January 22 Pro Life Conference Marks Roe v Wade

The Archdiocese of Detroit will host an all-day pro-life conference at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011. The conference, themed "Life is a Gift," will include a keynote address from Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, as well as speeches by experts in the fields of life ethics. It will be from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

"To witness to life is to fill the universal call to holiness, and that witness is the most basic way for a Christian to try to change the world," said Archbishop Vigneron. "The country itself recognizes, in the Declaration of Independence, that we are endowed with rights and that there is an irrevocable gift of life. Our whole culture is rooted in a conviction about the gift of existence."

Topics that will be presented include post-abortion healing for women, sidewalk counseling in front of abortion clinics, decision-making in regards to end-of-life medical and hospice care, and others. Speakers will include Janet Smith, PhD, a national speaker, author and Sacred Heart Major Seminary Chair of Life Ethics; Michael Kenney, J.D., LL.M. VP for Madonna University, a speaker on bio-medical issues and ethics; and Dr. Paul Wright, who served as Blessed Mother Teresa's consulting cardiologist. Archbishop Vigneron also will give a blessing to local high school students and adults who are traveling to the annual March for Life event in Washington, D.C.

Many Catholics in Metro Detroit annually mark the Roe v. Wade anniversary with liturgies, prayer vigils and rallies. Since the 1972 U.S. Supreme Court decision, more than 40 million abortions have been performed legally in the country. This is the archdiocese's first area-wide conference in recent history to mark the anniversary.

Cost to attend the "Life is a Gift" conference is $20 for adults and $15 for students. All money will go toward the cost of the event and support pro-life activities. More details are available by calling (313) 237-4691. Sacred Heart Major Seminary is located at 2701 Chicago Blvd. in Detroit.

Note to media representatives: You are invited to cover this event. Archbishop Vigneron will be available for interview requests. To arrange coverage, please call the archdiocese public relations office at (313) 237-5943.