Hello, CWL Sisters! I hope that you enjoyed a nice Mother's Day on Sunday. It will be interesting to share our stories on how we are coping with this social isolation and new ways of experiencing our daily lives. I think our outlook on life will brighten more when we experience the warm weather coming by The May Long Weekend. I bought so many annual flowers yesterday- and yes, will bring them in and out for the next 2 weeks but it is a boost to have colour in my life and something to look forward to!
March for Life
The annual physical March for Life planned for May 14th in Ottawa has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, organizers have “announced an extensive series of virtual programming that will be offered online for the first time,” building up to the day of the 23rd annual march. According to an April 8th statement from the organizing committee, “This initiative will also bring awareness to the killing occurring at the other end of the spectrum, near the end of life,with a focus on the proposed expansions to Canada’s euthanasia law.”
Online activities will be available through marchforlife.ca starting May 10th and running through to May 14th. “Programming will include pro-life films and interviews, a virtual candlelight vigil on May 13 and online Masses and religious services on May 14.” Members can sign up for updates to the schedules at marchforlife.ca.
Encourage all members in your province to tune in to this national virtual celebration of life. Let members let all Canadians know that although the COVID-19 pandemic is shutting down events across the country, it will not shut down members’ defence of life!
Visit campaignlifecoalition.com/abortion to get a fact sheet regarding life issues in Canada. Be not afraid Canada! Let’s defend life! Défendons la vie!
Pat Deppiesse
National Chairperson of Christian Family Life
The COVID-19 pandemic has been, for countless people around the world, a great and unexpected trial. But for Catholics, who were already struggling with the abuse crisis and a dramatic rise in disaffiliation, this trial is not only economic, social, or medical—it is spiritual. Plunged into a time of darkness and separated from the sacraments and their parish communities, the faithful are feeling isolated, disheartened, and uncertain about what the future holds.
Wordonfire.org/covid is where you can download this book if interested. You can download the PDF for free.This new eBook from Word on Fire Institute Fellow Dr. Stephen Bullivant is an insightful and encouraging analysis of the coronavirus, shedding light not only on the Church’s present moment or similar crises of the past but also on the immediate future.
A former Oxford researcher and expert in Catholic disaffiliation, Dr. Bullivant looks at the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Church from both the spiritual and secular perspectives, weaving in his own personal reflections as a Catholic convert and a husband and father. This eBook is a unique roadmap for this challenging time, one that will help to bring clarity, focus, and energy to Catholics everywhere.
He holds doctorates in Theology (Oxford, 2009) and Sociology (Warwick, 2019). He joined St. Mary’s in 2009, having previously held posts at Heythrop College, London, and Wolfson College, Oxford. Professor Bullivant has also held a visiting fellowship at the Institute for Social Change (University of Manchester), Blackfriars Hall (University of Oxford), and the Institute for Advanced Studies (University College London).