The Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office of Family Life and the Knights of Columbus are planning a daylong conference to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Humanae Vitae, the landmark encyclical written and promulgated by Pope Paul VI which focuses on authentic love, marriage and family planning.
The Oct. 13 conference, to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Logan Philadelphia Hotel, will revisit how the Holy Father had prophesied to the world that marriages and the society would suffer if the use of contraception became widespread, and how infidelity, moral decline, loss of respect for women and abuse by governments would increase exponentially. The conference will also offer a reflection as to how selflessness, love, self-mastery and moral responsibility can reverse the trend.
Using the theme “Humanae Vitae: The Prophetic Voice of Pope Paul VI,” the conference will feature presentations by experts from the sciences, social sciences, history, philosophy and theology. Among them are:
Janet E. Smith, author of Humanae Vitae: A Generation Later and of the Right to Privacy and the editor of Why Humanae Vitae was Right: A Reader. With Professor Chris Kaczor, she co-authored Life Issues, Medical Choices, Questions and Answers for Catholics. She has recently edited with Father Paul Check, Living the Truth in Love: Pastoral Approaches to Same Sex Issues. Her articles have been published in many academic journals, has been a regular columnist for the National Catholic Register and blogs on CatholicVote.com. She served three terms as a consulter to the Pontifical Council on the Family and currently is a member of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission, III.
Mary Rice Hasson is a fellow in the Ethics and Public Policy Center’s Catholic Studies program in Washington, D.C. An attorney, she is working on a book that explores Catholic women’s views on sexual morality and reproduction. She previously co-authored a study on media ratings, published in Pediatrics (June 2011) and co-authored a leading book on Catholic homeschooling. Hasson writes for the Catholic News Agency, several Catholic parenting websites, the international human rights website MercatorNet.com and blogs at wordsfromcana. A frequent speaker on family and cultural issues, she has been interviewed by a wide range of media outlets including CNN, EWTN, the BBC, the Associated Press and local radio and print publications.
Jesuit Father Robert McTeigue is a member of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus. A professor of philosophy and theology, and a member of the National Ethics Committee of the Catholic Medical Association. He has taught and lectured in North and Central America, Europe and Asia and is known for his classes in both rhetoric and medical ethics. He has many years’ experience in spiritual direction, retreat ministry and religious formation.
Vicki Thorn is an international speaker and author on the topics of abortion’s aftermath in women, men and others as well as the process of post-abortion healing. She also speaks internationally on the biology of bonding and attachment; the Biochemistry of Sex and the Biology of the Theology of the Body.
Dr. Angela Lanfranchi is a breast cancer surgeon and pro-life activist. She graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1975 and has been in practice for 42 years. She is a co-founder and current president of the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute.
The Sisters of Life, a religious community whose members are dedicated to working to build a new and lasting culture of life and civilization of love.
Registration fee for the conference is $125 per person or $200 per couple. For more information, contact Steve Bozza at 215-587-5661 or sbozza@archphila.org or visit phillycatholiclife.org.