God can use anything. He can use us in ways that we could never imagine. He uses the things of the world, not just to advance us, but to advance His cause. Who built that stable in Bethlehem anyway? What unknown hands shaped the spot where the Saviour would shelter at his most vulnerable time. Whoever cut those logs could not have known that they would foreshadow different beams 33 years later that would be the cause of our salvation. It is by the things of this world that God points us to the next. This Christmas I would like to remind you that each year brings its own challenges and this year it is no different for the staff and executive at Priests for Life Canada.

It is through your generosity that we have been able to speak to seminarians in Western Canada to rally support, but also to engage in continuing formation of these seminarians. It’s essential for us to speak with these young men who are pursuing their vocations to help form them in the ongoing Culture of Life and to sustain them in what will be a central battle of their priestly ministry. I am encouraged by their zeal.

A major initiative of Priests for Life Canada has been to reach out to new global priests. They come from many backgrounds, languages, and cultures. Our goal is to inform these modern-day missionaries as to the unique pro-life culture of Canada. They may be reluctant to engage in pro-life ministry because of cultural differences, but they come from strong pro-life backgrounds and we can benefit from these strong voices from our pulpits.

Each year, as you know from reading this newsletter, we hire a seminarian as a summer intern. This year we had Greg Vess (Halifax-Yarmouth) contacting various dioceses, new priests and religious orders, as well as helping with our technical support and research. He was an invaluable help and we certainly look forward to his ordination. We need to hire other seminarians this summer. Your donations in this area are essential because we cannot rely on the funding of the Federal summer job grants program because of its pro-abortion ties.

We depend very strongly on our central office with Laurie Eberhardt who is really the core of our operations as our Operation Manager. Whether it’s printing costs, wages, internet, and even old-fashioned stamps - they all come through your donations. Thanks to your help we can reach out to Canada’s deacons, priests, and bishops.

A major part of the work of Priests for Life Canada is to be a resource. Whether taking a call from the bedside of a dying loved one or helping with a hospice crisis, we are ready to give moral guidance to whoever calls. Our next year will also be a busy one speaking at conferences, gathering clergy together in various cities, and visiting seminaries. Thank you for supporting us with your donations and prayers and we would like to ask you to continue. If you are interested in a particular project, please contact us. It is the work of many hands, like yourselves, that will build a new house for the Lord, a true Culture of Life.

Fr. Tom Lynch (PFLC National President)