Priest: Christians must speak the truth about sanctity of life

Photo caption: Sister Diane Carollo, director of the archdiocesan Office for Pro-Life Ministry, poses for a photograph on Oct. 1 with Respect Life Sunday award recipients Norberto Aguayo, at left, Claire Stange, second from right, and Maria Aguayo.

By Mary Ann Wyand

Christians believe that every person has his or her origin in the heart of God, Father Scott Nobbe reminded pro-life supporters gathered for the archdiocesan Respect Life Sunday Mass on Oct. 1 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis.

But in the secular world today, Father Nobbe said, “the truth about the human

person, his or her fundamental dignity, is at stake. Human beings—despite their size, their status, their age or their crime—if not thought of as persons [created] in the image of God, will not be treated with the respect they deserve.”

As a result, he said, “there will be some who will grant themselves the right to decide whether or not a life is worth living.”

People of faith must not be discouraged about the widespread disrespect for human life in contemporary society, Father Nobbe said, and must courageously speak the truth about the sanctity of life from conception until natural death.

“God is always ready to answer our prayers with the strength and means we need to do his will,” he said. “And we have need for many virtues in our struggle to protect and preserve the dignity and worth of human life. … We can make a difference because we belong to the Lord. … It is with his grace and not just by our own efforts that we can change the world.”

Christ’s call to recognize and respect every human being includes welcoming immigrants, he told the multicultural

gathering at the bilingual Mass.

Ordained in June, Father Nobbe serves as executive assistant to Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein and liaison for Hispanic ministry in the archdiocese.

“… This immigration issue shows just how diverse respect for life needs to be,” Father Nobbe said. “Their presence should be another opportunity of conversion for us … turning away from … our narrow prejudices and fears, and turning to another with an open and welcoming attitude that recognizes and respects every human being as a brother or sister in Christ.”

At the conclusion of the liturgy, Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, vicar general, presented the Archbishop O’Meara Respect Life Award to St. Mary parishioners Norberto and Maria Aguayo, natives of Guadalajara, Mexico, who emigrated to Indianapolis in 1997 and promote pro-life education to Hispanics.

Msgr. Schaedel also presented the Our Lady of Guadalupe Pro-Life Youth Award to St. Lawrence parishioner Claire Stange of Lawrenceburg, a home-schooled senior who volunteers at a crisis pregnancy center and has helped care for a 6-year-old boy in a persistent vegetative state. She plans to study occupational therapy in college.

“Along with my fellow priests, I congratulate those who won the awards,” Msgr. Schaedel said. “The archbishop was unable to be present, but wanted you all to know that he deeply appreciates the work that all of you do for the pro-life cause in defense of innocent human life.”

On behalf of the archbishop, the vicar general also thanked “so many others who do so much to promote a better understanding of the infinite value of human life as given to us by our loving God.”

Father Michael O’Mara, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Indianapolis, and Father Shaun Whittington, chaplain at Father Michael Shawe Memorial Jr./Sr. High School in Madison, were concelebrants for the pro-life Mass.

Father Whittington, who also provides sacramental assistance at St. Lawrence Parish in Lawrenceburg, said “Claire has been an incredible inspiration for many of the youth in the parish … and a witness to Christ in the world.”

He said “her willingness to share the faith … amongst her friends has brought several [youth] into the Church and inspired many, many more to return to the Church.”

After the Mass, Claire said she feels honored to receive the sixth annual pro-life youth award from the archdiocese and accepted it on behalf of all those who

volunteer for pro-life causes.

“The opportunities to work with John Paul Harbison, at the pregnancy center and be a part of the March for Life [in Washington] were easy tasks that were rewarding in themselves,” she said. “It was a privilege to work with John Paul after his near-drowning accident. I was inspired by his parents’ unconditional love and effort to keep him in their home and a part of their family. They are a reflection of God’s undying love for us.”

Claire said she believes that “working at the pregnancy center is critical to promoting a culture of life in our youth and in our country today.”

Participating in the national March for Life with her friends was fun, she said, and is “a manifestation of our hope that someday there will be an end to legalized abortion in the United States.”

Following the mass, several hundred pro-life supporters from a number of faith traditions participated in the annual Central Indiana Life Chain along North Meridian Street in Indianapolis to pray for an end to abortion. †