Prayer for Life
St. Patrick Catholic Church’s pro-life statement in response to Illinois abortion laws. Please include this in your prayer life. O God, our Creator, all life is in your hands from conception until death. Help us to cherish our children and to reverence the awesome privilege of our share in creation. May all people live and die in dignity and love. Bless all those who defend the rights of the unborn, the disabled and the aged. Enlighten and be merciful toward those who fail to love, and give them peace. Let freedom be tempered by responsibility, integrity and morality. Amen. |
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Billboards sponsored by our parish on Highway 51
at the north edge of Wapella....
at the north edge of Wapella....
The Living Scripture Retreat in SPANISH
August 2-4, 2024 Escritura Viva
This retreat will be in the Spanish language.
The wound of abortion is real. So is healing. The Living Scripture Retreat offers healing for those who struggle with the emotional and spiritual pain of a past abortion. This retreat is for singles or married couples; mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, or anyone impacted by an abortion experience. If you are searching for peace and inner healing from a past abortion, this retreat is for you. Register for the retreat by calling (309) 264-1489 or emailing [email protected]. All communications are strictly confidential.
August 2-4, 2024 Escritura Viva
This retreat will be in the Spanish language.
The wound of abortion is real. So is healing. The Living Scripture Retreat offers healing for those who struggle with the emotional and spiritual pain of a past abortion. This retreat is for singles or married couples; mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, or anyone impacted by an abortion experience. If you are searching for peace and inner healing from a past abortion, this retreat is for you. Register for the retreat by calling (309) 264-1489 or emailing [email protected]. All communications are strictly confidential.
NaProTECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology) is a new women's health science that monitors and maintains a woman's reproductive and gynecological health. It provides medical and surgical treatments that cooperate completely with the reproductive system. Thirty years of scientific research in the study of the normal and abnormal states of the menstrual and fertility cycles have unraveled their mysteries. To learn more and find help in your area - you may visit these websites:
- www.naprotechnology.com/
- fertilitycare.org/what-is-naprotechnology
- www.naprotechnology.com/
- fertilitycare.org/what-is-naprotechnology
Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat
Has an abortion experience left you feeling empty and alone? Rachel’s Vineyard retreat is available in our diocese for any man or woman who has struggled with the emotional and spiritual pain of abortion. Register now for the next upcoming retreat - (309) 264-1489 [email protected]. This healing weekend is for singles, married couples, mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, or anyone suffering the effects of an abortion loss. Details can be found HERE.
Has an abortion experience left you feeling empty and alone? Rachel’s Vineyard retreat is available in our diocese for any man or woman who has struggled with the emotional and spiritual pain of abortion. Register now for the next upcoming retreat - (309) 264-1489 [email protected]. This healing weekend is for singles, married couples, mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, or anyone suffering the effects of an abortion loss. Details can be found HERE.
What is RACHEL'S VINEYARD?
* Rachel's Vineyard is a safe place to renew, rebuild and redeem hearts broken by abortion. Weekend retreats offer you a supportive, confidential and non-judgmental environment where women and men can express, release and reconcile painful post-abortive emotions to begin the process of restoration, renewal and healing.
* Rachel's Vineyard can help you find your inner voice. It can help you experience God's love and compassion on a profound level. It creates a place where men and women can share, often for the first time, their deepest feelings about abortion. You are allowed to dismantle troubling secrets in an environment of emotional and spiritual safety.
* Rachel's Vineyard is therapy for the soul. Participants, who have been trapped in anger toward themselves or others, experience forgiveness. Peace is found. Lives are restored. A sense of hope and meaning for the future is finally re-discovered.
Resources for Pregnancy
and Newborn Assistance Birthright of Bloomington (309) 829-5430 505 N Center, Suite 1, Bloomington Living Alternatives (309) 454-5433 303 Landmark Drive Suite 1B, Normal New Life Pregnancy Center (217) 429-0464 240 West Main St, Decatur Birthright of Champaign 201 W Springfield Ave, Suite 206, Champaign (217) 351-7744 Women’s Care Center 7319 N University St, Peoria (309) 689-0200; Helpline (877) 908-2341 St. Gianna Baby Pantry Provides baby supplies to families in need 1825 NE Adams St, Peoria (309) 636-8012 Family Resources Center Provides referrals for pregnancy tests and services, chastity programs, natural family planning, and post-abortion counseling. 415 NE Monroe St, Peoria (309) 839-2287 Guardian Angel Outreach Provides support and resources for women and babies (pregnancy-2 years) 405 S Illinois St, Streator (815) 672-4567 Birthright International 24/7 HELPLINE 1-800-550-4900 |
Birthright Wish List sanitizing wipes disinfectant spray new layette items... - blankets - sleepers & gowns (newborn - 6 mos) - baby towels - baby shampoo maternity clothes diapers (newborn thru size 5) baby wipes books for babies/toddlers gas cards cash prayers |
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40 DAYS for LIFE Campaign: September 28th - November 6th, 2022
This is a community based campaign that takes a determined, peaceful approach to show local communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighborhoods. It puts into action a desire to cooperate with God in carrying out His plan to end abortion.
Sign up for time slots during this 40 days at the following links:
www.40daysforlife.com/en/peoria
www.40daysforlife.com/en/champaign
This is a community based campaign that takes a determined, peaceful approach to show local communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighborhoods. It puts into action a desire to cooperate with God in carrying out His plan to end abortion.
Sign up for time slots during this 40 days at the following links:
www.40daysforlife.com/en/peoria
www.40daysforlife.com/en/champaign
The MARCH FOR LIFE was January 22, 2022 in Washington D.C. Watch a 45-second recap HERE ... the most important pro-life event of the year. |
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Birthright Fundraiser Follow-Up (September 2021)
THANK YOU to all the amazing volunteers and generous congregations that made this year’s Birthright Baby Bottle Fundraiser a smashing success! I never dreamed in a pandemic that we could even make a fundraiser happen. I predicted that if we got to 50% of our record-breaking result last year (just prior to the shutdown), it would be a success. Well, with the help of all of you, we got to two-thirds of that number, reaching over $20,400! With the online giving component this year, I can’t give you accurate figures on your individual congregation’s contributions. With SO many folks still not back in church at all, the generosity of your people is remarkable! Their heart-warming love of the unborn and their families is what this world needs more of right now! I have to especially recognize two parishes that smashed their prior year’s giving even without counting any online contributions: thank you, St. Mary’s of Bloomington and St. Patrick of Wapella for that phenomenal support. To all of you, please extend the gratitude of the Birthright volunteers, Board of Directors and most importantly, the families we serve, to your congregations. Birthright would not exist in our community without them. Yours in Life, Colleen Curran
THANK YOU to all the amazing volunteers and generous congregations that made this year’s Birthright Baby Bottle Fundraiser a smashing success! I never dreamed in a pandemic that we could even make a fundraiser happen. I predicted that if we got to 50% of our record-breaking result last year (just prior to the shutdown), it would be a success. Well, with the help of all of you, we got to two-thirds of that number, reaching over $20,400! With the online giving component this year, I can’t give you accurate figures on your individual congregation’s contributions. With SO many folks still not back in church at all, the generosity of your people is remarkable! Their heart-warming love of the unborn and their families is what this world needs more of right now! I have to especially recognize two parishes that smashed their prior year’s giving even without counting any online contributions: thank you, St. Mary’s of Bloomington and St. Patrick of Wapella for that phenomenal support. To all of you, please extend the gratitude of the Birthright volunteers, Board of Directors and most importantly, the families we serve, to your congregations. Birthright would not exist in our community without them. Yours in Life, Colleen Curran
The MARCH FOR LIFE was January 29, 2021 virtually & in Washington D.C.
Watch it HERE ... the most important pro-life event of the year.
A Sad Anniversary We Observe
On January 22, 2020, as a Nation we observe the sad anniversary of the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court decision, ‘Roe v Wade’. It was the template for individual states to make legislation permitting and promoting abortion - the direct and intentional killing of the unborn person. Because of this Court ruling approximately 3,500 babies are killed every day in the U.S. alone. Over 60,000,000 human persons have perished in the womb since this ruling. Let us together work and pray for an end to abortion and to courageously and charitably speak out against it and always speak out for the sanctity of all human life,
especially the most vulnerable. There are pro-life materials in the vestibule for your perusal and taking.
~ Fr. Stirniman
On January 22, 2020, as a Nation we observe the sad anniversary of the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court decision, ‘Roe v Wade’. It was the template for individual states to make legislation permitting and promoting abortion - the direct and intentional killing of the unborn person. Because of this Court ruling approximately 3,500 babies are killed every day in the U.S. alone. Over 60,000,000 human persons have perished in the womb since this ruling. Let us together work and pray for an end to abortion and to courageously and charitably speak out against it and always speak out for the sanctity of all human life,
especially the most vulnerable. There are pro-life materials in the vestibule for your perusal and taking.
~ Fr. Stirniman
Honor this Wapella mother of 19 with your pro-life presence this month
January 16, 2020 - The Catholic Post - Diocese of Peoria, Illinois
There are many somber reasons to take part in this month’s activities marking the anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decisions legalizing abortion. Primary among them are honoring the tens of millions of unborn children whose lives ended violently before birth, and praying for the conversion of the hearts of those now considering abortion as well as those who provide them. Father Adam Cesarek rightly reminded participants in the March for Life in Pontiac last Saturday that we also must pray for our own continuing conversions and draw nearer to God’s plan for our lives.
Somber, too — and motivating — is the fact that since last year’s anniversary Illinois lawmakers voted to pass the most extremely permissive abortion laws of any state in the nation — the so-called "Reproductive Health Act."
We would like to propose a more celebratory reason: to honor the memory of Rozanne Karr, a woman from Wapella who, prior to her death on Jan. 6 at age 96, was likely the mother living in the Diocese of Peoria who had brought the most babies into this world.
Rozanne, who was religious education coordinator at St. Patrick Parish for more than four decades, was the mother of 19, the grandmother of 46, and the great-grandmother of 65. Of course, she had a lot of help from her late husband, John.
While raising a large family doesn’t necessarily equate with being pro-life, Rozanne earned the label in a variety of ways. For example, when she turned 80, she asked that those attending her birthday party bring baby items to benefit families in need throughout DeWitt County. She did the same when she turned 90.
While she won’t have any more earthly birthdays, Rozanne’s life deserves to be widely celebrated. We suggest doing so by taking part in one of the pro-life observances in your area in the coming days in her memory. Or, in the spirit of her birthday celebrations, make a donation to a local women’s pregnancy center. Don’t forget to tell them the gift is in honor of Rozanne Karr. — Thomas J. Dermody (See the article on the Post's website HERE.)
January 16, 2020 - The Catholic Post - Diocese of Peoria, Illinois
There are many somber reasons to take part in this month’s activities marking the anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decisions legalizing abortion. Primary among them are honoring the tens of millions of unborn children whose lives ended violently before birth, and praying for the conversion of the hearts of those now considering abortion as well as those who provide them. Father Adam Cesarek rightly reminded participants in the March for Life in Pontiac last Saturday that we also must pray for our own continuing conversions and draw nearer to God’s plan for our lives.
Somber, too — and motivating — is the fact that since last year’s anniversary Illinois lawmakers voted to pass the most extremely permissive abortion laws of any state in the nation — the so-called "Reproductive Health Act."
We would like to propose a more celebratory reason: to honor the memory of Rozanne Karr, a woman from Wapella who, prior to her death on Jan. 6 at age 96, was likely the mother living in the Diocese of Peoria who had brought the most babies into this world.
Rozanne, who was religious education coordinator at St. Patrick Parish for more than four decades, was the mother of 19, the grandmother of 46, and the great-grandmother of 65. Of course, she had a lot of help from her late husband, John.
While raising a large family doesn’t necessarily equate with being pro-life, Rozanne earned the label in a variety of ways. For example, when she turned 80, she asked that those attending her birthday party bring baby items to benefit families in need throughout DeWitt County. She did the same when she turned 90.
While she won’t have any more earthly birthdays, Rozanne’s life deserves to be widely celebrated. We suggest doing so by taking part in one of the pro-life observances in your area in the coming days in her memory. Or, in the spirit of her birthday celebrations, make a donation to a local women’s pregnancy center. Don’t forget to tell them the gift is in honor of Rozanne Karr. — Thomas J. Dermody (See the article on the Post's website HERE.)
Prayer for Life O God, our Creator, all life is in your hands from conception until death. Help us to cherish our children and to reverence the awesome privilege of our share in creation. May all people live and die in dignity and love. Bless all those who defend the rights of the unborn, the handicapped and the aged. Enlighten and be merciful toward those who fail to love, and give them peace. Let freedom be tempered by responsibility, integrity, and morality. Amen. |
Prayer of Blessing Upon the Unborn Child God, author of all life, bless, we pray, this unborn child. Give constant protection and grant a healthy birth that is the sign of our rebirth one day into the eternal rejoicing of heaven. We ask this in Christ's name. Amen. |
September 25th - November 3rd, 2019
Parishioner Kim Weber (in the gray sweatshirt) with Cursillo friends 9/25/2019 - Day 1 of 40 Days for Life - Bloomington
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Parishioners Pam Elliott, Claire Martens, Judy Martens, Penny - the day leader from St. Mary's Church (Bloomington), and Kim Weber on October 31st - All Hallows Eve - Day 37 of 40 Days for Life.
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PRAYERS FOR LIFE - SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 2019
near the Bloomington Planned Parenthood |
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Actress who stars in ‘Unplanned’ thinks film is ‘going to change history’
Story can be found HERE. 
Abby Johnson, left, is seen on the set of the movie "Unplanned" with actress Ashley Bratcher, who plays her. The movie details the story of Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood administrator who quit that job to join the pro-life movement after her up-close interaction with abortion.
(Credit: CNS photo/courtesy Unplanned.) |
Abby Johnson quit her job in October 2009. That simple act became a national news story because Abby was the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas who, after participating in an actual abortion procedure for the first time, walked down the street to join the COALITION for LIFE. This filme is a heart-stopping personal drama of life-and-death encounters, a courtroom battle, and spiritual transformation that speaks hope and compassion into the political controversy that surrounds this issue. Telling Abby’s story from both sides of the abortion clinic property line, this movie is for anyone who cares about the LIFE vs. RIGHTS debate and helping women who face crisis pregnancies. Today, Abby travels across the globe sharing her story, educating the public on pro-life issues, advocating for the unborn, and reaching out to abortion clinic staff who still work in the industry. She is the founder of And Then There Were None, a ministry designed to assist abortion clinic workers in transitioning out of the industry. To date, this ministry has helped over 430 workers leave the abortion industry. Abby lives in Texas with her husband and seven precious children.
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Life Advocacy Day draws hundreds to
Springfield to meet with legislators The Catholic Post March 21, 2019 article by Jennifer Willems can be found HERE. |
Life Prayer
Jesus, Lord of Life, transform the hearts of all elected leaders to recognize that infanticide is wrong and must not be tolerated. Open hearts and minds to recognize and defend the precious gift of every human life. |
PRAY for LIFE
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Text prayforlife to 55000 for text messages with prayer intentions
for life and access to reflections,
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Subscribe by Text Message
Text prayforlife to 55000 for text messages with prayer intentions
for life and access to reflections,
suggested actions, and more!
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This documentary on the outcome of the free-love experiment of the last century set against the backdrop of Paul VI's ground-breaking encyclical about love, sex, and marriage. www.sexualrevolutionmovie.com
Seven years in the making, SEXUAL REVOLUTION seeks to examine the effects of the free-love experiment of the hippie generation and the prophetic encyclical, Humanae Vitae. This beautiful documentary closely examines the history of the parallel developments of the Pill and modern Natural Family Planning (NFP) by telling the little known story of the founding doctors – Dr. Gregory Goodwin Pincus and Drs. John & Evelyn Billings - all of whom were once colleagues. The centerpiece of the film is the dramatic life story of Alana Newman, a talented secular musician who gives up her entire musical career for life, family, and love. Alana shares how through desperation to know her father, she finally discovers the treasures of Theology of the Body, Humanae Vitae, and the riches of true freedom through a dramatic conversion. |
March for Life - January 2018
Father Geoff Horton, Father Joe Baker (St. Mary's Blooomington) and Central Catholic High School in Washington DC
Father Geoff Horton, Father Joe Baker (St. Mary's Blooomington) and Central Catholic High School in Washington DC
