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Pro-Life Club Resurrected At Canadian Christian College

 By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

ANCASTER, Ontario, January 7, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Students at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, near Hamilton, Ontario, have re-established the school’s pro-life club, which had become inactive last year, according to an article written by student Mary Sawchuk for The Catholic Register.

Students Allie Klassen and Jessica Dunn approached the school's student life representatives in September to resurrect the pro-life club under the new name Humanae Heartbeat, which now boasts over 50 members, many of whom attend meetings on a bi-weekly basis.

“We want to show that Redeemer is passionate about this issue (of abortion),” said Klassen, after describing the initiatives and goals of the club which include giving students training for public defence of unborn children.

“We want to create a unified stance on abortion and create awareness in the community,” explained Dunn.

“We are all Christians here, and abortion is against all Christian values,” Dunn continued, “so I wondered why the issue of abortion was not being addressed.”

The club hosted various activities and events during the Fall semester, including a screening of the pro-life movie Bella, participating in the annual roadside silent prayer vigil Life Chain, and inviting Angelina Steenstra of Silent No More to speak to students about her personal experience with abortion and the physical, emotional and spiritual impact abortion has on women.

Klassen was very pleased with the number of people who attended the events and indicated that plans were underway for numerous activities in the coming months, including a "Life Week" in February.

“One of the goals of the club is to see people living in a way that shows that they are pro-life. We want to encourage students to live their life in a way that is pro-life,” Klassen said. 

Dunn expanded on this goal by explaining the challenges the group faces.

“The biggest challenge that I find in having this group is in making the students stand up against abortion,” Dunn said. “We have to challenge the students themselves to take a stand. They know they are against abortion but we have to encourage and help them to defend what they believe.”

Former Redeemer student Elizabeth O'Brien, who previously studied at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy (OLSWA), told LifeSiteNews that she was very encouraged by the large number of students participating in the pro-life club.

"When I was studying at Redeemer there was a small core group who formed the pro-life club and organized the activities, some of whom were transfer students from OLSWA. It's wonderful to see the rise in participation among the students as a whole. This is sure to make a positive contribution not only to the school but to the community," O'Brien said.

Redeemer University College's president, Justin Cooper, praised the efforts of the students in re-establishing the Humanae Heartbeat pro-life club and emphasized the Christian's call to work for the culture of life.

“I hope the club will call us back to attention to these matters and the unChristian world view that underlies them," Cooper said, "as well as to remind us of the need for the church to educate (people) about the risks and realities of abortion, to promote adoption, to support single mothers and also to minister to those who have had abortions.

“As Christians we need to speak out for justice for the weak, poor and oppressed. The unborn are certainly among the most vulnerable in our society, and the love of Christ constrains as to stand up for them.”

Links to institutions mentioned in this article:

Redeemer University College
777 Garner Road East, Ancaster, ON, L9K 1J4
Phone: 905-648-2131
Toll-free: 877-779-0913
Website: http://www.redeemer.on.ca/

Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy
18 Karol Wojtyla Square
Barry's Bay, ON, K0J 1B0, Canada
Phone: 613-756-3082
Toll-free: 877-369-6520
Website: http://www.seatofwisdom.org

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