If you are pregnant and in need, come to the Catholic Church! That was the message of Cardinal John O’Connor 30 years ago when he founded the Sisters of Life in New York. That community of Catholic women religious (“nuns”) was founded to do just that: protect and enhance the sanctity of human life. The Sisters today are in the New York metropolitan area, Arizona, Denver, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Washington, D.C. But they are far from the end of the story of the resources available to women. During the recent meeting of the U.S. Catholic bishops in Baltimore, most of the headlines were about what they would or would not say about the scandal of having a Catholic president who wants to expand abortion access rather than work for protection for the unborn.
But perhaps more important than the president is what we are doing on the ground. And with more than 2,700 pro-life pregnancy-care centers in the U.S., Kansas City bishop Joseph Naumann, the outgoing chair of the bishops’ pro-life committee, essentially reissued O’Connor’s pledge, urging every Catholic parish in America to step up to the plate and let resources be known. “We’re committed to help women not just through birth, but to thrive and succeed in life,” Naumann said.
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