During
my recent trip to California, I had the humble privilege of speaking to
supporters and pro-life activists about the many ways Human Life
International accomplishes her mission to defend life, faith, and family
around the world. I traveled Napa, California to attend the third
annual Napa Institute conference on Equipping Catholics in the "Next
America," but I also spent some time at parishes and had speaking
engagements in Sacramento and Santa Rosa. Listening to the questions and
comments following my presentations, I found that many were amazed at
the amount and variety of activities HLI's pro-life missionaries are
involved with in their life-saving work. Honestly, I share in their
amazement. Every week during status meetings, I am brought up-to-date on
the many projects, conferences and activities our regional directors,
affiliates and their staff are doing across the globe. Sometimes it's
hard to keep up with all that is happening in our mission field, so I
thought for this week's Spirit and Life I would share a few of these projects with you.
A
major component of our work in Latin America, spearheaded by our
regional director Mario Rojas, involves continuing formation for
bishops, priests, seminarians and religious in the pro-life teachings of
the Church. Our REDESSVIDA conferences are instrumental in this work
and operate at both a diocesan and international level. After a
successful diocesan conference last June in Mexico City, planning for
the next series of conferences, including the international REDESSVIDA
conference in Guadalajara next June, is already underway. From the
beginning, HLI has seen its collaborative work with the clergy and
future Church leaders as a vital link in confronting the culture of
death. Their influence within their respective responsibilities provides
a direct connection to people in the pews, parochial schools,
catechetical programs, colleges, universities and seminaries; in other
words, they are on the front lines of the battle. If they are properly
prepared to enter into these conversations and moments concerning life
issues, then they are capable of guiding minds, hearts and actions.
A
second area of influence in Latin America is through HLI's Pro-Life
Catechetical Formation/Training program. This program focuses on the
dignity of the human person within a proper Christian anthropology. The
program includes philosophy, morality, natural law, bioethics, theology,
scripture and Church teaching. It is available for clergy, religious
and laity. This educational program, which can also be taken online, is
being utilized in seminaries, dioceses and lay formation programs. A
similar program is being utilized in our Miami office where training
seminars are conducted by HLI's Adolfo Castañeda. HLI commits to this
particular work because it directly affects the short-term issues facing
human life, and has a long-term impact upon the culture. Proper
education and formation confronts ignorance and misunderstanding and
replaces it with a clear ability to articulate the truth about human
life.
There
is another program I need to mention that is having a tremendous
influence in Latin America: the operation of crisis pregnancy centers
for women. HLI, in collaboration with local pro-life leaders, has
funded, established and supported these powerful centers of genuine
love, hope and care for women and their children across Latin America.
They make a strategic difference in the battle for life, and they have
an immediate impact -- the lives of women and their babies are saved
every day. Women are provided genuine assistance in their time of need.
Not only do the centers provide truthful answers about pregnancy and the
consequences of abortion, but they also provide maternal care
throughout the pregnancy, on-going counsel, supplies, educational and
job opportunities, as well as follow-up care after the baby is born. In
other words, they walk alongside our sisters and look at the entire
person's needs and well-being. It is not, as those supporting abortion
claim, just about the baby. It is about human life, the sacredness of
womanhood, family life and the protection of every life. I have seen
first hand the accomplishments of these centers and am very proud that
we share in this great corporal work of love and charity.
As
with our efforts in Latin America, HLI's commitment to build and
sustain a Culture of Life in Africa is of equal and vital importance. We
know that population control groups market their agenda and ideology
heavily upon the people African. HLI has two regional directors
promoting her mission in Africa: George Wirnkar in Cameroon, who
oversees HLI's efforts in French-speaking Africa, and Emil Hagamu in
Tanzania, who works in English-speaking communities. These champions for
life and their staff who assist them diligently work to confront the
anti-life agenda of population control groups like Marie Stopes,
International Planned Parenthood Federation and the Gates Foundation. I
wish I could tell you everything they are doing, but space and time do
not allow. However, let me share one program having a tremendous impact.
Recently,
HLI Kenya Director Father Raphael Wanjohi visited our international
headquarters in Virginia and gave a report on the projects he is
currently working on in Kenya. As with our programs in Latin American,
Father Wanjohi, a former seminary rector and educator, works with the
local bishops, priests and seminarians to further educate them on life
issues. He has designed an educational program geared towards bringing
students and people in key professions into the pro-life movement in
Kenya: doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, legislators and other white
collar professions. Why is this vital? If we can provide sound formation
and education in the fields of philosophy, bioethics, morality,
medicine, Christian anthropology, theology and Church teaching, then we
will have a much better chance to rewrite the current narrative and
confront the deceptive consequences of the culture of death prevailing
across the African continent.
Father
Wanjohi, who has been building this program and network of pro-life
professionals for ten years, expressed excitement because students in
the program are graduating from their disciplines and entering their
respective fields. They bring with them what they have learned in their
pro-life training and confront the deceptive teachings undermining the
Culture of Life in Africa. To further support this effort, Father has
built a network of guilds (medical professionals, teachers, etc.) to
sustain and nourish the continued work. Again, this has a short-term and
long-term impact. HLI is working to duplicate this program across our
mission field.
These
are but a few examples of HLI's efforts to build and nourish a Culture
of Life around the world. In this short article I have failed to do
justice to the scope of work, or mention the many people involved, in
this awesome mission. I am most grateful to each of them for their
witness and sacrifices made for the defense of life.
Thank
you for your support of HLI. I will share more of HLI's work in future
articles. Meanwhile, please continue to pray for the success of our
life-saving mission, of which you play a crucial role, and for those we
serve.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Shenan J. Boquet
President, Human Life International
