ALABAMA K OF C

CULTURE OF LIFE UPDATE October / November / December 2014

2014

“The Holy Father greatly appreciates the dedicated work that you and everyone involved in 40 Days for Life are

engaged in to promote respect for the lives of all unborn children. His Holiness assures you of his prayerful

support for you, your colleagues and all those whose prayer, fasting and sacrifices are saving countless lives and

giving glory to God.

~Pope Francis, via Vatican Secretariat of State, January, 2014

January 2015 Upcoming Culture of Life Activities

Annual Roe v. Wade Anniversary Event!

Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015 2:00 PM

Mobile’s Medal of Honor Park Bicentennial Pavilion

Featured Speakers: State Senators Rusty Glover and Bill Hightower State Representatives: Speaker pro tem Victor Gaston, David Sessions, Margie Wilcox, Jack Williams

A short march, made in sympathy with the annual Washington, D.C. March for Life, will follow speakers.

Gathering & March

Saturday, January 17, 2015, 10:45 A.M. Birmingham’s Brother Bryan Park

22nd St. and 10th Avenue Mass for Life 9:00 am

Cathedral of St. Paul 2120 3rd Ave. N. Birmingham, AL

Rain, Snow or Shine Bring your Family and your Friends! www.BirminghamMarchforLife.org

NORTH ALABAMA STAND FOR LIFE

Huntsville, Fri., January 16th, 2015

12 Noon Madison County Court House

(West Sidewalk) Join with us as we Stand for Life

and Religious Liberty

“Praying to end abortion in North Alabama!”

Christian Youth From Across Alabama Prepare for Annual Trip to Washington, D.C., March for Life (Jan 22nd, 2015)

From Mobile to Birmingham to Huntsville, and points in between, our Catholic and other Christian youth are excitedly preparing for this life-changing experience! Many Brother Knights and their families will again be participating as chaperones, students, and parents.

A Look Back at 2014 Pro-Life Activities from Around Our Dioceses

Right, Birmingham, Jan 2014

Anna Zimmerman of Bama

Students for Life, pictured here

with Bishop Robert Baker, gave

an inspiring talk to the over

1,000 Pro-Lifers at the rally. The

rally preceded the annual

Birmingham United March For

Life.

Above, Huntsville, Jan 2014 - Over 90 Pro-Lifers

from the Huntsville community of churches braved

the bitter cold to hear Pro-Life leaders speak out for

life and religious liberty at the Annual STAND FOR

LIFE RALLY on the Madison County Courthouse

steps. Included among the speakers were local K of

C Council members who also helped organize the

event.

Left, Mobile, Dec 2014 - Mae Rehm, a Pro-Life leader for the Mobile area

reports, “A group of faithful prayer warriors led by Pro-Life leader Vickie Klein,

gather to pray the Holy Rosary on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe in

Mobile at the Planned Parenthood abortion facility".

Above, Washington, DC, Jan 2014 - Members of the Pro-Life Group of the

Year, Bama Students for Life, gather at the annual Students for Life of America

National Convention. BSFL received an award as Top Campus Pro-Life Group.

Above, Montgomery, Jan 2014 - Area Pro-Lifers join with clergy in conducting

a candlelight prayer vigil in front of the Montgomery abortion facility in

conjunction with March for Life Month.

Above, Birmingham, May 2014 – Birmingham’s 3rd

Saturday Pro-Life Mass and Rosary Vigil was celebrated by Bishop Emeritus David Foley. Faithful prayer warriors joined Bishop Emeritus Foley and Fr. Bill Lucas for the Rosary at Birmingham’s Planned Parenthood. This event was held each month throughout the year and is a continuing Culture of Life activity!

Below, Columbus, GA (Across the river from Phenix City, AL), Spring

2014 - Father Tom Weise, Chaplain of Phenix City Council 13415,

sends us this photo of youth from St. Patrick’s School, Phenix City,

standing up for life at a prayer vigil at the abortion facility in nearby

Columbus, GA.

A Montage of Other 2014 Pro-Life Activities from Across Our State

Thank You, Brother Knights for Your Support!

Left, Mobile, May 2014 – State K of C Chaplain Msgr. G. Warren Wall, addresses the

large gathering at the dedication ceremony at Mobile’s Women’s Resource Center

for the new mobile ultra-sound unit. The ultrasound machine was supplied by the K

of C under the leadership of Little Flower Council 13367.

Right, Prattville, July 2014, Ellen Edmonds, renowned author and EWTN

spokesperson on Alzheimer’s and other dementia, was guest speaker at the July K

of C kickoff meeting in Prattville. Ellen spoke about the Alzheimer’s Support Group

Program developed in partnership with the K of C and the United for Life

Foundation.

Huntsville, July 2014 – Brother Knights, clergy and other Pro-lifers from across North Alabama gather in thanks for the closing of the Madison Street abortion facility in downtown Huntsville, and in remembrance of the many thousands of babies who perished there!

Don’t forget the CHOOSE LIFE

license plate when it comes time

for your car plate renewal!

Proceeds go to assist operating

expenses at the state’s pregnancy

care centers!

Alabama K of C Ultrasound (U/S) Initiative Update

Congratulations Selma and Decatur Councils, and the other contributing councils across the state for their recent efforts in raising the necessary funds for placing new ultrasound machines at the Pregnancy Resource Center in Selma and at Sav-A-Life Decatur. Receipt of the matching funds from K of C Supreme, with placement of the new machines, to follow soon! Note:

These two additional machines will bring the total placed by the Alabama K of C to TWELVE! Total machines placed nationally by Supreme’s Ultrasound Initiative to date: 524, covering all 50

states, plus Jamaica and Canada!

Pro-Life Pictures of the Month

Left, Selma, August 2014 – Paul Robitaille, GK Selma Council 2738 (2nd

from left) and Jennifer Dobbs, Exec. Dir., Selma-Dallas County Sav-A-Life

(seated, center) are pictured with Sav-A-Life Board members and

volunteer staff. The group met with K of C State Ultrasound Coordinator

Lee John Bruno to plan for their new ultrasound. Council 2738 has now

raised the required $15,254 needed to obtain matching K of C Supreme

funds. (Congratulations-just received word the Supreme check was

mailed Dec. 16th

!)

Right, Decatur, June 2014 – Brother Knight Del Smith of Decatur Council 3986, and Veronica Keen, Exec. Director of Decatur Sav-A-Life, review specifications and quote for the new ultrasound machine. The effort was recently completed ($17,248 raised), and the application to K of C Supreme for matching funds has been submitted. Congratulations to Decatur Council 3986 and other Councils who assisted!

For I know well the plans I have in

mind for you; plans for your welfare

and not for woe, so as to give you a

future of hope.

~Jeremiah 29:11

Above, One picture is Worth a Thousand

Words….

A Nativity Scene was erected in a church yard.

During the night the folks came across this

scene. An abandoned dog was looking for a

comfortable, protected place to sleep. He chose

Baby Jesus as his comfort. No one had the heart

to send him away so he was there all night.

Note the dog is a German SHEPHERD!

Above - Unborn Baby Jesus LONDON

A campaign by the group ChurchAds.Net was

inspired by a custom in which parents give

ultrasound photos of their unborn children to family

and friends. “Our new Ultrasound Jesus poster uses

this convention to place the birth of Christ in an

ultra-contemporary context,” the group said.

Other Pro-Life News

A major news event for Alabama in 2014:

EWTN Wins Big Pro-Life Victory Against HHS Mandate on Heels of Hobby

Lobby Decision, by Steven Ertelt, Washington, D.C., June 30, 2014 / 3:07 PM

(LifeNews.com) On the heels of the Supreme Court ruling today that the

Christian-run business Hobby Lobby doesn’t have to obey the HHS mandate

that is a part of Obamacare that requires businesses to pay for abortion

causing drugs in their employee health care plans, EWTN has won a victory

of its own. The Catholic television network is asking the courts to stop the

Obama administration from enforcing the mandate against it while its own lawsuit continues. In a resounding

victory for religious freedom, today EWTN was granted last minute relief from the Eleventh Circuit Court of

Appeals, one day before the world’s largest religious media network would be forced to violate its deeply help

religious convictions or pay crippling fines to the IRS on July 1, 2014. Full story

On a sadder note, North AL lost a faithful prayer warrior and

wonderful Catholic lady, Beryl Graffagnini, wife of Deacon Emeritus

and Sir Knight Skip Graffagnini. Beryl passed away this past week,

and is pictured here (L-R) with Madison GK Danny Garcia and

Deacon Skip at a 40 DFL prayer vigil in Huntsville. Please

remember the Graffagninis (64 years in marriage) in your prayers.

“Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord. May her soul and the souls of

the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen.”

Thank you to all who contributed to this newsletter over the past year. Please forward pictures of your Council / Assembly’s Culture of Life activities for inclusion in our next newsletter to: jpkaelin@knology.net

Jim Kaelin, Culture of Life Director Knights of Columbus Alabama State Council

John Phillip and Juan Benjamin of St John the Baptist Council

10232 in Madison, AL stand among some of the Nativity set

cutouts that the council constructed as part of its “Keep Christ

in Christmas” campaign. Members of the council spent several

months constructing, assembling and painting 60 of the Nativity

sets, which they sold to the community and parish. In addition,

the council rented space on a digital billboard near a busy

highway to display a banner that reads “Keep Christ in

Christmas.”

~COLUMBIA MAGAZINE, December, 2014