Our Chapter’s Approach to Right-to-Life
Paula Schaffner – CA Central Coast Chapter
At our first in-person meeting after pandemic restrictions eased, we discussed what action we could take as a chapter. One member, Joan McKenna, came armed with information on abolishing the death penalty. With all in agreement, we met again to plan what we could do in our local parish to raise awareness of this issue during October, “Right-to-Life Month.”
A Knight of Columbus signs petition to abolish the death penalty for Affiliate David Schaffner.
Our first step would be to present our plan to our pastor, and we didn’t know if he would welcome our efforts in addition to the Knights of Columbus Tootsie Roll Drive, which highlighted the needs of disabled children. Our plan was to offer a campaign that we could handle without requiring his or the staff’s efforts.
Our small but effective team, Jane Baker and Daniel Jiminez, Joan McKenna, David Schaffner and I, decided to ask if we might place a handout in the parish bulletin and offer information at tables after one weekend’s Masses. We used information available at Catholic Mobilizing Network (https://catholicsmobilizing.org) to create a possible handout and developed our agenda, each of us presenting one point:
• Introduction—place the death penalty issue squarely in the right-to-life realm
• Proposed actions: bulletin insert (show sample), tables, offering a prayer card in English and Spanish, and Father’s invitation from the altar to visit the table
• Restorative Justice component: investigate ways our parish can support our county’s program
• Recap: List what Father has agreed to and our plan to carry it out
• Fallback position: Ask if Father would review the materials we presented and talk with us again
To our delight, not only did Fr. Beto (José Alberto Vasquez) agree to the insert and information tables, he made several suggestions. We could add spots in the bulletin all month—we could call it “The Maryknoll Corner,” and we could add a prayer on this issue to the month’s intercessions. And of course, our bulletin insert should be two-sided: English and Spanish. He offered our parish secretary’s services in translating the text. In addition, he invited parishioners to our information tables from the altar at each Mass.
Jane contacted Catholic Mobilizing Network and ordered information cards and pledges to sign. Paula tailored the flyers suggested on the network’s website to fit on one page and worked with the secretary on the Spanish translation. She also coordinated with the person writing the October intercessions to include the right-to-life prayer. Joan had the inserts printed, and Jane and Daniel had large signs printed and laminated to hang along our church colonnade. Then we all scheduled ourselves to have at least two people at our table after all six weekend Masses.
Jane Baker speaks with a parishioner after Mass.
With the well-received campaign behind us, we basked in our success for a few minutes before considering what we could do to help the Sister who coordinates the Restorative Justice program in our county. Could she use some local parishioners to help spread the word when she makes her annual plea for volunteers?