Adult Stem Cell Initiative, Inc.

Cotact: Geraldine Oftedahl

100 Sagamore Dr. Rochester NY 14617

(585) 266 -2266

 

Bethany Christian Services

Cotacts: Kristen Chalmers, Elissa Viele

(585) 288-6760

www.bethany.org/rochester

 

Birthright of Rochester, Inc.

Contact: Joan K Rohr, Executive Director

BirthrightRoc@frontiernet.net  www.birthright.org

Offices in Rochester, Brighton, Brockport, and Geneseo

(585) 385-2100 or

24hr. Hotline (800) 550-4900

 

Bishop Kearney

High School

125 Kings Highway South

Rochester, NY 14617

(585) 342-4000

www.bkhs.org

 

BRAVE

Brighton Residents Against Violence

 

contact: Carol Crossed

(585)442-8497

ccrossed@rochester.rr.com

 

Care Net Pregnancy Center of Orleans County

Contact: Susan Thaine

243 S. Main St., Suite 100

Albion, NY 14411

cnetoc@localnet.com

www.choosetoknow .org

1-800-395-HELP

585/589-7505

 

The Charles Finney School

2070 Five Mile Line Rd.

Penfield,NY 14526

(585) 387-3770

www.finneyschool.org

 

CompassCare

Pregnancy Services

200 White Spruce Blvd.

Rochester, NY 14623

(585) 232-3894

VPAdvancement@compasscare.info

www.compasscare.info

CompassCareVISION Tour: call or email to schedule

Jim Harden President, CEO

 

Democrats for Life of America-New York Chapter

The pro-life voice within the Democratic party

Contact: John Payne, President

(516) 889-9839

Payne92@ix.netcom.com

democratsforlifeNY@frontiernet.net

 

Embracing Options

342 Arnett Blvd.

Rochester,N.Y. 14619

(585) 235-0690

24 hour Hot-line

 

Feminists Choosing Life of New York

Seeking Pro-life/Pro-woman Solutions.

Contact:Meg Smerbeck

PO Box 10188, Rochester, NY 14610

(585) 234-5416

fclny@info.net

www.feministschoosinglife.org

 

GRAE

President, Rev. Carley M.Touchstone

1980 Culver Rd.

Rochester, NY 14609

(585) 288-1875

cmtouch@gmail.com

 

Healing Choices-

Browncroft Community Church

148 New Wickham Dr.

Penfield NY 14526

(585) 377-6974

HealingChoices@yahoo.com

 

Heritage Christian Services

349 West Commercial Street, Suite 2795

East Rochester, NY 14445

585/340-2000

www.heritagechristianservices.org

Contact: Marisa Geitner, Exec. VP &COO

mgeitner@heritagechristianservices.org

 

Knights of Columbus-FingerLakes Chapter

1072 College ave.

Elmira, NY 14901

607/734-0211

Cotact: Thomas Tedone,President

TomTedone@aol.com

 

Our Lady of MercyHigh school

1437 Blossom Rd.

Rochester, NY 14610

mercyhs.com

 

Project Rachel/Rachel'sVineyard Retreat Ministries

Sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester

Contact: Rev. James Hewes

www.ProjectRachelRochesterNY.org

fhewes@dor.org

 

Pro-Life Planning Committee

PO Box 25521, Rochester,NY 14625

Contact: Bob and Amy Dorscheid

 

Roberts Wesleyan College

2301 Westside Dr.

 Rochester, NY 14624-1997

(585)594-6100 Fax (585)594-6780

Contact:Dr.John A. Martin, President

presidentsoffice@roberts.edu

 

Rochester Area Right to Life Committee, Inc.

675 Ling Rd.

Suite 3

Rochester,NY 14612

(585) 621-4690

RARTL@righttoliferoch.org

Contact:Anne LeBlanc,

Board President

 

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester

Most Rev. Matthew H. Clark,

Bishop of Rochester

Jack Balinsky, Diocesan Director of Catholic Charities

 

Jann K. Armantrout, Diocesan Life Issues Coordinator

armantrout@dor.org

1150 Buffalo Rd., Rochester, NY 14624

(585) 328-3210 Ext. 1304

 

St. Thomas More Lawyers Guild

President:Christopher S. Ciacco,Esq.

2024 West Henrietta Rd: Unit 3G

Rochester, NY 14623

(585) 292-0173

 

The Salvation Army Rochester Area Services

Contact: Major Charles J. Deitrick, Executive Director

10 Franklin St. Rochester,NY 14604

585/987-9500

www.rochestersalvationarmy.org

various depts. avail. through the website

 

Silent No More Awareness Campaign

Contact: Kathleen Cosgrove,

Regional Coordinator

585/266-3337

www.SilentNoMoreAwareness.org

silentnomoreawareness@frontiernet.net

 

Teen Moms of Greater Rochester Youth for Christ

Phone(585) 256-5050

Fax (585) 256-5051

 

Women's Care Center

Contact: Theresa Claybaugh,Director

ttclay@rochester.rrcom

3252 Lake Ave.

Rochester, NY 14612

(585) 865-0360

www.RochesterWomensCare.com

 

WHIC 1460 AM

The Station of the Cross

Rochester's Catholic Radio

Holy Family Communications

PO Box 25433,Rochester, NY 14625

(877) 888-6279

info@holyfamily.ws

Contact: Matthew Tremblay, matthewt@holyfamily.ws

 

The New,all Music

102.7 The Light, WRCI

A part of Crawford Broadcasting Company

2494 Browncroft Blvd.

Rochester, NY 14625

585/ 264-1027

www.1027thelight.com

Daily Personalities

Gina Jones 6-10 AM

KB Cooper 10AM - 1 PM

Mark Shuttleworth 1-7PM

Jay Matthews 7 PM-12 AM

 

 

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As promised, here's the sample script to help in recruiting volunteers.  Let me know if you have any questions:   Hi! This is _________ from ______. How are you today?    Listen – am I catching you at a bad moment, or do you have a  quick minute to talk about something really important?    I was wondering if you’ve heard about 40 Days for Life?    This fall, from September 24 to November 2, our community will be  uniting with dozens of other cities across America for the  nationwide 40 Days for Life campaign, the largest and longest  coordinated pro-life effort in history.    40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life campaign that over the past  three years has generated measurable lifesaving results in more  than 130 cities where it has been conducted.    Some cities have reported as much as a 28% drop in local abortion  numbers, numerous post-abortive women and men finding healing  and forgiveness, and from several hundred to over 1,000 new people  getting involved with local lifesaving ministry efforts.    The campaign is an ecumenical, faith-based effort made up of three  key components:  • 40 days of Prayer and Fasting for an end to abortion  • 40 days of Peaceful Vigil outside the local ____________  (abortion facility or Planned Parenthood office)  • 40 days of Grassroots Outreach to take a positive, upbeat prolife  message to every corner of our city   A group of people locally are getting together to pray and talk  about how to make this happen in our community.    That is where you come in. We’re going to need a lot of help to pull  off this 40 Days for Life campaign locally, and I wanted to ask you  to prayerfully consider taking a role in this lifesaving effort.    Would you be able to get together on ________(day) at ________  (time) to talk about this?

 

---

 
During 40 Days for Life, from September 24 — November 2, I pledge to pray for an end to abortion, and I call upon local, state and national leaders to protect all human life.

Signature: _______________________________________________________________________

Name (Printed): ___________________________________________________________________

Street Address: ___________________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip: ___________________________________________________________________

Primary E-mail: ___________________________________________________________________

Phone: ___________________________________ Cell: __________________________________

Church: _________________________________________________________________________

q     I am interested in participating in the peaceful 40-day prayer vigil, from September 24 — November 2, outside (insert info about local Planned Parenthood or abortion facility)
Day(s):________________________________   Hour(s):____________________________         

q     Please let me know how I can help to spread the word about 40 Days for Life to others

(Enter your local 40 Days for Life contact info here – address, phone, web, e-mail)

 

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    FYI - 

 

I think this is a great idea and just in time - God's time!!

Thanks Sue!

God Bless,

Jose

Begin forwarded message:

Hello Jose,

 

If you think appropriate, would you forward this to everyone on our dl.  Tomorrow begins his novena which ends on his feast day, August 14.  How wonderful to have us all asking for his intercession for the 40 DFL nationally, and. specifically,in Rochester.

 

The link to a write-up about the saint is http://saints.sqpn.com/saintm01.htm and the novena prayer is http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/novena/kolbe.htm.

 

It's pretty late to get this out, so if it doesn't happen, that's okay too, we know everyone is praying ferently.

 

Thanks.

 Sue

 

---

  Flyer!!!

Jose participated in the training teleconference last week.  The main purpose of the call was to introduce the National team, and to allow local leaders around the country to introduce themselves and ask questions. When Jose introduced himself as the Rochester Campaign Director, David Bereit said he was expecting Jose—having heard about Rochester being on board when he met Ellen in Washington, DC.  Thanks for the introduction Ellen. 

http://www.catholiccourier.com/tmp1.cfm?nid=78&articleid=102864

Events coming up that can give us exposure: 

           “Dance for Joy” at Bethel (on East Avenue):  August 24th at 4 p.m. $10. (Proceeds benefit Women’s Care Center and Rescue Rochester.)  Ann, from Rochester Rite to Life will talk at the event and will make an announcement about 40 DFL.  We should have registration cards and flyers there.

“Jason Evert, EWTN Chastity Speaker” is coming to the Rochester area.  Jason will be speaking at St. Leo’s Church.  He is also speaking at area high schools.  Jose will get us the dates, etc. (see attachment)

“Columbus Day Parade in Rochester:  October 11th; the organizers want to get more Catholics and other Christians involved in the parade.

 '40 Days For Life' Meeting on Monday, August 18, 2008 @ FPHC

 Thanks for coming everyone.  Jose led us in prayer to start our meeting asking God to bless and keep safe those who could not be with us this evening and to thank Him for what we have accomplished so far and to bless our efforts as we move ever closer to. 

Prayer—Importance at vigil location:  Those who were available joined in the Leaders’ teleconference last Thursday evening.   The first agenda item at the conference was “The Power of Prayer”:  individual prayer, group prayer, and prayer at the vigil site.  Jose and Rick will pray in front of Planned Parenthood this Friday during their lunch hour (I'll send an email either tomorrow or Thursday night letting people at what time we'll be there in case anyone else wants to join us).   For those who have not already, Jose encourages us all to make a prayerful visit to the site, now, before the event begins just for the experience the power.  For safety sake, Mary added that it’s very important to go to the site in pairs rather than alone.  Action:  Team should fill out blue registration card with commitment and bring to next meeting. 

Reports—Lawyer, Bethel, etc.:  Jose has a meeting with Mary Aramini on Thursday.  She does pro-bono work for the pro-life movement.  Action:  Jose will ask Mary if having a permit to pray continually during 40 DFL is advantageous.  Kathy Cosgrove will meet with Bethel on Tuesday to explore the possibility of having our kick-off meeting there.  This coming Sunday, St. John the Evangelist will have a flyer in their bulletin announcing 40 DFL asking parishioners for a commitment to pray.  Action:  Jose will send the announcement to us to use at our parishes.   Jose is sending the flyer to pastors of various churches in his area with a cover letter asking for their support of the campaign.  He is also asking people he knows at these parishes to be their parish’s contact for 40 DFL.  We could start getting prayer commitments soon.  We want to concentrate on filling up the first week hours.  Lots of campaigns start with only a few hours filled, but as the word spreads, hours fill up.   On-Line Excel Schedule Spreadsheet:  Jose passed around the Excel spreadsheet tonight.  It has spaces for three people for each hour of the day, beginning on September 24 at midnight.  The vigil coordinators will use these spreadsheets to keep track of the schedule.  The on-line schedule site is not available yet.  Action:  Jose will send us the link to the spreadsheet.

Reserving weekends of 9/14 & 9/21 for bulletin inserts:   In the training session, parish contacts were encouraged to ask now to have inserts put into their parish bulletin.  Action:  Team should reserve the dates for inserts and report at next meeting.   If printing the flyers can be done at the Parish that’s great, if not, let Angelo know as soon as possible.  He will need to know what format the flyer needs to be in.

Cast the Vision Meeting:  This was on the agenda of the teleconference and stressed as very important to the campaign.  Attendees should be those who are pro-life (but not necessarily actively involved in pro-life activities) can volunteer and/or make donations or raise money.  No commitment being asked for at this event in terms of monetary or physical support.  This is an opportunity to various leaders in the community to learn about 40 DFL, the past successes, etc.  We want to share the problem (Mary Quinn’s email on PP stats, e.g.) and share the 40 DFL as a solution to the problem.  We decided to hold the meeting on Saturday, September 6, around 10:00 a.m. somewhere in the city.  We should have a continental breakfast. Action:  Team, Where shall we hold this meeting?  Who do we invite?  Please pray about this and email Jose with ideas right away (Tuesday).  Ann will send Jose link to Monroe County abortion stats and Jose will send to the team.

Kick-Off Meeting:  Assuming Bethel hosts the event, it will be from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 23.  We discussed ideas for the event, e.g.:  have Catholic Radio and/or Station of Life broadcast the event live.  Maybe we could be connected with the Buffalo site’s kickoff.  Jose will talk with Ellen about what they did last year and their plans for this year.  (Maybe next year, we could hold a combined kick-off with Buffalo in Batavia.  Ideally, we will have snacks available since people are coming from work—food vendor or the use of Bethel coffee shop.  If pastors (Catholic and Protestant) are willing, invite them to rally the crowd to commit to pray.  We should have lively music praising God.  This event should be an opportunity to sign up to pray and to make donations.

Other:   Shut-ins communication during campaign:  For our shut-ins who may not have email, perhaps we can have a telephone tree during the event to call them with the daily scripture from David Bereit. Suggestions for Praying in Church:  Add 40 DFL to Sunday Petitions if Pastor is willing.   Perhaps we can order Father Pavone’s prayer card to end abortion (or something similar) to pray at the end of Mass during the campaign and to pray at home each of the 40 days.  Action:  Jose will send out the 2008-2009 Liturgy Guide, published by USCCB which covers ideas for pro-life initiatives.  Ann will have 40 DFL flyers available at Life Chain on October 5.  Catholic Elementary Schools involvement:  Anyone who has connection with a Catholic school could suggest they take a field trip to PP to pray for an hour during 40 DFL.  What will we do at Vigil?  A backpack with information (including various prayers and resources available for crisis pregnancies will always be at the site.  In order to ensure the peaceful nature of campaign, only posters provided by us can be used.

Closing Prayer:  We closed with the Lord’s Prayer. 

Next meeting:   Monday, August 25, 2008, 6:30 PM at the Focus Pregnancy Help Center. 

 

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'40 Days For Life' Meeting  Monday, August 25, 2008 @ FPHC

 

Below are the notes (thanks to Sue!!!).  Please read carefully and act on the action items.  I want to extend an invitation to all on this email to participate even if you can't make the meetings.  Feel free to reply to this email with your input and suggestions.

 

I want to thank everyone for their help and prayers!!  I really feel that things are getting into high gear and great things are happening!!!  I really believe that if we have a good turnout for the Cast the Vision meeting on Sept. 7th we will see the Holy Spirit at work as we have seen so far.

 

One last thing I forgot to add at the meeting:  we need to start asking for donations to support our campaign.  Don't be afraid to mention to people that this is one of the ways they can support the campaign.  If you want to be specific, let them know we need to get some yard signs, buttons, and maybe a banner (that would be great!!!).

 

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose

 

 

God bless all those who came to our meeting tonight and those who were unable to be with us.  There are many wonderful things that have taken place in the past week and there's so much more to do.  You can just feel the excitement building!

 

Action Item for every team member:  "Reply All"  to this email to let us know what Churches (Catholic and Protestant) you are in contact with, so there is no overlap.  Jose is contacting all of the Knights of Columbus Councils in the area (except Angelo's, Rick's, or Francis').

 

Cast the Vision Meeting:  Sunday, September 7 at 3:00 p.m. at Toopallo Lodge in Genesee Valley Park.  Coffee and cold drinks and dessert will be served.  The lodge holds 65 people, so we cannot open the meeting to everyone.  Jose urged us to start extending invitations to leaders of pro-life groups and pro-life pastors (Catholic and Protestant)--those people you think can influence others and spread the word about 40 DFL with enthusiasm.  The purpose of the meeting is to provide information on 40 DFL and what support is needed to make it a success, and, most of all, to drive enthusiasm for the important work ahead of praying to end abortion in Rochester.  Be sure to let people know that the meeting will not be a sales pitch and no commitment will be asked for that day.  First extend a verbal invitation.  Jose will provide us with a written invitation we can download and print out to give to anyone who agrees to come or will consider coming.   Ask for an RSVP, and follow up.  If a Pastor or other leader cannot attend, ask him/her to send a representative.  Does the Pastor or leader know non-Catholic Pastors or leaders who would like to come?  As you get positive responses, please send to the team so we can keep track.

 

What can you do in support of the meeting?  Extend invitations; provide a dessert (preferably home made) for the meeting. 

 

The hours are filling up for the first day of the campaign (September 24):  The Knights of Columbus at St. Leo's cover the opening hour (midnight?) until 10 a.m; St. Leo's Parish will do 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.  Some of the other commitments:  Women's Care Center will sponsor each Monday from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.  Lambs of Christ will cover their hours as usual on the second and fourth Saturdays of the months (10-11:30).  A woman from PA who comes to Rochester weekly is taking an hour a week.  Some of us gave Jose our commitment cards tonight.  Many campaigns started with less than 1/3 of the hours filled.  As excitement builds during the event and the news spreads, people want to come out to the vigil.  Starting the campaign with the first week filled would be a great start for us! 

 

Be prepared to tell Pastors and other leaders what you need:  The #1 priority is Vigil Hours; will the Pastor/leader take a block of hours with someone from their Parish coordinating those hours?  Jose's pastor agreed that he can commit a block of hours for St. Leo's.  Jose will give the pulpit announcement at the end of Mass with commitment cards to fill the block of hours.  If the Pastor will not commit to hours, #2 priority is the Pulpit Announcement.  The #3 priority is the bulletin announcement; the flyer is the best option for an insert with the second choice being the insert the diocesan parishes received from Jan Armantrout.  The #4 priority is a yard sign that can be placed close to the entrance of the building/facility.  (We will provide the yard signs either from Heritage House or CC Creations.  Christine Doyle will contact Ellen Stanford regarding Heritage House about when they have their rock-bottom sale price.

 

Module Three Training Session Teleconference:  Tomorrow night, Tuesday, August 26.  Jose will provide link to connect to the call.  Jose will ask the question at the conference:  If there were campaigns that were not successful, what can we learn from them? 

 

Other important notes:  Some asked if Jews and/or Muslims can participate?  While 40 DFL is typically a Christian event, this is an outreach to the community, therefore, we would not turn Jews or Muslims away.  The important thing we must remember and continue to reinforce is the prayerful nature of 40 DFL; this is not a battle but a peaceful and prayerful campaign to end abortion.  We must be aware and stress that there is no place for anger in this campaign.  This is about changing hearts.  There must always be two people at the site at a time.  If someone approaches those praying with aggression, angry that we are praying, do not interact with the person.  Remain calm, and call 911 immediately. 

 

Those committing to pray at the vigil need information on how to get to the site, where to park, where the buffer zone is, what to do at the vigil (we will have prayer books and cards--Catholic and non-denominational; we will have signs (e.g., Pray to end abortion, Silent No More).  The prayers will be in the water-proof backpack at the site.  Ideally, Jose would like a small group to put this information together to have ready to hand out as registrations come in.  Let Jose know if you're willing and able to help with this.

 

Meeting with our lawyer:  Mary Aramini confirmed we do not need a permit to pray in front of PP, but we must follow the law and make sure we stay out of the buffer zone (the yellow lines on either side of PP's parking lot).  Mary is scheduling a meeting with the Rochester police to make sure they are aware of the campaign.

 

Kick-Off Rally, Tuesday, September 24th, 5:30-7:30 p.m.:  Tomorrow, Kathy and Jose are meeting with the Pastor at Bethel concerning using their facility for this event.  There will not be a procession that night, because by 7:30, it will be dark.  Jose suggested we do the procession at our mid-campaign event.

 

Our next meeting: 

 Wednesday, September 3, @ 6:30 p.m.

Focus Pregnancy Help Center, 86 University Ave.

  See you there!

 

 

 

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 How is God calling you?

Please come '40 DAYS FOR LIFE' Vision Meeting

Sept 7th 3-4:30 p.m ----Bring a friend

Files & Documents Help
		Rochester_invi te.pdf (935KB)

 

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Meeting, September 3rd

Thanks again to Sue for taking such good notes!!  What a blessing!

 

Please, take the time to read through and feel free to add or send questions.  Most importantly, take action where you can!

 

Don't forget to keep praying!!

 

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose

 

 Thanks to those who were at the meeting tonight and for your growing enthusiasm.  As usual, we started our session in prayer, remembering also team members who could not be with us this evening. 

 

Cast the Vision Meeting, this Sunday, September 7th from 3:00 until 4:30, Tupelo Shelter, Genesee Valley Park--Jose knows for sure of two people--outside the team--that are coming on Sunday.  Most of those present at the meeting tonight plan to attend on Sunday and signed up to bring cookies, brownies, bread.  Jose went to the site.  There is electric at the shelter, so he will borrow a large coffee pot from his parish.  Check out our web-site with the information on this meeting.  Jose inserted a map of the park which has directions to the park.  Our shelter is near the entrance. 

 

God willing, Ellen is coming from Buffalo to our meeting and plans to talk very briefly.  She will bring some buttons and plans to stay around to help people sign up for hours. 

 

Our focus Sunday will be to fill hours.  We will also use this event as an opportunity to solicit donations.  Jose will say we would like to raise between $500-$1000 for registration, hats (Jose purchased 10 at $10 each), yard signs (Jose purchased 20 at $4 each), bumper stickers, and a banner for Sunday.  Hopefully, the items will arrive in time.  Jose gave Tucker the receipts so that he can be reimbursed as donations come in.  Most of the money Jose was owed for registration has been reimbursed.

 

Action:  Everyone--We don't know how many will come, but if you haven't already signed up to bring something, we should have other baked goods and cold drinks, e.g., iced tea.  Marianne is hoping to borrow a large cooler with spout (from our parish); it wouldn't hurt to have another one.  We will need cups, napkins, small paper plates.  It would be better to have too much than not enough.  We can always save left over paper products for the kick-off.  What have we forgotten that we need for Sunday?  Let Jose know whether or not you are coming.

 

Action:  Everyone--The meeting is open to all.  Try to get RSVP's from those you have invited.  Follow-up with phone calls and encourage all those you can to come on Sunday.

 

Action:  Christine--will provide self-addressed envelopes to Focus Pregnancy Help Center for donations we may receive on Sunday, along with instructions to "write 40 DFL in the memo on check."

 

Action:  Everyone--send Jose ideas of what to say on Sunday.  He will address what is going on at PP in Rochester and the number of abortions performed there.  He will tell our goal of closing PP in Rochester.  What else do you think Jose should say in his presentation?  Jose plans to be very casual and encourages us to interject anytime during the presentation to improve, clarify, incite enthusiasm, etc. on what he is saying.  Jose plans to have a checklist of items to cover during his talk. 

 

Kick-Off Event, Tuesday, September 23rd 5:30-7:30 p.m.:  We are looking for alternate site to have this event, since Bethel said "no". 

 

Action:  Christine will check with Our Lady of the Americas to see if we can hold the event in their basement gathering room.  If we can't, she will ask Our Lady of Victory.  They have a large room adjacent to the Church.  To allow time to set-up and clean up, she will try to reserve the room from 4:30-8:30 p.m.

 

Action:  Sue will make arrangements with Giana Glavin in Scottsville to provide perennial plants for a sale at the kick-off with the proceeds going to 40 DFL.  Giana expects to have about 40 three-gallon plants to sell.  She dedicated her garden years ago to the Sacred Heart and considers her garden "pro life" because she never has used chemicals on the soil or the plants.  (The team agreed this is a good idea.)

 

Action:  Everyone let Jose know if you have an idea of where we can hold the kick-off in case the above doesn't work out.  We had a lot of discussion and agreed that the event should be held indoors, due to the weather, traffic, noise, etc.

 

Community Outreach:  Jose asked the team if we should consider door-to-door outreach?  There was a lot of discussion.  Some cities have done this very successfully.  They recommend the campaign begin around September 12 and continue through the 40 days from the hours of 3-7 when most people are arriving home from work.  We don't want to jeopardize the vigil, because we're spending too much time on community outreach.  But, we could get lots of hours filled using this approach.  Jose cannot lead the team.  Marianne, Sue, Martha, Mary, and Michelle decided to form a team to reach out this way.  Marianne and Sue will cover the Rush-Henrietta area.  We may get people at the meeting Sunday who want to help.  This could be another way people get involved who don't want to go to the vigil site.

 

We should consider other ways of outreach as well--perhaps renting a billboard if we raise enough money.

 

Action:  Community Outreach Team needs to decide how to begin the outreach.  Send ideas via email, but we have to work quickly since 9/12 is a week from Friday.

 

Other Items Discussed:

Jan Armantrout sent out a schedule of pro-life events.  Rochester's 40 DFL made it on the schedule for the Cast of Vision, the Kickoff, and the Vigil.  Jose can email the schedule if you want it.  Unfortunately, 40 DFL did not make the Catholic Courier.  (Jose received his copy in the mail today.)  Amy, the reporter that was at our meeting and wrote the article for the on-line edition is out

on maternity leave.

 

Jose showed us the current schedule of hours filled.  About 10 people have signed up so far including team members, Women's Care Center, Lambs of Christ, Knights of Columbus, etc.  The on-line scheduling tool is not working yet.  David Bereit asked for prayers as they put the finishing work on this project.  Hopefully, the on-line schedule option will be available by Monday.  The other campaigns have worked fine with handwritten sign-ups; we should be prepared to only have the handwritten schedule option also. 

 

Action:  Jose will send us the schedule as it changes so we will know what hours need to be filled.

 

We discussed concerns some people have about coming to the site to pray.  Why can't we just pray at home?  Jose said we should explain that we are praying at PP because this is where the babies are being killed.  This ritual of praying where death is occurring goes way back to when people prayed outside the coliseum where Christians were being martyred.  Today we pray at the bedside of our loved ones as they are dying and we want to do no less for the most innocent victims of abortion.  Help people understand that this is not a protest, but a peaceful prayer vigil.  Jose has not met with the police yet, but our lawyer is working to schedule a meeting with the right person.  We are not blocking entrance to PP or sidewalks.  Direct peoples' attention to the guidelines on the back of the card.  In order to participate, you must agree to adhere to the rules.

 

Jose has received about 10 sign ups for information on the website.  He has thanked each person for their inquiry, but he hasn't sent them any other information.  Jose plans to set up a DL, including these 10 and all those inquiring.  He will send them generic information, e.g., Cast of Vision, Kick-Off, etc. 

 

Action:  Everyone:  We are still in need of someone(s) to put together a sheet of information to give to those who sign up to pray.  We need to provide directions to PP, where to park, explain the yellow lines, what's in the back-pack, what to bring (there are street lights, but a flash light would be helpful), who to call for help, etc., etc.  Can someone do this for the team?

 

We need to have shift leaders--someone who will be on call for a particular block of time at the site.  Ideally, this person would be at the site for more than an hour.

 

God willing, Jose and his wife will be at the vigil site, with their 22 month old, tomorrow at 11:45.  He invites us to join him.  Unfortunately, due to work commitment, Jose cannot make it on Friday.

 

Attachment(s)

:

4 file(s)/document(s) | Total File Size: 40K

 

Hello,

 

I knew there was something I wanted to change in the notes and I forgot to do it last night.  The notes said that the community outreach goes for the whole campaign from 3-7pm.  The suggestion from the national team is to do it from 3-7pm but it doesn't have to be everyday.  And it also doesn't have to be for the whole 40 Days - it is better to start early, as the notes mentioned, so people become more aware about the campaign and sign up for the vigil.  I hope this helps.

 

Here's the general schedule showing the first week of the vigil.  The green color means that at least two people have signed up for that time slot, the yellow means just one person.  This is in a format you can't change so if you need to make changes, send them to me and I'll send it out to the rest of the team.

 

 

Our next meeting is Monday, September 8, at 6:30 at the Focus Pregnancy Help Center.  Please come if you can.

 

May God continue to bless our efforts.

 

---

 

This is not our '40 Days for Life Campaign' in Rochester, NY , this is a separate 40 Day Campaign.  Lets pray for their success!!!!

 

 

Dear Bound4LIFE Family,

Four years ago Lou Engle and a small company of young people gathered for 50 days of round-the-clock prayer for the ’04 elections. That company was then divinely launched to Washington, DC for daily focused intercession in front of the Supreme Court. A cry for justice took shape through a curious piece of RED TAPE over their mouths as they silently “lobbied” Heaven for a pro-life President, righteous Judges and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. That faithful stand became what you now know as the Bound4LIFE Movement. At this four-year anniversary I want to thank you for however you’ve helped to see this vision spread like wildfire throughout the nation.

Once again we find ourselves at a pivotal moment in our history with the elections looming large on the horizon.

Prayer mobilization is exploding throughout the body of Christ as we are about to enter into an intense period of time before these Elections. I can’t help but wonder how high the stakes are when God is beckoning so many into the place of prayer and fasting right now. For 40 days there will be two strategic prayer strikes coordinated on both coasts. Lou Engle will be leading 40 days in San Diego with a strong focus on the marriage amendment facing California voters on November 4th. At the same time I will be leading 40 days in Washington, DC with an intensified focus on the Presidential Election and righteous Judges on the Supreme Court. I believe the fate of the nation hangs in the balance between these two seats of power and influence. Will the advance of the culture of death and false ideologies be thrown back or will the nation be swept away in a deluge of chaos and immorality?

Facedown40- Sept 24-Nov 2

I will be leading this initiative in DC with a core team of young volunteers from around the country. Bound4LIFE Chapter Leaders will also join throughout the 40 days as schedules allow. A generation is being trained and equipped to fight the battles of the Lord. LIVE VIDEO and WRITTEN UPDATES will keep you connected and informed of the teams insights and direction. Go to www.Bound4LIFE.com to follow throughout the 40 days.

I invite you to listen to an IMPORTANT CONFERENENCE CALL with LOU ENGLE and MATT LOCKETT describing the 40-day initiative and the urgency of this hour. Simply go to http://bound4life.com/conferencecall to listen to the recorded message at your own convenience.

Would you please consider sowing financially into this vital prayer initiative RIGHT NOW? Your contribution will go directly toward making this 40 Day Prayer Strike have maximum impact.

Pressing on in faith, hope and love.

Matt Lockett
Executive Director
Bound4LIFE Intl.

 

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Dear Pro-life friends,

Here are a few things to do now… just 2 weeks before we kick off this year’s campaign! 

1) Go to our local website: www.40daysforlife.com/buffalo  and bookmark it.  Take a look around and watch the videos!

2) We need you as a church coordinator for 40 Days for Life! We need a person in each church to distribute information. It is an easy way to help!

·        Go to  http://www.40daysforlife.com/buffalo/index.cfm?load=page&page=28and

·        Print and review the :

1.      Church Coordinator info      

2.      Campaign Overview

3.      Pulpit Announcement and Bulletin Insert

·        Let us know what church you are covering. Email: buff40dfl@roadrunner.com  We will get you any additional info you need.

 

3) Take a look at the new billboard in the attached photo…thank you to all who donated to make this a reality.  IF you would like to make a donation to the campaign, please follow the instructions here:  http://www.40daysforlife.com/buffalo/index.cfm?load=page&page=5

God bless and Thank You for your support,

 

Ellen Stanford, Director of Buffalo Campaign 

email: Buff40DFL@roadrunner.com

website: www.40daysforlife.com/buffalo

   

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER, 8, 2008  "40 Days For Life' MEETING 

 

Things are getting exciting!!!  Less than 16 days now!!!

 

Thanks to Sue for the notes, always doing such a great job!!!

 

It is very important to get the word out about the Kick-off rally to everyone we know.  

 

Please read the notes and send back any suggestions.

 

Keep up the prayers and the good work!!!

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose

 

 

Another full and exciting meeting.  Thanks to all who could be there; we kept those who could not be there in prayer.

 

At the end of the minutes, there is information regarding a number of pro-life events coming up, starting with this weekend.

 

Concerning the Cast the Vision meeting yesterday, we would have liked to have more non-team people present but are extremely grateful for those who did come out.

 

We moved immediately to our next event:  40 DFL Kickoff on Tuesday, September 23rd from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Our Lady of the Americas (formerly Corpus Christi) Church.  The Church is located on the northwest corner of Main and Prince Streets, across the street from the Auditorium Theatre and next door to the Armory.  (Jose thinks there is additional parking at the Armory that we can use if needed.)  We will meet in the hall (downstairs) and enter the building at the side door adjacent to the (free) parking lot.  Thanks to Christine Doyle and Bruno for making this happen.

 

Agenda for Kick-Off Rally

1)Opening Prayer (we may want to add before opening prayer "Gather/Welcome"

2)Introduction w/explanation of 40 DFL

3)Witness talks (limited to three minutes each--Jenn Burch and Kathy Cosgrove, maybe others).  Jenn is a well known speaker with Silent No More Awareness campaign (not to be confused with "Silent No More") and has given her witness many times; she agreed at the Cast the Vision Meeting to witness at the Kick-Off.

4)Priest and/or Reverand talks on power of prayer, power of fasting--we're open to other ideas as well from the speakers

5)What we need

 

What Priests and Protestant Pastors/Leaders are willing to speak for us?  Jose Tejada said that either he or his wife Carolyn (they are both Pastors with an office next to Focus Pregnancy Help Center) should be able to be present at the kick-off.

 

Other suggestions of potential religious speakers:  Fr Joe Catanise, St. Leo's (Jose will ask him); Father Jim Hewes, St. Joseph's in Rush (Sue will ask him); Fr. Steve Kraus (St.Theodore's); Rev. Paul Gitau (St. Bridget's); Deacon Dan Hurley speaks Spanish (St. Michael's); Deacon Bob Burke (St. Monica's); Deacon James Hulske (Mary will ask him); Jan Armantrout (Kathy will ask her and ask her to encourage other Priests to come to the Kickoff and to encourage their Parishes to sponsor blocks of hours).

 

We need to finalize the agenda at our next meeting.  If you weren't at the meeting tonight and know someone who we should ask to speak, let the team know ASAP.  Pray, pray, pray that those we ask will be open to speaking or at least to be present at the vigil.  We must also spread the word about the kick-off to everyone we know.  We will provide flyers about the event once the agenda is finalized and we know who is speaking.  Think and pray about how we can end the Kick-Off event on a high note!

 

What else can we do?  Write letters to the Bishop, i.e. letting him know your excitement for the campaign and asking him to support it.  Write letter to the editor/Speaking Out.  (Word limit is 175; you can email opinions by going to DemocratandChronicle.com/opinion--see "What's your view" for additional information.)  Before submitting a letter to the editor, send draft to the team for feedback.  Invite your Priest or Minister to come to the Kick-Off and to advertise the event from the pulpit.  Call Churches and groups you have contacted and thank them for their support (even if they haven't done anything visible yet) and let them know about the Kick-Off, and ask them to sign up to pray at the vigil site.

 

Additional considerations for the Kick-Off:  How can we get the most people to attend the event?  This is where we should get a lot of sign-ups.  What sound system do they have at the Church, and is the system available to us?  We would like to have local Christian groups' music playing as we gather.  We won't have live music at this event, but perhaps we will at the mid-event rally or at the finale rally.

 

Other:  Jose has lots of 40 DFL buttons and encourages us to buy at least one ($1 each) and then wear them or display them on back-packs, purses, etc.  He also purchased 10 caps ($11 each) and they are going fast.  We now have a black banner with white lettering "40 Days for Life" with the logo.  It's beautiful!  Yard signs are on order at $4 each.  We've already had someother (other than a team member) reserve 10.  Next Leader teleconference is tomorrow evening.  Jose will send connection information and agenda once he receives it.  Connect if you can, or download later to listen.  The contact for Bethany Christian Services (Adoption Services) signed up to pray, and Jose received an email from Homeschoolers' contact expressing interest.  Jose suggested to her that Sunday is the best time for families to come and pray, because the facility is closed and things are very quiet.  One of Jose's co-workers, a Protestant from Wayne County, will be announcing 40 DFL on Sunday and showing the 60 second video that you see on the National website.  Anyone who wants a video can order one on the leaders' forum website.  We talked more about the actual vigil and what will happen if there is a gap in hours, and what if people sign up for multiple night-time hours; e.g., access to restroom facilities?

 

Upcoming Pro-Life Events:

Randall Terry, Founder of Operatin Rescue Visits Rochester Friday September 12th & Saturday September 13th

Friday:  5-6 p.m. rally in front of PP, 114 university Avenue; 6:30-8:30 p.m. will speak at the Focus Pregnancy Help Center

Saturday:  10:30-12:30 a.m. rally in front of PP

 

Women's Care Center in holding their annual fundraiser (they are not-for-profit organization) Saturday, October 4th, and Sunday October 5th with Johnnette Benkovic as speaker.

Saturday:  There will be a tea with Johnnette in the afternoon and a banquet in the evening.  There will also be a raffle with the grand prize $3,000.

Sunday:  Johnnette will be at the Life Chain in Greece and later will speak at St. John the Evangelist--free and open to the public

Specific details (times and costs) can be obtained from Kathy Cosgrove. 

 

Friday November 7th, Saturday, 8th, and Sunday, 9th: Rochesterprolife.org & the Focus Pregnancy Help Center present Rev. Denis G. Wilde, O.S.A., an Augustinian priest and a professor at Villanova University, likewise travels the country as a full-time Priest Associate of Priests for Life.  He will give special emphasis to post-abortion issues, as well as the use of music to communicate the pro-life message. He will even be available to present classical piano recitals for the pro-life cause.

Friday: Father will speak at St. Theodore's Church at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday: Father will be in front of PP, 114 University Ave at 10 a.m. leading the Rosary; then he will celebrate Mass at the Focus Pregnancy Help Center, at Noon.

Saturday & Sunday: Father will be saying the homilies at all Masses and the Latin Mass at St. Stanislaus Church, 1124 Hudson Avenue.

 

NEXT MEETING:

MONDAY SEPTEMBER, 15TH. @ 6:30 PM @

 FOCUS PREGNANCY HELP CENTER

86 UNIVERSITY AVE.

 

 

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Meeting at the Focus Pregnancy Help Center Monday, September, 15, 2008

 

Hello,

Thanks to everyone who made the meeting!!  Thanks to Chris Doyle for taking the notes!

The excitement is building and a week from tomorrow we'll be doing the Kick-off!!!

This is the main goal for this week:  To get  people to come to the Kick-off rally and excited about the start of 40DFL!!!

I shared a copy of  a Press Release to get feedback (attached) and get ready to be sent out tomorrow to the local media outlets.  Use it with friends and networks to build up our Kick-off rally next week.  

I also shared a copy of the "Vigil Etiquette" (attached) that had a map on the back that mark the vigil location and parking suggestions (thanks to Mary Quinn for providing the map!!!).

The weekend report was as follows:

I spoke at all Masses at St. Leo's during the weekend and the Wednesday, Sept. 24th schedule is starting to fill out.  I also had a chance to address the Third Order Carmelites who were having a meeting at Christ the King in Irondequoit.  I found out that many of them were already aware of the campaign - this is a good sign that word is getting out - Great job to the team!!!

I talked to the local Bound4Life leader - Brandon and they are interested in participating with 40 DFL - they are planning to do the Tuesdays from 6am-7am as a group.  Brandon and his wife are planning to be at the Kick-off (the director of the National Bound4Life organization endorses the National 40 DFL campaign).

Martha gave out flyers at her Church and her Pastor announced the campaign at the end of Mass.  Bruno Petrauskas also gave flyers at his Church and the Pastor gave the announcement.  

Marie Vasile was promoting 40DFL at Magnificat Breakfast on Saturday.

Kathy will check with Dorothy Hayes to see if she would be willing to announce 40 DFL at the Leo Holmsten banquet this weekend.

The online vigil schedule is operational.  I need to know if anyone is having trouble with the tool.  I know some people have been succesful registering but I know that many other communities are having trouble with the tool and I want to make sure we don't have any issues.  Remember, when you sign up online, your private information will not be available to the public.  Let everyone know this so they are not concerned about their information.

I'm hoping to get on the agenda of the Finger Lakes Chapter of the Knights of Columbus this Saturday.  Please pray that they let me take part in the program and that the Holy Spirit opens their hearts to the invitation to participate in 40DFL.

For the Kick-off Rally:

I'm hoping to borrow a Sound system from St. Leo's to use in the Hall at OLA since they don't have one.

As of today, we have Fr. Joe Catanise (St. Leo's) speaking about "Prayer and Fasting", we invited Pastor Jose Tejadas from New Light Ministries (I think this is the name, Mary, correct me if I'm wrong) to speak, we also have about 3 or 4 Silent No More Awareness campaign member doing their testimony.  I've also mentioned to Brandon to maybe speak about Bound4Life.

I've invited Deacon Hurley from St. Michaels to speak but I haven't heard from him.

I forgot the sign-up sheet for food to bring at the Center.  We need everyone who comes to the Rally to bring something to share - I'll probably bring the big coffee maker (100 cups) from St. Leo's.  If anyone has the sign-up sheet, please send me an email.

I'm hoping everyone in this email list is coming to the Kick-off.  If you can, once you are there, please help with hospitality welcoming people.  Asked them if they have any questions about 40DFL and help to ease their fears about the vigil and see if you can get them to sign up for the Vigil.  We are planning to have a big poster with the first 10 days of the Schedule so people can pick hours and sign up right then and there.

Chris Doyle is going to find out who is in charge of the local rosary crusade "America needs Fatima" which will take place on October 11th.  We are hoping they may want to have their rosary at the Planned Parenthood and fill some hours.

Thanks to Mary and Martha we have a bag for our vigil site!!!  

I'll be meeting with the RPD this Thursday (Thanks to Mary Aramini for arranging!) and I'll let you know how it went.

I'm sure I missed some things so feel free to reply and remind me.  Again, keep up the prayers and remember the goal for this week is to get as many people as possible to come to the rally.  

God has blessed us with so many people involved in the Pro-life movement!!  I really believe this will be a great campaign!

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose

 

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Bruno,

This is great news!!!  I will try to find out about a sound system that we could use.  I'm assuming that it would be ok to bring something for the event.

Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be sending you the info you requested.  I should be able to get you the flyers too.  Where should I deliver them?

I won't be able to help you distributing flyers since I have to do the same at our church this weekend.  I'm not sure if there's someone in the team that could help.  (I've copied all of them on this email).

Thank you very much for your help!!  You'd be surprise how the Holy Spirit uses the little things to make big things happen!!

(By the way, the online scheduling tool is finally available.  Spread the word!!!)

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose

On Sep 10, 2008, at 12:14 PM, Bruno Petrauskas wrote:

Jose,

The church hall at Our Lady of the Americas (OLA) has been secured for Sept.

23. One of the maintenance people will meet us at 4:30 to open the doors,

turn on the lights, and show us how to use the wheelchair lift. However,

there is no sound system in the hall; they plan on installing one after the

other two churches close in October.

Here are the positive developments:

- The secretary will include the 40 Days campaign in the announcements after

the Masses on Sunday. I believe this will be done the next two weekends.

- It's too late to do a bulletin insert, but we have permission to hand out

the brochures and invitations to the meeting after the two Masses this

Sunday. The 9:15 Mass (in Spanish) ends at around 10:30 and the 11 AM Mass

(English) ends around 12:15.

Questions and Possible Action Items:

1. Do we have any announcement text in Spanish? If yes, I would need to get

a copy before Friday and I could drop it off at the rectory on Friday.

2. Do we have brochures in Spanish that can be handed out after the Hispanic

Mass this Sunday (and does it make sense to do so)? About 200 or so people

attend that Mass. If yes, I would be willing to help hand them out, but I

can't do it alone. It would help to have a Spanish-speaking person help with

this. Also, I'd like to give a copy to the parish secretary on Friday, if

possible.

3. Would you have about 100 copies of the English brochure to hand out after

the 11 AM Mass? Again, I can help, but I would need at least one other

person to help me.

4. Along with the brochures, do (or will) we have anything that we can hand

out (in both languages) telling the people about the Sept. 23 meeting and

inviting them to come? 

5. Will there be a Spanish-speaking interpreter at the meeting? If yes, this

may "encourage" some of OLA's Hispanic parishioners may come to the meeting.

Yes, these are just minor developments and maybe only a few OLA parishioners

would participate, but it may be worth the effort. What do you think? 

I'll wait to hear from you.

Thanks and have a blessed day!

Bruno

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 Greetings!!

Just a quick note to let you know that the Vigil Scheduling tool is available online now!  Please, sign-up using the tool and let me know if you have any problems.

Also, don't forget to spread the word.  The other nice thing about the tool is that it shows all the open opportunities for participation.  It will only be by word of mouth that we'll get that schedule full.

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose

 

2 file(s)/document(s) | Total File Size: 823K

 

Rocherster's  own Web Site

http://.40daysforlife.com/rochester/

 

 

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Spread the word!!!

 

Ellen Stanford (40 DFL Buffalo Campaign Director) and myself (Jose) will be on the Catholic Radio show (1460AM) at 5:00pm tomorrow, Wednesday, September 17th!!

Please, pray that we have a good show and that lots of people tune in to hear and act on our message. We might even have the National Director for 40 Days For Life - David Bereit - for the first 10 minutes of the show.  So, you might want (if you can) tune in right at 5:00pm to hear him.

So many blessings coming our way!!!

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose

  

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Hello,

We had a great Radio show last night and David Bereit, 40 Days for Life National Director, stayed on for the whole show!!! 

He also announced that he will be visiting Buffalo and Rochester during the weekend of Oct. 3rd and 4th!!!  More details to come.

I met with the Rochester Police, Commander D'Angelo and Sgt. Mattick, who were very supportive and appreciated that we were informing them of our vigil.  They communicated that their main objective is to keep everyone safe.  They can't assign someone all the time but at least all of the officers will be informed of our presence in the vigil.

Don't forget, five more days to our Kick-off rally and the official start of the campaign!!!  Please, keep praying for an end to abortion and a successful campaign.  Make sure to invite others to come with you!

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose

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Hello,

I know that some of you haven't heard from me in a long time but this is too important to pass up.  This Sunday, Sept. 21st, at 9:00pm, there will be a show on EWTN called "Being Human".  I really recommend watching it and asking others to watch it.  It is only a 30 minute show.

After watching, if you want more information about the 40 Days for Life we are doing here in Rochester, come and join us at the Kick-off Rally this Tuesday, Sept. 23rd, at 5:30pm at Our Lady of Americas Church (formerly Corpus Christi) at 864 Main St.

Please, forward this to all the people you know.  If we can get people just to spend the 30 minutes of the show it could make a huge different in the Pro-life movement.

http://www.beinghumanshow.com/

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose

 

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Dear All Pro Lifers, The level of enthusiasm about this fall's 40 Days for Life campaign is unlike anything I've seen! Last Saturday, my wife Margaret and I were blessed to join a 40 Days for Life pre-launch event in Washington, D.C. that was jammed with energetic people who were signing up for the vigil that will be held outside a Planned Parenthood abortion center a few blocks from the White House. On Thursday I was in Chicago with more than 40 national pro-life leaders and everyone was talking about the excitement surrounding this fall's 40 Days for Life. Just last night Margaret and I joined over 100 people at an event in Maryland to help prepare for the launch of 40 Days for Life in Frederick, Severna Park, and Baltimore. Earlier this morning, Shawn Carney (the outreach director on our national 40 Days for Life team) spoke to more than 100 fired-up people at a kick- off event in Jackson, Mississippi -- outside of the last remaining abortion facility in the state. Tomorrow morning I jump on a plane to speak at kickoff events in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and South Bend, Indiana. And we're hearing electrifying reports from cities and towns across America as they prepare for kick-off events over these next few days! (To find the 40 Days for Life kick-off event closest to you, visit the list of locations at: http://www.40daysforlife.com/location.cfm ) Adding to the unprecedented levels of pro-life activity we're seeing across North America will be Sunday night's world premiere of the 30-minute "being HUMAN" documentary -- filmed by an Emmy- award-winning director -- on EWTN. As a reminder, here are the details: ************************************************** WHAT: "being HUMAN: 40 Days for Life II" DATE: THIS WEEKEND! Sunday, September 21 TIME: 9:00 PM Eastern (6:00 PM Pacific) WHERE: Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN)- available in most markets PREVIEW: http://www.40daysforlife.com/about.cfm ************************************************** This show is a great opportunity to get people in your community excited about 40 Days for Life. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD to everyone you can! If you can't watch the show when it airs, try to arrange to TiVo or videotape it so you can watch it later. Also, if EWTN is not available in your area -- or if, like me, you have chosen not to have cable or satellite service -- you can watch the show LIVE on the EWTN web site. Here's how to watch online: 1.) Go to http://www.ewtn.com at 9:00 PM Eastern 2.) On the black navigation bar across the top of the page, hover your cursor over "Television" 3.) From the drop-down menu, select "Live TV - English" (or "Live TV - Spanish") 4.) From the next drop-down menu, hover your cursor over the version of Windows Media Player you wish to use for watching the show. 5.) Click the link that says "Click here to view US feed now!" 6.) A new window should open with the live video. Hope you -- and everyone else you know :-) -- enjoy the show. This fall's historic 40 Days for Life campaign kicks off this Wednesday, September 24... and we can't wait to see what God has planned! Yours For Life, David Bereit National Campaign Director 40 Days for Life

 

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 Hello,

Thanks to Sue for getting the notes for our meeting tonight!  And thanks to all who came to the meeting!   Please, start spreading the word about the different events below, especially this weeks - RARTL meeting on Wednesday, Women's Care Center Banquet on Saturday, Life Chain on Sunday and David Bereit and Johnette Benkovic at our site on Sunday too.

This is Respect Life Sunday so that's why we have so many things going on.  But I really believe that it will make a difference.

Thanks also to everyone for their prayers.  They are very powerful and are really helping to make this campaign successful and saving lives!!!

 

Thanks for coming everyone.  With 36 days to go in the campaign, we focused on upcoming events: 

 

Johnnette Benkovic, host of Women of Grace Live heard on EWTN Monday through Friday, will be in Rochester this weekend.  She is speaking at a banquet benefiting the Women's Care Center on Saturday, October 4th. On Sunday, October 5th, Johnnette wll participate in the Life Chain from 2-3,and Benediction after the Life Chain at St. John the Evangelist on Ridge Road in Greece.  At about 5:00, she will pray with us at PP.  David Beirit, National Director of 40 DFL, is also coming to the vigil on Sunday.  Jose will talk with David and see if he can arrange his schedule to be at PP at the same time as Johnnette.   Let's spread the word to everyone we can and plan to be present at the Life Chain on Sunday and then at the vigil at PP at 5:00.

 

The remainder of our session was focused on the mid-point rally on Saturday 10/18.  There has been no response from Jan Armantrout to our request for Bishop Clark to celebrate Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral for the rally.  Kathy Cosgrove will follow-up with Jan.  Assuming we need to make other plans for a Mass, we will attend the 12:10 p.m. Mass at Our Lady of Victory Church.  Mary Quinn will let Father Antinarelli know.  We will then process to the vigil site from Church.  Christine Doyle will contact the couple who coordinate the Holy Friday Procession at McQuaid to see if they would like to help with our procession.  Jose will talk with Mary Armini, our lawyer, to find out whether we need a permit.  He will also talk with the Police Department. 

 

On Wednesday, October 1, the Rochester Area Right to Life will hold their meeting at the Greece Town Hall at 7 p.m.  A former Political Science Professor at MCC, will speak on Roe vs. Wade.

 

In the upcoming days--starting tomorrow--there are many hours that are not filled on the schedule or there is only one person signed up.  We are finding that getting folks to sign up requires a personal invitation.  Bulletin inserts and pulpit announcements are not getting results.  Jose encouraged us to please make phone calls to everyone we can and ask them to pray at the site.

 

We talked a little about some of the success stories including the young woman who changed her mind and is not having the abortion.  There are packets of information with resource names and phone numbers for us to give to women that may approach us at the vigil who are in crisis pregnancies.  Sue handed out copies of a document she received from Father Jim Hewes entitled Faith Community Pledge for Life.  This is a Diocesan document revised in 1998 where Parishes pledged to support women who made the difficult decision to have their babies.  While there are many resources to help women in crisis pregnancies, this document promises to be with the woman along the way of her pregnancy.  For example, one line states "If you are young and afraid to tell your parents that you are pregnant, we'll go with you and help you tell them." 

 

Please plan to meet again next Monday at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 6th.

 

May God bless all our efforts.

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose Rivera

ROC40DFL@rochester.rr.com

www.40daysforlife.com/rochester

585-305-1224

 

  

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Hello,

Just to let everyone know that we are planning on having  David Bereit at our vigil site on Sunday around 5:00pm.  Please, spread the word so we have a good turn out.  

 

Also, take a look at the schedule and call some friends to help us cover the hours on Sunday.  I'm hoping that if we have a good turn out on Sunday afternoon we can ask people to sign up for hours in the upcoming week too.

We are done with one quarter of the campaign so far!!!  We have been blessed in so many ways and strong participation at the vigil site.  I'm always amazed by the number of people that show up, especially during the afternoon / early evening hours.

Keep up with the prayers and fasting so we end our campaign as strong as we have being doing!  Only God knows all the blessings that are being showered here in Rochester thanks to our efforts!

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose

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 Great news!!!

We had our second 'reported' baby saved today!!!

Martha and other  prayer volunteers witnessed when a lady came out from the facility and told Martha how she "couldn't do it!"  After seeing the prayer volunteers on the sidewalk she realized that she couldn't go through  with the abortion!!!

Keep up with the prayers!!!  Give thanks to God for this wonderful 
blessing.  At the same time, please pray for all the other ladies who went through the abortion today.
The constant presence at the sidewalk is having an impact!!! 

Please,  help us to keep it going.  Look at the schedule for this week and 
sign up to witness for life!!!

Thanks and God Bless,
Jose

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 Hello,

 

I want to give a big thank you to Dottie and Mary Lou for organizing the two prayer events of "America Needs Fatima" at our site.  It was wonderful to see so many people at one time praying together!  I took some pictures with the early group.  I hope to post them some time soon.

Check out the flyer for our upcoming peaceful procession:  http://www.40daysforlife.com/rochester/documents/mid_point_Rochester_invite.pdf

Please, print it out and spread the word!!!

Also, this Monday marks our official half-way point of the campaign!!!  It's amazing how quickly time goes by.  At the same time, this also means we have 20 more days to go.  Please, help us keep the powerful witness in front of the Planned Parenthood for these 20 days.  It is really having an impact!  The people who have worked the sidewalks for many years keep telling me how they can see a difference in the people that walk by or that interact with them at the sidewalk.  They can see an openness of heart that they hadn't seen before.  This is thanks to all the prayer and fasting and the public witness.  Help us keep it up and, maybe, make it stronger if possible.

Check the schedule for this week - plenty of red areas (meaning, empty slots) waiting to be filled:  www.vigilschedule.com/rochester

As always, if you have any questions feel free to email me or call me at 585-305-1224.  

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose Rivera

ROC40DFL@rochester.rr.com

www.40daysforlife.com/rochester

585-305-1224

 

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  Hello,

Yes, we are meeting tomorrow at 6:30pm to finalize details about this Saturday.  Also, I want to make sure everyone is aware of the National teleconference taking place this Wednesday at 9pm.  If you have signed up for the National emails you probably got the info but here is a link to it (it sounds like is going to be very interesting):

http://www.40daysforlife.com/midpoint 

Please, spread the word!

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose

 

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Hello,

We don't know what we are missing sometimes!!!  I found out that some time during today's vigil, there was a Gregorian Chant being performed by several vigil participants.  Don't worry, I missed it too!  Hopefully, with 20 more days left of the campaign, we may get to hear a similar performance.  Like St. Augustine said, when one sings, one prays twice!  I'm just thankful for all who have come to the site for prayer and public witness.  

If you are signed up to receive the emails from the National campaign - David Bereit's, you are probably aware of the National Tele-conference they are planning to have this Wednesday at 9pm.  For more information, check out this link - http://www.40daysforlife.com/midpoint  - Please, invite others to listen since this might help spread the word and get others to join us in our efforts to bring an end to abortion here in Rochester.

As always, please, look at the schedule and help us to keep it 'green'.  I am truly humbled by the great turnout we've had so far.  If you have already participated in the vigil, please consider inviting someone you know who hasn't done it yet.  Many people may want to do it but aren't ready to venture by themselves to the site.  If you are in this camp, let me know and I'll join you if I can (7am and lunch hours are my specialty!).

And last but not least, don't forget this Saturday our Prayerful procession to Planned Parenthood.  This would be a great opportunity also for people who haven't come out yet to join in a big group to learn what it is all about.  

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose Rivera

 

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Monday, October, 13, 2007 Meeting

Hello,

 

Meeting notes from today.  Thanks to Sue for taking notes even while standing up!!!  Not an easy thing to do.  As of right now, I don't have someone signed up from 9 to 10am tomorrow, Tuesday.  I'm not sure if someone will just show up prompted by the Holy Spirit.  Either way, I'm letting you know just in case some one in the distribution list can make it (assuming that you read the email on time!).

 

Thanks and God Bless,

 

Jose Rivera

ROC40DFL@rochester.rr.com

www.40daysforlife.com/rochester

585-305-1224

 

 

Thanks for coming out this evening everyone. 

 

Many of those who were planning to attend the meeting tonight arrived early and prayed at the vigil.  In order to not leave the site without prayer volunteers, we held our meeting outside at the site.  

 

Jose reminded us that we are officially half-way through the campaign.  As time goes on, more and more people are participating.  We have had close to 200 people praying at the vigil. 

 

Jose asked once again that we use the small notebook in the bag to document experiences we have at the site--our feelings about being there, incidents that occur--good or bad.  If you prefer, you can email Jose rather than recording in the notebook.  There are lots of stories to share, and regulars to the site know that 40 DFL is making a difference.  Unless we tell the stories, no one will know.

 

There is a teleconference tonight for the local leadership teams--a Q&A.  Jose invited us to participate if we can. 

 

Tomorrow night (not Wednesday as Jose had originally announced) is the mid-point teleconference that we can participate in either via the internet or phone.  If you want to participate by phone, it is NOT a free call.  Here's the phone info just in case:

 

Phone-Number to Dial:  1 (712) 432-1001 

Use Conference ID:  430967754#

 

On Sunday, Birth Right is having the life-walk at St. John Fisher College.

 

Jose cannot attend a meeting next Monday, 10/20.  This should not be a problem, because we still have time to plan our Victory Celebration.  Some of us plan to meet at the vigil site around 6:30 p.m. next Monday anyway to pray and sing together. 

 

Many prayer volunteers are already asking:  "What do we do after the 40 days ends?  We can't stop the momentum."  Send your ideas (e.g., 40 hours each week at the site, have a presence on the days abortions are performed, etc.) to Jose for what's next.  (We need to keep an eye on when abortions are beings performed at PP.)  Jose will talk with Ellen about what they did as follow-up after the campaign ended. 

 

 

We finalized plans tonight for the mid-point rally:

 

Jose handed out copies of flyers with the time and place of the Mass and Procession.  Please distribute the flyers as you can and encourage everyone you can to attend.  The more people participating at Mass and/or in the procession the better

 

Participants can park on University Ave and then walk to Our Lady of Victory Church for 12:10 Mass.  (Someone suggested we can car-pool to the church.)  Or, you can park near the church and go back later for your car. 

 

Mary Lou is not going to the Mass; she will stay behind at the vigil site.  (It's important that we have at least one other person with Mary Lou, and, hopefully someone will sign up for this time.)

 

Jose will talk with Mary Quinn about having an announcement made at the Mass about the procession afterward. 

 

Jose will take care of the press release with the help of Lee Strong; we don't know if the media will attend.

 

We will assemble in front of the church after Mass and process on the sidewalk back to the vigil site beginning at 1:00 p.m.  Father Antinarelli is letting us process with the cross he has (Francis will carry).  The procession back to the vigil will be less than a mile and should take about 25 minutes.  Father Joe Catinese will be with us, and maybe other Priests.  Jose is going to ask Father MGrath from St. Columba's/St. Patrick's in Caledonia.

 

If you have walkie-talkies at home, please bring them.  If there is a large crowd, we can use the radios to be sure that those in the middle and end of the procession know what those in the front are praying or singing.  (We will play it by ear as to what we will do as we process.)

 

Jose volunteered offered to make copies of music sheets that we have for our use in the procession should we decide to worship in praise.

 

Mary Quinn has talked with the Rochester Police about the procession.  As long as we do not interfere with traffic or those walking on the sidewalks, we will be within the law.

 

We want this to be a festive upbeat affair, so we will have a gathering at Focus Pregnancy Help Center after the procession.  Everyone who can, please bring a finger food to share.  We are hoping this mid-point rally will encourage more prayer volunteers.

---

 

Martha is having a huge impact at the site lately!!!  She had the save last week and yesterday (Wednesday) she had two young ladies and a young man who were approaching the abortion facility and they stopped to talk with her.  One of the ladies seemed very nervous and it turns out they were headed in to PP to do a pregnancy test for her.  They weren't sure what they were going to do if it turned out that she was pregnant.  Martha offered them a free pregnancy test and took them to the Focus Pregnancy Help Center.  After finding out that she was pregnant, the mother seemed to be more at ease and also looking forward to having a baby instead of being nervous like she seemed to be when planning to go to PP.  Thanks be to God!!!

And in case you haven't heard yet, Tuesday night it was announced that the total of confirmed babies saved at the national level is 268!!!  This is just at the halfway point!!!  Glory be to God!!!

In a different note, we continue to be blessed with many new people coming out to the vigil to pray and give a public witness to the great injustice of abortion at University Ave.  I think that almost every day there is at least one new person (at least a name I don't recognize in the signing sheet).  This is a good sign that we are also having an impact across communities since word is getting out and new people are coming out to join us.  We have had several families with children too which is also a great blessing and a witness to the gift of life!

Now that we are past the halfway point I want to remind the people who started with us, and let the new people know about the Statement of Peace that we ask everyone to agree with whenever they are at the vigil site.  Here's the Statement:

 

·      I will only pursue peaceful solutions to the violence of abortion when volunteering with the 40 Days for Life campaign.

·      I will show compassion and reflect Christ’s love to all Planned Parenthood employees, volunteers, and customers.

·      I understand that acting in a violent or harmful manner immediately and completely disassociates me from the 40 Days for Life campaign.

·      I am in no way associated with Planned Parenthood or its affiliates by way of employment, informant, volunteer, client, or otherwise.

 

While standing in the city right of way in front of Planned Parenthood:

·      I will not obstruct the driveways or sidewalk while standing in the public right of way.

·      I will not litter on the public right of way.

·      I will closely attend to any children I bring to the prayer vigil.

·      I will not threaten, physically contact, or verbally abuse Planned Parenthood employees, volunteers, or customers.

·      I will not vandalize private property.

·       I will cooperate with local city authorities and will not cross the boundary line on the sidewalk.

We want to maintain a peaceful and prayerful presence all the time (singing is considered prayerful, so that's ok!).  If we are confronted with any kind of verbal aggression, we need to do our best to stay peaceful.  We don't want to be confrontational and if someone wants to start an argument make sure it is more of a dialogue and not a shouting match.  I think people will change their minds more if you approach them with humility than if you give them all the facts in a very aggressive manner.  I'm just saying this from my personal experience with a woman who, even though we didn't say anything to her, she started screaming at us some vulgarities.  We didn't try to respond.  We just continued praying knowing that anything we said wouldn't make a difference to her.

As David Bereit says, I really believe that we are seeing the beginning of the end of abortion in America!!!  When we have over 175 cities joining together and bringing new people to witness to the horror of abortion, praying so fervently for God to bring healing and to stop abortion, you know that miracles will happen!  We have at least three that we know of here in Rochester, 268 across our nation, and I really believe more will come until there are no more abortions at University Ave.!!!

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose Rivera

ROC40DFL@rochester.rr.com

www.40daysforlife.com/rochester

585-305-1224

PS - Don't forget about our Mass and Procession on Saturday!!! (More info at our website - www.40daysforlife.com/rochester).  Also, Help us keep the vigil strong by signing up for some of the empty times this weekend.

  

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 40-day vigil aims to end abortion

(Publication Date:  09-25-2008)
 
By Jennifer Burke/Catholic Courier



http://www.catholiccourier.com/tmp1.cfm?nid=78&articleid=103517&cfid=3957513&cftoken=93874675

http://www.catholiccourier.com/tmp1.cfm?nid=98&cfid=3957513&cftoken=93874675

 

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Hello,

Sue asked me to forward this to the team.

Also, we'll be meeting this Monday at 6:30pm at Focus to plan our Victory Celebration and beyond.

Thanks and God Bless,

Jose

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Sue Waterstraat" <suewater@rochester.rr.com>

Date: October 23, 2008 9:58:03 PM EDT

To: "Jose Rivera" <roc40dfl@rochester.rr.com>

Subject: Fw: 3 day fast and Election Prayer to Mary

Jose, would you please forward this to our team. 

 

Thanks

Dear Sisters, Sr. Briege and Fr. Kevin,

 

The United States of America faces perhaps the most serious decision in our nation's history on November 4.  We are asking all to join in 3 days of prayer, fasting and adoration November 1, 2 and 3 to implore God's mercy upon our country in this most important election.

 

The inspiration for these 3 days of fasting and prayer is found in the book of Esther.  Queen Esther, when informed of the possible annihilation of her people, called for a three day fast prior to her interceding with the king on behalf of her people.

 

Mary has been likened to Esther as she continually intercedes with the King of kings on our behalf.  This nation has been entrusted to her under the title of Immaculate Conception.  Let us ask her to pray with us and for us that we, as a people, will choose life. 

 

"Who knows but that it was for a time like this that you obtained the royal dignity?"  Esther 4:14

 

Please copy and spread this invitation to fasting, prayer and adoration on November 1, 2 and 3 as widely as possible.

 

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.

 

MAGNIFICAT CENTRA SERVICE TEAM

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