By Bishop James Conley
Next Thursday, Jan. 22, will mark the 53rd anniversary of the ill-fated 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States at the federal level and paved the way for the violent deaths of millions of unborn children and causing deep, life-long trauma to countless mothers. Jan. 22 has been declared by the US Bishops a day of prayer and penance: “Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.”
On June 24, 2023, the Dobbs vs. Planned Parenthood Supreme Court decision overturned Roe and returned the authority to regulate abortion to each state, thanks be to God. Nevertheless, there are still over a million abortions that occur each year—mostly through chemical and non-surgical means. In 2024, approximately 1.1 to 1.4 million abortions occurred in the United States, marking a slight increase from 2023, driven partly by tele-health services. The Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood, recorded slightly under 100,000 chemical abortions per month. In 2023, according to Guttmacher, medication abortions or “chemical abortions” accounted for 63% of all abortions in the United States.
In our own state of Nebraska, on Nov. 5, 2024, we passed the ballot initiative “Nebraska Protect Women and Children Initiative,” amending the Nebraska Constitution to ban elective abortions in the second and third trimesters.
While we continue to work to change laws so that babies remain safe in their mother’s wombs, and women are cared for and protected in times of crisis and need, we need to redouble our efforts to continue building, in the words of St. John Paul II, “a culture of life and a civilization of love.” We need to continue to pray and work to change hearts. As it has often been said, the measure of a society is how well it treats its weakest members.
Only God can change hearts, but we know that God listens and answers the prayers of his people. This is why, in all the dioceses of the United States, Jan. 22 is observed as a particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and a day of penance for the violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion.
Beginning Friday, Jan. 16, please join me in praying a special 9 Days for Life Novena, sponsored by the US Bishops. The 9 Days for Life Novena runs from Jan. 16 to Jan. 24, and can be downloaded off the USCCB Pro-Life Secretariat’s website: https://www.usccb.org/resources/9-days-life-novena. We are praying this 9 Days for Life Novena for the protection of all human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life.
We are blessed to have in our city and in our state many programs and initiatives already in place that reach out to mothers and their children: Walking with Moms in Need, Women’s Care Center, Birthright, the Nebraska Pregnancy Care Alliance, and St. Gianna’s, Hearts Restored (post-abortion healing), just to name a few.
Today, I am excited to announce a new initiative called Mater Filius (Mater Filius is Latin for Mother and Child). Mater Filius is a maternity home that provides a tranquil, safe and family-like setting for pregnant mothers in need.
Mater Filius, started in 2003, is a lay association of the faithful, dedicated to supporting women who find themselves pregnant and without the support or resources they need. Mater Filius Lincoln is committed to helping women of all backgrounds who face unexpected pregnancies with housing, transportation, life skills, education, job assistance, health and well-being, child enrichment, graduate support, spirituality, and a path to independence, without costs to mothers.
Mater Filius is thoroughly Catholic and currently has U.S. locations in Omaha, Cincinnati, Colorado Springs, Milwaukee, and in Mexico and other countries. Mater Filius Lincoln is its own 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and will be funded entirely with private donations from generous individuals and families, civic clubs, social organizations and faith communities. Mater Filius Lincoln will begin by renting a house from Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska and hopes to open its doors this year.
Mater Filius Lincoln is actively seeking and praying for an executive director couple to lead and guide the mission, and volunteers to serve on operating committees. To learn more about this exciting new initiative, please go to https://materfiliuslincoln.org.
One of the reasons why I know that Mater Filius will change hearts and create a more intentional culture of life and civilization of love, is because when I was a very young priest, serving as the pro-life director for my home diocese, the Diocese of Wichita, I had the joy of helping start a maternity home for unwed mothers. In 1988, we opened the Gerard House, named after St. Gerard Majella, the patron saint of expectant mothers. It was a joint initiative with the Sisters of St. Joseph, Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother and the Catholic Diocese of Wichita.
To launch the Gerard House, we bought a large old three-story Victorian style house in a very poor neighborhood, gutted it and completely restored the house, with mostly volunteer craftsmen. To furnish and decorate the interior, we invited parishes to “adopt a room” and in turn we would name the room after that particular parish. Not only was it each parish’s responsibility to furnish and decorate a room of the house, but they also took on the upkeep of that room, providing new sheets, pillow cases, etc. when needed. This was a wonderful way to build community and garner the involvement of many Catholic parishes. The Gerard House still exists today, run by the Wichita Children’s Home Inc.
It is my hope and prayer that Mater Filius, like the Gerard House, will build upon the other wonderful pro-life ministries we have in our diocese and in our state, to grow and deepen a culture of life and a civilization of love so that, one day, abortion will not only be illegal, it will be unthinkable!
