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"I want to have children with you." This simple, but meaningful phrase  conveys in seven words the deep trust, love, and faith a Catholic married couple have in and for each other. But the desire for children is frequently thwarted by infertility.
The United Stated Catholic Bishops Conference recently issued a brief statement in question-and-answer format which seeks to respond to current issues in reproductive technology - some that offer great hope, others that pose moral problems - and help Catholic couples fulfill their procreative potential and build a family.
This pastoral teaching is a companion publication to their earlier teaching on contraception, Married Love and the Gift of Life (2006).
You can read Life-Giving Love in an Age of Technology here.
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A Lenten Reflection |
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Father Barron Comments on Lent
In this brief four minute video, Father Robert Barron leads us through a spiritual and practical meditation on the three temptations of Jesus in the desert. He encourages us to follow Christ into the desert through our Lenten observances.
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Coming Events |
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There are always plenty of good events happening in and around Sydney.
If your parish, school or group is planning an event for families, couples, singles etc then let us know about it so we can share the news!
Here are some events that we know about...
Does the Catholic Church Have a Role in Public Debate? A public meeting hosted by the Ambrose Centre for Religious Liberty. Tuesday 9 March. See the flyer here.
The Important of Confession is an afternoon hosted by Cardinal Pell which includes catechesis, animation, an opportunity for confession, Mass and a chance to meet others. Sunday 14 March. See the details here.
Women's Forum Australia - School Ambassador Program Sydney Launch. Helping girls to be agents of change. Saturday 20 March. Find details here.
A Retreat for Women. Talks, Q&A, Spiritual Direction, Holy Hour and Mass. Friday 16 to Sunday 18 April 2010. Find out more here.
Sisterhood Women's Conference. Collaroy Beach. Friday 30 April to Sunday 2 May. See the website here.
Mt Schoenstatt Calendar of Events. All are welcome at this place of pilgrimage and grace. See the calendar here.
National Theology of the Body Congress. July 28-30 in Philadelphia, USA. This congress will be the most expansive gathering of experts and popularists in the history of this extraordinary teaching. Find out more here.
Retreats are essential for those who wish to make real progress in the spiritual life and in learning to love. They are opportunities to step back and listen to what God is saying. The Carmelite Friars at Varoville have 28 different retreats on offer in 2010. See which might be calling you.
Retreats with the Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia. These retreat are for single Catholic women ages 18-35 and will be held in May, August and October. Click here for further information.
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The Life, Marriage and Family Centre is an agency of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney and has been established to extend the research, policy, educational and pastoral activities the Church undertakes with respect to life, marriage and family issues. Our website is lifemarriagefamily.org.au.
Thank you for taking time to read our newsletter, we hope it has been of interest. We welcome your comments and feedback at lmfnews@sydneycatholic.org. We hope we will be able to serve you in some capacity in 2010.
Yours in Christ,
The Life, Marriage and Family Centre Team
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Chris Meney. 
