Respect life coordinators from around central Illinois will gather for Mass with Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, and a workshop sponsored by the diocesan Respect Life Board on Saturday, Sept. 10.

Registration will take place at 8:30 a.m. at the Spalding Pastoral Center, 419 N.E. Madison Ave. The Mass, which will include the commissioning of respect life coordinators, will follow at 9 a.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

After returning to the Spalding Pastoral Center, the group will hear from Vicki Tyler, the executive director of the Women’s Choice Center of the Quad Cities in Bettendorf, Iowa. Also making presentations during the morning session will be lobbyists Ralph Rivera of Illinois Citizens for Life and Dawn Behnke of the Illinois Federation for Life.

The afternoon session will be held at the Family Resources Center at 321 Main St. in downtown Peoria. In addition to engaging in vicariate planning, the respect life coordinators will receive information about “New Trends in NaPro Technology” from Paul Kortz, director of the OSF FertilityCare Center in Peoria.

Lunch is being donated and catered by Michael’s Italian Feast of Washington.

EXPANDING OUTREACH
Father William Miller, IC, who chairs the diocesan Respect Life Board and will concelebrate the opening Mass with Bishop Jenky, said they are hoping to swell the ranks of the participants this year with representatives from Catholic schools, Newman Centers and hospitals, among others.

“This came from the bishop,” Father Miller told The Catholic Post. “It is his vision, his idea to make our pro-life work and awareness more integrated in the diocese.”

The goal is to extend the assistance and support that are available beyond the parishes to all levels of diocesan life, Father Miller said. “This is the first step toward implementing the bishop’s vision.”

He noted that this is a busy time of year as families wrap up vacations and prepare to start the school year, but said he hopes people will accept the invitation to get involved.

The focus for this year’s pro-life efforts in the Diocese of Peoria and across the nation is “I came that they might have life and have it to the full,” which is the theme for the U.S. bishops’ 2011-12 Respect Life Program. Packets of information will be available for the respect life coordinators at registration.

For more information or to make a reservation, contact the Family Resources Center by phone at (309) 637-1713, by fax at (309) 637-2163 or by e-mail at famresct@mtco.com. To assist in planning for the coffee break and buffet lunch it would be helpful to receive reservations by Sept. 7, but walk-ins are welcome.