SPECIAL LIVES TODAY
A GREAT GIFT
The Culture of Life Foundation believes that every person is a great gift from God - made in His Sacred Image, and each with a special purpose to be played out in salvation history.
“The soul is not some kind of mill open to anyone, but is a secret, a unique mystery which will never be seen again, indispensable to the world order and the obliteration of which would disturb the order of the universe.” ~ Fr. Maurice Zundel
In a world and culture that seeks - at any cost - to proclaim one’s own giftedness, our children with special needs quietly remind us that our greatest gift is to know our own brokenness, and to let God into and radiate through that.
“I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me." 2 Cor 12:9
Part of our children may seem “broken” physically, but because of and through their vulnerabilities, they have an exceptional ability to be powerful conduits of God’s Mercy, Unity, Love, and Joy. We know that a family’s, community’s, and culture’s ability to value and learn from each individual only strengthens it.
Some General Statistics
HOPE IN MOTION
Wherever there is much brokenness, there can be that much more of God's Beauty and Grace that radiate through!
"Grace always enters through our wounds. For this reason, says St. Thomas Aquinas, the wounds of Jesus 'offer us a choice: either to be condemned with those who inflicted the wounds and pierce Christ's side...or to repent and enter into the open side of Christ to dwell there, for it has become a haven of rest. This means that we MUST have the courage to live our woundedness. Jean Vanier, the great guardian and champion of the developmentally disabled wrote: 'We are called to heal and to liberate. This healing power in us will not come from our capacities and riches, but in and through our poverty. We are called to discover that He can bring peace, compassion and love through our wounds!" Fr. Peter Cameron
The Culture of Life Foundation was established, because we understand the Great Gift that individuals with disabilities have to offer as well as the Great Needs - spiritually and physically - that these individuals and their families and caregivers are up against. Their own daily living requires extraordinary effort. We are embarking on helping to fulfill the US Catholic Bishops exhortation to schools - a decree from the First Plenary Council, Nov 21, 1851 - that:
“no parish is complete until it has schools adequate to the needs of its children,"
and then their challenge in a 2007 Pastoral Letter:
"The moral strength of a society is measured by how we treat our most vulnerable citizens, not by how we, ourselves, have fared."
We have come to personally understand a bit more just how essential it is that individuals with special needs and their families can fully participate in the Prayer and Sacramental Life of the Church - as well as for the ability to fully participate in an authentic Catholic education and catechesis. It may require a little extra effort on our part, but it is far beyond worth this, to learn the incomparable lessons that only these individuals with such exceptional abilities can give, and together - with their help - we hope to build up this moral strength and Culture of Life in our society today, so that the Sacred Image of God is restored and powerfully manifests itself in our hearts and radiates throughout the World!