South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 13, Ed. 1 Friday, September 17, 2010 Page: 1 of 24
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South Texas Catholic
WWW.SOUTHTEXASCATHOLIC.COM NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF CORPUS CHRISTI VOL. 45 NO. 13 SEPTEMBER 17, 2010
IWA and JP1I
High School
leaders meet for
all day retreat.
Page 19
St. Anthony
in Violet
celebrates
centennial.
Page 6
Mary Cottingham for South Texas Catholic
Pearl Wigfall hands over 9-month old Alonzo to his
mother, Yuriana Belmon, at the Grand Opening of
The Stork's Home.
‘Stork’s Home’ new
addition to The Ark
By Mary Cottingham
South Texas Catholic
The Ark, located in Calallen, has been
home to 26-vear-old Yuriana Belmon for
much of her life, so it came as no surprise to
staff members at The Ark Assessment Center
and Emergency Shelter for Youth when she
appeared at the Aug. 25 Grand Opening of
The Stork's Home after much of the media
had left. Belmon spent much of her youth in
and out of the facility.
The Ark is a project of the Missionary Sis-
ters of Jesus, Mary and Joseph first dedicat-
ed to Msgr. Robert E. Freeman, P.A. on May
15, 2002. Its mission is to provide a caring
home for abused and neglected infants and
children, as young as one-day old through
17 years of age by placing them in a secure
environment. The children stay for as little
as one-day to 90 consecutive days. Many of
the children are in the foster care system for
the first time, while some have been in the
system for a while.
When children are removed from their
homes by Children's Protective Sendees they
are taken to The Ark which then provides
food, clothing, shelter, unconditional love,
security and understanding. It is the only li-
censed facility within an 80-mile radius that
is contracted by the state
The Ark only housed abused and neglected
children for up to 90 days when Belmon was
growing up. Sometimes residents of the Ark
return to their immediate family or are sent
to live with other relatives. Adoption is also a
possibility". Sometimes Children's Protective
Services takes the children and youth back
See STORK HOME, page 24
40 Days for Life kicks off
Grassroots effort seeks an end to abortion
Abortions in Coastal Bend,
2001 and 2008
ARANSAS
43
48
11.6%
BEE
57
56
-1.8%
BROOKS
20
25
25.0%
DUVAL
26
36
38.5%
JIM WELLS
95
134
41.1%
KENEDY
0
1
-
KLEBERG
88
123
39.8%
LIVE OAK
18
17
-5.6%
MCMULLEN
3
1
-66.7%
NUECES
1,018
1,212
19.1%
REFUGIO
17
11
-35.3%
SAN PATRICIO
147
118
-19.7%
TOTAL
1,532 r
1,782
16.3%
Source: Texas Department of State Health Services, 2010
Bv Alfredo E. Cardenas
South Texas Catholic
Today, five children from within
the geographic confines of the Dio-
cese of Coipus Christi were abort-
ed. Before Christmas 2010, anoth-
er 325 babies will lose their future
to an abortionist’s hands.
These of course are estimates, for
no one can foretell the future. They
are estimates based on real num-
bers.
According to the Texas Depart-
ment of State Health Sendees,
1,532 abortions were procured in
the 12-county Coastal Bend area
in 2008—the most recent year for
which figures are available. Two
thirds, 1,018, of these abortions
were secured by women residing in
Nueces County. And while the fo-
cus of pro-life activities are based
in the city, another 514 women in
the 11 rural counties also had abor-
tions in 2008.
In 1974, Pope Paul VI ratified the
Declaration on Procured Abortion
developed by the Sacred Congrega-
tion for the Doctrine of the Faith,
which declares that, “One can
never approve of abortion; but it
is above all necessary to combat its
causes. This includes political ac-
tion...”
Catholics and other kindred spir-
its in the pro-life movement begin
40 Days for Life on Sept. 22 and
will continue until Oct. 31, just be-
fore the general elections. In elec-
tion years, the 40 Days for Life is
held twice, once during Lent and
a second time 40 days before the
See 40 DAYS, page 24
Matt Cardenas for South Texas Catholic
Centurions open historic season
John Pauli II football got off to a competitive start with a win and
two losses as the Centurions prepare for their first race in Texas
Association of Private and Parochial Schools competition. Quar-
terback Blake McKensie (#18) is at the helm. (See story Page 21)
RCIA prepares
new Catholics
(Editor's note: This is the first in a series of articles on the RCIA
process. Cottingham will participate in the entire RCIA process
until participants are received into the Church during Easter
services 2011.)
By Mary Cottingham
South Texas Catholic
“Can I get married in the church if I have
never been confirmed,” asked one woman
at the Cathedral Rite of Christian Initia-
tion of Adults (RCIA) class which began
on Wednesday, Aug. 25 and will run until
Easter 2011 when participants will be fully
initiated into the Catholic Church.
This question, as well as many others,
was directed to Anna Peterson, principal of
See RCIA, page 3
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Cardenas, Alfredo E. South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 13, Ed. 1 Friday, September 17, 2010, newspaper, September 17, 2010; Corpus Christi, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth855768/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .