THE WHITE CROSS INITIATIVE The White Cross Initiative is designed as an education and evangelization program aimed at increasing awareness of life issues through prayer and information coupled with an invitation to parishioners to place the White Cross and its message of mercy in their home during Respect Life Month. This is a four pillar approach to evangelizing the Gospel of Life. Choose Life! JUNE 2008
Pillar I Educate the Adults The Choose Life! Ministry has co-written an eight-part educational series to be printed in the weekly bulletin spanning eight weeks from September 6/7, 2008 through October 2008. Each weekly edition focuses on a separate life issue beginning with euthanasia and including the death penalty, bio-ethics, abortion, NFP, selective reproduction and faithful citizenship. Bulletin editions are organized as follows: Title, photo, logo bar Quote identifying the topic Excerpt from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Reflection from Fr. Jim, or one of our priests or deacons directly relating to the Catechism. Why I am putting up a cross, testimonies from parishioners explaining in their own words why they believe it is important to protect and defend life. Invitation to October 1st outdoor candlelight prayer service and Rosary commemorating the beginning of Respect Life Month at St. Petronille. Before and after the service all
parishioners are invited to assist in erecting the crosses around the Parish center lawn. The invitation to the prayer service and the testimonials (Why I am Putting Up a Cross ) will appear in the bulletin three times before October 1. The testimonials will continue through the remaining weeks of October. The Choose Life! Education Series is designed to: 1) Create an information/learning arc that encompasses multiple life issues. 2) Presents doctrine with accompanying commentary/reflection by St. Petronille ordained ministers. 3) Personalize the Respect Life message to our parish and our parishioners through testimonials. The Education Series invites all to take part in erecting the crosses with unified prayer and raises awareness of the installation s purpose as a reverent memorial to those whose lives have been ended due to abortion. This series is a three year program continued, but not duplicated, in October 2009 and concluding in October 2010. The series is supported by the parish Choose Life! Ministry and co-written by Kate Coffey, Judy Smith, Kevin Douglass, and Cathy Douglass. Tammy Miller is designing the layout. Michael Douglass and Matt Austin have photographed images for inclusion in the design layout. We wish to also note here that an effort has been made to include prayer, both private and community, in all phases of The White Cross Initiative. The October 1 st Prayer Service is of special importance however, we believe, because it is an opportunity for our community to join together with Choose Life! volunteers in beginning Respect Life Month with prayer. Blessing the crosses
and the people, helping to erect the crosses, praying the rosary together, all promote unity of purpose and begin the month on a spiritual footing. This could present a true conversion moment for someone whose heart has been unmoved by this cause. Pillar II We are a People of Life We believe the parish needs to extend an invitation to parishioners to take more personal ownership of the Respect Life message and for individuals and families to identify themselves as Pro-Life by virtue of their Christian faith and Catholic identity. To begin to reach this goal we propose we change the banner in front of the cross installation. The 4 x5 banner accompanying crosses the will be changed from the current message,.babies killed in the United States each day. to: We Love Life, We Honor Life, We Respect Life ~ St. Petronille ~ A People of Life The change in the message of the banner is to encourage people to be more positive and comfortable discussing Respect Life issues, especially abortion. This is not an attempt to water down the tacit anti- abortion message of the crosses but rather an attempt to broaden the Respect Life tent so more people will feel comfortable under it. The current message is too narrow and the wording causes consternation for parents. The new wording is inclusive and suggests positive action. It is important for parents and educators to pass on the Faith to children from a very early age. The moral formation of children is a primary duty of parents. The church and parish school and Religious Education program serve parents in assisting them in transmitting our Catholic Faith to children. We propose a ten foot
banner be placed above the education doors during the month of October each year in commemoration of Respect Life Month. The purpose of the banner is to instill a positive Pro-Life identity in children as they progress through their elementary years. The message of the banner is simply: We Are a People of Life! ~ It is Respect Life Month at St. Petronille Both banners carry messages that can be springboards for ageappropriate conversations in the home and signal a unity of purpose that binds our whole community together in prayer and action. Pillar III We Are Not Alone in Our Beliefs The White Cross: The cross is a symbol of new and eternal life. It is not a symbol of death. The White Cross connotes freedom from sin and eternal life with God as promised by Jesus by His own death and resurrection. We propose all parishioners be invited to display a simple white paper cross in their front door or window during October as a means of evangelization in their home and to our Glen Ellyn community. The street-facing cross is plain, unadorned and white. The reverse side viewed from the interior displays the Prayer for Life, and brings into each home the message, We Love Life, We Honor Life, We Respect Life ~ St. Petronille ~ A People of Life! (e). The crosses are available to everyone through a simple cut-out on Choose Life! Education Series Week 4 (Oct. 4/5, 2008.- Respect Life Sunday) which includes an invitation to participate, an inspirational quote, and directions.
The White Cross displayed during the month of October has many possible positive outcomes: The White Cross brings the discussion of Life issues into the home where parents can, if they wish, address the subject in a way appropriate to their home environment. The White Cross invites families into prayer for Life. The visibility of The White Cross throughout the community outwardly evangelizes the Gospel of Life and connects the home to the parish. Parishioners, particularly the children, will recognize they are not alone in their silent witness for Life as they see other homes displaying a White Cross. There is power in numbers. The White Cross has the same effect of unifying the community behind a cause as the yellow ribbons tied around trees for soldiers and similar campaigns. This is an easy way for someone who is not necessarily comfortable with activism to make a quiet, yet powerful statement in support of Life. It makes a powerful statement of support and identity within the family and to the neighborhood. Parishioners can also display The White Cross inside the home for private family prayer. The initiative is an invitation to voluntarily join in prayer and activism aimed at changing the hearts and minds of people and converting society to a culture that reveres life at all stages.
Pillar IV Moving Pictures To reach all age groups and specifically young children and teens we have to use the technology format they are most tied to which is video. We plan to produce an inspirational You Tube style video to engage all age groups in the White Cross Initiative. The short video will further educate parishioners about the core themes of initiative in a two minute montage of photos and video clips. Brian Sheridan is composing original music and lyrics for a song to accompany the video. Luke Moore will produce the record and produce the video. We are in the process of developing a story board of shot sequences to be included in the video. The use of a short inspirational video will help Choose Life! kick off the Education Series and will be used to introduce The White Cross Initiative to leadership groups such as CCW, Catholic daughters, K of C, Morning Mass Coffee Group, School Board etc to inform and create a positive energy around the Pro- Life movement in our parish. The video made by our fellow parishioners about our parish embracing Life will serve to further personalize the Respect Life message and hopefully inspire personal conversion and ownership of the call to revere life as a precious gift.
$$$: The cost of the The White Cross Initiative program is minimal because we plan to use the bulletin as the main point of education and distribution of the paper crosses. The video expense is also minimal as we will use digital medium and our own cameras with video capability. Everyone mentioned thus far is volunteering their time and materials. Bulletin Cover: The design for a full color cover to grace the bulletin on Respect Life Sunday is this first year focuses on our parish building as viewed of the pillars from the Mary statue side. We chose to focus on the building because we want the design to support the idea that by virtue of belonging to this community of believers, we, as the people of St. Petronille are the people of God and therefore a people of life.
Hearing the People/Answering with Love: There are several objections and misunderstandings regarding the Crosses for Life installation that have been voiced by parishioners. The subject was addressed at a joint Choose Life! / Worship Commission Meeting in November, 2007. The White Cross Initiative answers those objections with practical solutions that retain the integrity of the ministry s mission and promote education through a cross-functioning program of evangelization. 1. The sign and display is too disturbing to children The banner has been redesigned to a positive statement about who we are as a people of the Gospel of life. The new wording inspires a positive pro-life identity. The new logo in the bulletin for the Choose Life! corner is intended to encourage parishioners to see the white cross as a symbol of life. We are attempting to change negative perception of the crosses as a graveyard to a new view point of honoring the dignity of a human person whose life has been interrupted and has returned to God. 2. Parents are unprepared to explain or dialogue with children because the crosses pop up unexpectedly. An invitation to a prayer service dedicated to the beginning of Respect Life Month will appear four times in the bulletin prior to October 1 st and will be on the parish website and school website backpack mail. This should raise sufficient awareness and eliminate surprise. Choose Life will continue to offer talking points to assist parents in age appropriate discussion of Respect life issues in the weeks prior to Oct.1, 2008. These can also be made available on the school and RE website or sent home with children as they have been in the past.
3. The cross installation looks like a Halloween display. The installation has been pushed up to the first two weeks of October moving it further away from Halloween. Every attempt will be made to maintain the crosses in neat rows more reminiscent of Arlington Cemetery than of a random graveyard display. The four weeks of the Choose Life Education Series preceding the erection of the crosses on Oct. 1 st give personal testimony by parishioners about the meaning of the crosses. It is our hope that by Oct. 1 st parishioners would grow in appreciation and acceptance of the Respect Life message and be able to comfortably answer questions about the crosses to neighbors and villagers who are not parishioners. Beginning the month in prayer and a blessing service for the wooden crosses by the community will place the display on proper spiritual footing. 4. Any discussion of abortion and other respect life issues belongs in the home, not the school. The Church acting in service to parents leads the way in helping parents to transfer lessons of Christian morality and ethics to children by setting aside the month of October to focus prayer and action on increased reverence for life. The White Cross Initiative brings the discussion of reverence for life into the home. It is a signal from the leadership of St Petronille Church to take time for prayer and reflection that is appropriate for the children in the home. Displaying The White Cross for the month of October begins a family tradition of ownership of the Gospel of Life. It opens the door to discussion and plants the seeds of activism. Because it is an annual program, the family can expand the discussion as the children grow. The paper cross displayed simultaneously as the wooden crosses on the church lawn links the home and family to the church and school. It completes the Home- School- Church learning triangle. It would be a great benefit to have a paper cross displayed in each classroom. Classroom teachers could simply point out that the class was taking part in Respect Life Month as they pray the Prayer for Life once a day modeling for the children to share this at home.
Final Reflection The White Cross Initiative is planned to span three years. It will expound a consistent catechesis on the dignity of human life and include issues of immigration, human trafficking, poverty, and the environment. Abortion and euthanasia, as the preeminent moral and social issue of our time, will remain central over the life of the program. The Gantt chart on the following page describes the roll out of the program in its first year. The four pillars of The White Cross Initiative work in conjunction to strengthen each component and support a unified parish wide evangelical effort. To change the culture of society we must start with the conversion of our parish. This initiative is aimed at framing the message of Respect Life in a way that will be embraced by our target audience of St Petronille. It is the long term goal of Choose Life! and this initiative to soften hearts to the Respect Life message so that ears will be open to hearing the truth of the Gospel of Life.
White Cross Initiative is coming Respect Life Month is a time set aside by the Church for increased and focused prayer, education, pastoral outreach and activism for all Life issues. The White Cross Initiative is grounded in prayer and Christian Solidarity in support of the dignity of the human person from conception to natural death. How it works: Pray for an increase in respect for life in our culture. Cut out the White Cross found on the cover of our parish bulletin the weekend of Oct.4 th. Display the cross in your front window for the month of October. Continue to pray and educate yourself and your family about Life Issues. Talk about the need for reverence and respect for the dignity of the human person. The Prayer for Life is included on each White Cross and can be prayed with the family/students throughout Respect Life month. Be encouraged you are not alone in your response to evangelize the Gospel of Life. Look for white crosses in the windows and doors of neighbors around town who pray with you in solidarity for a Culture of Life. This is a prayer-based initiative to unify our parish in prayer, to promote age appropriate education in the home, and to evangelize to our community of Glen Ellyn our deep conviction for the sanctity of human life.
Teaching Our Children What it Means to be A People of Life This October will mark the 37th Anniversary of the nation s Respect Life Month. Although some of our children are still too young to fully understand the issue, we are all a People of Life, and we can begin to teach our children the Three Rs of a pro-life education: 1.)Recognize that every human life is special and sacred, no matter how small, sick, or old; 2.)Respect all human life and every living thing; 3.) Take Responsibility in helping to protect and defend all human life. So, how do we allow our young children to maintain their innocence and joy of life while also instilling a sense of compassion and prayerfulness for the unborn? How do we educate our older children without adding to their many pressures and fears? Here are some ideas: Children can be taught at a very young age that life begins at conception ~ from when the very first cell of a new baby is created. We must emphasize that life is a continuum. Just as a growing baby in its mother s womb is less developed than a newborn baby, so is a toddler less developed than an eight-year-old child, who is less developed than a teenager, and so on. Explain how babies grow by reading books that show pictures of developing babies in the mother s womb. There are three children s books that explain, with beautiful illustrations, the wonderful nine-month journey of a baby in utero: Angel in the Waters by Regina Doman, The Miracle of Me by Amy Pedersen and Before You Were Born by Jennifer Davis. These books beautifully show children that, indeed, their life began before the day they were born! Check with the SIJ school library or the Hinsdale Public Library to see if these books are available. As your family prays together, remind your children to pray for babies living inside mommies bellies, and for the parents who have just found out they are going to have a baby. They can pray for the disabled, the terminally ill, the elderly, the handicapped ~ all people who need our protection and deserve our respect. Older children can pray for more people to support pro-life causes and for the effectiveness of those who do pro-life work. You can talk to your older children about the fascinating facts of fetal development, i.e., the baby s heart starts beating at 3 weeks, at 2 months all body systems are present and the baby can suck its thumb, and at 12 weeks the facial characteristics already resemble those of the parents. There are many facts that your children might find very cool while simultaneously developing a greater understanding of the importance of protecting that human life. A good web site for facts about fetal development is www.nrlc.org/abortion/facts/fetaldevelopment.html. Encourage your older children to learn more and become active. The Respect Life Ministry has numerous opportunities through which teenagers can become involved. They can join or start a prolife club at their school, pray at the local abortion clinic or volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center. You can write or call your Illinois and US legislators if your teenager or family is interested in urging them to support pro-life legislation. If you have any questions, concerns or would like more information about how you can talk to your children about abortion or other Life issues, please call the parish office and ask for the Respect Life Ministry.