Growing Up With Brothers With Down Syndrome And Learning Love...Pro-life Message on American Idol.

J.M.J.+

Dear Fellow Helpers,
I am emailing in regards to our next peaceful prayer vigil which will take place on Saturday, January 16th outside Planned Parenthood (345 Whitney Avenue New Haven) from 8am until 12 pm noon, the hours which the babies are scheduled to be killed by abortion. Please join us to take an hour of prayer. Abortions also take place on Wednesday from 11-3pm as well as Friday from 8 am-12 pm noon.
Below is an article on how the pro-life message is reaching millions through secular Television. Thanks be to God!

May God bless you,
Mike and Kerry

UPDATED - American Idol: 9th Child of 12, Daughter of Pro-Life Blogger Advances to Next Round

By Patrick B. Craine
BOSTON, Massachusetts, January 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Maddy Curtis of Bluemont, Virginia, the 16-year-old daughter of an award-winning pro-life blogger, impressed American Idol judges on the show this week, who unanimously advanced her to the next round.
The opening segment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XwbmGDgH60&feature=player_embedded featured a powerful testimony about her family of 12 children, and her brothers with Down syndrome - one biological (Jonathan) and three adopted (Jesse, Daniel, and Justin).
Maddy explained that her parents, Tripp and Barbara, adopted their first, Jesse, so that Jonathan would have “more of a companion.” After their first adoption, they served as a resource to counsel couples whose babies were diagnosed with Down syndrome, which led to two more adoptions.
About her disabled brothers, Maddy said, as tears welled up in her eyes, that, “I think some people are a little skeptical of Down syndrome. Those four boys bring out the best in every person they meet. They see the world in colors, and we need to see the world that way.”
In the audition, Maddy sang a beautiful rendition of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah', yielding praise even from the normally-critical Simon Cowell. "Very good,” he said. “You've got a nice voice. Bit of soul in there, Maddy."
Maddy has been training as a singer for several years, and has entered a number of competitions, as well as playing the lead role in her high school's musical and starring in local concerts.
Despite her many accomplishments, however, her parish priest told LifeSiteNews that Maddy’s role singing as cantor at Mass every week is what's most important to her.
“Even though she's very accomplished at her age, she said that it makes her more nervous to sing at Mass than everywhere else,” said Fr. Ronald Escalante, pastor at St. Frances de Sales parish in Purcellville, Virginia. “She said, 'I'm singing for God', and it overwhelms her.”
“The whole parish enjoys it when she is singing, because they see this young 16-year-old girl leading the congregation in singing for the Mass,” he added.
The Curtis family were Evangelicals for twenty years, but two years ago, Maddy, her parents, and her four brothers with Down syndrome were all received into the Catholic Church. “They rely a lot on God's divine providence,” said Fr. Escalante. “They live by faith.”
“[Maddy] is a high-standards Christian girl, which I think is a good witness to the young people,” he said. “Even though she's very gifted with her singing, she is definitely someone who does not compromise her faith. ... She is a very, very good, down-to-earth, solid, sincere Christian Catholic.”
Fr. Escalante emphasized that the Curtis' are a “very, very pro-life” family, who, he said, “don't just preach about it, [but] actually live it.” Barbara, the mother of the family, is a professional writer and pro-life speaker who runs a popular pro-life blog.
Fr. Escalante believes the Curtis’ witness on American Idol was “just a grace of God.” “Every time I watch, I tell you, I get teary-eyed, because [Maddy] really got a lot more out of it than just being an audition,” he said. “She was able to showcase how good it is to be growing up with Down syndrome brothers. ... I thought this was a good exposure to plug in on a well-watched national and international setting – a chance for people to see these kids are beautiful kids.”
“My personal opinion is, anybody who would have been contemplating to get an abortion because they were diagnosed [with a Down syndrome baby],” he observed, “would probably think on that, because they really presented her story so well.”
See Barbara Curtis' blog: Mommy Life

Be Fruitful and Multiply.

J.M.J.+ HELP US!

This beautiful baby in the womb is 16 weeks in gestation and yet is elligible to be killed over at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England in New Haven. This particular PP killing center offers abortion up to 16 weeks and offers referral to all the other mothers whose babies are further along in developement, many to killing centers in NY.


Dear Fellow Helpers,
I am emailing in regards to our next peaceful prayer vigil which will take place on Saturday, January 2nd outside Planned Parenthood (345 Whitney Avenue New Haven) from 8am until 12 pm noon, the hours which the babies are scheduled to be killed by abortion. Please join us to take an hour of prayer. Abortions also take place on Wednesday from 11-3pm as well as Friday from 8 am-12 pm noon.



Wishing you all a Happy New Year and blessed Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God,
Mike and Kerry



Pope Benedict's New Year's Message Condemns, Abortion, Population Control
by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com EditorJanuary 2, 2009
http://www.lifenews.com/int1039.html
The Vatican (LifeNews.com) -- Pope Benedict XVI has a special message for the world with the start of the New Year and it focuses on condemning abortion and birth control. The pope urged efforts to end poverty across the globe but said those efforts must also be life-affirming for women and unborn children.
The leader of the Catholic Church said poverty is often regarded by abortion advocates as a consequence of demographic change
That's the claim that there are too many people on the planet despite evidence that several areas of the world are experiencing underpopulation.
"For this reason, there are international campaigns afoot to reduce birth-rates, sometimes using methods that respect neither the dignity of the woman, nor the right of parents to choose responsibly how many children to have," the pope said.
"Graver still, these methods often fail to respect even the right to life," he added.
"The extermination of millions of unborn children, in the name of the fight against poverty, actually constitutes the destruction of the poorest of all human beings," the pope said.
The pope pointed out that population growth has led to a result in poverty, saying that, in 1981, around 40% of the world's population was below the threshold of absolute poverty and indicating that percentage has been reduced by half despite population growth in some of the worst areas.
"This goes to show that resources to solve the problem of poverty do exist, even in the face of an increasing population," the pontiff said.
"Moreover, among the most developed nations, those with higher birth-rates enjoy better opportunities for development. In other words, population is proving to be an asset, not a factor that contributes to poverty," Pope Benedict concluded.