It's a significant time of the year in these 20's days of August, for it was 10 years ago during this time that I commenced my time as a student at Valparaiso University.
I moved in on Saturday, August 22. On Tuesday, August 25, I began my classes, starting with my Christ College class at 9:05 AM CDT.
In the gap between those days, my college experience started to leave an impactful imprint upon me.
I had spent much of my time up to that point in school, with one grade following another, and one level of school following another. I went to college thinking I was just taking the next step in my education, not fully conceiving the entire experience and lifestyle I would have living long-term away from home and full-time on the campus of ValpU.
There was a lot on campus outside of classes that would enrich my experience and my life in general. The first way I experienced this happened on that Sunday morning, August 23. I went to the lobby of my residence hall, Lankenau, along with other new freshmen students, to meet two older students wearing shirts that read, "Follow Mii to St. Teresa's" with a Mii figure of Jesus.
A few minutes later, they escorted us on a 1-minute walk over to St. Teresa's to attend our very first Mass there at 11 AM. That one hour totally transformed my life, allowing me to experience faith like I never had before, in a community of people who were passionately loving God and living out faith in a church that was focused on loving and supporting students. I had had experiences before in Church that were impactful, but attending Mass at St. Teresa's took it to a whole different level. I was deeply drawn with a strong desire to be part of this kind of community, where I could truly experience God's presence alive. For my four years at ValpU, St. Teresa's became a very important part of my life. For one, while I was always drawn to attending Mass, during my college years, Mass was something I was excited about. And my faith grew in other ways, as I lectored and participated in other spiritual activities there, most especially a service/mission trip to St. Augustine during my 4th year.
I continue to feel the impact of St. Teresa's: Upon leaving college, I was eager to channel my newfound passion for faith. I started teaching Religious Education for middle schoolers, eager to inspire faith in the students in my charge, just as I was inspired when their age, and then inspired anew during my college years. I've continue teaching each year since graduating. Teaching RE connects me with the times in my life when I was set ablaze with passion for faith. It indeed touches something deeply profound within me, especially this past year, for when they graduated from 8th grade, I recognized that they were born around the time that I graduated from 8th grade, an occasion that capped a profound character development in my life, just like happened when I was at ValpU. Indeed, there are many parallels between my years at Julian Middle School and ValpU.
The impact also continues as my relationship with Dan and Ann Ruggaber has not let up one bit. I enjoy visiting with them when I go back to Valparaiso, and they keep me connected, even as my friends who I knew there have moved on. It's been a delight celebrating the milestones in each other's lives.
I also have a close group of friends with whom I maintain regular contact. The friendships I forged with them during those early days at ValpU went to deeper levels than any other friendships I had ever had, the kind of "kindred spirit" friends that my Abuela talks about.
My long-time roommate Zach was one friend I can remember deliberately meeting. Many of my other friendships just happened to start up because we were near each other and just started striking up conversation. That is especially the case with my friend Richard. We were both meteorology majors, and after attending a pre-first day of class session to hear from the professors, we both elected to join a small group tour of the meteorology major areas, led by the staff meteorologist Adam Stepanek. We then just found ourselves talking--that's the only way I can really explain how our friendship started, that it just happened.
So in just those couple of days before classes officially started, ValpU already started having an enormous impact on me, and that set me up for the impact my classes would. As I reflect 10 years later from when I started at ValpU, I think about what stood out most, the values-based education I would get there. The noble values of learning with purpose really resonated with me. It's kind of something I experienced in middle school, when I could see how my education would connect with life at large and gave it meaning. After 4 years of high school that seriously lacked a strong connection with values, I really flourished in the college environment, where our learning was driven with values and purpose.
Those values were embedded into the design of the shield that debuted as part of the new brand launched at the start of my 2nd year. And they were presented ceremoniously each year at the opening convocation in the late afternoon of the first day of classes.
And what a grand feeling it was for me on my first day of college to process into the Chapel. While my high school graduation ceremony may have been called a "commencement ceremony", walking into the Chapel with the other freshmen for the opening convocation really felt like a commencement ceremony. I was being welcomed into a community driven with purpose, and I strongly felt the sense of welcome everywhere.
I really flourished in that environment, as the experience touched me inside in so many ways. And that is why the impact continues.
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
For What It Is and What It's Worth
Today is the release date of Unplanned on DVD and Blu-ray. It causes me to think of the flurry of activity over the past year pertaining to the debate on abortion, which ramped up like never before when Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement and President Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to replace him.
Then it led to a flurry of laws expanding abortion provisions like never before, which unfortunately happened in an extreme way in Illinois. I did my part to make sure it didn't happen without a fight, even keeping an eye on my e-mail inbox as Illinois Right of Life alerted me to fill out witness slips for hearings on the legislation held during Memorial Day Weekend. Later in June, after Governor Pritzker signed the legislation into law, I was heartened to help support the sanctity of life by attending a banquet hosted by Stars for Life, the pro-life student group at Dominican University, which got pushback from the university regarding one of their displays on abortion. They did a great job with the banquet, even done to the fine details. I was glad to be there especially as a Dominican alumnus. They certainly got a big-name speaker, Joe Scheidler, who spoke about his many years of pro-life advocacy, ever since that day he was convinced to skip watching football and attend a gathering to uphold the sanctity of life, an experience that truly opened his eyes.
Having eyes opened to the truth was a big part of Unplanned, an intense and powerful movie. It was amazing to watch Abby Johnson's life unfold in various twists and turns, as she became so engrossed in Planned Parenthood's mission, moving from volunteer to clinic director, advocating fiercely for the organization and superbly selling abortions. Yet she eventually came to differ with the leadership, as she saw Planned Parenthood's purpose as being about women's healthcare, but the leadership was more focused on increasing abortions with the purpose of making a profit.
The movie opens with Abby Johnson in the procedure room observing an abortion for the first time in her many years at Planned Parenthood. Seeing what actually happens was enough to trigger her stance on abortion, as she saw the great harm it does. And the movie certainly had some intense scenes displaying the realities of abortion. Another intense scene took place before Abby became director, when a high school-aged teen came in for a procedure, which the abortionist botched, triggered a crisis situation. Even in that frightening situation, the director, Sheryl, told Abby they shouldn't call an ambulance for fear that the pro-life people outside the clinic would use that against the clinic. Then Sheryl told Abby to offer an untruthful explanation to the father in the waiting area, again emphasizing how twisted people become in having to cover up for abortion.
There was talk about how the movie's R-rating was intended to hurt the movie's success, but in a way back-fired because it validated the violent nature of abortion. Furthermore, the movie was immensely successful during opening weekend, and I was glad to see it on opening day to contribute to that success. It has been successful despite many on the pro-abortion side seeking to discredit the film.
Seeing abortion for what it is and its negative impacts was at the heart of the movie Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer, which tells the story of the trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell on charges related to negligent care in his abortion facility and murdering babies who were born alive. I watched it in February after it came out on Blu-ray and DVD. It was amazing to see how the drama unfolded starting with a drug investigation of Dr. Gosnell's office, known as the House of Horrors, which then led law enforcement officials to uncover disturbing evidence of the terrible things that happened in his efforts to provide abortions to women. There were parts of the movie that were very intense when getting into the nitty-gritty of the evidence. Bringing such a case to trial was a potent matter, as reflected by how one of the judges said she would refuse to sign off on the grand jury report if it was about abortion explicitly.
The movie demonstrates what happens in a society that compromises the sanctity of life, especially the preborn. If we don't value the preborn, we can dehumanize them, which can then justify all sorts of wrongs can be inflicted on them. It can lead to extreme cases like Dr. Gosnell being negligent toward patients and killing babies born alive. I couldn't help but notice how much he cared for the pets he had in the aquarium in the office, but didn't show that same level of care consistently for his patients, even with his claims that he was helping provide abortion services for people who needed it in a low-income area of Philadelphia. It's also telling how the Governor of Pennsylvania suspended inspections of abortion facilities, which led to matters getting out of control.
The Gosnell movie also addressed how the mainstream media largely ignored the trial at first, only to flock to the courtroom once a blogger exposed their bias. It speaks to how people who support abortion will do anything to prevent the unsavory side of it to be exposed for fear that it will lead to greater restrictions.
It is amazing to think of how the filmmakers of both movies overcome so much in getting to the finished products. Certainly, having sufficient money was a hurdle to overcome. And also in the case of the Gosnell movie, it was an intense battle to get the movie shown in theaters, speaking to the lengths abortion proponents will go to cover up for abortion.
Indeed, as the struggle against abortion continues, it's important for people to see abortion for what it really is, because that can make all the difference. And it's just as important for people to see the beauty and value of life, even for preborn people.
I am very pleased to have been part of the Knights of Columbus for just over a year now, because of the compassionate efforts this prestigious organization undertakes. At the National March for Life in Washington, D.C., back in January, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson talked about the new milestone in the Knights' Ultrasound Initiative, having placed the 1000th ultrasound machine. I read an article in the Columbia magazine, which shared stories of women who, in the midst of pregnancy crises, decided to see their babies to birth because of the impact of seeing their babies' ultrasound images, which was made possible by donations to this initiative that funded the machines at the facilities they went to.
Seeing those ultrasound images allows us to see the babies for who they are, and to appreciate how each person is unique from day one, which was the theme for the 2019 Chicago March for Life. Cardinal Cupich talked about how this should stir a sense of wonder in us, leading us to value these lives and nurture them. There were powerful testimonies offered at the March, by a client for Aid for Women, and then from Ryan Bomberger, who was conceived in rape. Each testimony spoke to the value of life as being worth defending, as did the many signs, like "Make Babies Great Again."
Indeed, the preborn and their parents need defending, especially when the parents lack the resources to support their children.
That's what actress Ashley Bratcher emphasized in her keynote address on May 1 at the Aid for Women Spring Evening dinner 2019. She spoke in such a heartfelt way about supporting the preborn and their parents, especially when the parents lack the necessary resources.
It was such a pleasure to hear her in person after having seen Unplanned, and to meet her afterwards--as I remarked to her, I'm fairly certain this was the first time I ever met a real actress. She quipped that she has a job like everyone else, to which I responded her job just happens to lead to her face being everywhere.
She had quite a journey to becoming a star. In her life's struggles to achieve greatness, when things didn't turn out quite the way she intended, she came to the realization of how important it is to prioritize God in her life, which made the difference.
And she herself offers a testimony of the sanctity of life: While in the midst of filming the movie, Ashley's mom told her that she scheduled an abortion, only to pull out of it toward the last minute, and then gave birth to Ashley. That's an intense story that speaks to what we have to offer to enhance the world when we give each life a chance to live.
Ashley has become such a champion for the sanctity of life since starring as Abby Johnson in the movie Unplanned. When she was in the period of time leading from auditions to the filming, she got to know Abby Johnson very well, and came to be compelled by Abby's story.
One of the most powerful parts of Unplanned was seeing God's amazing grace at work in the life of Abby, who thought she was helping women in her work at Planned Parenthood as were the other employees who worked at her clinic, but then came face to face with the reality of abortion in an intense way. God's amazing grace also helped her through the struggle with immense grief over what she had done, as was the support of her family, who constantly sought to see her turn away from Planned Parenthood. In fact, the Sunday liturgy of Unplanned's opening weekend was the story in Luke 15 of the son who leaves home and squanders his father's inheritance. The story in Unplanned was truly a great modern-day depiction of that parable. Indeed, it was amazing to see how overjoyed Abby's parents were when she called to announce the good news she had quit Planned Parenthood, joy that I sensed even surpassed the news she was pregnant with her daughter. It was joy that arose from the heartbreak of confronting the reality of abortion. It was incredible to see how eagerly she jumped into supporting the sanctity of life, with ardency based on her first-hand experiences at an abortion clinic.
As the work continues to uphold the sanctity of life, I pray that God will clear our vision to see the value of every life, especially the preborn, and work to create a world where those lives can be nourished and truly support the parents with life-affirming alternatives. I pray that we continue to be inspired to see the value of life as something worthy of being defended.
Then it led to a flurry of laws expanding abortion provisions like never before, which unfortunately happened in an extreme way in Illinois. I did my part to make sure it didn't happen without a fight, even keeping an eye on my e-mail inbox as Illinois Right of Life alerted me to fill out witness slips for hearings on the legislation held during Memorial Day Weekend. Later in June, after Governor Pritzker signed the legislation into law, I was heartened to help support the sanctity of life by attending a banquet hosted by Stars for Life, the pro-life student group at Dominican University, which got pushback from the university regarding one of their displays on abortion. They did a great job with the banquet, even done to the fine details. I was glad to be there especially as a Dominican alumnus. They certainly got a big-name speaker, Joe Scheidler, who spoke about his many years of pro-life advocacy, ever since that day he was convinced to skip watching football and attend a gathering to uphold the sanctity of life, an experience that truly opened his eyes.
Having eyes opened to the truth was a big part of Unplanned, an intense and powerful movie. It was amazing to watch Abby Johnson's life unfold in various twists and turns, as she became so engrossed in Planned Parenthood's mission, moving from volunteer to clinic director, advocating fiercely for the organization and superbly selling abortions. Yet she eventually came to differ with the leadership, as she saw Planned Parenthood's purpose as being about women's healthcare, but the leadership was more focused on increasing abortions with the purpose of making a profit.
The movie opens with Abby Johnson in the procedure room observing an abortion for the first time in her many years at Planned Parenthood. Seeing what actually happens was enough to trigger her stance on abortion, as she saw the great harm it does. And the movie certainly had some intense scenes displaying the realities of abortion. Another intense scene took place before Abby became director, when a high school-aged teen came in for a procedure, which the abortionist botched, triggered a crisis situation. Even in that frightening situation, the director, Sheryl, told Abby they shouldn't call an ambulance for fear that the pro-life people outside the clinic would use that against the clinic. Then Sheryl told Abby to offer an untruthful explanation to the father in the waiting area, again emphasizing how twisted people become in having to cover up for abortion.
There was talk about how the movie's R-rating was intended to hurt the movie's success, but in a way back-fired because it validated the violent nature of abortion. Furthermore, the movie was immensely successful during opening weekend, and I was glad to see it on opening day to contribute to that success. It has been successful despite many on the pro-abortion side seeking to discredit the film.
Seeing abortion for what it is and its negative impacts was at the heart of the movie Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer, which tells the story of the trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell on charges related to negligent care in his abortion facility and murdering babies who were born alive. I watched it in February after it came out on Blu-ray and DVD. It was amazing to see how the drama unfolded starting with a drug investigation of Dr. Gosnell's office, known as the House of Horrors, which then led law enforcement officials to uncover disturbing evidence of the terrible things that happened in his efforts to provide abortions to women. There were parts of the movie that were very intense when getting into the nitty-gritty of the evidence. Bringing such a case to trial was a potent matter, as reflected by how one of the judges said she would refuse to sign off on the grand jury report if it was about abortion explicitly.
The movie demonstrates what happens in a society that compromises the sanctity of life, especially the preborn. If we don't value the preborn, we can dehumanize them, which can then justify all sorts of wrongs can be inflicted on them. It can lead to extreme cases like Dr. Gosnell being negligent toward patients and killing babies born alive. I couldn't help but notice how much he cared for the pets he had in the aquarium in the office, but didn't show that same level of care consistently for his patients, even with his claims that he was helping provide abortion services for people who needed it in a low-income area of Philadelphia. It's also telling how the Governor of Pennsylvania suspended inspections of abortion facilities, which led to matters getting out of control.
The Gosnell movie also addressed how the mainstream media largely ignored the trial at first, only to flock to the courtroom once a blogger exposed their bias. It speaks to how people who support abortion will do anything to prevent the unsavory side of it to be exposed for fear that it will lead to greater restrictions.
It is amazing to think of how the filmmakers of both movies overcome so much in getting to the finished products. Certainly, having sufficient money was a hurdle to overcome. And also in the case of the Gosnell movie, it was an intense battle to get the movie shown in theaters, speaking to the lengths abortion proponents will go to cover up for abortion.
Indeed, as the struggle against abortion continues, it's important for people to see abortion for what it really is, because that can make all the difference. And it's just as important for people to see the beauty and value of life, even for preborn people.
I am very pleased to have been part of the Knights of Columbus for just over a year now, because of the compassionate efforts this prestigious organization undertakes. At the National March for Life in Washington, D.C., back in January, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson talked about the new milestone in the Knights' Ultrasound Initiative, having placed the 1000th ultrasound machine. I read an article in the Columbia magazine, which shared stories of women who, in the midst of pregnancy crises, decided to see their babies to birth because of the impact of seeing their babies' ultrasound images, which was made possible by donations to this initiative that funded the machines at the facilities they went to.
Seeing those ultrasound images allows us to see the babies for who they are, and to appreciate how each person is unique from day one, which was the theme for the 2019 Chicago March for Life. Cardinal Cupich talked about how this should stir a sense of wonder in us, leading us to value these lives and nurture them. There were powerful testimonies offered at the March, by a client for Aid for Women, and then from Ryan Bomberger, who was conceived in rape. Each testimony spoke to the value of life as being worth defending, as did the many signs, like "Make Babies Great Again."
 |
| At the 2019 Chicago March for Life, Cardinal Cupich speaks. |
 |
| At the same March in Chicago, an Aid for Women client speaks, while holding her daughter. |
 |
| Ryan Bomberger speaks at the 2019 Chicago March for Life. |
 |
| Above and below are the Marchers, testifying that all life is unique from day one. |
Indeed, the preborn and their parents need defending, especially when the parents lack the resources to support their children.
That's what actress Ashley Bratcher emphasized in her keynote address on May 1 at the Aid for Women Spring Evening dinner 2019. She spoke in such a heartfelt way about supporting the preborn and their parents, especially when the parents lack the necessary resources.
It was such a pleasure to hear her in person after having seen Unplanned, and to meet her afterwards--as I remarked to her, I'm fairly certain this was the first time I ever met a real actress. She quipped that she has a job like everyone else, to which I responded her job just happens to lead to her face being everywhere.
She had quite a journey to becoming a star. In her life's struggles to achieve greatness, when things didn't turn out quite the way she intended, she came to the realization of how important it is to prioritize God in her life, which made the difference.
And she herself offers a testimony of the sanctity of life: While in the midst of filming the movie, Ashley's mom told her that she scheduled an abortion, only to pull out of it toward the last minute, and then gave birth to Ashley. That's an intense story that speaks to what we have to offer to enhance the world when we give each life a chance to live.
Ashley has become such a champion for the sanctity of life since starring as Abby Johnson in the movie Unplanned. When she was in the period of time leading from auditions to the filming, she got to know Abby Johnson very well, and came to be compelled by Abby's story.
One of the most powerful parts of Unplanned was seeing God's amazing grace at work in the life of Abby, who thought she was helping women in her work at Planned Parenthood as were the other employees who worked at her clinic, but then came face to face with the reality of abortion in an intense way. God's amazing grace also helped her through the struggle with immense grief over what she had done, as was the support of her family, who constantly sought to see her turn away from Planned Parenthood. In fact, the Sunday liturgy of Unplanned's opening weekend was the story in Luke 15 of the son who leaves home and squanders his father's inheritance. The story in Unplanned was truly a great modern-day depiction of that parable. Indeed, it was amazing to see how overjoyed Abby's parents were when she called to announce the good news she had quit Planned Parenthood, joy that I sensed even surpassed the news she was pregnant with her daughter. It was joy that arose from the heartbreak of confronting the reality of abortion. It was incredible to see how eagerly she jumped into supporting the sanctity of life, with ardency based on her first-hand experiences at an abortion clinic.
As the work continues to uphold the sanctity of life, I pray that God will clear our vision to see the value of every life, especially the preborn, and work to create a world where those lives can be nourished and truly support the parents with life-affirming alternatives. I pray that we continue to be inspired to see the value of life as something worthy of being defended.
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| Above and below are photos of Ashley Bratcher speaking at the Aid for Women Spring Evening on May 1, 2019. |
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| Someone at the dinner got this photo of me with Ashley Bratcher. |
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