Pro-Life Information
The ICD Pro-Life Committee coordinates pro-life activities in our parish. These activities range from prayer, education, provision of real alternatives to abortion, and promotion of public policies which protect the right to life. The committee meets on the third Thursday of each month.
Our next committee meeting is scheduled for January 19th, 2023 at 7pm. Our meetings are held in the Parish Hall South. All are welcome!
For mother's needing help with an unplanned pregnancy, there are many great resources available (Walking with Mom's). For those who have suffered a child loss, you should access the new ICD webpage for information and help regarding matters of reproductive and child loss healing and help https://www.icdparish.org/Organizations/Reproductive-Loss-Ministry.
Upcoming (or past) pro-life events include
1) April 13th, 2021 ICD hosted the bi-monthly STL Archdiocesan Respect Life Apostolate meeting for parish pro-life coordinators.
2) April 14th was the 2021 Midwest March for Life in Jeff City. In addition to pro-life legislators like Lt. Gov Mike Kehoe and Sen. Bob Onder, the featured speakers included Catherine Glenn Foster, CEO of Americans United for Life; Jeanne Mancini, President of National March for Life; Susan Klein, Exec Director & chief lobbyist of Missouri Citizens for Life; Bridget VanMeans, CEO of Thrive Nation; Brian Westbrook, Exec Director of Coalition for Life StL; Reagan Barklage, Regional Dir of Students for Life America, and more! It was a great day at the Capitol.
3) ICD pro-life billboard: ran from April 11th thru May 11th of 2021 off of I-64 westbound, just west of Hwy K (on the right). We had 2 displays in the digital billboard, every minute of every day for 30 consecutive days!
4) Mother's Day baby bottle drive: the weekend of May 8th & 9th, 2021 at ICD, our pro-life committee honored our mother's with a baby bottle drive to benefit the Thrive Express Women's Healthcare pregnancy resource centers in St. Louis & St. Charles county. Thrive had one of their mobile vans in our parking lot after all masses, which has on-board an ultrasound machine to provide immediate assistance to mother's in need.
5) Celebrated our 'Declaration of Independence' of our rights to Life & Liberty on June 30th, 2021 at 7:00pm in the main church with another Patriotic Rosary, once again with music by our ICD Director of Music! It was beautiful (even without lights...)
6) On July 10th, 2021 the ICD Pro-Life Committee and members of the ICD Youth Group jointly hosted a "Pilgrimage of Prayer" at the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Fairview Heights, Ill. After the monthly pro-life mass and the weekly Rosary for the Unborn that morning, we had a caravan of people who joined in this important time of prayer -- directly where the unborn are at most risk!
7) October 3rd, 2021 was our annual "Life Chain" Sunday in O'Fallon 2:00pm-3:00pm: in front of the Grace Community Church on Mexico Rd to 'stand up' and pray for preserving the sanctity of Life. Approximately 120 to 140 people participated in this prayer event!
8) Oct 9th, 2022 was our "ICD Day" for the Fall 2022 '40 Days for Life' campaign in front of the Planned Parenthood clinic on Forest Park Ave (just a few blocks from the St Louis Cathedral Basilica). It was a beautiful day, and a solid turn-out of ICD parishioners (including our new Youth Minister and several high schoolers!).
9) October 17th, 2021 was the STL Respect Life Annual Convention at the Ritz Carlton in Clayton. Keynote speakers included Archbishop Naumann, along with Catherine Glenn Foster (CEO of Americans United for Life).
10) November 7th, 2022 was our most recent ICD Patriotic Rosary Prayers & music event, at 7:00pm in the Main church. This one was specifically focused on remembering and praying for our ICD vets, with Veterans Day coming on November 11th; but it was also the evening before the 2022 general elections. Once again, we were blessed with beautiful patriotic hymns performed and sung by our ICD Music Director, Tina Bishop (along with Mayor Gotway's wife, Chris)!
11) January 3rd, 2023 (started in July 2021), the ICD Pro-Life Committee is encouraging parishioners to join us in a once-a-month hour of Adoration at the ICD Chapel to pray for an increase in respect for all Life! This will occur the 1st Tuesday of each month, from 11:00am-12:00pm
12) January 14th, 2023 will be our next ICD monthly Pro-Life mass in the Chapel at 8:00am. We are also having a weekly Rosary for the Unborn after every Saturday morning mass (8:30am).
13) January 14, 2023 will also be the FIRST St. Louis Archdiocesan 'Celebration of Life' Mass at the Cathedral Basilica to celebrate the June 24, 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade, and to continue to pray for an end to abortion throughout America.
14) January 19-27, 2023 will be a "9 Day Novena for Life" as recommended by the USCCB. All ICD parishioners (individuals as well as their families) are encouraged to say these brief daily prayers & read the reflections to pray for greater respect for Life (www.usccb.org/resources/9-days-life-novena).
15) January 19-20, 2023 will be the annual USCCB National Prayer Vigil, live-streamed from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC on the eve of the annual March for Life. This event began with a Chaplet of Divine Mercy, then mass from the Basilica, and then holy hours from D.C. and across the country (throughout the night).
16) January 19th, at 5:00pm, will be our annual ICD "March & Rosary for Life" in front of the ICD Chapel. Our parish priests generally join us for the closing rosary.
17) March 8, 2023 will be the next Missouri Right to Life's "Pro-Life Action Day". We will meet at the state capitol in Jefferson City to encourage our state legislators to pass pro-life legislation.
18) April 16, 2023 will be the Our Lady's Inn "Angel Gala" at Old Warson CC (details will be forthcoming).
19) April 26, 2023 will be the annual Midwest March for Life in Jefferson City.
18) April 29, 2023 will be the annual "March to the Arch", sponsored by Coalition Life (St. Louis).
19) March 26, 2022 was ICD Day as part of the spring '40 Days for Life' campaign -- from 7am to 7pm in front of the LAST Planned Parenthood clinic in Missouri on Forest Park Ave (just a few blocks from the Cathedral Basilica)! Thanks for the great turn-out!!! We had all 3 of our priests there plus one deacon, and many parishioners came with their families (lots of children is always the perfect witness for LIFE).
20) May 8, 2022 Mother's Day Rose sale at ICD was a huge success!! We sold out of roses (and made LOTS of mothers very happy).
21) May 15, 2022 ICD "Roe v. Wade" movie day, 2:00pm-4:30pm in the Parish Hall South was also a big success (with 60 to 70 people attending the movie). A special guest speaker opened this event, Jasha McQueen. Jasha is a member of the Missouri Right to Life board, as well as an amazing pro-life attorney who has been specializing in legal cases to save "frozen embryos" from destruction. She has done legal work for this film's producer (Nick Loeb), and even has a minor role in this movie!
22) May 21st, 2022 8:00am "Helpers Mass" at the STL Cathedral Basilica, with ICD's Fr. Lampe as the presiding priest for mass was followed by a rosary procession to the Planned Parenthood clinic on Forest Park Ave.
23) June 3rd-5th, 2022 was (once again) the annual ICD Picnic!! The pro-life committee had our booth at the event, as usual, that included for the 1st time our new ICD 'Reproductive Loss Healing' ministry. Thanks so much to the dozen volunteers that helped out this year!
24) June 28th, 2022 at 7:00pm was our most recent Patriotic Rosary in the Main church. It's a beautiful rosary event praying for all 50 states and our government officials. We were lead in the singing of classic patriotic hymns by our new ICD music director, Tina Bishop! All were invited to come pray for our country, and thank God for our blessings (including family & friends!).
25) September 7 was the 2022 Missouri Right to Life annual dinner event at the St. Charles Convention Center. Special guests and speakers this year were Tim Tebow (former NFL quarterback), and Archishop Naumann. We had EXCELLENT ICD support and attendance, including Msgr Ted sponsoring a table of St. Dominic high school football players!
26) Sept 30, 2023 will be the next annual Thrive Nation dinner event at the St. Charles Convention Center. As usual, these are spectacular!
27) October 1, 2023 will be the annual Life Chain Sunday prayer event in O'Fallon.
28) October 15, 2022 was the annual Respect Life Apostolate pro-life convention at the Sheraton Westport that featured OUTSTANDING speakers from around the country (eg. Angela Minter - founder of Sisters for Life, Lisa Rowe - CEO of Support After Abortion, Dr. Kathleen Berchelmann - founder of MyCatholicDoctor, Jasha McQueen - founder of Embryo Defense Fund, as well as the keynote speaker Karen Gaffney - founder of her own foundation dedicated to championing the cause of people born with Downs Syndrome, like herself (who was the 1st person with DS to swim the English Channel, Lake Tahoe, and so much more)! It was an incredible day of information...and inspiration.
29) October 27, 2022 was the most recent Vitae Foundation dinner in St. Charles featuring Abby Johnson. As usual, it was incredibly powerful!