Winter 2005 ACTION NEWS | VOL. XXIV No. 1
Other Stories
- Farewell to Fr. Tom Commons: 1920-2004
- Gloria Feldt Resigns as Planned Parenthood Head
- Scheidlers Celebrate WomanCare Center
Farewell to Fr. Tom Commons: 1920-2004
![[Fr. Tom Commons]](other01.jpg)
by Julie McCreevy
On December 29, 2004, Rev. Thomas V. Commons, SVD, a priest for fifty-five years, died after a brief but intense period of suffering.
Fr. Tom was a man who radiated peace, joy, kindness and good humor. He had an intense love for the unborn and could often be found at the Pro-Life Action League offering Mass and visiting.
Father Tom was one of ten children. He was born January 22, 1920, started his studies for the priesthood at age fourteen and spent twenty-five years as a missionary in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. He survived several bouts of malaria and other fevers before his health finally forced him back to the U.S. He spent his last years as a missionary to the unborn, praying outside abortion mills and never once missing a Helpers prayer vigil with our Chicago Bishops.
Fr. Tom's "Pro-Life Weapon"
Once, when Father was praying at the notorious Albany late-term abortion clinic, the police were called by the clinic personnel who claimed that the prayer group had weapons. When the police questioned the pro-lifers, Fr. Tom quietly held up his rosary and told the officers, "Yes, our weapons are right here."
Father's wit and wisdom were gifts from on high, where now we pray his twinkling eyes and welcoming smile are resting on his one true Love, the One to whom he gave his life in order to receive something far greater in return.
Gloria Feldt Resigns as Planned Parenthood Head
by Joseph M. Scheidler
Gloria Feldt, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America for the past eight years, has resigned as president of that lethal organization—lethal because during Feldt's tenure Planned Parenthood performed more than 1,370,000 abortions in its own facilities.
When Feldt became president in 1996 Planned Parenthood's abortion income was about $50 million. In 2004 the abortion income rose to $104 million. In 1996 abortion accounted for 27.6 percent of clinic income. At the end of her tenure it accounted for more than 36 percent of clinic income. During Feldt's presidency, however, affiliates across the country dropped from 147 to 122 and clinics dropped from 938 to 850.
[Back to Top]Picketing Feldt in Arizona
Prior to her appointment as President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Feldt was director of the Planned Parenthood facility in Phoenix, AZ. I picketed her abortion mill during Holy Week in 1996, just before she was named to the national position. Ann and I and our younger children were visiting our daughter, Catherine who was studying at Arizona State University at the time. The whole family joined Arizona Right to Life in a protest at the Phoenix clinic.
There was a large turnout for the protest, which may have been one reason Feldt was happy to leave Arizona for the more hospitable environment of Washington DC. But the nation's capital may no longer be as hospitable a home for Planned Parenthood's philosophy as it was under Bill Clinton in 1996. Perhaps Feldt anticipated a decline in Planned Parenthood's popularity with the Congress, which has traditionally provided the bulk of PP's funding.
Electoral Fallout?
Jim Sedlak, director of American Life League's STOPP Planned Parenthood, says he believes Feldt quit because Planned Parenthood lost so big in the last election. They supported John Kerry, tried unsuccessfully to defeat a parental notification amendment, and fought against defining marriage as between a man and a woman only, which won in all eleven states where it was voted on.
Karen Pearl, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Nassau County in New York, has been announced as interim president.
Thanks to STOPP Planned Parenthood for statistics on Planned Parenthood's facilities and abortion involvement.
[Back to Top]Scheidlers Celebrate WomanCare Center
![[Joe, Laura, Fr. Heyd]](other02.jpg)
From left: Joe Scheidler, Laura Nelson and Fr. Jim Heyd at the WomanCare Services celebration at the Urbik home. [Photo by Ann Scheidler]
On the Feast of the Holy Innocents, December 28, supporters of the WomanCare Services pregnancy resource center in Berwyn, IL gathered at the home of Jerry and Barbara Urbik for a Christmas party and celebration of the successful start of the new center.
Laura Nelson, Director of WomanCare, the counselors and volunteers of the center, as well as the board of directors enjoyed the warm hospitality of the Urbiks. Dr. George Dietz, medical director of WomanCare, and his wife, Helen, were among the guests, as were Joe and Ann Scheidler.
After a delicious dinner, Ember Normad, a WomanCare volunteer, directed a hilarious grab-bag and steal-a-gift gift exchange. A party with a group of pro-lifers is always uplifting and the conversation was lively.
The Urbiks hosted a lunch for forty Face the Truth Tour volunteers last July. Chicago's pro-life community is grateful for their generosity and dedication.
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