A Celebration of Life -- Pro-life/Pro-family Conference (June, 2001)

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Jmj

Friends,
I would like to invite everyone to consider joining me (and probably 1,000 to 2,000 other folks) in attending what I can GUARANTEE will be an outstanding spiritual and educational experience -- a Catholic-centered, socio/politico/religious conference on all the issues of interest to people who espouse the pro-life/pro-family cause.

Judie Brown's "American Life League" and Steven Mosher's "Population Research Institute" are sponsoring this first major international pro-life conference of the new millennium -- "A Celebration of Life World Family Conference" in June at a Radisson hotel in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I have attended similar conferences in 1988, '89, '90, and 91 -- and I can assure you that they are fantastic.

The conference will begin with Mass celebrated by a bishop from Texas (probably concelebrated by other bishops and many priests in attendance), on a Wednesday night at 7:30.
--- On Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, there will be early morning rosary and Mass (perhaps at 7:00), followed by time for breakfast. There probably will be a special room with a tabernacle for all-day adoration and silent prayer.
--- On Thursday, there will be "wall-to-wall" lectures, Q&A sessions, and panel discussions -- from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., sometimes two or three being given simultaneously in separate rooms -- with breaks for lunch and supper.
--- On Friday, a similar pattern will be followed, but only from 9 to 1:30 p.m., at which time there will be a lengthy (optional) luncheon at which retired Bishop Welch (of Arlington and Allentown) will speak and other special activies will occur. The afternoon and evening will be a time to rest, tour the area, spend time in the display-table area (where dozens of organizations will be giving away or selling things), or to attend a "youth rally" (1 to 10 p.m.), at which hundreds of students will be present.
--- On Saturday, things will be similar to Thursday, except that the end of the lectures will be 5:00 p.m., and a big (optional) banquet dinner will be served from about 6 to 9 p.m.. During this meal, there will be various speakers, and the guest of honor will be Father Paul Marx, O.S.B., one of the world's greatest pro-life leaders. Now about 80 years of age and retired, Fr. Paul founded and presided over Human Life International, formerly the world's largest pro-life organization. (He was named "Public Enemy Number 1" by the U.S.'s biggest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood.).
--- On Sunday, there will be still more sessions beginning at 9:00 a.m., followed by a closing Mass at about noon.

All together there will be dozens of separate talks, panels, etc. -- each probably 90 minutes in length. (Often a person speaks for 45 minutes and then takes questions for 45 minutes.) These sessions are taped -- both on audio and video cassettes -- and the recordings are sold for reasonable prices, so that a person can hear/see what happened in an alternate (concurrent) session he/she could not attend. You can make your own lodging arrangements at area hotels/motels, or you can stay at the Radisson (mucho $ even at special rates). You can drive, make your own air reservations, or get lower fares from a special travel agency.

Here is a list of expected speakers:
Judie Brown, Steven Mosher, Joan Appleton, R.N. (former abortion nurse), Christopher and Joan (Andrews) Bell, Theresa Bell, Cathy Brown, Fr. Elmer Burwinkel, Elizabeth Daub, Mark DeYoung, Brian Gibson, Mary Meaney Haynes, Ph.D., Fr. Joseph C. Howard, Jr., Jim Hughes, Rev. Johnny Hunter, Dr. Mildred F. Jefferson, Dr. Chris Kahlenborn, Bryan Kemper, John and Sheila Kippley [founders of Couple to Couple League -- NFP experts], Mary Ann Kuharski, Al Matt, Jr., Barbara McGuigan [OUTSTANDING chastity lecturer to youth], Dr. Bernard Nathanson [former abortionist and co-founder of NARAL; author; creator of Silent Scream; Jew, then atheist, then Christian, then Catholic Christian], Dr. Claude and Glenys Newbury, Mark Pickup, Fr. John Rafael, Msgr. Philip Reilly, Prof. Charles Rice, Robert L. Sassone, Dr. Philippe Schepens, Joseph Scheidler, Jim Sedlak, Donna Steichen, Edward Szymkowiak, Dr. William Toffler, Dr. Gerard J.M. van den Aardweg, Sr. Mary Pilar Verzosa, Alice Von Hildebrand, Dr. Richard Wetzel, Erik Whittington, Kalley Yanta, Johannes Zander, Fr. Anthony Zimmerman.

For more information, please ask questions of me here, or please visit these A.L.L. pages. (Oh, by the way, did I tell you that I am enthusiastic about this?) I hope that one or more of you will be able to attend.

Our Lady of Guadelupe and Blessed Margaret of Castello, patronesses of the pro-life movement, pray for us.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jgecik@desc.dla.mil), April 27, 2001

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-- (_@_._), April 27, 2001.

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