St. Mary Parish Youth Ministry

Family Life Council

His Church continues to embrace and protect the dignity of every human person, the sanctity of human life, from the tiny baby in the womb to the last moment of natural passing into eternal life. As the Servant of God Terrance Cardinal Cooke wrote, 'Human life is no less sacred or worthy of respect because it is tiny, pre-born, poor, sick, fragile, or handicapped.' Archbishop Timothy Dolan in his first homily at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.

The Family Life Council is a parish council under the direction of the pastor, chaired by a parish member.

MISSION: To council and assist the pastor in fostering a culture of life which upholds the sacred dignity of all life especially through marriage and family life as revealed and witnessed by Jesus Christ.

Goals: Establishing prayerful witness through evangelization and education on the sanctity of life and the sacred dignity of marriage & family life, providing articles for the bulletin and the parish web site, submitting prayers for the General Intercessions at Mass, planning & participating in prayer services, prayer groups, supporting parish support groups which enhance marriage and family life, offering responsible social action & outreach including appropriate political action initiatives, collaboration with the Archdiocese of Boston and other parishes.

Save The Date!

Pregnancy Care Center Walk for Life

Sunday, September 19, 2010 at 12:30PM

St. Mary Church, 25 North Rd., Chelmsford, MA

Please join us along with other local faith communities to raise funds for the Pregnancy Care Center. Learn more about them by visiting http://www.pccnortheast.org. Sign up to be a sponsor, walker or helper at the event at www.pccnortheast.org/events or call Mary at the rectory at 978-256-2374.

The Pregnancy Care Center is a Christ-centered, non-profit ministry offering life affirming services designed to empower women and men in making informed choices about unexpected pregnancy, sexual integrity and recovery from post abortion trauma.

Catholic Citizenship

Catholic Citizenship is the Catholic grassroots education organization of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Catholic Citizenship is a network of devout Catholics who seek to amplify the Roman Catholic Church's voice in the public square. Their mission is to educate the laity on the political process and to empower the faithful to become more effective at promoting a culture of life and family throughout all levels of government.

Cardinal George, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently stated: “Inter-religious coalitions formed to defend the rights of conscience for individuals or for religious institutions should become a vital bulwark against the tide of forces at work in our government and society to reduce religion to a purely private reality. At stake is whether or not the religious voice will maintain its right to be heard in the public square.”

If you’d like more information on Catholic Citizenship, please visit
http://catholic-citizenship.org.

The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience

Christians have defended the weak and vulnerable and worked tirelessly to protect and strengthen vital institutions of civil society, beginning with the family.

As Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians we have come together to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens to join us in defending them. These truths are:

1. The sanctity of human life.

2. The dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife.

3. The rights of conscience and religious liberty.

Insomuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the society as a whole, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Powerful forces in our culture are attacking these fundamental truths like never before. As such, we are compelled to speak out forcefully in their defense, without compromise. We make this commitment as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

For more information on the Manhattan Declaration, visit www.manhattandeclaration.org.