2020 Cardinal O'Connor Conference - Welcome & Keynotes

[Music] you good morning everyone and welcome to the 21st annual Cardinal O'Connor conference on life my name is Madeline Ostertag and I am a senior here at Georgetown I've had the immense pleasure of serving as co-director of this year's conference alongside Luke Lamy on behalf of Luke myself and our entire board I'd like to say that we could not be more excited to have you all with us today before the day gets fully underway I would like to take the time now to thank some of those who have contributed to this year's conference to our board Maria Boivin Paul K Flo Martinez Diego Sam dub ki Haley grandi AJ de grado Matt Crandall and Savannah Willard they're all busy making sure that the day's events run smoothly but if you see them please extend your own thanks to them and finally there are many generous Georgetown entities and individuals without whom this conference would not be possible we would like to especially thank dr. John de Joya president of Georgetown University father mark Bosco vice president for mission and ministry dr. todd olsen vice president for student affairs dr. jean ward associate vice president for student affairs and Dean of Students father Greg Shannon director of campus ministry and dr. Jim Wichman director for Catholic life today we are reminded of a few important dates relating to this conference and the pro-life movement just ten days ago on January 15th we celebrated what would have been John Cardinal O'Connor's 100th birthday we continue to be inspired by the pro-life legacy of our conferences namesake and fellow Joya John Cardinal O'Connor was a renowned and courageous advocate for a culture of life during his tenure as Archbishop of New York in January 2000 George Town students first hosted a pro-life conference for the many college students and pro-life activist who travelled to our nation's capital for the March for Life each year the conference was later named in John Cardinal O'Connor's honor I'd like to briefly share a few words offered by Cardinal O'Connor's close friend Bernard ile ah then Cardinal Archbishop of Boston at the funeral of Cardinal O'Connor 20 years ago no one proclaimed what pope john paul ii has called the gospel of life with greater effectiveness he was eloquent and unremitting in his defense of the unborn as well as his support of the value of human life to the moment of natural death we have organized this conference with the hope that we all might come to more effectively proclaim the gospel of life and to courageously defend the value of every human life we are especially honored to have the sisters of life with us again this year and to have the opportunity to hear from their vocation director in a few moments yes Cardinal O'Connor cited a spiritual experience he had while visiting the Dachau concentration camp in 1975 as the inspiration for his commitment to protecting human life in 1991 this commitment would ultimately evolved into his vision for a religious community that would take a vow to protect and enhance the sacredness of every human life this year also marks the centennial of women's right to vote yesterday so many of you participated in the largest annual Human Rights demonstration in the world you marched with this anniversary in mind and demonstrated that the pro-life message is one that advocates for the rights of all women both born and unborn suffragists and women's rights activists Alice Paul famously said abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women we are inspired by the example of the suffragists who fought for the right to vote and are reminded that the pro-life message is inherently Pro woman finally as we mark 47 years since the Supreme Court's decision in roe v wade and we remember the more than 60 million lives lost to abortion may we be empowered by the witness of hundreds of thousands of people marching for yesterday and rooted in the conviction that each human life has inherent dignity gathered here in Georgetown's historic Gaston Hall there are more than 700 of us and we are so happy that you're joining us today for some of you this is your second or third consecutive year attending the O'Connor conference and we are so grateful for your continued support for others this is your first o'connor conference and we would like to welcome you especially we are so happy you have decided to spend your Saturday with us we'd like to give a shout out to the 50 pilgrims from Louisiana right to life the thirty Ravens from Benedict in college and Atchison Kansas and to our fellow students at Jesuit universities including Boston College and the College of the Holy Cross we invite you to connect with us on social media see page 2 in your programs for more information today we have the opportunity to engage with our peers and to learn from some of the nation's leading pro-life activists and academics so that we may leave this place better informed and equipped to build a culture of life here at the Cardinal O'Connor conference it is our mission not only to defend and celebrate life but also to educate you our attendees about the necessary arguments to promote a consistent ethic of life to that end we have structured today's events so that you may might better be better informed about different aspects of the pro-life argument beginning here this morning with our two keynote addresses in a moment our two keynote speakers will establish our conviction in the pro-life cause and describe how we can live out of that conviction and we are also very excited to welcome a special guest speaker to offer closing remarks so I invite you to stick around until 4:00 p.m. I promise this is an opportunity you don't want to miss however we would like to begin the morning in prayer it is my honor to welcome to the stage each assistant professor in the Department of theology and religious studies here at Georgetown father Peter foolin [Applause] [Music] Thank You Madeline and good morning everyone I invite you to join me in situating our prayer this morning in the context of two celebrations that Christians are having today the Feast of the conversion of st. Paul and related to this feast the final day of the week of prayer for Christian unity in particular let us have in mind a line from today's first reading in the lectionary Paul himself speaks the line when he recounts to his hearers the basic narrative of his experience on the road to Damascus he writes this since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light I was led by hand by my companions in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit God of light who at the dawn of time created light who made your son Jesus Christ the light of the world who sent down your holy spirit upon our mothers and fathers as tongues of fire as light shine your light upon us today but our speakers today be instruments of your light may their words illuminate for us the truth that every human life reveals to the world something wonderful about who God is may our conversations with one another be for us sites of your light as well help us to listen for your voice and to speak as you would speak when we like Paul before us stand in need of conversion send companions to lead us by the hand to newer and deeper understanding when others stand in need of conversion may we ourselves be their faithful companions and just as you labor to make your church one be at work today in our midst to unite us to unite all people and their conviction that the light of life is the choicest gift you have given us God of light we make this prayer in your light for you and your light live and reign forever and ever amen in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit thank you Father fallin before we turn to our highly anticipated keynote addresses we would like to remind you of our speech and expression policy here at Georgetown as an institution of higher education when specifically committed to the Catholic and Jesuit tradition Georgetown University is committed to free and open inquiry deliberation and debate in all matters and the untrammeled verbal and nonverbal expression of ideas it is Georgetown University's policy to provide all members of the university community including faculty students and staff the broadest possible latitude to speak right listen challenge and learn while it is recognized that not everyone may share the same views as the speaker it is expected that everyone in attendance at this event respect the right of the speakers and our Conference Board to share their perspectives and ideas by not causing a disruption to the events activities with that said we are so honored to welcome our first keynote speaker she comes to us today from the sisters of life's mother house in Suffern New York where she serves as vocation director immersed in Eucharistic prayer within a vibrant community life the sisters of life's mission includes caring for women who are pregnant and in crisis accompanying college students on campus inviting those suffering after abortion to receive the her healing mercy of Jesus and fostering a culture of life through evangelization her passion for sharing this message of life and love is truly inspiring please join me in welcoming sister Bethany Madonna [Applause] [Music] [Applause] good morning what a joy to be with you this morning such a gift you know walking in here and seeing our brothers and sisters who are protesting I was actually remembering being at the walk for life a few years ago and at the walk for life in San Francisco which is happening today protesters flanked you and walk alongside with you the entire March and a woman sidled up next to me and she said hi sister how are you I said I'm doing fine she goes you know sister last year I stood with them this year I walk with you I thought it's just is that simple love love so I thought I'd start this morning with a story from one of our missions let me tell you about Theresa one Saturday our sisters who serve in our crisis pregnancy mission were all in meetings with women who had turned around from abortion clinics woman who found themselves in crisis vulnerable to abortion all except for one alone novice and she was learning the mission and very young and she just thought you know what I'm gonna get lunch on you know what I'm gonna sort the baby donations just kind of keep the house running you know remain very calm I'm alone ding dong she's like oh no she goes to the door three seniors in high school and one of them goes hi sister I was just at Planned Parenthood now I'm here can I come in we never get referrals from Planned Parenthood's [Music] welcome you know so sister pulled out all the stops you know tea and a cookie tray and said so how did you find out about us you know and this young woman found out she was pregnant told her friends and they said to her the worst thing you can say to someone in that situation which was will support you whatever you decide yeah what did she hear you're totally alone on this I'll Drive to the abortion clinic we want to say I'm with you I'm for you let's find help but no they took her to the abortion clinic and she was sitting in there feeling very nervous and sick over the decision she was about to make so she decided to distract herself by looking at the magazines and so she goes over to a magazine and one of them had like a brochure sticking up out of it and so she pulled it up out and it said on it make a choice you can live with what if this abortion doesn't mean your life is over it was a sister of life brochure tucked in a magazine in the middle of Planned Parenthood is that unbelievable you know we didn't put it in there I can't do anything incognito all right no I'm supposed to be here seriously yeah so we don't know if it was a sidewalk counselor who gave it to one of the women we don't know if it was an angel sent by God I mean she bursts into tears and she grabbed her friends and she said were out of here and that's what brought them to our convent so sister realized that she's got a miracle on her hands and begins the conversation two hours later the sisters have not come out of their meetings and they're still going strong they've covered every topic Under the Sun including dating sex contraception friendship and at the end of the conversation this young woman stands up and goes sister I am gonna rock this pregnancy out and sister goes what does that mean and she said this baby is a gift and my life needs to change and this young woman graduated from high school with support she was able to have her baby go to college where she met a wonderful young man who asked to marry her and adopt his daughter as her own so if this is circumstances change but life is a gift life is a gift and we're still in touch with her when the sisters here is actually still in touch with her so we pray and Thanksgiving to the Lord Thanksgiving for the gift of life and this morning what I want to speak to you about is receiving the gospel of life myself so three points first receiving the gospel of life means knowing that my life is a gift secondly receiving the gospel of life has to do with having solid friendships living chase Li and letting love to find me and third receiving the gospel of life means to make a response to the gift that I've received so first of all receiving the gospel of life knowing that my life is a gift the same God who set the bounds of the oceans who placed the stars in their courses who had a thought and it became Niagara Falls or a snowflake or a pineapple the same God who crafted the kangaroo and the leopard and the hummingbird all of creation is bursting with beauty and creativity and intricacy color sound taste smells so much creativity and this God made you with more care and more purpose when my favorite things in the world is finger prints when I went to World Youth Day Panama they they had at the airport they had you put your fingerprint on a machine and I love fingerprints my machine didn't work so the gentleman is it like like push I'm like I'm trying he's like press I'm like that's another word for push and it's still not working and he was like I'll help and he stands to put his entire body weight on my thumb I'm like so why fingerprints fingerprints indicate that you are the only you who has ever been or ever will be in the history of all of creation so out of the millions of billions of people who have ever lived no two have the same set of fingerprints now if God is going to take so much time to arrange and design the invisible circle pattern on the end of your finger to be totally unique to you how much more time did he take on the love in your heart it's yours your love is distinct it is unique no one loves like you no one no one can be your replacement no one's your substitute you were the only one who's been given that love to love with and you're the only one who can receive God's love into the heart that he made for you and he longs for you to receive it he longs for you to know that you are a gift you know when your favorite song comes on and you just need to hear like that like first guitar interlude or like the piano Prelude and you're like oh my gosh it's my song I can't believe it's playing right now oh that's my song and then people are like you know here you want to introduce your friend to it and you're like have you heard this song seriously and like you start playing it for them and they're like oh yeah I love it it reminds me of you like whoa we don't talk during the song I'm sorry I I don't know why I shared it with you quite frankly I don't know if you can handle the song but it's that song that you know when God inspired it in the heart of the artist he actually had you in mind personally and mine is it's getting old now but it's always new every ain't you never knew but it's um just look away from me for a second thank you before I spoke a word you were singing over me and you have been so so good to me before I took a breath you breathed your life and me and you have been so so kind to me and then it like kind of takes off if I played the guitar like this is where I would like you have to change your capo or something and like make it go just the overwhelming never-ending reckless love of God I was thinking this morning this is a risk but if you could close your eyes for a second each one of you had a Genesis moment when God created you you have your own salvation history and I want you to close your eyes let's invite the Holy Spirit to take you back to the moment that you were conceived regardless of circumstances that moment when God said not another day without you I choose you I want you to be existence the breath of life you were always wanted nothing about you as a mistake or an accident I just want you to be alone there for a moment with the father of heaven drinking the love that's there the warmth the acceptance the delight in you you can always live from that moment and you can always go there and at the moment of our baptism you were consecrated you were sealed you were set apart God the Father Son and Holy Spirit came to dwell in your soul and you are never alone ever there are times that we can feel tempted to think ourselves alone to think that we're a burden that I've been rejected that I'm on the outside that I'm not someone chosen and beloved but I have to earn I have to prove I have to prove that I'm worthy that I'm acceptable as if I need to establish my own identity because I didn't receive mine from the father always striving to be better and I'll never be enough but Jesus comes with his love and he says I will not leave you orphan I will come to you we knew a priest who was living in San Francisco and he shared this story with us he received a panicked phone call saying that there was a girl on top of the Golden Gate Bridge could he come and assist now this priest was a very short man and terrified of heights so he arrives on the scene and they point her out to him and nothing would get her down and although he was petrified um he stretched out his hands and he began to climb and it was a windy that day that day and so the bridge is kind of in a swing and he's like making the perfect act of contrition he's like oh my god heartily and I mean he's drenched in sweat he's shaking like a leaf I mean he's crawling and this girl looks down and she sees a man struggling to get her and she begins encouraging him she's like hey you're almost there you're gonna make it and as he inches interview she spots his Roman collar she's 18 and going through a dark time he's obviously frightened out of his wits and so as he finally gets to the top she kind of pulls him onto her platform and he's kind of rocking himself next to her he's not she's not able he's not able to speak and her heart is so moved he thinks I'm worth it it doesn't even know me and thinks I'm worth it finally father regains himself and he turns and slowly looks at her and he goes how am I gonna get down she was like uh I'll help you Father no and I got it she starts coaching him she like turns him around and then she sees the situation she's like you know let me go first yeah yeah so she goes her she's like fat left left foot okay right here yeah yet no slow nice and easy okay coach this time the whole way down they get to the ground everyone's like father what did you say like she saved my life you know uh you know God sees each human person no matter how weak or how poor how sick or how sinful Howard ejected they feel as his beloved one one that he is willing to die for and did and this is mercy so first I received my life as a gift I recognize that I have been given a gift that I am loved and then second to receive the gospel of life means to receive the new life that Jesus won for us to receive mercy one day we received a call from a pregnant woman in crisis and she was being pressured to have an abortion but her heart wanted to choose life and I'll call her Annie now Annie was extraordinary and he grew up in an Irish Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn and she'd been baptized she made her First Holy Communion but that was really the extent of the practice of her faith and she admitted that she wasn't the most outstanding pillar in the community and had given the NYPD a run for their money so we got to be friends with Annie and she would come over to our convent for tea which was a very different thing than what she was doing most of the rest of the week and as we got to know where it became very evident that Annie had a deep longing for God so one day Annie's looking at a sister and she goes sister how old are you and sister felt a little sheepish to be put on the spot like this and so she kind of changed the subject and started talking about the great wit and author GK Chesterton he's just say how old he was by the last time he went to confession so he was either two weeks old or three hours old or a day older five minutes old and anyway she laughed kinda thought it was cute but she was actually very fascinated to hear that confession could make you new and born again starting fresh and she looks back at sister and she goes listen sister I was born at night but it wasn't last night cough it up how old are you you don't mess with Annie so anyway a few days later sister gives her a call to set up the next tea date and just as they're about to hang up Annie goes hey sister oh by the way uh I'm six hours old and sister goes I'm sorry pardon what what did you say she said you heard me I'm six hours old I went to confession this morning sister was shocked and she said it how did you feel when you got out she said like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders I feel new it was her first time going to confession over ten years since her first confession she's like and father wasn't surprised by any of my stories he walked her through step by step when they hung up the phone sister rang the bell in the house that's reserved only for prayer like a mad woman and every sister came out of her office to see what had happened and everyone jumped up and down and rejoiced with all the saints and angels of heaven who rejoiced more over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine who don't need it and that next week when Annie came to the house for her tea date they threw her her big one-week birthday party cake candles presents the Happy Birthday song was all there and it marked a new beginning and a restoration of her innocence we see this too as sisters of life and our hope and healing mission for those suffering after abortion we see in their hearts the sorrow the pain the shame the guilt the depression the anxiety the anger Jesus comes Jesus comes and his mercy has a real power real power to go deeper than the wound and to overtake their entire lives past present and future to make them new to restore innocence you know each of us we haven't always made choices that are good or beautiful and on our own we don't have the strength to but we always have the choice to trust Jesus with our weakness with our sin and he can love us lift us up going to confession relieves us of burdens we were never meant to carry and cannot carry on our own so know this that your life your love is a treasure a treasure your heart is meant to be a gift so to receive the gospel of life is to know that my life is a gift to know that Jesus has given me a new life and His mercy and third till that love to find me and my solid friendships and my chaste relationships so for me I love to think about how the human heart is made for love we so long to be loved we're starving for love we're ravenous I remember you know when you're single it can take forever to get ready to go out you know I don't know ladies if I'm speaking directly to your experience but I remember taking hours just to get the outfit together and to make sure that the hair was doing okay and the makeup was matching the shirt and everything and then like sometimes the hair would not cooperate and you're like that's it rish ouring okay we're gonna get a blank canvas here start fresh you know and it's like even if I know everybody who's gonna be wherever I'm going like there's this little spark of hope you know maybe somebody new will be there someone unexpected someone who corresponds to all of my desires for love and romance and I'll be on one side of the room laughing and that person will see me laughing and be totally taken by my life and there would be music you know like and anyway guys you you have to get your hair going in the right direction and whatever you and know it takes you time to get ready too so why we're so hungry for love we need friendship we need communion we need an encouragement and just spur each other on and I know for me in college my roommate had a huge impact on me Michelle Michelle was a little wild she'd had a major conversion after high school from a party scene and modeling and Olympic soccer that she was like training for her and when we first started hanging out I couldn't believe how we spent our time she would dress up like Cinderella for terminally ill children we'd make stops to the homeless with food we'd go help the elderly we'd go to daily Mass be part of the parish and then one day Michelle crossed the line it was too much she was like hey what are you doing Saturday you want to pray at the abortion clinic with me I was like are you insane are you absolutely mad pretty abortion clinic I was like what do want to get us arrested what do you want to ruin my future I was like I had all these images of like German shepherds and signs and yelling and like me on the ground in cuffs for some reason I don't know I just was like I can't afford that okay and she was like it's the rosary I was like oh the rosary well I pray the rosary I mean give that a try and she was like okay so well what time do you go she's like 6:00 I was like a.m. or p.m. she was like a.m. I was like she's like Dunkin Donuts coffee I'm like I'm in I will never forget that morning that first morning as long as I live tears streamed down my face as I saw the Sun rise over that dilapidated building and it revealed a line of women alone and sad and abandoned and yeah we're just remember crying and thinking to myself you know before this moment abortion was like a legal term you know a political issue debate topic it was a sin but this morning abortion has a face and it's the girls in my classes my friends and their unborn children who aren't gonna see the light of this day so I I knew I knew in my heart of hearts it I wanted to live and die for them and what I want to encourage each and every one of you to is recognizing like your heart is made for love you're a gift you're a gift to be given not only in friendship but in relationship with others receiving the gospel of life means knowing my own goodness it means knowing my own sacredness it means honoring my body as God gave it to me living with a pure heart the body is sacred and God has a divine and beautiful plan for our sexuality and you don't want to entrust your hearts to just anyone no you want to have high standards high standards in dating we don't want to settle for less this culture that we live in is very very pervasive it tells us yeah it's okay to use others it's okay to be used there's so many counterfeits out there and the enemy of our souls wants to clog us up with addiction and shame and Jesus is the healer and there are great resources out there there are great ways to reach out for help to be chased to be set free I was very moved try one young woman's inspiring testimony online she was talking about how she just stumbled upon pornography and not knowing what it was and very quickly became addicted to it and she said it led to habitual masturbation she fell into like a pit of despair she's completely in shame did not know how to ask for help or find help like the chokehold you know of darkness and guilt and shame and she said that delicately beautifully Jesus came to her came into that place of darkness and brought light and peace and healing she asked friends to pray for her she was able to share seek help go to confession freedom freedom for freedom Christ set us free you deserve to hear the truth because what's portrayed in the shows and the movies and the magazine covers as romance falls so short these lifestyles leave so many hearts devastated and lives wounded but the choice is made I mean I just want you to take a second and imagine your wedding day if God is calling you to the vocation of marriage imagine your wedding day ladies there you are standing at the top of the aisle and your white dress guys you're down by the altar looking dapper in your suits and listen to these wedding vows I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad in sickness and in health for richer or poorer until death I will love you and honor you all the days of my life okay open your eyes someone to say that to you and for you to say that to someone else the beauty the gift total commitment and on the night of a couple's honeymoon when that couple comes together for the first time as husband and wife their very bodies become one flesh they become one this is a representation of the commitment that they made at the altar because the vows say to the say to the other I give myself to you freely totally faithfully and fruitfully freely totally faithfully and fruitfully so to have sex with someone without having made those vows is basically like telling a lie with the body so I don't give myself to you freely necessarily I mean I might be caught up in the moment I might be under the influence of alcohol I might be for you'll break up with me I might not be free right now faithful if I'm not capable of saying no to you maybe I'm not capable of saying no to someone else maybe you're not either total I don't know where I'm gonna be in two years three years I don't know where you're gonna be this isn't total and fruitful no fruits no children are welcomed into this moment this act no no sex was never intended by the Creator it should be shameful and secretive and filled with fear no the fear that overtakes those who experience this a fear of rejection a fear of my body image of your pregnancy you know God intended it for spouses this is the sacred place where life comes into being we cannot settle for less we have to refuse everything that tries to convince us to do so because you know what your love is good and it's worth fighting for it's worth fighting for I want to encourage you make a commitment to yourself make a commitment to God and hold to it and hold others to it the freedom that will come in that the freedom that will come the joy your love can change the world I want you to rise above the paltry standard that's been set for you and know that Jesus wants to reveal your plan for life some of the men in this room are called to be husbands and fathers some of you men are called to be husbands to your wives totally committed given father's dear children present available providing correcting encouraging if this is God's vocation for you I ask that you say yes with all that you are and all that you have and some of the men in this room are called to the priesthood or to the religious life to bring Jesus down from heaven to earth to be his mercy if that's God's call for you please say yes with all that you are and all that you have and ladies some of you are called to be wives and mothers to love and support your husband to encourage him to be a saint your mother's your own children or to those entrusted to your care to mother them Saints for the kingdom if this is your vocation please say yes with all that you are and all that you have and some of you are called to be religious sisters brides of Jesus given totally to him and to mother every child as if it's your own and if this is your vocation I encourage you to say yes with all that you are and all that you have you were chosen for this unique moment in history and you're here for a reason your life is a gift the Saints never accused God or blamed him for the evil that they saw around them they knew that they'd been invited by him to share in his work and to love with his love God chose you for now say yes amen [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] thank you so much sister Bethany our next keynote speaker truly knows what it means to live out a life that recognizes the inherent dignity of each human life especially the most vulnerable he currently serves as senior vice president for evangelization and Faith Formation at the Knights of Columbus he formerly served as the assistant general secretary for integral human development for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the executive director for justice peace and human development before coming to Washington DC he helped co-found Christ in the city and the Augustine Institute served as president and CEO of Catholic Charities in Denver served as vice president for focus and was a professor and the academic vice president for Christendom College please join me in welcoming to the stage dr. Jonathan Reyes [Applause] thank you it's nice to be here well actually it's not can I tell you why so I have a daughter I have two daughters at the University of Notre Dame and so they brought yeah been there nice little school no so they brought like sixteen thousand friends home for the March for Life and they were all at my house last night so I get home last night around 10:30 after the Rose dinner I'm dead tired it's been a long long day and I walk in and oh hi dr. Reyes oh good I said and they said also are you around tomorrow I said no I'm gonna I'm gonna give a talk and I was well really where and I told them where and I they said oh is sister Bethany speaking at that and and I said yes I actually speak right after her and my daughter says well what are you gonna say and I said oh great honey you're really supporting me she goes no really what are you gonna say she's gonna have them laugh and cry and changing their lives what are you gonna do so in desperation I'm sitting there stunned and one of her friends says it's okay it's okay dr. Reyes will write your talk for you tomorrow morning before we leave is going to be sitting right here I said well alright and I went to bed I woke up that morning walked out nothing a granola bar and she comes up with one of the gal who said this and she just says oh we didn't get around to that but it's okay because you can use us in your talk you can say some people they talk and they don't actually follow through I said that gives me like 30 seconds I can't do a lot with that what I actually decided to do was turn to two things that I want to I want to speak to you from and I only have a few minutes and one thing is if you're gonna talk about life it's smart to start with the gospel of life with John Paul the second so I want to draw something out of that document that's 25 years old but never new I may be saying some things you already know but it's worth hearing them again and then a brief a few thoughts from my own life that I hope are helpful you heard a little bit of my biography there was a key moment in my life when I went from being an academic to really devoting myself to the service of those in need and I've done things from everything from homeless shelter and ministry and running charities to starting pregnancy centers pregnancy counseling centers that we've turned into a woman's care center with full services and that I've been in that space and what I'd like to share from you from that space is not my own wisdom but things I picked up from people who are pretty amazing I have had the privilege of being all over the world seeing people who have devoted their lives to serving others in various needs in some of the hardest places in the world and in this country and you can't help but learn from them so a few thoughts from them so if John Paul the second first and a few thoughts from some dear friends of mine in the gospel of life John Paul makes the following point he says through the words and the actions and the very person of Jesus man has given the possibility of knowing the complete truth concerning the value of human life knowing it and from this source he receives in particular the capacity to accomplish the truth you know the truth and then you accomplish it what's the truth he wanted us to know I'm gonna take a lot of deep thoughts and try to make them simple to remind you some things it was John Paul the second insight that the greatest challenge to building a culture of life is a misconception of what a human being is does it mean to be a human being and he roughly speaking contrasted two views of what it means to be a human being one that's sort of dominant and is out there and that we sort of imbibe in the air that we take in because something like this you are you are for some reason you emerged from the combination of certain material circumstances and you were emerged with certain powers there's something to you and that you weren't made with a purpose but you certainly were made with desires and there's things about you that you want to satisfy there's desires you want met and so life sort of comes down to a search for satisfying desires you have and staying out of the way of other people who want to satisfy their desires and this conception of a human being will influence your politics it'll influence how you think about art and culture it'll influence how you think about relationships it'll influence what you think about your going to do with your life and John Paul contrasts that with the Christian view for pieces of which I want to remind you of the first has to do with where human dignity comes from this dignity is a word we use a lot I've been in DC for eight years now dignity is a word that's used a lot in political conversation it has a certain potency to it but it doesn't have a clear meaning it's used in different contexts in different ways here's the Christian view number one his sister Bethany made so clear you have dignity because you were made out of love at the center of every thing the center of all that is is a relationship of love church fathers used to say God is one but he's not alone he's a permanent relationship of love and you were made out of that and you were made in that image that's what you're made to love that's what we search for love you were made in that image and that gives you a dignity that gives you a dignity no matter what your abilities no matter what your socioeconomic status it gives you a dignity but it doesn't stop there second point about your dignity God bothered to redeem you and me God cared so much for us that when we were in a position of great failure ultimate failure he came in love and died for us that's huge John Paul says think about it God considered you important enough to become a human being and died for you but third and I want to emphasize this one because it's something I've run into and a lot of the places I've served you also have dignity because you have a destiny you're going somewhere you want me just to fulfill whatever desires happen to come across your mind you were made for a greatness that the Bible says is so great that no eye has seen no ear has heard no heart can conceive how great it is we have words for we talk about heaven we talk about the beatific vision we talk about unity these are just words trying to capture something we don't understand you were made for that every human being was made for that and when I think about what it means to be there for people in need it's this to help them achieve that dignity because they have a destiny a glorious destiny and if we can help people see that then they have hope you know I think the great challenge of the modern age isn't necessarily in our politics or our moral fights it's really a fight for hope I work with a lot of young people I work with a lot of not young people the real challenge in the modern age is for hope why to counsel someone who's considering in a moment of great desperation what to do about an unexpected pregnancy is to instill hope there is a way forward to speak to someone in poverty who can't seem to get out of a community that where every one of their friends or most of their friends have been killed or shot or in prison is to say there is hope good friend of mine Ralph who I work with at the USCCB worked with at the USCCB the guy has forgotten more about socio-economic challenges in the United States and I'll ever know he's the kind of guy who when something goes wrong they call him so this was after all the that went on in Ferguson a few years back and the great tension that was there so people in Ferguson call Ralph and they say Ralph will you come down here and help us think through this Ralph goes down there and he says he was walking around the night this is probably the second night after the riots had begun and he just wanted to get a feel for the city wanted to get a feel for what was going on he wanted to you know talk to a few people this kind of guy he is he's walking around he says he ran into a young man who was literally bumped into him and the guy was running and he was you say things was carrying a car battery that he clearly had taken from somewhere he shouldn't have right he's looking at this young man and he said to him why are you doing that don't you know they had cameras where that was don't you know they're gonna find you don't you know then you're gonna get prosecuted then you're gonna have to check that box on every application you ever do and you're never going to have a job you're not going to be able to get married you're not going to be able to build a family don't you know you're gonna lose all that because of that battery and he said the young man looked at him and said look I already don't expect any of that stuff it's about hope part of what it means to bring the light of Christ to speak the gospel of life to people is simply say your life has meaning and it has hope there's a weird there's somewhere to go strong always struck me as interesting that stumbled across this over the last couple of years of Mother Teresa Benedict the sixteenth and Pope Francis all at a different point saying something like the following the greatest poverty in the modern world is isolation isolation you see because the fourth point I want to make about what it means to be a human being is you were made for relationship you are made for communion you were made from communion for communion and so the greatest poverty a human being can have is to be alone mother Teresa in one of the greatest pro-life speeches probably ever given in 1994 when she came to the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast preferred perhaps you remember this I'm sure it lives on and Lourdes should but a piece of it that sometimes gets forgotten is after she talks about any number of the famous quotes she has about life she describes visiting one of the nursing homes in the United States she hadn't seen them before and she was taken by them she went to one of the homes for the elderly and she said she walked and she walked in and she just saw this amazing beautiful building she's used to very different conditions in Calcutta and she said I looked around and she said I saw people who had everything they had food they had a television there were comfortable couches everything was clean and me she said but none of them were smiling who were sitting you know how it is you walk in those glass doors and there's the the sitting area she said no one was smiling and they were all staring at the door and so she says she turned to her sister and said why are none of these people smiling why did they all look at the door she said even even the dying that I hold in Calcutta smile why are there no smiles and her sister said it's because they're watching the door waiting for a loved one to come visit them because they've been forgotten and forgot to be forgotten is the greatest sadness so proclaiming the gospel of life reaffirming humans dignity that's all it is let me tell you a different story about yourself let me tell you a story about yourself that has this amazing future to it and let me tell you that you weren't made to be alone and that relationship real relationship is possible so that's John Paul the second a few practical thoughts for you as you go forward in your work take them relieve them and if they're bad ideas I'll just say I got them from friends like I said it's all about relationship friends or those you can blame for stuff number one as sister emphasized to be able to love it to be able to actually proclaim the gospel of life after having received it you have to be prepared to give it and let me give you two things that will help prepare you to give the gospel of life the first time steal from Pope Francis and I'll for the sake of time I'll just add I'll just make up the quotation sort he said you cannot serve other people unless you are detached from your belongings and detached from what people think of you detachment if you want to help other people be free if you really want to be a witness to the gospel of life you've got to be free yourself not just free of things that you know you shouldn't do hopefully that but free of the kinds of concerns that can consume us anxiety about how we are perceived worried about our image material goods I know a lot of you're in college you're thinking I don't have any material goods you will someday and you will be amazed at how many you have and how many sheds you have to build if you have seven children and been married for twenty I'm sorry I'm just getting too personal you will have stuff we all have stuff so much stuff what's our Lords challenge to the rich young man the rich young man who he loved Mark says he walked up to him and said Lord what must I do and the Gospel of Mark said Jesus looked at him and loved him and said you have one more thing give it away and he walked away said who lost keys didn't lose it was a young man who lost because he couldn't be free think of the freest person you can imagine for me I for various reasons it's Mother Teresa I just can't imagine mother Teresa ever being in a big fancy place looking at someone and saying oh I wish I had a dress like that she wanted for nothing because of freedom president sisters if you can want for nothing you can give yourself entirely and freedom and enjoy second thing be prepared to suffer the people who are best at caring for people in need whether it's at the pregnancy Counseling Center whether it's at the homeless shelter the various places I visited on the border overseas they've been there for a long long time and they've taken it on that it's just gonna be hard I want to caution especially your young people in here there's something romantic there can be something romantic about finding a cause and falling in love with it caring for people but romanticism about caring for the elderly caring for the poor caring for the unborn caring for mothers it will wear off and the hard decision for everyone is what will sustain me in that service the people who are changing the world that I've encountered are the ones who've been there and they're not bitter and they're not angry they're joyful because they've embraced it they know it comes with suffering love always comes with suffering you perhaps heard this quip from GK Chesterton as long as we're talking about him he said marriage is an adventure like war what did he mean by that he didn't mean you're at war with your spouse what he meant was it's a war against yourself because to give yourself and love is to cost you there's a death to yourself I've been married 25 years it's the greatest thing in the world but it comes at a cost to her and to me her more than me this is being recorded so be prepared to suffer third build communities y'all build communities people want to be in community you want to be in community you need friendships that last build them we are not isolated individuals going around making contracts with one another we are people committed to love one another to give ourselves in self donation community is a gift it's hard but it's a gift build lasting communities whatever service you're in this chances of you doing it well and sustaining it whether you're a priest or a layperson depends on your friendships and depends on the communities you create you want to welcome people into a home welcome them into a home forth pay attention look around you here's something I've learned a lot in encountering poverty in cities it's invisible a lot of times it doesn't seem like it but it's very invisible this is Pope Francis's lying about the invisible ones he speaks about this a lot one of the programs we started with in Denver was called Christ in the city some of you may know it it's a it's a college kids that give up a year or two of their lives to accompany the homeless on the streets and the reason we did it by the way is because we had these great homeless shelters in Denver really great homeless shelters but there were some of the homeless who wouldn't come to them some people didn't have homes who wouldn't they didn't want to be in those situations so we needed a way to go to them we need a way to go to the streets so get college students to do it that's that's all done so we created a movement for college students to go do this and they just literally spend all day on the street with the homeless won't come where shelters caring for them helping finding help for them amazing stories of lives changed and people I just heard one last night for the out of the blue from someone said I know that program one of my one of my dear friends from high school who was complete off the rails has been restored because those young people invested in him in Denver Colorado but we sent them out to do this and we said go out into this environment and befriend these people and welcome them just take care of just be with them well one of the things we do for training of that program is when you first come to it we take you on a tour of the city used to be run by someone who was formerly homeless who would take you around to all the places you never see under the bridges in the tunnels the tent communities down by the river that kind of thing and one young person who was from the city of Chicago had come with us on one of those and was sharing that night and so what did you experience and this young person from Chicago said you know what I had no idea you had so much homelessness and poverty in Denver we don't have that in Chicago now you laugh but think about it we don't see it we don't see it we might see someone at an exit ramp but if you're not paying attention you don't see the need so I want you to open your eyes ask Christ to open them when you get on the bus when you're heading back you guys are in college campus as many of you are in different communities there's people walking around who look like they've got it all together who are the most isolated lonely people in the world or battling depression and discouragement can you see them can you see the people you walk past you don't turn your head because you're always in your own space do you ask questions when you see something wrong do you ask questions like why is that person got nothing and that person has a lot what what's going on did help me understand why is this person so desperate why are they standing in this situation so the next point open your eyes and see and finally let me just insist on this point that I've learned in a deep way and with personal stories that I don't have time to share but to look out for people to care for people to decide to give yourself in love is to have your life transformed we sometimes step into this space of the culture of life in all its breadth and think I'm gonna go in there and I'm gonna be the difference well you certainly can have an impact praise God but the real transformation is you one of my heroes Dorothy day put it this way you're not saving the poor there's saving you and it's true it's true because what you're encountering is Christ himself and you can't help but be transformed by it your life will change if you give it away what a strange thing for a leader of a religion to say if you seek your life you will lose it but if you give it away you will gain it that makes no sense on the surface and it's not what you hear every day the reality is this if you give your life you will gain it the friendships I've made the people I've met the lives of see transformed have been a gift to me the people I see giving their lives and none of them would call themselves a hero but I think they're a hero build a culture of life y'all give everything you have for it not just because the culture needs you because you need it and together let's change the conversation that all may know that they have an inherent dignity because of how they were made because if he who died for them and because they have a destiny we can only imagine Amen thank you [Applause] [Music] [Applause] thank you so much dr. Reyes let's have one more round of applause for our keynote speakers [Applause] it is truly an honor to have both sister Bethany and dr. Reyes with us here this morning my name is Flo Martinez EDA NGO and I'm a senior here at Georgetown I serve as an outreach coordinator for this year's conference board at the Cardinal O'Connor Conference we recognize the commitment to the Life movement particularly that of the collegiate pro-life groups the evangelion vitae award was established in 2006 to recognize and reward outstanding political pro-life fruits in 2010 the award was renamed in honor of Reverend Thomas King and his witness the pro-life message the winning group is selected based on the pro-life work it has done over the past year and receives a $1,000 reward to advance its work father King was a mentor to Georgetown right to life and beloved professor of theology whose ten year span to nearly four decades in a moment I would like to introduce Georgetown University's president John de Joya who will share a reflection on father King and present this year's award for close to four decades John J de Joya has helped to define and strengthen Georgetown University as a premier institution for education and for research a Georgetown alumnus dr. degioia served as a senior administrator and as a faculty member in the Department of Philosophy before becoming Georgetown's 48th president in 2001 as president dr. degioia is dedicated to deepening Georgetown's tradition of academic excellence its commitment to its Catholic and Jesuit identity its engagement with the Washington DC community and its global mission under his leadership Georgetown has become a leader in shaping the future landscape of higher education and has recently completed a 1.5 billion dollar fundraising campaign dedicated to enhancing the lifelong value of a Georgetown education dr. tu joy as a leading voice in addressing broader issues in education he previously served as chair of the board of directors of the American Council of education and is currently chair of the board of directors of the forum for the higher future of education as well as chair of the board for the consortium and financing higher education he is also a member of the board of directors of the Carnegie Corporation of New York the board of directors for the business higher education forum the NCAA Board of Governors the NCAA division-one Board of Directors and his chair of the Division one NCAA Committee on academics please join me in welcoming it to the stage president degioia [Applause] [Music] well good morning everyone I want to thank you to Flo for those very kind words it's a privilege to be with all of you here in Gaston Hall one of our most beautiful and historic places on our hilltop campus and to all of our guests welcome we're very pleased that you're able to be here today and to join our community and prayer and reflection and dialogue I wish to express my appreciation to the student leaders on the Cardinal O'Connor conference board it's co-directors Madeleine and Luke for their many efforts to organize this year's conference as well as our conference sponsors including Georgetown right-to-life the Knights of Columbus and Catholic daughters of the Americas I'd also like to thank all of our speakers and our panelists for their presence and for sharing their insights and perspectives with us this conference helps us to remember and recognize the contributions of Cardinal John O'Connor a member of the Georgetown class of 1970 we do this in the context of honoring another member of our Georgetown community I have the privilege this morning of presenting the Reverend Thomas M king SJ award and to share a few reflections about father King his example of a life grounded in faith his significance to our community here at Georgetown this award has a special resonance for me father King was the very first Jesuit and the very first faculty member I met when I came to Georgetown as an undergraduate more than four decades ago he helped introduce me to the way of life of our community and to the kind of academic work that was possible I remember being right here in this room and the spring of 1981 when I was a graduate student and father father King Convy an international conference on tailored and the unity of knowledge teh art and the unity of knowledge that brought together some extraordinary leaders from around the world it was my first exposure to the work of Pierre Taylor de Chardin more importantly it was the first truly academic conference that I had ever attended and it was an example for me of the caliber and the quality of academic work that a university can do during his time in our community which spanned 41 years father King served as a professor of theology as a scholar a distinguished author a mentor and friend and he had a special relationship with our Student Right to Life organization he played a role in their efforts to host this conference each year and he shared a deep understanding of the dignity of every human life his dedication was recognized in 2005 when you received the Rupert and Timothy Smith Award for distinguished contributions to pro life scholarship from the University faculty for life an organization which he co-founded in 1989 father King was a comforting presence who played an enduring role in the lives of so many members of our university community especially for those who joined him at his daily 11:15 mass and Dahlgren chapel for 40 years six days a week during both moments of celebration and sadness he presided and offered guidance to all who sought peace in the presence of the Lord in 1999 our student newspaper the Hoya named father King as Georgetown's man of the century sharing that quote no one has had a more significant presence on campus and effect on students than father King close quote there are so many images so many memories that I have of him but I always think of the way that he ended every mass that he celebrated before the final prayer he he took us all through the words of the first those first words of the first chapter of the Gospel of John and the beginning was the word and the Word was God and the Word was with God when I think of father King I think of this gift of providing the opportunity in countless ways but especially every evening at our 11:15 Mass for our community to come together and to experience the presence of God father King had a wonderful spirit and patience he was a person of extraordinary integrity a model of what it means to be a person for God so it's wonderful for me to be here this morning to have this opportunity to remember his contributions and to be able to present the awardees this this morning who will receive this year's Reverend Thomas M King award and I'm very very honored to announce that the award this year will go to the University of st. Thomas and Houston and Celts for life and Madeline Porter and Michaela menís Callao president and vice president of Celts for life we'll be accepting the award this morning on behalf of Celts for life to you to you you have our most sincere congratulations for this recognition and I would now invite Madeline and Michaela to join me on stage [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] thank you all very much for this opportunity to be with you this morning [Applause] thank you so much president to Joya and congratulations to salts for life my name is Carrie Ashkenazi and I'm a junior here at Georgetown I serve as a sponsorship coordinator on this year's conference board I'd like to share a few announcements before we move on into the concurrent sessions these sessions are opportunities to explore different life issues and more depth I encourage you to take a look at page four for a list of our speakers there session titles and location full speaker BIOS can be found on pages six through ten the first of the three sessions begins at 11:20 a.m. the sessions will take place in the first floor classrooms of this building healy hall as well as in mcguire hall and Dahlgren chapel please refer to the map on page three of your programs to find your way there will be volunteers with nametags throughout the building so please do not hesitate to ask them if you have any questions or need help getting around on the map you will also see that there are sponsor exhibitions in the first floor hallway of Healy hall please stop by their tables and learn about the organizations that have made this year's conference possible I especially want to acknowledge the Knights of Columbus priests of priests for life and rehumanize international and I know registration was difficult for a few of you coming in late so if you did not receive a wristband we ask that you return to the registration table there should be volunteers stationed there so you can get a wristband for lunch and for the sessions and also grab a program if you didn't so please be sure to check back at the registration table if you were unable to do so before coming in so just a brief announcement with regard to the wristbands they're color-coded to indicate when and where you will be eating lunch take a moment please to refer to page 2 of your programs and to check your wristband and see the corresponding color and locations and times so if you have a red Brist band you'll be eating during session a witch like Kerry said begins in a few minutes at 11:20 incopy Copley formal please walk out the front steps of this building where uh sure's will meet you and direct you to the building white wristbands will also be eating during session a but on the second floor of this building and we ask that you please eat lunch during your designated session and leave the remaining two sessions to enjoy two concurrent sessions of your choosing - one other announcement star Parker who is one of our concurrent session speakers she was here last year really one of our great speakers and we're really looking forward to welcoming her back she's unfortunately sick today she called me this morning so she will not be here I don't anticipate this being an issue because we did have extra speakers built-in so while we are at capacity everybody should be able to find a seat in the sessions but if you're looking to go to a session and it's full I encourage you to head to our largest session spaces which will be Dahlgren chapel and the bioethics library um one final announcement we were hoping to do a Jesuit university like school photo so if you are in attendance at one of the Jesuit universities here today we ask that you just kind of congregate here in front of the stage for a photo and a shout out to one of those universities Rockhurst University who are joining us today and we're so happy to have you here thank you so much [Music]

Channel: Cardinal O'Connor Conference On Life

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Length: 76min 40sec (4600 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 31 2020