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Saturday, October 6, 2012

Working Together: Pro-life signage becomes joint project in Humboldt

Over the last several months, I've become more active in my local Knights of Columbus Council.  In that capacity, I have been named to two positions.  I am the One Year Trustee, but I am also the Pro-Life Chair.  I would like to share a story that was printed in the latest issue of The Globe, the newspaper for the diocese of Sioux City in Iowa.  The story follows below:

 Working Together: Pro-life signage becomes joint project in Humboldt
HUMBOLDT – New pro-life signs were recently installed on the north and east sides of Humboldt to present motorists a life-affirming message as they enter and leave the city.
The process for getting the signs began with Bruce Reimers after he travelled to Emmetsburg and saw similar signs. In time other pro-life signs were placed in Manson and that led them to contact the Knights of Columbus who were responsible for the signs in that community. 
Reimers took information back to his church, Zion Lutheran Church LCMS.  They got on board with the idea, but wanted to share the project and cost with the Catholic Church as well as the other ecclesial communions in the area.  
According to Andy Milam, pro-life chair of the St. Mary's Knights of Columbus #8592, they fully supported the concept and quickly decided that they would support it in any way they could.  Eventually, the cost was shared completely between St. Mary's and Zion Lutheran.
“This process has been a great example of interreligious dialogue.  Zion Lutheran and St. Mary's have a common goal and that is to protect and make aware that the unborn are innocent and have a right to life,” he said. “There is no disagreement or theological difference on the concept.”
From a Catholic point of view, Milam said they look at this as continuing the Catholic mandate that all life is sacred from the moment of conception to natural death. He referred to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life."  (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2270)
He also cited: "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law: You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish." (CCC 2271 and  Didache 2,2:SCh 248,148)
Because this work is so important, Milam said that is what motivated the Catholics and Lutherans to work together on this project “because some issues should be based on our common heritage as Christians.”
The Knight said that the morality of this joint action is simple to understand – no one has the right to take the life of an innocent person. He stressed, the unborn child is innocent. 
Milam called it a joy to work with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  
“We hope that going forward we will be able to collaborate again on programs which promote proper interreligious dialogue,” he said.

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