The Department of Communications of the Archdiocese of Detroit shares Archbishop Vigneron’s comments on two citizen initiative petition drives set to take place in Michigan that would have an impact on pro-life policy in the state. The drive announced Wednesday, June 26 in Lansing, organized by Right to Life of Michigan, would prohibit dilation and evacuation abortion procedures, also known as “dismemberment abortion.” A second proposal seeks to prohibit abortion after cardiac activity is detected in the developing child. The Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) Board of Directors, with Archbishop Vigneron as its chair, is in full support of the dismemberment abortion petition drive, and has expressed reservations about the heartbeat petition. Archbishop Vigneron’s comments are as follows:
“The Catholic Church in Michigan lends her support to sound and reasonable public policies, especially those which protect the most innocent among us. I invite all people of goodwill, regardless of religious or political affiliation, to join the citizen initiative effort to prohibit the heinous dilation and evacuation abortion procedure that requires the dismemberment of a human child in the womb. While the proposal advanced by the “heartbeat” coalition shares the goal of ending abortion, it appears to raise the possibility of negatively impacting existing law in Michigan that protects all unborn human life, which only lies dormant due to the Roe v. Wade decision. As these petition drives move forward, I applaud those who continue to change hearts and minds by invoking the humanity, dignity and rights of the unborn child while at the same time being close to and offering unyielding support for women who may find themselves in a challenging or crisis pregnancy.”
We Need Help with Baptism Prep
If you have been looking for a small but rewarding way to get involved in a ministry at St. Valentine, there are immediate openings on our Baptism prep team. The time commitment is not huge, about two hours once a month in the evening. Classes are held the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the rectory meeting room. If you prefer, you could approach this as a team of two persons leading the meeting. Depending on how many people volunteer to conduct these classes, you might be required to only volunteer every third or fourth month. You do not need any theology classes or special training. You will be given all the information you need and will observe some classes before you start. Most important, is a welcoming, friendly attitude and an ability to talk with the families. Basically, you will be informing the parents what to expect the day of Baptism, i.e. where to sit, what do godparents do, when to come up to the baptismal font, how long the celebration of this sacrament takes, prayers used during baptism, etc. In addition, a big part of your job is making the families feel welcome and comfortable at St. Valentine, and offering congratulations and encouragement to new parents!
If this sounds interesting to you, please call the Parish Office at 313-532-4394.
Fr. Socorro