Respect Life Radio

Maddie Haas: The unplanned blessing of a new life

Maddie Haas of Colorado was a teenage freshman at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln when she found out she was unexpectedly pregnant. "For being so pro-life, the thought of abortion came into my head...for probably one minute," recalled Maddie. "It definitely came into my head [that] I could do this and no one in my family would even have to know that I was ever even pregnant."

"...Nothing can really prepare you, no matter how pro-life you are, or how Catholic you are, if you get in that moment."

An ultrasound revealed Maddie was nearly 20 weeks pregnant. "At that point, my question went from, 'Do I tell my parents?' to 'How do I tell them?'"

In this Respect Life Radio interview, Maddie Haas and her mother, Val, discuss the struggles and joys of the past six years and the gift of Maddie's daughter, Ellie Grace, now five years old. 

See also this Denver Catholic story from 2014, "Pro-life teen tested by reality of own pregnancy."

Ed and Eddie Reinhardt: You're OK, Kid!

"There's two stories involved here," said Ed Reinhardt Sr., referring to his son Eddie's traumatic brain injury in a 1984 college football game — and to "my relationship with my own father and then how it strangely, mysteriously, providentially connects with Ed's accident."

The Reinhardts are inspirational public speakers, addressing "the good that can come out of tragedy" and "the importance of the influence of parents in the family." Their story is told in the 2004 book, "You're OK, Kid!"

Emily Zinos: A charitable response to the transgender movement (Part 2 of 2)

"That's why changing the culture right now is so important," said Emily Zinos, a mother of seven who leads Ask Me First Minnesota. "We have to remember our doctors, our endocrinologists, our surgeons, don't live in a bubble, right? They're living in a culture where these ideas are becoming popular. They're having more and more parents come in to ask questions or to make demands of them for these types of medical interventions. So the importance of speaking out isn't just about our public schools. But speaking out with our neighbors and our friends means that we're changing the culture one person at a time."

Click here for Part 1 of the Respect Life Radio interview with Emily Zinos.

Emily Zinos: A charitable response to the transgender movement (Part 1 of 2)

"I work with Ask Me First Minnesota, which essentially advocates for common-sense recognition of biological sex in law, policy and culture. We focus especially on the negative impacts that gender identity laws have on women and girls," said Emily Zinos, a mother of seven. "My own interest in this issue stems from something that happened at my children's school. So, we had our children enrolled in a public charter school here in Minnesota. And, in 2015, we got an email that blindsided us — from the principal of the grade school."

 

Click here for Part 2 of the Respect Life Radio interview with Emily Zinos.

 

 

Sen. Williams: Repeal the death penalty in Colorado

"For us, as a Catholic community and a Christian community, there's forgiveness out there, too. People need to have an opportunity to rehabilitate if they've made a mistake. And that happens every day," said Colorado state Sen. Angela Williams of Denver, a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 19-182 to repeal the death penalty, under consideration at the state legislature. "But to put someone to death to try to solve our social issues is inhumane and I don't think that's our decision to make. The state of Colorado hasn't used the death penalty since 1997."

Senite Sahlezghi: How Marisol Health cares for women who are pregnant and in need

“Our main mission is to provide dignified care to women and families," said — Senite Sahlezghi, Marisol Health Program Director in Lafayette, Colo. "The heart of the Marisol Health mission really is to meet that woman who is unexpectedly pregnant — and be able to provide her a wraparound supportive services network [with] dignified and qualified medical care, so that she may choose life and know that she is supported...”

 

Celebrate Life 2019 Rally and March in Denver, Colorado (Part 2)

In the second part from the Celebrate Life Rally and March, hear the McGarrity family, who are raising four children with Down syndrome in addition to four "typical" children; Elías Moo, the Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Denver; and event MC David Bereit, the co-founder of 40 Days for Life, who closed the rally with a prophetic story about Abraham Lincoln. The annual Celebrate Life Rally and March was held Jan. 12, 2019, beginning on the west steps of the Colorado state Capitol in Denver. (Part 2 of 2 parts.) For more on Celebrate Life, go to RespectLifeDenver.org.

Celebrate Life 2019 Rally and March in Denver, Colorado (Part 1)

The annual Celebrate Life Rally and March was held Jan. 12, 2019, beginning on the west steps of the Colorado state Capitol in Denver. David Bereit, the co-founder and former president of 40 Days for Life, was the emcee, introducing the Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, Archbishop of Denver. Other speakers included Deacon Geoff Bennett of Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Denver and Elizabeth Felix of Students for Life of America. (Part 1 of 2 parts.) For more on Celebrate Life, go to RespectLifeDenver.org.

Carrie Savage: Raising children in Kinship caregiving

Kinship is "a relative raising a relative's child," said Carrie Savage, manager of Kinship and Senior Services at Catholic Charities of Denver. "We most commonly see grandparents raising grandchildren, but we also have aunts and uncles, cousins (raising children). And they don't have to be blood-related. We can call them a psychological kin and they have a special relationship with the child; maybe a godparent would be an example of that. But most commonly, grandparents." For more, see the Kinship Caregiver Program at Catholic Charities, as well as Senior Care Services.

Fr. Gary Selin: The purpose and meaning of priestly celibacy in the Catholic Church

"At the foundation, the reason priests are celibate is because Jesus Christ himself was celibate," said Fr. Gary Selin, author of Priestly Celibacy: Theological Foundations. "He's the reason, he's the cause, he is the very foundation of the New Testament priesthood." Fr. Selin is a Formation Advisor, as well as an Assistant Professor, at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. For more, see the National Catholic Register interview with Fr. Selin, "Why the Church Guards Celibacy as a 'Brilliant Jewel.'"