June 2003 NewsletterTeens for Life Mission Statement: Abortion has claimed the lives of over 43 million of our peers. Over 1/3 of our generation has been killed and we must tell their story for them. It is the story of the greatest Holocaust in world history. If you were born after January 22, 1973, you’re a survivor of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion. You are a survivor of the Abortion Holocaust. It's time to take an active stand on behalf of the children who were never born, as well as the women who have suffered because of abortion, and resolve to do all we can for those who are currently in danger. Martin County Right to Life is helping to organize a Teens for Life group in Martin County. Holly Jones, a teen at St. John's Catholic Church, came to the realization that Martin County needed a teen organization that takes a stand against abortion and euthanasia of the elderly and also supports adoption. Their first meeting was held on Monday, April 21 in the lower level of St. John’s Center in Loogootee. Julie Verkamp of Dubois County Teens for Life was the speaker. Julie shared many of her experiences. Among them were attending the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. and attending prayer vigils at abortion clinics in Louisville and Bloomington. Julie also gave the group ideas on how they can promote the sanctity of life. Holly reported that the group will be getting their own t-shirts, holding fundraisers, and will possibly be attending next year’s March for Life. Her goal is to make a difference in the community. Refreshments were served and door prizes given away. Meetings will be held the third Monday of each month. The June meeting will be on June 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the lower level of St. John’s Center in Loogootee. All Martin County teens are invited to attend. We are also looking for some adults to volunteer some time for the organization. For more information, please feel free to call Holly at 295-2297 or e-mail her at Hagersr5@aol.com. Martin County Teens for Life has their own page on the web too. Go to Martin County Right to Life's homepage and click on the link! **Cool Websites: Check out www.teensforlife.com where you can enter to win an XBOX. Also, check out www.rockforlife.org a site committed to offering the truth about abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia to America's youth through music and ministry. Rock for Life exists to offer you a voice, encouraging you to stand up among your peers and speak out against the destruction of your generation. Message of the Holy Father to the Youth of the World on the Occasion of the XVII World Youth Day in Toronto, Canada, July 23-28, 2002 – from the book “My Dear Young Friends”  Pope John Paul II has a deep affection and love for young people. He believes in you as a young person. He is convinced that in Christ you have the ability to make this world a better place. Through your friendships, your family, your work, your school, and your athletic, artistic, and intellectual talents, you can spread the Good News of God’s love in ways only a young person can. At World Youth Day in Toronto, Pope John Paul II said, “The images of salt and light used by Jesus are rich in meaning and complement each other. In ancient times, salt and light were seen as essential elements of life. One of the main functions of salt is to season food, to give it taste and flavor. This image reminds us that, through Baptism, our whole being has been profoundly changed, because it has been "seasoned" with the new life which comes from Christ. The salt which keeps our Christian identity intact even in a very secularized world is the grace of Baptism. Through Baptism we are re-born. We begin to live in Christ and become capable of responding to His call to "offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (Romans 12:1). Writing to the Christians of Rome, Saint Paul urges them to show clearly that their way of living and thinking was different from that of their contemporaries: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect" (Romans 12:2). For a long time, salt was also used to preserve food. As the salt of the earth, you are called to preserve the faith which you have received and to pass it on intact to others. Your generation is being challenged in a special way to keep safe the deposit of faith. Discover your Christian roots, learn about the Church’s history, deepen your knowledge of the spiritual heritage which has been passed on to you, follow in the footsteps of the witnesses and teachers who have gone before you! Only by staying faithful to God’s commandments, to the Covenant which Christ sealed with his blood poured out on the Cross, will you be the apostles and witnesses of the new millennium. In this secularized age, when many of our contemporaries think and act as if God did not exist or are attracted to irrational forms of religion, it is you, dear young people, who must show that faith is a personal decision which involves your whole life. Let the Gospel be the measure and guide of life’s decisions and plans! Then you will be missionaries in all that you do and say, and wherever you work and live you will be signs of God’s love, credible witnesses to the loving presence of Jesus Christ. Yes, now is the time for mission! In your Dioceses and parishes, in your movements, associations and communities, Christ is calling you. The Church welcomes you and wishes to be your home and your school of communion and prayer. Study the Word of God and let it enlighten your minds and hearts. Draw strength from the sacramental grace of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Visit the Lord in that "heart to heart" contact that is Eucharistic Adoration. Day after day, you will receive new energy to help you to bring comfort to the suffering and peace to the world. Many people are wounded by life: they are excluded from economic progress, and are without a home, a family, a job; there are people who are lost in a world of false illusions, or have abandoned all hope. By contemplating the light radiant on the face of the Risen Christ, you will learn to live as "children of the light and children of the day" (1 Thessalonians 5:5), and in this way you will show that "the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true" (Ephesians 5:9). Back to homepage
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