A SOUTH ORANGE County parish recently hosted a national pro-life activist who shared her long-standing fight for the lives of the unborn and how every Catholic is called to action.
HOLY TRINITY PARISH WELCOMED GUEST SPEAKER LILA ROSE ON MAY 6. PHOTOS BY JEFF ANTENORE/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Lila Rose was a guest speaker at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Ladera Ranch on May 6 as part of a speaker series for the church’s jubilee celebration of 20 years serving the community. Rose, a wife and mother of three, is the founder and president of Live Action, a national nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about the truth of abortion and ending the practice.
“In this country that we call our home, America, this place that is blessed by God in so many ways, we are at a crossroads,” Rose said. “And the crossroads is one that not many people even realize that we are at. The crossroads is a question of: Will we protect life and value life and all the blessings that come with it … or will we reject a future of life, the protection of life and instead will we be a culture of death?”
Rose, one of eight children in an evangelical Christian family in Northern California, shared her story of picking up the book “The Handbook on Abortion” as a teenager. She recalled opening it up to see pictures of a baby growing inside a womb, then turned the page to see a 10-week-old baby torn apart by suction abortion.
FR. MICHAEL ST. PAUL, PASTOR OF HOLY TRINITY PARISH, SPEAKS DURING A SPECIAL EVENT HELD ON MAY 6.
“I remember looking at this image and just being cut to the heart, thinking, ‘Is this real?’” Rose said.
Live Action began soon thereafter, now reaching 46 million people a month. Rose stressed that although many think everyone has their minds made up about abortion, no one is past the point of hope.
LILA ROSE ADDRESSES ATTENDEES DURING A SPECIAL EVENT AT HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC CHURCH IN LADERA RANCH.
“In a fight for life, this isn’t just about people’s opinions and personal preferences,” Rose said. “It’s about life or death for human beings who have a right to life. But just as importantly, we should have hope.”
Rose ended her talk with a call to action: First, ask God over the Blessed Sacrament what He wants you to do about abortion and the fight for life; second, speak up not just about abortion, but all connected issues, like sexual ethics and marriage.
“Do not be afraid to speak to the truth,” Rose said. “Your willingness to speak the truth, even if people reject it, they mock it, they ignore it. If you do not speak the truth, who will?”
Rose encouraged involvement, like volunteering at a pregnancy resource center or praying outside an abortion clinic. Bishop Kevin Vann pointed to the importance of human life when discussing his mother, a nurse at a Catholic hospital. She presided over many births and taught nursing. Bishop Vann remarked how “the name Mrs. Vann means a lot more than Bishop Vann” in Springfield, Illinois, where they lived. “She wanted to be teaching the importance of human life before birth,” Bishop Vann said.
Holy Trinity pastor Fr. Michael St. Paul said he hopes his parishioners will “renew their strength in their faith and their stance on pro-life.”
Alex Serra, 15, brought his mother, Cathy Mariano, and grandmother, Renee Torres, to hear Rose speak. Mariano said she found it very inspirational and wants to learn more about Live Action.
“I think a lot of people don’t know about abortion,” Mariano said. “I think there’s a lot of ignorance about what happens.”
Torres agreed that the information is especially important for young adults.
“They have to learn what that means when you get together,” Torres said. “You are creating something that is blessed, that is a blessing.”