Respect Life Ministry

Fostering respect and protection for all phases of life from conception to natural death.

Mission Statement

Our purpose is to encourage parishioners to become more aware of pro-life issues and needs and to recruit volunteers to help meet those needs. Our goal is to change minds, hearts and laws so that true respect for all life can become a reality.

Areas of Concern:

• Stem Cell research
• Abortion
• Developmentally Disabled
• Physically Handicapped
• Living Will
• Euthanasia

Are You Aware?

• One out of three babies conceived in the US is deliberately aborted
• Abortion is the most frequently performed surgery on adults in America.
• Abortions outnumber live births in fourteen major metropolitan areas.
• There are nearly 1.6 million reported abortions in this country every year.
• Twenty-eight million babies have died from abortion since the procedure was legalized across America in 1973.

Scientific Facts:

• At eighteen days after conception the heart is forming and the eyes start to develop.
• By twenty-one days the heart is beating and pumping blood throughout the body.
• At forty days the preborn child's brain waves can be recorded.
• By forty-twp days the skeleton is formed and the brain is controlling the movement of muscles and organs. The unborn reflexively responds to stimulus, and is already capable of feeling pain. This is before the earliest abortions take place.

What Can I Do?

Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the issue and feel helpless to do anything about it. Or perhaps we are just reluctant to get involved. But the Gospel message challenges us. Not only must we take action when faced with human need, but as the parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us, there are helpful things that each one of us can do. Here are some ways:

• Become informed. Follow the public debate. Request information from local and national pro-life organizations.
• Communicate your information and concern to others. Discuss the issue with family, friends and neighbors. Talk with your children and other young people who are victimized by pro-abortion propaganda in the media.
• Become involved in community programs that foster respect for human life. Volunteer your time and money to worthy efforts.
• Write your representatives to ask their support for pro-life legislation or to thank them for such support.
• Join Saint James Respect for Life Ministry.
• Pray that all human life will be respected and protected. Be mindful of the words of St. Paul: "In Him who is the source of my strength, I have strength for everything" (Phil. 4:13)

Responsibility is more than just duty. It's the ability to respond to need. To know that every person has a right to life that precedes and surpasses all other rights, a right upon which all other rights rest. To be willing to protect that right at the risk of inconvenience or loss. Responsibility challenges each of us. It preserves our past and guarantees our future. It is the essence of life.

Information and Resources

Pregnancy Help Centers

If you or someone you now are faced with an unplanned or crisis pregnancy please contact one of the following organizations for help and truthful information:

Pregnancy Aid Information Center
Raritan
(908) 526-8121

Life Choices Resource Center
Colonia
(732) 499-8676

Maternity & Adoption/Catholic Charities, Metuchen
Perth Amboy
(732) 826-9160

Friendship Pregnancy Center
Morristown
1-888-3CHOOSE

Birthright New Brunswick
New Brunswick
(732) 247-5445

Respect Life Office, Metuchen
Pro-Life Directors
Rev. Msgr. Richard A. Behl
Jennifer Ruggierio
East Brunswick
(732) 651-80084

When someone is pregnant and confused - upset and frightened - she needs help. These offices offer caring, confidential help to both Mother and Baby.

Post-Abortion Counseling & Support

If you or someone you know has made the choice for abortion and are now in pain, Project Rachel offers healing. Please contact:

Dioceses of Metuchen
Catholic Charities
Perth Amboy
1-877-877-4300

Abortions Aftermath
Philipsburg
(908) 454-8907

The following pro-life organizations need your support and involvement:

Center for Great Expectations
Maternity
Home
Somerville
(908) 218-0570

Priests for Life
Staten Island, NY
1-888-PFL-3448, 718-980-4400
http://www.priestsforlife.org

New Jersey Right to Life
Cranford
(908) 276-6620
http://www.njrtl.org

Legal Center for Defense of Life, Inc.
Lawyers Defending Life
Edward J. Gilhooly, Esq.
Richard F. Collier, Jr. Esq.
Morristown
(973) 984-0725

Knights of Columbus
St. Elizabeth Council at Saint James Church - Basking Ridge
The K of C sponsor the annual bus trip to the March for Life Washington, D.C.,
Roses for Life and the monthly collection of baby supplies for needy families.

Internet Resources

American Life League: http://www.all.org
Pro-Life Action League: http://www.prolifeaction.org/
Human Life International: http://www.hli.org/
Life Dynamics: http://www.ldi.org/
The Ultimate Pro-Life resource List: http://www.prolifeinfo.org/
Pregnancy Centers Online: http://www.pregnancycenters.org
Roe v. Wade: 28 Years of Life Denied: http://www.roevwade.org
The Couple to Couple League: http://www.ccli.org/

Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I give thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works. (Psalm 139: 13-14)

 

Disability Ministry

The Seeing Eye

1. Pet a dog when in harness, working or not working. Some handlers allow this, but originally, SEEING EYE objected to this strongly and as a veteran user, I value this rule to the max. When a dog is in harness, it is in “working mode” and if you touch the harness or the person, it is similar to grabbing a steering wheel of a car. When distracting the dog or the person by touching, calling out, petting, you are jeopardizing the safety of the handler and distracting the dog from its work.
2. When seeing a handler from afar, such as on the opposite side of the street when the handler is attempting to cross the street, don’t speak to the person or the dog and NEVER NEVER call the dog or say its name. Regardless of a dog’s training, they are dogs and their concentration must be focused on the handler. By doing this, the dog will be gravitated toward the person calling its name or talking to the person, causing extreme danger to both dog and handler.
3. NEVER feed a SEEING EYE dog, especially in harness; but this should carry over to when the dog is not working as well, unless you have permission from the handler. SEEING EYE dogs are on a set schedule of when they are fed and what they are fed. They are not to be given human food or scraps, or anything else for that matter that is not a part of their diet. This action can ruin the dog’s manners, endanger their health physically and jeopardize their conditioning. SEEING EYE dogs are not pets. They are working dogs and should be respected, as well as their handlers.
4. NEVER stare into the dog’s face or eyes. This is very intimidating to any dog, whether it be SEEING EYE or other.
5. When seated in a restaurant or anywhere else, NEVER pet the dog or talk to it. As long as that dog is in harness, it is in “working mode.” Distracting the dog when it is lying quietly under or beside a table or near its handler undermines its training, requiring the handler to correct it for losing its focus.
6. NEVER give commands to the dog, especially when handler is doing so. The dog can only listen to one set of commands and handler is more knowledgeable of SEEING EYE commands and you are not the handler.
7. NEVER ask the dog to “do tricks” such as give a paw, etc. Again, these dogs are not pets, they are working dogs and they are not present for entertaining other people.
8. NEVER criticize the handler about the dog if it made a mistake unless handler asks for your feedback. Dogs are not machines and the handler already knows if an error was made. This is especially disturbing, when the team is getting adjusted to each other and concentration is optimal for both.
9. NEVER criticize the handler if the dog is muzzled. This is done for a variety of reasons and the muzzles that we use are not uncomfortable, do not hurt the dog in any way and enhance and maintain training. They are used for controlling the dog from scavenging for food on the floor, sniffing grocery shelves, maintaining concentration where distractions are abundant and inhibiting the dog from dragging the handler when excited.
10. NEVER compare a handler’s present dog with previous dogs. Dogs are like people with their own quirks and personalities. This is hurtful to the handler, especially when the team is still bonding. Losing your previous dog is almost like losing a husband or wife; the relationship is that deep and strong.
11. NEVER ostracize us from your social circles. Believe it or not, SEEING EYE dogs fit in harmoniously in all kinds of settings, office, as well as social and we have the same desires to be as sociable as everybody else. SEEING EYE dogs are “good neighbors” and can live harmoniously in homes, apartments, hotels, etc. and can work in the same settings.

1. Admire SEEING EYE dogs from afar, or when the handler is relaxed or the dog is sitting quietly either beside the handler or under a table or counter, it is perfectly permissible to approach the handler and engage in conversation and admire the dog, without violating training.
2. If you see anyone bothering a SEEING EYE dog and/or handler and handler don’t seem to get things under control, ask handler if they would like assistance and if it is outright violation, reprimand the doer. If the handler is correcting the dog, do not regard this as abuse. If you have a concern, inquire of the handler rather than reprimanding or insulting. Remember that SEEING EYE dogs love their handlers and a good working relationship couldn’t happen if the trust and love were nonexistent.
3. Participate in our SEEING EYE online auction beginning August 24 and/or contribute at other times by purchasing products from our catalog or the SEEING EYE store. You can also volunteer your services, as there is a host of things that individuals or families can do, not to mention organizations as well. Help us celebrate another 80 years of wonderful service and wonderful dogs so that we as handlers can continue to live and work the best we can be. For further information or questions, you can contact us at: 908. 766-7972 or e-mail us at keylady1@verizon.net.