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January 27, 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On January 20, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reaffirmed a rule that virtually all private health care plans must cover sterilization, abortifacients, and contraception. The rule is set to take effect August 1,2012. Non-profit religious employers including the Dioceses of Charlotte and Raleigh that do not now provide such coverage, and are not exempt under the rule’s extremely narrow definition of religious employer, will be given one year—until August 1, 2013—to comply.

Responding to the announcement, Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, stated: “In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences.”

Last August, the HHS issued a list of “preventive services for women” to be mandated in almost all private health plans under the new health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The mandated services include sterilization, all FDA-approved birth control and “education and counseling” to promote these among all “women of reproductive capacity.”

HHS’s proposed rule allowed only a very narrow exemption for a “religious employer.” In September and December of 2011, CatholicVoiceNC.org issued action alerts on this matter at a time when HHS was seeking comment on the proposed rules. The January 20 announcement makes the proposed rule final.

To correct the threats to religious liberty and rights of conscience posed by PPACA, the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act has been introduced in Congress (H.R. 1179, S. 1467). This measure will ensure that those who participate in the health care system “retain the right to provide, purchase, or enroll in health coverage that is consistent with their religious beliefs and moral convictions.”

ACTION: Contact your U.S. Representative by e-mail, phone, or FAX letter:

 *   Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: 202-224-3121, or call your Members’ local offices.

 *   Send an e-mail through CVNC’s Grassroots Action Center.

Thank you for all you do in support of life.

The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Bishop of Charlotte

The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge Bishop of Raleigh

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
http://www.votervoice.net/link/target/cvnc/54q2zKzc.aspx

Life Witness

For our February 2012 show, we will be reporting from the Rally for Life in Raleigh and the March for Life in Washington, DC. We will be speaking to Bishop Burbidge; Fr. Dan Oschwald, Rector of Sacred Heart Cathedral; Caryn Walsh, St. Mark Catholic Church’s youth minister; Father Anthony Sortino, Spiritual Director at Regnum Christi; Effie Strong whose daughter and unborn grandson were murdered in NC and who became a great supporter of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act which is now a law in NC; and others attending the Rally and the March for Life.

This show will air at 11 am on the first two Saturdays of February, the 4th and 11th, and at 6 pm on the first two Sundays, the 5th and 12th.

Father Thomas F. Price Cause for Beatification and Canonization

Bishop Burbidge has joyfully announced that the Cause for Beatification and Canonization of Father Thomas Frederick Price has been transferred to the Diocese of Raleigh.  The formal inquiry will open on March 9, and the occasion will be marked with a 6:30 p.m. prayer service at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Raleigh by Bishops Burbidge & Jugis and other Catholic dignitaries including the Superior General of the Maryknoll Catholic Foreign Mission Society.

This is the first step on the path to official sainthood. In order to be canonized, a person must have lived a life of heroic virtue. Born in Wilmington in 1860, Father Price was the first native North Carolinian to be ordained to the Priesthood. He was known for his great love of God, Our Lady, and the foreign missions. In 1911, Father Price and Father James A. Walsh founded the Congregation of Maryknoll and in 1918, he went to China, dying in1919, after a brief illness.

Father Garneau has been appointed the Episcopal Delegate for the Cause of Father Price, and Dr. Andrea Ambrosi will be the Postulator of the Cause of Father Price.

Respect Life Events in January

Please join us as we rally for life in Raleigh, pray for life in Wilmington, and march for life in DC. The following events mark the 39 year history of legalized abortion in the U.S. and the tragic loss of over 50 million unborn children:

• On Saturday, January 14, the four events in Raleigh are:
  • The Annual Mass for Life at 8 am at St. Joseph Catholic Church with Bishop Burbidge celebrating this Mass.
  • The North Carolina Right to Life Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. at the Brownstone Hotel with guest speaker, Dr. Randall K. O’Bannon, from the National Right to Life. Dr. O’Bannon is the Director of Education and Research at National Right to Life and an expert on the funding and activities of Planned Parenthood, having tracked the organization for over 20 years. Additionally, Dr. O’Bannon has written dozens of stories and blog entries and produced numerous fact sheets about Planned Parenthood to highlight it as the country’s largest abortion provider, aborting 332,278 babies in 2009. He is also an expert on the chemical abortion pill, RU-486. In addition to having been interviewed by the national press, Dr. O’Bannon has worked on such notable projects as the award winning video, Infinite Possibilities.
  • The Pro-Life Rally for High School Students, “Love My Life” (LML) is at Sacred Heart Cathedral parking lot in Raleigh from 11:00-12:45. All high school students and parish youth groups are invited to participate and CELEBRATE God’s special gift of HUMAN LIFE. This high energy, spirit-filled event will include special guest Bishop Burbidge, Fr. DeCandia as keynote speaker, Caryn Walsh from St. Mark’s Catholic Church as a speaker, and music and food.
  • The Rally for Life at 1pm in Nash Square.
• On Monday, January 23,  we will attend the North Carolina Mass for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at 11:30 am and the 39^th annual March for Life, both in Washington, DC. There is still room on the Immaculate Conception bus, so please call Loretta McManusat 799-0392.  
• And on Saturday, January 28, join us for the 19^th annual Wilmington prayer vigil at 12 noon. Please call Bev Jolly for more details at 297-4875.

Here is a letter from our bishop detailing the events in Raleigh and DC.

For more details on any of these events, please call Bev Jolly at 297-4875.

Some of Our Favorite Things

For our first show of 2012, we've polled the staff and some friends of Wilmington Catholic Radio about their favorite Catholic things within the categories of Marian apparitions, saints, daily devotions or prayers, pilgrimage sites, authors and books, movies, hymns, holy days, media personalities, ways to end abortion, etc. 

This show will air at 11 am on the first two Saturdays of January, the 7th and 14th, and at 6 pm on the first two Sundays, the 8th and 15th.