Winter 2015 newsletter

Partners Report

WINTER 2015

Bringing God‘s Love Behind Bars

62,000 Prisoners See page 2

Serving Those Who Serve

26,000 Service Men and Women See page 4

Speaking Words of Life

6,500 Woman Troubled about a Pregnancy See below

Young Catholics Thriving

7,500 College Students See page 3

“Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did it for me.”

—Matthew 25:40

I

n 2014, your prayers and financial giving helped Word Among Us Partners reach

over 100,000 Catholic men and women in need with the gift of The Word Among Us. Jesus tells us that whatever we do for the least of his brothers and sisters, we do for him. Thank you for generously caring for those in challenging circumstances.

As we begin 2015, join us in praying for those receiving The Word Among Us through Partners. Please also consider beginning 2015 by becoming a Monthly Partner. Even a small monthly gift can have a big impact. Thank you.

—The Partners Team Brendan, Angela, Bryan, Orlando, Maurice, and Sue

Speaking Words of Life and Hope

A

s Catholics, we treasure and pro-

tect God’s gift of life at all its stages.

In January, many of you will pray for the March for Life, and some may even attend it in Washington, D.C. At Partners, we join with thousands of men and women in praying for an end to abortion. We are grateful for the opportunity to support women who are struggling over a pregnancy or grieving after an abortion with the gift of The Word Among Us. You may even know a woman needing help with an unplanned pregnancy. If you do, please encourage her to seek help through a pregnancy center hotline. Heartbeat International sponsors a pregnancy hotline,

and is featured in an article in the January issue of The Word Among Us. The Heartbeat Pregnancy Hotline phone number is 1-800-712-HELP. Speaking Words of Life, continued on page 3

Because of your generous gifts to Partners, 6,500 women receive The Word Among Us every month at pregnancy centers and postabortion ministries.

Bringing God’s Love Behind Bars

Because of your generous

A

s we begin 2015,

Partners is sending free copies of The Word Among Us to 62,000 prisoners.

Because of your generosity, we are now reaching 6,000 more prisoners than last January!

Thank you for sharing the love of God with these men and women. The need is so great.

Even with the many prisoners who receive The Word Among Us through Partners, more than 2,000 remain on our waiting list, hoping to receive The Word Among Us for the first time.

Every October, Partners writes to each prison chaplain or volunteer who receives free copies of The Word Among Us to verify their desire to receive the magazine and adjust their quantities if needed. Many have asked for additional copies. Some have requested free copies of our booklet God Forgives—Can I? The chaplains always remind us to thank you, our donors, for this ministry. Here are some messages of thanks.

• “I would like to thank you for all you have done for me. You have brought me PAGE 2 • PARTNERS

gifts to Partners, 62,000 men and women behind bars receive The Word Among

of us chaplains for making sure this publication continues to serve the men and women behind the fence.”

—Tom, Chaplain, Kentucky

Us every month at prison facilities across the United States and Canada. closer to the Lord and kept me going in my difficult times in prison. When times were hard, I would go back to your daily readings and reread them over and over again. They would bring comfort to me.

I’m happy to say that I’ll be leaving prison next month, and going home to my family. I’ll be bringing The Word Among Us with me, and it will continue to bring all of us closer to the Lord. Thank you with all my heart.”

—Walter, New Jersey • “The men and women in the federal prison system cherish The Word Among Us in both English and Spanish. Please express a big ‘Thank you’ to your supporters from all

• “I was not raised Catholic. A little over a month ago, I was baptized, confirmed, and received my First Holy Communion.

The Word Among Us is one of the best teaching tools that I can get my hands on. It comes faithfully and reliably, so I always have a daily devotional with powerful commentary. It is a valuable and cherished gift to us all behind these prison gates. Thank you for your help in providing them for us.”

— Angel, Florida God is working powerfully behind prison walls. Thank you for sharing The Word Among Us with our incarcerated brothers and sisters in Christ. Please pray for all prisoners, and consider making a gift to Partners so that we can reach the 2,000 prisoners on our waiting list. n WINTER 2015

Sharing Christ on Campus

P

artners’ College Ministry is growing! A total of 6,500 college

students used The Word Among Us during Advent 2014, and their response has been heartwarming. Because of your generosity, our newest ministry is reaching the next

• “It is not easy to find a daily reading resource for college men and women. The Word Among Us was well received and appreciated by our students, who said that it assisted them in preparation for Mass.

There wasn’t one copy left at the exits of

• “I’ve always had trouble reading Scripture. I didn’t get anything out of it. But it was different this time. The Word Among Us gave me a new ‘tool’ in my prayer life.”

—Student, Texas A&M • “The Word Among Us was extremely helpful! I loved having the Mass readings and prayers.” —Student, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio • “The Word Among Us was a great means of spiritual growth for me. It was easy to use, helped me focus on a particular message for each day, and gave me questions to apply to my life.”

—Student, Benedictine College, Kansas

generation of Catholics. Both students and campus chaplains have responded with gratitude to the gift of The Word Among Us. Here are just a few of their comments:

our chapel! Thank you for this very practical resource of evangelization.”

—Fr. Jude D’Angelo, OFM Conv., Chaplain, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

At press time, more than 7,500 college students on 140 campuses will receive The Word Among Us during Lent. Is your son’s or daughter’s college getting free copies of The Word Among Us through Partners? If not, please call Angela at Partners at 1-800-7759673, x2100 with contact information for the campus chaplain.

At Partners, we are excited about what God is doing through the College Ministry.

Join with us in praying that all young people might come to know and experience God’s love and mercy. n

Speaking Words of Life, continued from page 1

Women troubled about a pregnancy often feel frightened and alone. Many face pressure from friends or family to “take care” of their pregnancy by having an abortion. We all can extend the loving arms of Jesus and say to them, “Do not be afraid. God is with you and your baby, and so are we.”

Because of your generous gifts to Partners, 6,500 women receive The Word Among Us every month at pregnancy centers and postabortion ministries. Here are some comments that Partners has received: • “It is with gratitude that I write to thank you for sending us the monthly The Word Among Us magazines. One never knows how the hand of God will touch one of PAGE 3 • PARTNERS

• “The Word Among Us is appreciated more than you can imagine. We are using the copies in our childbirth and parenting classes.” —Ellen, Connecticut

those just picking up the book. Thank you for partnering and sharing with us to share with others.”

—Theresa, California

If you know of a pregnancy center or prolife ministry that would like to receive free copies of The Word Among Us or our booklet After Abortion: God Offers Forgiveness, Healing, and Hope, please have them contact Angela at Partners at 1-800-775-9673, x2100. So many women need to experience God’s love. In union with the whole Church, let us pray for all women, particularly those troubled about a pregnancy. Thank you for helping us to provide women in need with The Word Among Us. n WINTER 2015

Serving Those Who Serve

Partners Prayer Intentions for 2015 Psalm 145:18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

O Lord,

u Protect, comfort, and encourage those serving in the military and their families, and bring them safely home.

u Assure all prisoners of your faithful love and your presence with them, and give them hope to face each day.

u Give courage, hope, and support to all expectant mothers, and reveal your love to them. Help them choose life for their children.

u Pour out your mercy on our sisters and brothers who are suffering after an abortion. Lead them to be reconciled with you, confident of your love and forgiveness.

P

artners’ Ministry to Service Men and Women continues to

reach out to those serving us in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Because of your generosity, 24,000 brothers and sisters in Christ receive The Word Among Us every month in war zones, on ships at sea, in VA hospitals, and on military bases at home and abroad. The men and women at Parris Island in North Carolina recently wrote to Partners, “Thank you for your gift of The Word Among Us to us at Parris Island. The recruits love them and are so grateful to you. They say they now understand why going to church is important and feel they have a ‘real parish family.’ And because of your generosity, these young men and women have a Catholic family that extends beyond Parris Island. Again, our heartfelt and humble thanks to you and The Word Among Us.” —Chaplain, Parris Island Through The Word Among Us, we help these chaplains to bring God’s peace, presence, PAGE 4 • PARTNERS

u Open the hearts of all young people to experience your love, and draw them closer to you in a personal relationship.

Under extremely difficult circumstances and over huge distances, fewer than 250 chaplains heroically serve 1.8 million Catholics worldwide.

and love to more than 400 military locations worldwide every month. The Catholic military personnel include young people from all walks of life who have found a spiritual family through Partners. By your generous gifts to Partners, you are supporting these brothers and sisters in Christ. Yet so many more still need our help.

We invite you in 2015 to take up this call anew. Let us pray for the chaplains and men and women of our military and give thanks for their faithful service. And we invite you to consider making a donation to Partners this month so that together we can bring the love and mercy of God to more and more of our brothers and sisters in Christ. n

Go online to become a Monthly Partner!

Your small monthly gift makes a BIG impact!

waupartners.org

WINTER 2015