Father Schawe named Coordinator for Pro-Life Activities

In the next issue of the Register, Father Schawe is placing a postcard that recipients can sign and send to their senator, urging them "not to use support for Roe v Wade as a litmus test when voting on federal judges."

"We’re letting them know that they shouldn’t give in to the pressure being put on them," Father Schawe said. "And they are receiving pressure. We want them to know they have support on other side."

Federal representatives who favor legalized abortion have urged senators to discard a pro-Roe litmus test. Edward Lazarus, the author of Roe v. Wade, and former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, noted that, "Roe borders on the indefensible." He said that when Senators "oppose a judicial appointment because of the nominee's opposition to Roe, they not only endorse but make a litmus test out of one of the most intellectually suspect constitutional decisions of the modern era."

As Coordinator of Pro-life Activities, Father Schawe sees as one of his primary tasks the mobilization of the Hispanic community. "We’re talking about a group that is so pro-life," he said. "How can we bring them into the realm of pro-life activity?"

The task was also at the top of a wish list provided Father Schawe by Bishop Ronald M. Gilmore upon his appointment.

"It’s important to him and to me," Father Schawe said. "When I think about the title of ‘coordinator,’ it makes more sense. In terms of Hispanic community, I will also be finding people to serve in leadership roles."

While the political realm always seems to offer reason for activism, Father Schawe said that pro-life activity also has to do with "how we live; how we raise our family; our spiritual lives."

Another group he intends to mobilize is the youth, which polls show are "more and more pro-life – more recognizing of the dignity of all life.

"We have young families, young adults, and high school students," he said. "The question is how they can live a life of pro-life commitment in the midst of our diocese."

Where Father Schawe takes his role of coordinator from here – what specific activities will be implemented -- is uncertain, as the position is only a few weeks old. But also on Bishop Gilmore’s list was to Father Schawe was the invitation to be creative, to use his talents to take this life-saving and affirming role to wherever his creativity takes him.