Dear Members,

Recently when checking my email I came across an article on Life News titled “Study shows abortion has helped pharmaceutical, cosmetic industries grow”. At the end of the article one could click on the complete study.  This I did.

The actual title of the study written by Victoria Evans for her Dissertation for the Licentiate at the Athenaeum Pontificium Regina Apostolorum, Faculty of Bioethics was “Commercial Markets Created by Abortion: Profiting from Fetal Distribution Chain”.

As I read this paper which makes one feel sick to the stomach, I kept asking myself –how did we let this happen? Fr. Joaquin Alliende, President of Aid to the Church in Need made a very prophetic statement when he said: “The victory will happen when the love of Christ breaks through our indifference”.

In talking about the Holy Father’s trip to Fatima, Fr. Joaquin asked the questions: “where are all the Jacinta’s today to accompany him with their prayers and sacrifices?  How can we transform his teachings, with all their radiant force, into a programme of life for Christians today?

Our Constitution calls us to be the Jacintas’ in the world today. Of course it isn’t easy but the end result will most certainly be worth it.

As we come to the end of the Year of the Priest we are called to continue to pray for our priests. Today they are under constant attack from all sides and as the Holy Father stated recently ‘even from within the Church’. In a special letter distributed to Priests on 8th December, 2007 (the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception) from Claudio Cardinal Hummes, he called on priests to recognise the special maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary for each priest.

As women, we too can provide support for priests by spiritually adopting a priest.  Eucharistic Adoration is a great way to pray for our priests, bishops and the Holy Father. As lay people we can organise Adoration in our parishes. Even once a week is better than none. If you already have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in your parish, try to organise a special time just to pray for priests.

In his homily on Pentecost Sunday Fr. Anthony, MGL (from my parish)  stated that it was such a privilege to be able to spend one hour in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament each day and have the sense of being filled with the Holy Spirit flowing into him.  We now have 80 hours of Adoration each week in our parish so I commend it to you.

On 6 July we once again celebrate the feast day of St. Maria Goretti. League members throughout Australia and many WUCWO members worldwide will join together on this day to pray for abused children everywhere. It also provides us with the opportunity to pray for their families and the families of the abuser as well as the abused.  So many people suffer as a result of this terrible crime.

Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us.

Madge Fahy
National President
May 2010

Click here for the Vatican link to the Holy Father's Sermon on the feast of the Sacred Heart to end the Year of the Priest.