Posted on 01/17/2004 7:25:32 PM PST by Pyro7480
I have a weekly custom. On most Saturdays, I travel from my house just outside of Alexandria, board a Metro train, and ride to the Catholic University of America stop for daily Mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Today, I was running a bit late, due to the fact that I got out of bed late, so I skipped taking a shower, got dressed, and made my way to the train station. It takes about an hour to get the Brookland/CUA Metro stop from where I live.
I stood up and walked to the door of the train as it was pulling up to the station. The church is visible from the station. I knew I had about 10 minutes to walk up a hill to the church. But I stopped briefly as an advertisement, which was hung on one of the bench shelters at the station, caught my eye.
The main tagline for the ad stated, "Good Catholics Use Condoms." I was horrified to see such a statement at this Metro station, which is used by hundreds of Catholic University students every day, most of whom are Catholic. The station is also frequented by people who visit the Shrine for Mass and prayer. I also noticed that the advertisement was sponsored by the Catholic dissenters' organization "Catholics for a Free Choice," which is well-known for its pro-abortion stance. It was something that someone shouldn't have to see when they're making their way to Mass.
After Mass, I made my way back to the Metro station for the return trip home. As I was making my way back down the hill, I noticed that a train pulling into the station that was heading in the direction that I needed to take. I was just going to miss this train, so I knew I had some time to take a closer look at the advertisement. I pulled a pen and piece of paper out of my backpack and wrote down what it said.
The advertisement features a close-up photograph of a young man and woman smiling. It also features a mission statement of sorts of the so-called "Catholics for a Free Choice." It states (with my own commentary):
We believe in God.(If you really believed in God, you wouldn't be pro-abortion.)
We believe that sex is sacred.(If you believed this, you wouldn't be advocating the use of contraception.)
We believe in caring for each other.(I guess your list doesn't include unborn children.)
We believe in using condoms.(Tell us something we didn't know already).
In the lower right-hand corner of the ad, it had the slogan "Good Catholics use condoms," which I saw as I disembarked from the train earlier, and the website address for the organization. I also noticed that in smaller print, it said "Public Media Center," which is probably the organization that designed the advertisement.
As I waited for the next train, and during my trip home, I thought about the strategic position and timing of this offensive advertisement. The ad obviously was flaunting CFFC's opposition to Catholic Church teaching. But there is also something else about it that is very insidious. This was the only place that I had seen the advertisement, out of a number of Metro stations that it could have been placed at.
Also, in the upcoming week, on January 22nd, tens of thousands of people will be filing through that station on the way to the annual March for Life. Catholic University is a rendezvous point for pro-life activists where they can get off their buses, pray for a while, attend Mass, and then travel to the rally point on the National Mall for the March. The majority of the marchers, from my own experience as a veteran of the March, are young Catholic, from grade school students to people in their twenties. This adverstisement is going to scandalize everyone who sees it.
It is quite apparent what "Catholics for a Free Choice" tactics are in this instance. Someone there knows that these pro-lifers were coming, and they took it upon themselves to place this ad where thousands are going to see it, spreading evil in its wake with the possibility of misleading Catholics who don't know any better, and by giving scandal to those who do. The connection between contraception (such as condom use) and abortion is well-documented.
Catholic who are "in the know" are aware of the evil intentions of "Catholics for a Free Choice." But there is also cause for hope. Those who will see the condom ad at the CUA Metro stop are also likely to see another ad sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, which is on many of the Metro trains. It features the pro-life slogan, "Women Deserve Better Than Abortion." More people will probably be converted by this campaign than the CFFC one. Pro-life Catholic must remain vigilant, and educate their brethren about Church teaching, because of the influence of organizations like CFFC.
Who are you talking about? I wrote this article, and I am a 23 year old male.
No accident Pyro. More people lose their faith or nearly lose their faith (myself included) in the college years. CFC knows that. If the kids look at that sign every single day the message will imprint in their subconscious in a short period of time. Most people don't have the grounding in faith to withstand the onslaught of the material world.
You do realize the 'choice' in Catholics for a Free Choice is abortion, do you not? You do recall what Scripture says, what Christ taught and what the Church has taught for 2000 years about harming the innocent?
LOL! I guess some people have low expectations for male prose. How does one "stiffen" prose? Excite it? ;-)
Who you trying to kid? Free choice, condom using, none of your damn business Catholics don't need to snap mackeral any more.
They gave up Fish on Fridays when they gave up the rest of the Faith. They just refuse to give up the title "Catholic." Which is the only "Catholic" thing about them.
Sounds like that could be an add for any secular organization!
Why do you call yourself a Catholic?
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