December 2014 Volume 18, Number 3

What will I find in the newsletter? Guest Column by Angie Breitbach

Guest Column by John and Sue Lukasik Life Rocks! - Contest Winners!

⇒ Planned Parenthood out of Dubuque. ⇒ Money for outdoor garbage bin. ⇒ Postage stamps. ⇒ Toner Cartridges: Brother TN-221 BK Brother TN-225 Magenta, Yellow, & Cyan Brother TN-350 BK HP 85A Black HP 970XL Black HP 971XL Magenta, Yellow, & Cyan

Dear Santa,

We hope we are on the “Nice” list and that you’ll remember us when you make your deliveries this year.

Sincerely, DCRTL

Born in a manger. Redeemed the world. All Life is precious.

www.dcrtl.com

December 2014

Volume 18, Number 3 Published Monthly

Office Personnel:

Marian Bourek Executive Director Trina Hingtgen Executive Assistant Ashley Stackis Administrative Assistant

Board of Directors:

Elizabeth Cushman Chairman Leon Jensen Vice-Chairman Ann Williams Secretary Jim Giese Treasurer

Board Members:

Rev. Kristian Kincaid Arthur Gilloon, Esq. Bill Frye Amy Freund Mark Lansing Ellen Markham Jack Mescher Charles Vaske

Contact us:

2205 Carter Road Dubuque, Iowa 52001 (563) 556-5960 DCRTL@dcrtl.org www.dcrtl.org

Office Hours:

Monday - Friday: 9 am—4 pm Weekends: Closed

Dyersville Office: 1657 15th Avenue S.E.

Dyersville, Iowa 52040

(563) 875-9152

������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ ���������������������� ���������!����������������� ������������������������������������������������������

December : Wednesday, 3rd ………………PPP Committee Meeting Thursday, 4th ………………..DCRTL Membership Event Christmas Party! 7:00 PM, Office Monday, 8th …………………..National Night of Prayer 8:00 PM – Midnight, Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville Wednesday, 10th ………………..PPP Committee Meeting Beckman Students for Life Mtg. Thursday, 18th ………………..Board of Directors Meeting Thursday, 25th ………………..Merry Christmas!

January: Thursday, 1st ………………….Happy New Year January 6, 13 and 14th………..“Our Lady of Life” Mtgs. Thursday, 15th ………………..Board of Directors Meeting Saturday, 17th ……………….DCRTL Walk for Life January 20 – 24 ………………National March for Life

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

During the month of November, elections were held all over the country - - including right here at DCRTL. Congratula-tions to Jim Giese, Bill Frye, Pastor Kristian Kincaid, and Charlie Vaske! These newly elected board members will serve a three-year term.

Many, many thanks to our out-going board members Tim Duggan and Rev. Richard Schaefer, who have contributed much wisdom and enthusiasm during their tenure on the board. Mr. Duggan and Fr. Schaefer will continue as active members of DCRTL.

Feel free to call upon any of our board members when you have questions, concerns or suggestions for DCRTL.

Attention High School Seniors!

DCRTL is sponsoring a speech con-

test awarding a total of $6,000 in scholarship prizes for qualifying graduating seniors who plan to attend college. Check with your high school counselor for application in-formation or call our office for details. 556-5960.

- Page 02 -

A note from Marian Bourek, Executive Director

One hundred years ago (or so!) I was working in Special Education. Our students were preparing for a Christmas play to be performed for their parents. One young man, whom I’ll call Johnny, was delighted to play the role of the Gate Keeper. Mr. Johnny Gate-Keeper had one line in the entire play, which he was to recite three times: “There is no room in the inn.”

As the story goes, Mary and Joseph were among the many travelers headed to the city for the census. Because of the great numbers, Joseph could not find a place for them to stay. As our character, Joseph, approached the inn, he was greeted by Johnny Gate-Keeper, “There is no room in the inn” he stated perfectly.

“I have to knock first!” Joseph stated. “Oh, oh!” apologized Johnny Gate-Keeper. KNOCK, KNOCK! “There is no room in the inn,” Johnny announced with pride in his voice. Silence . . . Joseph forgot to move.

Then something beautiful happened: “There is no room in the inn,” Johnny repeated, but this time with tears in his eyes he added with all his heart, “But I have a big bed-room at my house. You and Mary can stay with me!”

The crowd erupted in applause and the choir sang “Angels We Have Heard on High.”

I was reminded of this event recently as I had the opportunity to speak on behalf of the new maternity home, Mary’s Inn. Mary’s Inn is a safe haven for young mothers and their developing babies dedicated to the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of single pregnant moms. This new home is slated to open in just a few short months.

Every year at Christmas time DCRTL hosts a party ~ you’re invited! (Thursday, De-cember 4, 7:00 PM, in our office). We ask everyone to join in the celebration and to bring a gift for Baby Jesus. Over the years those gifts have been given to worthy organ-izations such as The Gabriel Project, Birthright, Clarity Clinic, Life House, New Begin-nings and others. This year we’d like to show our support for Mary’s Inn. Please see their list of needs in this newsletter and consider celebrating the gift of life in this spe-cial way.

2,000 years ago (or so!) Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room in the inn. Johnny Gate-Keeper offered his own big bedroom because he saw the need. Mary’s Inn has several big bedrooms almost ready to warmly welcome young mothers in need. DCRTL supports Mary’s Inn in their efforts to assist these vulnerable women and their babies. Please come to our celebration of a birthday.

ATTENTION HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS DCRTL is in need of Social Media Advisors. In this growing world of technology, DCRTL has ambitions to use social media to a wider extent. We need the expertise of tech-savvy young people. If you have time, energy and interest to share, please contact our office.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Give a DCRTL Membership for Christmas

Help foster a respect for all human life from conception to natural death and give your loved-ones DCRTL Memberships as a gift. A $25 donation (or more) will provide a one-year membership to the person of your choice. The recipient will receive our monthly newsletter, will be able to par-ticipate in all our member events (including hearing all our great speakers), check out resources from our lending library and have access to all our educational materials to help educate others on the sanctity of life.

- Page 03 -

Angie Breitbach, Director of Volunteers

The Gift of Birthright

Recently, we at Birthright have discovered that, although we have had a presence in Dubuque for over 40 years, there are some people in our community who do not know about Birthright, and what a gift it is to have a Birthright in Dubuque! So we would like to share a little bit about ourselves with you. The motto of Birth-right is: “It is the right of every pregnant wom-an to give birth, and the right of every child to be born.” Birthright is a non-political, pro-life, interdenominational, international pregnancy center that offers free and confidential pregnan-cy testing to any woman who seeks our help. We also offer a support system that includes referrals for health care, legal aid, counseling, etc., as well as maternity and infant clothing. There is never a fee for any service provided by Birthright of Dubuque. We are a gift to the women and babies who need us.

We are fortunate to receive wonderful support from our community. This support comes in many forms: baby and maternity clothing, dia-pers, monetary donations, office supplies, pray-ers, referrals, and people willing to volunteer in our office and on the board. Just since July, we gifted 21 layettes to new moms and their ba-bies, thanks to beautiful donors who cherish life

and want to celebrate it. Our organization relies solely on volunteers and donations to keep our doors open. In the midst of this Christmas sea-son, we are truly thankful for the gift the Dubu-que community has been to us. May God bless all who support us, for without them, we would not have a presence in Dubuque in which to love those babies to life!

Community members are always welcome to stop by during office hours for a tour. Monday 4-6 pm, Tuesday 12-3 pm, Wednesday 2-5 pm, Thursday 9 am-3 pm, Friday 12-3 pm, and Sat-urday 10am – noon. Additionally, if you or someone you know is interested in sharing their time, talents, and pro-life beliefs with us as a volunteer or board member, please call Angie (Director of Volunteers) at 563-590-9064 or Amy (Director of the Board) at 563-542-9548 for more information or to schedule an orienta-tion. Your presence at Birthright would be a gift to us. We wish you abundant blessings of love this Christmas season!

Angie Breitbach has been a Birthright volun-teer since 2002, and she has served as Director of Volunteers for the past two years. She is very committed to the mission of Birthright, is a supporter of DCRTL, and is an active member of Holy Spirit Parish in Dubuque.

Salvation Army

Perhaps the most surprising group holding to immoral ideologies is the Salvation Army. Most of us are aware of the good work done by the Salvation Army, but few people are aware that they promote contraception and approve of abortion in cases of rape, incest, health of the mother and fetal deformity. The Salvation Army’s International headquarters states their position clearly:

{The Salvation Army} accepts that termination of a pregnancy may be justified on certain limited grounds; this is, where, in the judgment of competent medical and allied staff, the pregnancy poses a serious threat to the life of the mother, or could result in irreversible physical injury to the mother.

In cases of proven rape or legally defined incest, an abortion may be justified because of the ex-tent to which rape and incest violate the whole person. Termination of a pregnancy may also be justified where reliable diagnostic procedures determine that a fetal {sic} abnormality is present which is incompatible with life other than brief post-natal survival or where there is total absence of cognitive function.

DCRTL believes that all life is sacred, no matter the circumstances of conception nor the “judged” quality of life after birth. Should an innocent child be handed capital punishment for the crime of his father?

This Christmas Season, please consider dropping a note in the kettle (example below) rather than giving money to the Salvation Army Church. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Salvation Army,

According to your International Headquarters, the Salvation Army approves of abortion in cases of rape, incest, health of the mother, and fetal deformity. As a “no exceptions” pro-lifer, I can’t, in good conscience, contribute to your kettle. If your position were different, I would most certainly donate to your cause. Please reconsider your position.

- Page 04 -

Perhaps you’ve seen the display of crosses during the month of October, stand-ing in formation around the area, wondering what that is all about. Twenty-five year ago, in April 1990, our family joined other members of DCRTL and traveled by bus to the Rally for Life sponsored by Dr. John Wilke and the Na-tional Right to Life organization. While there, we saw a display of 4400 crosses on the Wash-ington Ma.., representing the 4400 babies killed each day by abortion. They had two huge trucks and big metal racks to transport them all. It was so impressive that when we returned to Dubu-que, the idea was presented to the DCRTL board and it was decided to reduce the number to a more manageable number of 440 so that each cross stood for ten babies who would die each day from abortion. We then got to work, with our three children helping to make the wooden crosses with wood donated by Jim Theisen. DCRTL volunteers painted many of the crosses. Some of those volunteers are now gone, like Joe Rudzianski, Sam Wright and Paul Dunne. The very first ‘Cemetery of the Innocents” in Dubuque was on JFK Road on property owned by Tom Leibold who graciously gave us per-mission to use the field (where now there are apartments buildings). Charlie Thibedeau mowed the grass, Vince Crimmins and Dick Mi-chels helped John set up the field using string lines and measuring tools. DCRTL volunteers came out and placed the crosses in the ground, where we sprinkled wildflowers and prayed over the field. The next few years we expanded to churches and other locations. Dick devised a special tool to make the holes and Dan Ball from Sherrill made them in his Blacksmith Shop. We ob-tained posthole drivers, making the work easier for all. Over the years, the “Cemetery” has been set up at St. Mary’s (thanks to Don and Kathy Kirkpatrick), in Strawberry Point, to Anamosa in view of Hwy 151 thanks to Mary Hogan (before the new highway was built). Also at St. Francis in Balltown, St. Joseph in Key West, Holy Cross Church in Holy Cross, Dubuque

Community Church on Key Way, Assembly of God Church on Pennsylvania, Loras College, Clarke College, Divine Word Seminary, Grandview Heights Baptist

Church, St. Mary School in East Dubuque and St. Mary’s Church in East Dubuque, thanks to Father Jim Parker, the Knights of Columbus Hall in Peosta and in the field across from Res-urrection Church, thanks to Chuck and Mary Seipp. It has been a blessing seeinn all the outh in-volved from Divine Word, led by Fr. Bill Shea, Seaton and LaSalle students, Drexler, Wahlert, Mazzuchelli students, Loras Duhawks for Life, with Fr. Bob Gross, Clarke students and others. Many of them have used the volunteer hours to earn service points for the March for Life trip in January. A special thanks goes out to the following, wonderful, Spirit filled people who have helped us for so many years, Vince Crimmins, and daughters, Dick Michels, Bill and Ruth Downs, Rick Lynch, Pastor Dennis Schmitt and his wife, Carol and family, the Dubuque Communi-ty Church members: Denny and Julie Schilling, Rich and Lustin Lindenberg, Chris and Mary

Laufenberg, Paul and Renee Downs family, Reese Morgan and Ron and Darcy Hummel fami-ly, Ed and Charlotte Dress and others. The Doug and Jenny Send family with Joseph and the girls have faithfully helped for many years and Tony and Jeanita Grebner family have all

helped many times. Jack and Laura Dolehide family were great helpers, with Jack making a big sign overnight when one of the signs was damaged by graffiti! After each set up, we give thanks to God for all His blessings and pray that minds and hearts have been changed. It has truly been a labor of LOVE. John and Sue Lukasik have been long-time members of DCRTL. John has previously served on our Board of Directors and is cur-rently on the Protest Planned Parenthood Com-mittee. Sue has also served many years as a Birthright volunteer. They are both active in their church as well as other organizations.

“Cemetery of the Innocents”, a Labor of Love

- Page 05 -

- Page 06 -

- Page 07 -

LIFE ROCKS!

During Respect Life Month, several of our local schools participated in art and writing con-tests. The theme, “LIFE ROCKS!” was a carry-over from our Summer Surge. The quality of the entries was amazing! A big thank you to the hundreds who participated and to the parents and teachers who took the time to encourage your students to speak out for LIFE! Life is . . . Precious! LIFE ROCKS!

5th Grade Poster Contest Winners FIRST PLACE: Kate Sullivan, St. Mary’s School, East Dubuque, IL

SECOND PLACE: Faith Krapfl, Seton, Peosta THIRD PLACE: Ethan Kelley, Dubuque Lutheran School, Dubuque

Maryleen Wonne, Holy Ghost, Dubuque Sophia Loso, St. Columbkille, Dubuque

Matthew Brehm, St. Joseph’s FF, Earlville Morgan Hermsen, Hennessy, Petersburg

Brian McGrane, St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville Grace Schuckert, LaSalle, Holy Cross

Tommy Forbes, St. Anthony’s, Dubuque Josh Conlon, St. Anthony’s, Dubuque

Anna Sigwarth, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dubuque Jesus Gonzales, Aquin, Cascade

Jude Brehm, Home School

Middle School & High School Winners Essays:

FIRST PLACE: Madeline Rhomberg, Aquin, Cascade Sydney Arens, Beckman Catholic, Dyersville

Nicole Schmitt, LaSalle, Holy Cross Brianna Kennedy, Seton, Farley

Poems: FIRST PLACE: Mary Freund, Mazzuchelli, Dubuque

Trae Meyer, Beckman Catholic, Dyersville

Posters: FIRST PLACE: Lindsay Althoff, Beckman Catholic, Dyersville

Congratulations!

Peaceful, Prayerful Protestors Needed We are pleased to report that we have maintained a prayerful presence in front of Planned Parenthood in Dubuque during every hour they are open. It is important for us to pray, not only for an end to abortion, but also for all the scared and hurting women and men who turn to PP for “help.” We also continue to pray for all those who work for or contribute to PP. May their hearts be touched as they turn away from the Culture of Death into LIFE.

Web-cam abortions continue to be committed at Planned Parenthood in Dubuque.

At least SEVENTEEN babies (that we know of) have been saved from death by abortion because of your direct intervention in front of Dubuque’s PP. Your prayers and your witness have made a HUGE difference!

Can you spare an hour a week, or an hour a month to pray, sidewalk counsel and/or protest? We need you. Please call Ellen to sign up or to gain more information: 563.580.1436.

Currently we are in special need of help. Many of our faithful protestors are snow birds who will be leaving cold Dubuque for several months this winter. Others are students who are not availa-ble to stand witness during school hours.

If you are hesitant to stand in front of PP or feel like you may lack courage, know that you are never alone. There is always someone to pray with you. Together we save lives!

- Page 08 -

G OD is

P RO -L IFE

Dr. Charles & Mary Longo

Standing with women & unborn children!

��������������� ����������

����������������������������������������������������������������������������

����������������������������������������������������

- Page 09 -

�� ���� ����������������� ���� ����������������� ���� ����������������� ���� ���������������������������������������������������

Life is….

Have you seen our “Life Is . . .” billboards? Our “Life Is . . .” bumper mag-nets? Our “Life Is . . .” newspaper ads? Our “Life Is . . .” picket signs?

Have you heard our “Life Is . . .” radio ads? Have you submitted YOUR “Life Is . . .” photo yet?

Our “Life Is . . .” campaign has been very successful. We know of babies saved and hearts changed because of our positive approach to respecting all life. Don’t you want to be a part of this local campaign? Send in your fun photos!

At DCRTL we believe that life is precious! Raising children is an incredibly rewarding experi-ence full of irreplaceable moments; growing old is graceful and beautiful, a time filled with wis-dom. And every moment in between is important and worth preserving. Send us your photos from your child’s first day at school, your grade school trips to the pumpkin patch, your high school homecoming dance, your famous TD on the home football field, your class service pro-ject, your college graduation, and anything else that recognizes “Life Is . . .”!

It’s so fun to see your loved-ones in our ads. They are also on our website and Facebook page. Be sure to check it out. Come to our office for a bumper magnet for your car or to see our new “Life Is …” coffee mugs. Send us your photos! You may submit photos of your favorite “Life Is . . .” moments to pictures@lifeismoment.com or drop off a photo at our office. Share your joy with the world and help spread the message that life is precious.

RED ENVELOPE DAY

On January 22, the anniversary date of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legal-ized abortion on demand, we expect to have over three million empty red envelopes delivered to the White House. We want to send a message of truth to our president: “This envelope repre-sents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world.”

Americans across the country will participate in this visual expression of moral outrage.

If you’d like to participate, all the information and history can be found at http://www.redenvelopeday.net/. Explicit directions can also be found at this address. Or you may simply bring your stamped red envelope to our office and we’ll send it in for you. Any envelope will work as long as it is red.

Special thanks to Sr. Dolores Moes, PBVM for her donation of many (many!) red envelopes!

State Laws on Sex-Selection Abortion Bans

These laws protect unborn babies from being aborted because of their sex. Sex-Selection Abortion is a form of prenatal discrimina-tion that wages a war typically on unborn baby girls. In April 2013, a poll taken by The Polling Company found that 85 percent of respondents supported banning sex-selection abortions.

Currently eight states have enacted laws protecting unborn children who would be aborted solely because of their gender.

Illinois (1974)* Pennsylvania (1982) Oklahoma (2010) Arizona (2011) North Dakota (2013) Kansas (2013) North Carolina (2013) South Dakota (2014)

*Enjoined only to extend that it subjects physicians to criminal liability for performing certain pre-viability abortions. Per consent decree, 1993.

Memorials

In Memory of: James Fabricius, given by Dan & Barb Nicholson

Elmer Bleile, given by Dan & Barb Nicholson

Carl “Whitey” Ruff, given by Tr ina & Lonnie Hingtgen

Gerri McDonough, given by Bernie Wernke

Gertrude Frommelt, given by Merle & Jane Ross

Francis McDonough, given by Dick & Jean Mescher

Imogene Feldmann, given by Dick & Jean Mescher

Joy Rokusek Family and Oscar Slaats Family, given by Julitta (J ill) Rokusek

Mary Moylan, given by Paul & Rita Wilhelm

Renee Friedman, given by Norman & Glor ia Hein

Clarence Gloekner, given by Bill & Mary Mormann

Dick Nuezil, given by Bill & Mary Mormann

When a gift is given in memory or in honor of a loved one, an acknowledgement card is sent to the person or family you designate. With gifts of $250 or greater, their name is engraved on our memorial plaque which is displayed in our office.

In Honor of: Marv & Patti Errthum, 50th Wedding anniversary, by Gary & LouAnn Switzer

Sam Mescher, for his birthday, given by Dick & Jean Mescher

Katie Medieta, for his bir thday, given by Dick & Jean Mescher

Jill Hartkop, for his birthday, given by Dick & Jean Mescher

Lynn Frank, for his birthday, given by Dick & Jean Mescher

Colleen Gallagher, for his birthday, given by Dick & Jean Mescher

Praise Report

Thank you to the anonymous donors of our new postal scale, it is helping already! Thank you to Fr. Thoman for graciously delivering money

donated by a kind soul at Sunnycrest. To Joe and Teresa Koch for the donation of bottled water.

National Night of Prayer for Life!

Uniting the Feast of the Immaculate Conception with the Feast of St. Juan Diego Monday, December 8th - 8:00 PM to Midnight The Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville, Iowa

It was on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception that Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and the Unborn, first appeared to St. Juan Diego. The National Night of Prayer for Life bridges these two feasts. It honors our Blessed Mother and prays for her assistance in establishing a Culture of Life, to preserve liberty, to protect the faith and to beg her Son to revive our land.

We will be united in churches across the country in prayer to end abortion and to restore God’s blessings of Life, Liberty and Faith in America. The national Night of Prayer for Life is a prayer service consisting of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the holy Rosary, prayer to St. Michael, silent prayer and hymns.

Please join us for all four hours, for one hour, or for even just a few minutes. People of all faith traditions are invited and encouraged to participate.

Please Note: If you arrive at the Basilica in Dyersville late in the evening, the front doors may be locked. Please enter thru’ the side doors.

- Page 10 -

National March for Life

How would you like to make a pilgrimage to our nation’s capitol city with about 400 close friends? We still have room for a few more participants. Buses will leave from Dyersville and Dubuque on Tuesday, January 20 and return on Saturday, Janu-ary 24, 2014. It’s an incredible, prayerful and im-portant pilgrimage.

The fee is $360 for adults, payable to DCRTL. Call our office TODAY for details (563.556.5960). The day we are commemorating is truly a tragic one. Forty-Two years after the deadly Roe v. Wade decision, we still march, rally and prayerfully protest this sad day in our nation’s history.

DCRTL CHRISTMAS PARTY! YOU ARE INVITED!

Please join us on Thursday, December 4 at 7:00 PM in our office for our monthly membership event. This month, it’s a party! Come celebrate the Gift of Life as we honor Jesus Christ on His birthday! Bring an unwrapped gift for Mary’s Inn Maternity Home.

This special Birthday Party is in honor of our Savior, but we also want to honor all of DCRTL’s hundreds of volunteers. If you have volunteered in any capacity in the past year, this party is for you! Please come. Be recognized and thanked. Br ing a gift if you’d like.

At this party you will enjoy music, games, holiday treats and more! Prior to the festivities, we also have a keynote speaker: Miss Holly, a post-abortive mom, will share her story. Miss Holly made a mistake several years ago and now she works to promote LIFE in an effort to save others from making a similar mistake. Please come to welcome Holly and be touched by her “about face” in her life’s journey.

Items Needed:

Cash New High Chairs

New Strollers Paper Products

Cash Office Supplies

Diapers for Newborns New Baby Cribs

Cash And most especially:

Monetary Gifts of Any Amount

- Page 11 -

2205

Cart

er Ro

ad Du

buqu

e, Iow

a 520

01

RETU

RN S

ERVI

CE R

EQUE

STED

Join

Our

Frie

nds L

ist

NON

PROF

IT OR

G . U

.S. P

OST

AGE

PAID

Dub

uque

, IA

Perm

it N

o. 2

66

�

������� ��!��������"�����