| Target Name | Target Organization |
| Fr Timothy Sauppe | (Pastor St. Marys Catholic Church, Westville IL) |
Father Timothy Sauppe wrote a moving and courageous article about the pain of closing, and then razing, the Catholic school in his parish in Peoria. In one of the pre-closure brain-storming sessions the teachers asked what to do to get more students. He replied, “Well, I know what to do, but it takes seven years.”
Fr. Sauppe connects the dots between fertility decline, contraception, and closing schools. He says, "To defend the Church’s teaching against contraception and sterilization is like going back to ancient Rome and warning them about the dangers of indoor lead plumbing. No matter what you would say, their only response back would come in various levels of volume, ‘But it’s indoor plumbing!’ In other words, no matter the real threat to one’s physical health from contraception and sterilization, the immediate perceived benefits outweigh the moral and physical downside."
I founded the Ruth Institute because I came to regret my participation in the contraceptive culture. I am similar to many women of my generation. We contracepted too long and had very limited families. Now there is nothing we can do about it except be sad, and tell the truth to young people. Many of us find our way to the doorsteps of the Catholic Church or other churches, where at least someone will listen to us and take us seriously.
I invite you to thank Fr. Sauppe for his prophetic witness in writing this article. All families need members who will tell the truth in love. I personally appreciate Fr. Sauppe very much. I hope you do too, and will tell him so, by signing our petition.
We will not flood him with e-mails, so don't worry about being a pest. We will notify him periodically about the fact that people support him.
Your friend,
Dr Jennifer Roback Morse,
Founder and President, The Ruth Institute*
PS: You don't have to be Catholic to send a note of support to this Catholic priest!
* The Ruth Institute promotes lifelong married love to college students and young adults.
The Petition
Thank you, Father, We're sorry, Father, We love you, Father
Dear Father Sauppe,
We want to thank you for writing this courageous piece on LifeSiteNews: "You've contracepted our parochial school out of existence."
We come from many backgrounds, Catholic and non-Catholic. Some of us went to schools like St. Mary's.
Some of us must apologize for our participation in the Culture of Death. We have come to regret our participation in the contraceptive culture.
Some of us are young people who are trying to do the right thing, in spite of the cultural and economic pressures we face to limit our families.
All of us are grateful to you for speaking the truth. All families, including Church families, need prophetic witnesses who speak the truth. We love you for it. We applaud your courage. We will keep you and St. Mary's in our prayers. We hope that you will keep us, and our friends at the Ruth Institute, in your prayers.
Sincerely,
Your friends at the Ruth Institute
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