Print Issue: December 5, 2002

Archdiocese Exceeds Goal To Help Jeremiah's Call Ad Campaign

By Priscilla Greear, Staff Writer

ATLANTA - Jeremiah's Call, the archdiocese-wide campaign to help fund Georgia Right to Life pro-life television advertising, has raised more than $131,000 - exceeding its campaign goal of $100,000. The announcement came following a dinner and silent auction held Nov. 18 to raise funds for the project.

The campaign was in response to Archbishop John F. Donoghue's call last February to begin the partnership project with GRTL. In June, a group of lay pro-life leaders organized by Mary Boyert, archdiocesan pro-life director, met to kick off a grass-roots effort to raise the money and to plan the culminating fund-raising dinner. All parishes were sent a video explaining the project and training sessions were held to promote involvement. About 53 churches participated, raising about $79,000 through a variety of ways like spiritual bouquets, prayer programs and announcements, said Boyert. And at least six schools and campus ministries participated, including Blessed Trinity High School, Roswell, whose students sponsored a Walk for Life, raising about $1,700. "That is one of the most key points of this project that has been most exciting," Boyert said. "They (parishes and schools) came up with a lot of ways to get the word out and we were very impressed with how creative parishes were. People, understood the need for this . . . We appreciate the enormous effort made by all the parishes and committee (members) working since the beginning of this year."

According to the archdiocese, in states that have sustained a pro-life television campaign, there has been a 40 percent reduction in abortions on average. "In some cities where they've been run regularly, they've had remarkable results," Boyert said.

Mary Boyert, archdiocesan pro-life director, announces the "Evangelium Vitae" award to Archbishop John F. Donoghue for his pro-life leadership. The award was made during the fund-raising dinner for Jeremiah's Call, held Nov. 18.

At the November dinner Boyert presented the first Archbishop John F. Donoghue "Evangelium Vitae" Award to Archbishop John F. Donoghue, for his pro-life leadership "by example" through things like praying in front of abortion clinics and at the steps of the capitol. The archbishop hosted the event where he urged pro-life advocates to carry on. "Looking back over the past 10 years, few things I have done in the archdiocese afford me with as much satisfaction as the recollection of the many hours I have spent, in public demonstrations and in meeting rooms, working with people like you - to defend children, to defend old people, and to defend those most silent and most heart-wrenching victims of modern culture, the millions of babies who have not and are not allowed the human right and the sacred gift of being born," he said. "Our efforts this evening, especially the financing of TV ads in defense of life, mark the beginning of what must be our endless efforts to campaign for life, until laws protecting death exist no more."

Chris Madrid, volunteer campaign chairman, called the project not just a fund-raiser but also Christian evangelization, with goals to proclaim the Gospel message of life, teach the church's life ethic, lead by setting a moral standard and inspire by creating a catalyst for the pro-life community.

Msgr. Jim Lisante, director of The Christophers and executive producer of the television program, "Christopher Closeup," encourages prayer for an end to abortion and for those who oppose it, but are unwilling to speak up. Msgr. Lisante was the keynote speaker at the Jeremiah's Call dinner. (Photos by Stan Leary/Archdiocese of Atlanta)

Msgr. Jim Lisante, director of the Christophers and executive producer of "Christopher Closeup" weekly television program, internationally syndicated on over 100 broadcast and cable outlets, was the keynote speaker at the event. He gave a refreshing reflection on pro-life work. Msgr. Lisante said that a think-tank for Planned Parenthood reports that 98 percent of abortions are done for "social convenience" like bad timing or being unwed but that "those are not reasons that a child should die." He spoke of the irony of how two million married couples apply each year for adoption and only about 50,000 of them yearly get to adopt a baby. "There is a certain insanity in our country that we decide to kill rather than to let these people be raised in a loving home, in a loving family."

He cited a Roper study where 61 percent of Americans said they feel abortion is murder, but in the same survey 63 percent said it should remain legal. "We are a country in moral conflict. We know in our hearts, we know in our guts what's the right thing, to give life. But we also want just in case we get ourselves into a jam to have the legal out of legalized, unrestricted abortion."

He encouraged prayer for an end to abortion and for the conversion of hearts, including of those who oppose it, but are unwilling to speak up. "We've got to be people to encourage others to stand up and be counted and make that choice."

He also emphasized the importance of pro-life faithful being full of hope and compassion and not condemning. He said he was guilty of being judgemental years ago of his own sister who considered having an abortion when her husband told her she must have one because of their marital problems. Msgr. Lisante told her then that if she had the abortion "you are dead to us too." While she changed her mind and kept the baby, she later told him he only gave her condemnation and judgement while their mother gave her the unconditional love that she needed to choose life.

He noted the significance of the recent elections in Georgia of a pro-life governor and U.S. senator and encouraged public advocacy.

The media campaign is a way to counteract the pro-choice culture that permeates the media, he said. "It's not necessarily just about changing laws or the Supreme Courts but about changing hearts and minds and in our culture hearts and minds are changed by the media . . . The only way to transform the culture is by playing where other kids play and that's in the media."

GRTL development director Becky Turner also addressed those gathered at the dinner about the need to reach those undecided women through the media. "Sixty percent of women who walk into an abortion facility are people who don't want abortion but get confused. We want to do everything we can to reach out to those folks and touch them and tell them there's hope and help."

She expressed deep gratitude to the archdiocese for enabling them to get on the air and "for your willingness to invest in GRTL and our effort to save lives."

"I am being blown away with what God is able to do when a few people come together and say, 'let's make a difference.'"

In an interview, GRTL president Caryl Swift said they hope to begin the ads, already running in the Savannah area, in late January to reach 1.9 million women in the metro Atlanta area.

With the archdiocesan contribution, GRTL now has close to $450,000 of the estimated $575,000 it will cost to run the ads all year.

The archdiocese's Boyert likes how the ads don't promote their sponsors and give referral resources. "It is a community effort. Nobody's getting their name in lights. They're just doing it to make a difference."

Project volunteer Katherine Baldwin, who developed a strong pro-life stance after having miscarriages, used to work on a crisis pregnancy hotline. She affirmed the importance of offering referrals to resources as "you just can't say, don't do this."

Volunteer committee chairman Madrid said he used to be a pro-choice Catholic before developing a belief that the rights of a fetus can't be separated from that of all human rights. He got involved to share his marketing skills with the church and to set an example for his children.

Madrid believes that God had a hand in Jeremiah's Call through the Holy Spirit. "Any success we're going to have is a result of prayer . . . At some point you've got to let go and let the Holy Spirit intervene . . . I'm excited that we reached our goal. It's very humbling . . . To me it's walking in faith."

To view the ads visit www.grtl.org/ads/. The Jeremiah's Call campaign continues to receive donations to help fund the ads. To make a donation send checks payable to Georgia Right to Life, Educational Trust Fund, to Pro Life Office, Jeremiah's Call, 680 W. Peachtree St., NW, Atlanta 30308-1984.