Ever heard of Tim Tebow?  After Super Bowl XLIV airs this Sunday, not many will forget him, or the heroic choice of his mother, Pam.Quarterback (QB) Tebow has already made broken records: He is the first sophomore in history to win a Heisman trophy, the first college football player both to rush and pass for 20 touchdowns in a season, and, last year, he led the Florida Gators to win their second national championship in three years.

As one news reporter sums up, “At 6 feet 3 inches and 245 pounds, Tim Tebow may go down in history as the greatest college football player who ever lived.”

But Anti-life abortion rights activists are not singing his praises.

A new Super Bowl ad-he first ever produced by Focus on the Family for the airing during the game-features the history-making Tebow and his mom. Grateful that his mother did not abort him during her difficult pregnancy, in spite of strong encouragement from doctors to do so, In just 30 seconds, mother and son give powerful witness to the importance of family and the infinite value of each individual human life.

High profile attorney and pro-abortion advocate Gloria Allred wasted no time threatening CBS with a lawsuit and claiming the ad is misleading and may therefore violate Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines. Focus on the Family says otherwise.

Jim Daly, president and CEO of Focus on the Family, said the chance to partner with the Tebows and lift up a meaningful message about family and life comes at the right moment in the culture, because “families need to be inspired.”

“Tim and Pam share our respect for life and our passion for helping families thrive,” Daly said. “They live what we see every day - that the desire for family closeness is written on the hearts of every generation. Focus on the Family is about nurturing that desire and strengthening families by empowering them with the tools they need to live lives rooted in morals and values.”

Daly added that all the funds to air the ad came from a handful of “very generous and committed friends” who donated specifically to support the project. No money from the ministry’s general fund was used.

According to Focus on the Family, the Tebows agreed to appear in the commercial because the issue of life is one they feel very strongly about.

Daly chuckled at some of the “will-they-or-won’t-they?” speculation in the media about whether Focus would indeed create a Super Bowl ad.

“Now that the ad has been shot, we’re excited to tell people it’s coming, because the Tebows’ story is such an important one for our culture to hear,” he said. “You won’t want to miss it.”

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NBC-TV and CNN rejected a powerful pro-life ad created for airing during Sunday’s Super Bowl game.  Called “Imagine Spot 1,” the was created by Chicago-based Fidelis organization and features unforeseen destiny of one unborn child whose future looks bleak-abandoned by his father, raised by a struggling single mother, and, yet, who eventually becomes President of the United States.

According to a report in UPI, Brian Burch, president of Fidelis, said NBC originally responded to the group’s desire to run the spot with a proposal for a package costing $1.5 million to $1.8 million.

Burch says after his members pledged “significant dollars” for the project, NBC changed its mind.

See the ad here.

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The Catholic Business Hour radio Host Dick Lyles will disuss how to Fulfill your Promise using your God-given talents to achieve your fullest potential in life and business.  Listen live on Saturday morning, February 6, from 11 a.m. to Noon EST (8 a.m. - 9 a.m. PST), on the EWTN Global Catholic Network, which includes 130 AM/FM stations nationwide, Sirius 160 and online at www.ewtn.com/radio.

The Catholic Business Hour is sponsored by: Andrew at AdvantageTech, a national IT placement firm, at www.advantageTech.NET, by the Population Research Institute, putting people first, at www.pop.org, and by Alpha and Omega Processing, the first and last relationship you’ll ever need for electronic payments, at www.aopsales.com.

To find a radio station near you, go to www.EWTN.com/radio/amfm.htm.

To listen live online on Saturday, go to www.EWTN.com/radio.

To call-in to the show, the Toll Free call in number is: 1-877-573-7825.

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What does “Catholic Schools Week” have to do with my business, my business decisions, my life today?  Plenty!  In fact, this year’s tagline for the week, Dividends for Life, answers the question broadly.

Catholic schools are right now forming our future community and Church leaders.  Through the years, these venerable institutions have formed and shaped the thinking, habits and budding faith of Hollywood movie stars, local, state and national elected representatives, including at least one U.S. President, corporate CEOs for some of the largest companies in the world, teachers, headmasters, artists, managers, priests, parents, religious sisters, marketers, farmworkers, entrepreneurs and employees in every industry possible.

Just imagine what a difference it would in our businesses and politics today, including the issue of pro-death vs. pro-life, if all the current leaders who attended Catholic schools had remained fully obedient to the principles of the Catholic faith!  The world, our nation, even the way business leaders treat others, would be a very different place wouldn’t it?  After all, Catholic schools indeed are vested with the responsibility to deliver dividends for life!

Here are a few excellent new resources that greatly enrich Catholic education.  Peruse these new resources.  Maybe something will strike a chord in you to learn more.  Spread the word.  It’s time to do our part as Catholic business professionals to fan the fires of Catholic education!

Catholic Schools Textbook Project:  Beginning with its beautiful, well-written, four-color history textbooks, written specifically for Catholic schools and already used in Catholic schools in all 50 states and in English-speaking locations throughout the world, this is one of the most exciting Catholic schools projects to come along in years.  A new history textbook series for Catholic schools has not been written in nearly 50 years!!    The impact on Catholic culture for the long run is enormous since each of its history textbooks integrate saints of the era, the historic contribution of religious orders, saints, Catholic men and women throughout the centuries are included.  Investment opportunities are still available.  Go to the Catholic Schools Textbook website to learn more about the project.

The Institute for Catholic Education:  Offering unique and profoundly faith-integrated  formation, training and an annual academic summer retreats for Catholic educators, this nonprofit is restoring true Catholic identity to Catholic schools all over the country. Go to The Institute for Catholic Liberal Education website for more information.

Fearless Fundraisers:  Providing exceptional, proven successful fundraising products that have passed a stringent ethical accountablity litmus test, this new company hels schools and nonprofits raise muc needed funds.  learn more on the FearlessFundraisers website.

Michael Van Hecke, founder of the Catholic Schools Textbook Project, the seasoned headmaster of a thriving Catholic school in Ventura, Calif., and previoiusly of schools in Arizona and Texas, and Andrew Seeley, executive director of The Institute for Catholic Liberal Education and a veteran professor at Thomas Aquinas College, discuss the revitalization of Catholic Education on The Good Fight radio show with show host Barbara McGuigan.

The live, call-in show begins with the story of a saint whose life is inspirational to the guests to be interviewed on the program.  In this podcast of the show, you’ll hear an introduction on the powerful, everyday life of St, John Bosco, and then segue into a lively discussion on Catholic education between Mr.Van Hecke, Mr. Seeley, and Barbara McGuigan.  To hear or download the MP3 podcast, go here.

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Throwing good money at a poorly run institution isn’t necessarily the best form of charity, not even if the charity in question is a wonderful, long-standing but struggling Catholic school. Yes, of course, throw some money to help with much-needed cashflow, but Catholic business leaders bring much more than money to the Catholic schools table. These business leaders are uniquely qualified to apply both their passion for the Faith and the success of the institution, and their considerable business savvy, to the table. Many do this by serving as a member of a board of trustees. A few do even more. Tim Busch is such a person.Spurred by the educational needs of his young family, Mr. Busch set about creating what has since become a model for Catholic-business partnership. William McGurn, in his recent Wall Street Journal article “Down but Not Out in Catholic Suburbia,” gives an excellent recap of Mr. Busch’s successful integration of business expertise with Catholic education… READ THE WSJ STORY HERE

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Tune in Saturday morning, January 30, 2010, from 11 a.m. to Noon EST (8 a.m. - 9 a.m. PST) to The Catholic Business Hour live, call-in radio show as host Dick Lyles interviews Andrew Marquardt, CEO of AdvantageTECH, a nationwide IT placement and sourcing firm and a lawyer well-versed in employment law, discusses Catholic Leadership: Three Moral Truths.

Show host Dick Lyles, a seasoned business entrepreneur, and author or co-author of eight books including the best seller, Winning Ways, is also a columnist for the Catholic Business Journal, and CEO of Leadership Legacies and of Origin Entertainment.

The Catholic Business Hour is sponsored in part by: Andrew at AdvantageTech, a national IT placement firm, at www.advantageTech.NET, and by the Population Research Institute, putting people first, at www.pop.org.

To find a radio station near you, go to www.EWTN.com/radio/amfm.htm.

To listen live online on Saturday, go to www.EWTN.com/radio.

To call-in to the show, the Toll Free call in number is: 1-877-573-7825.

The Catholic Business Hour airs weekly on Saturday mornings on the EWTN Global Catholic Network, which includes 130 AM/FM stations nationwide, Sirius 160 and online at www.ewtn.com/radio. The show is produced by the Catholic Business Journal, and is rebroadcast Saturday evenings 10-11PM EST (7-8PM PST).

By Mark McElrath

Saturday January 23^rd was the date of the sixth annual West Coast Walk for Life, officially known as “Walk for Life WC”.  This year’s event drew by far, the largest crowd in history of the event and estimates pegged the total number at just over 40,000 participants.  The City of St Francis was alive with Pro-Life spirit and it took the shape of every age, race, gender and socio-economic status imaginable—including a blind walker led along the 2-plus mile route by two companions, and several individuals walking with canes and a limp. As one participant with a cane told me, “Yes it’s painful, but worth it! We’re speaking for those who never got a chance to speak, let alone walk!”   But that’s not all…

College students bused in from Wyoming, Oregon, Nevada, New Mexico, Southern California and all parts in between.  Religious orders were represented in force and included diocesan priests and seminarians, more than six Bishops!, women religious from such recognizable habits as the Missionaries of Charity, the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, the Sisters of Life and the Carmelites.  The overwhelming witness to life, however, clearly belonged to the laity, whose not-so-silent witness was evident the sheer size of their collective presence.

I arrived with others late the night before the Saturday Walk for Life, and after a quick dinner in the North Beach (Italian) section of town,  made my way to the majestic Sts. Peter and Paul church on the edge of North Beach to join the Sisters of Life in a guided meditation on Life and Love before Our Lord in Eucharist Adoration.  And I was not alone.  This night, hundreds braved the cold and rain to pay a visit to Our Lord to beg Him for support on our walk the next day.

Pre-walk prayers continued during all-night Eucharistic adoration.  The beautiful ethnic parish could not have been more perfectly suited for the devotion.  Splendid artwork from early in the previous century adorns the  grand parish walls and The Presence was exposed in a stunning sunburst monstrance.  the darkened church nave, drew your gaze to the altar.  Lifting your heart in prayer for the millions who were not given the chance to pray,  One could not help but understand that all good works must begin with prayer

Saturday morning the Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption was the location for the beginning of the day’s events.  Archbishop George Niederauer was the principal concelebrant in a Eucharistic celebration that included Bishop Salvatore Cordelione from Diocese of Oakland, Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, Auxiliary Bishops  Ignatius Wong and William Justice from San Francisco and Dominic Luong from the Diocese of Orange.  Fr Frank Pavone of Priests for Life was spotted amidst the dozens of priests concelebrating this special mass.

A Powerful sermon underscored the day’s beginning

Archbishop Niederauer preached very effectively, drawing an obvious comparison for that day’s work with that day’s gospel which was Mark 3:20-21.  In this reading, Jesus’ relatives, when confronted with the reality of his overwhelming  popularity, so much so that the crowds pressed in from every side making it impossible for him even to eat, responded with disgust.  Their response to the unbelievable scene, “He is out of his mind.”

As a pro-lifer, I can testify first-hand that this same attitude comes from family and friends not yet convinced of either the morality or the critical importance of the Pro-Life movement. is not unique.  What was unique was the pressing throng, the crowd, surrounding Jesus.   And so it was as we headed to the rally preceding the walk; the pressing crowd alone gave wordless witness to the morality and the importance of our efforts.

The unexpected throng, pressing from every side

When we gathered at the Ferry Building, a famous San Francisco landmark located just off the Embarcadero, it was a sight to behold!  Wall-to-wall people, despite the heavy rain that had been falling over California for the better part of a week.  Thousands upon thousands stood side by side in the mud.  Uncomplaining, we braved the rain and listened attentively as we heard from Fr Joseph Fessio SJ of Ignatius Press, Abby Johnson the former Planned Parenthood Clinic  Director from Bryan, Texas, who was converted to the truth of abortion through the efforts of 40 Days for Life, Lila Rose the undercover investigator who has blown the doors off Planned Parenthood clinic’s duplicitous efforts to cover up perpetrators of statutory rape, Paul Genoux-Defermont the leader of the Paris Walk for Life that drew over 25,000 French and European pro-lifers to the City of Lights.

The walk and the metaphor

And then it was the walk itself.  2.6 miles along the beautiful San Francisco Bay under a most brilliant post-rain sunshine.  The Golden Gate Bridge shone like a beacon, a beautiful metaphor for what we must cross, a Threshold of Hope, to the day when abortion will be relegated to the same ash heap of history that American slavery has been deposited into.

Two and a half hours of trekking later, we arrived at the Marina Green where various apostolates had set up information booths, Immaculate Heart Radio sponsored a concert and speakers such as courageous Evangelical Rev. Walter Hoyes and Fr Frank Pavone encouraged the crowd with talks on the effectiveness of our 37-plus years of pro-life witness.

The Marina Green looked like a giant family reunion picnic where relatives had a chance to catch up on the various comings and goings since the last time the clan had gathered.  Meanwhile, the transportation busses began to roll, taking home the college students, the grandparents, the home school families, the young urban professionals, all of whom were clearly inspired and motivated by the large public gathering of like-minded individuals and who surely felt interiorly strengthened, realizing they are not alone in standing for the unborn.  We have each other and, most importantly, we have Jesus Christ.

For my part, I was reminded of another public throng, 31 years ago, when a Polish Bishop came and stood on a famous balcony in Rome and boldly admonished us, “Be Not Afraid!”

Related articles: 

Up to 400,000 participate in 37th Annual March for Life in D.C.

March for Life 2010 - Pro Life Blogs

Walk for Life WC blog photos

March for Life 2010 video

World Population Going From Boom to Bust

by Father John Flynn, Jan. 24, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The United Nations has just published a report drawing attention to the problems being created due to a rapidly aging world population. Just after the start of the New Year the Department of Economic and Social Affairs published its “World Population Aging 2009″ report.

Among the main findings of the report were the following points.

• The current aging is without any parallel in history. By 2045 the number of persons over 60 is expected to exceed those under the age of 15. In the more developed regions, where aging is advanced, this situation was already reached in 1998.

•  Today the median age for the world is 28 years, with half the world’s population above that age and half above it. By mid-century the median age will likely reach 38 years.

•  Aging is affecting nearly all the countries of the world, due to reductions in fertility that have become almost universal.

•  Aging will have a major impact on economic growth, savings, investment, labor markets, and taxation.

•  Because fertility levels are unlikely to rise again to the high levels of the past population aging is irreversible and the young populations that were common until recently are likely to become rare during the twenty-first century.

• Worldwide there are currently about 9 persons of working age to support older persons. By 2050 this will drop to four, with serious implications for pension schemes. As well, the current economic crisis brought about sharp reductions in the value of pension funds.

 Further reports

Other recent U.N. reports have examined more in depth demographic problems in individual countries. A study by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), titled “Russia Facing Demographic Challenges,” predicted the population will continue to shrink, the Associated Press reported Oct. 4.

According to the UNDP Russia’s population has fallen by 6.6 million since 1993, despite the influx of millions of immigrants. The report warned that by 2025 the country could lose a further 11 million people.

The consequences of such a reduction will be labor shortages, an aging population and slower economic growth, according to the UNDP. In 2007 Russia had the world’s ninth-largest population. By 2050, the U.N. estimates, Russia will be at no. 15 in the list, with a population smaller than that of Vietnam.

Russia needs to cut its high abortion rate to help reverse the population decline, warned the countries’ Health Minister Tatyana Golikova, reported Agence France Presse, Jan. 18.

Golikova said that in 2008 there were 1.714 million births in Russia and 1.234 million abortions.

In their Jan. 20 analysis of Golikova’s statement the think tank Stratfor noted that, while the minister announced that in 2009 there had been a slight increase, of between 15,000 to 25,000 in Russia’s population, this was due to one-off causes.

The increase was due in part to government incentives for Russians to return to their country from the former Soviet republics. After several years of such immigration the number of Russians willing to return home is rapidly diminishing.

Another cause of the slight increase in population is that the 20-29 year old age group accounts for around 17% of the population and has proved to be quite fertile. The generation born after this group is, however, much smaller.

Missing girls

While Vietnam may be set to surpass Russia, there too abortion is causing severe problems, according to a report dated August 2009, published by the United Nations Population Fund.

The Study, “Recent Change in the Sex Ratio at Birth in Vietnam: A Review of Evidence,” examined the problem of sex-selective abortions. Normally the sex ratio at birth (defined as the number of boys being born per one hundred girls), is between 104-106/100.

This ratio, the report explained is, under normal circumstances, quite stable over time, across geographical regions, continents, countries and races.

Studies on sex rations have revealed an unexpected change, starting in the 1980’s in some Asian countries, the U.N. agency commented. “Along with declining fertility, this trend tends to spread throughout countries with large populations in Asia, thus threatening global demographic stability,” the report continued.

In Vietnam the sex ratio at birth for 2006 stood at 110/100 male births. According to the report the change in the ratio started about a decade ago and is currently increasing at around one point a year. So at the current rate of change the ratio might cross the 115 mark in a few years from now, the report stated.

If this trend is not reversed UNFPA warned that by 2025 Vietnam will have a significant surplus male population which will have many implications for the country, and will particularly affect the young adult population at time of marriage.

The “missing girls” phenomenon is well-known in China and a recent report confirmed the continuing practice of sex-selective abortion. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said that there could be more than 24 million men unable to find a bride by the end of this decade, the Times newspaper reported Jan. 12.

The report blamed the imbalance on China’s one-child policy. The use of ultrasound scans has enabled the abortion of female fetuses as parents try to ensure that the only child they are permitted will be able to carry on the family line.

“The problem is more serious in rural areas due to the lack of a social security system,” the report said. “Aging farmers have to rely on their offspring” it noted.

According to the Times article one Chinese expert says that by 2006 the sex ratio had risen to 120/100.

Shrinking

Meanwhile, in neighboring Japan the population continues to decline. An editorial published Jan. 15 in the Japan Times newspaper pointed out that estimates from the nation’s Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry calculate that in 2009 the population shrank by 75,000, which is 1.46 times the decrease marked in 2008.

According to the editorial the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research estimates that Japan’s population will dip below 100 million in 2046, below 90 million in 2055. The current population is estimated at just below 128 million.

As more and more concerns arise over the world’s aging population and falling fertility rates the U.S government is in the midst of dramatically increasing its support for contraception and abortion around the world.

On Jan. 8 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave an address marking the fifteenth anniversary of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo, Egypt.

In her remarks she celebrated one of the first actions in office by President Barack Obama, which was to lift restrictions on federal government grants to aid groups that fund abortion in developing nations. She also noted that the United States has renewed its funding of the United Nations Population Fund and that Congress recently appropriated more than $648 million in foreign assistance to family planning and reproductive health programs worldwide.

She promised that even more aid would be forthcoming to enable contraceptives to be offered to all women in every nation. And she also highlighted the work that the U.S. government was carrying out in partnership with the International Planned Parenthood Federation, notorious for its role in carrying out millions of abortions each year.

The current enthusiasm for doing all that is possible to lower fertility is clearly driven by ideological compulsions that don’t even stop to consider the economic consequences of policies that have led to a rapid decrease in fertility in a too short period of time.

 Visit one of our sponsors for the latest information on population control:  POPULATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE at www.POP.org