Annual Alberta March for Life
Thursday, May 7, 2009
All are invited to
join the Bishops of Alberta in this annual demonstration of support for
the sanctity of human life and
solemn protest against the taking of lives through abortion,
manipulation of human embryos, euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Everyone has the
right to life, liberty and security of person.
- United Nations Universal Declaration
of
Human Rights
The fundamental human right, the
presupposition of every other right,
is the right to life itself.
- Pope Benedict XVI
Program
10:30 a.m. Mass,
St. Joseph's Basilica, with homily by Archbishop Smith
1 p.m. Gathering
in front of the Alberta Legislature. Signs and banners to be provided
by the Knights of Columbus.
1:15 p.m.
Remarks by Most Rev. Richard Smith, Archbishop of Edmonton, and
Most Rev. Fred Henry, Bishop of Calgary
1:30 p.m.
March through downtown Edmonton
3 p.m. Return
to legislature
3:15 p.m.
Speakers
4 p.m.
Closing prayer
Speakers include:
Denise Mountenay is well known her candid and frank discussion
of the negative consequences of abortion as a member of the advocacy
group Silent No More. Denise is also a co-founder of Women for Life
International.
Mark Pickup
is an international speaker and advocate for the rights of the
disabled. Mark is the founder of Human Life Matters and speaks
frequently on euthanasia and end of life Issues.
Nicole Severin
is a fourth-year student at the University of Alberta, majoring in
Biological Sciences. She is president of “Go Life: U of A Campus
Pro-Life", a campus group that works to educate students and
faculty about current life issues.
Pastor Gary Rohr, the
associate pastor at Heritage Valley Assembly Church, speaks as an
Evangelical Christian in defence of the sanctity and dignity of human
life.
For more information call John MacDonald in the Office of Pastoral Care
and Life Initiatives at 780-469-1010.
Click here
to download a poster with more details.
|
An Invitation from Archbishop Smith
Dear Faithful
People in Christ,
Human life is a
wondrous and beautiful gift of God. Since God has
created members of the human race in His image and likeness, every man,
woman and child is endowed with an inalienable dignity. As Pope
Benedict taught in his first homily as our Holy Father, each individual
person is willed, loved and necessary in the sight of God.
In our country,
we are witnesses to the sad truth that human dignity is
not always honoured. The obvious and most tragic example of this is
abortion. It is manifest also in embryonic stem cell research, which
destroys a human embryo, and in the promotion of euthanasia and
assisted suicide. These practices call us to speak out clearly in
defense of life.
We have an
opportunity to do so. I invite you to join with me and the
other Bishops of Alberta on May 7th of this year for a peaceful march
in defense of the beautiful gift of human life. We shall begin with
Mass at St. Joseph’s Basilica at 10:30 a.m., and then make our way to
the grounds of the Alberta legislature. Following some initial speeches
at 1:00 p.m., we shall march through downtown Edmonton, and then return
to the legislature grounds for concluding talks and prayer.
It is vitally
important that we take every opportunity to stand up for
the precious gift of life whenever it is threatened. I hope that you
will join us on May 7th for this collective witness to the dignity of
human life.
Yours sincerely
in Christ,
Richard W. Smith
Archbishop of
Edmonton
April 2009
|
Alberta Catholic Directory 2009
Now Available!
Published by the Western Catholic
Reporter, the Alberta Catholic Directory provides current contact
information for:
- Dioceses
- Parishes
- Clergy
- Religious
Orders
- Schools
- Colleges
- Institutions
- Associations
and agencies
- Retreats
- And
more!
An
invaluable resource for only $21. To download an order form, click on
the image to the right. |
|
 |
|
