I am in Rochester, New York, this morning eager to be with the young women and their moms who will gather this afternoon at the Diplomat Banquet Center on Lyell to speak at a Tea for Teens about the “Gift of Authentic Femininity.” The Tea begins at 1:30 PM and ends at 3:30 PM.

I am looking forward to being with the young women. It is an opportunity to express to them how precious they are in the eyes of God and the beauty that is theirs by virtue of their femininity. My hope is that these young ladies of grace will see the great call and mission that God is entrusting to them and will move with confidence to “aid humanity in not falling.” The future of the culture of life is in their hands.

This evening I will be keynote speaker at a fundraiser for the Women’s Care Center. The event begins at the Diplomat Banquet Center at 5 PM with a social. Dinner is at 6 PM. While many apostolates have the pro-life cause as their central mission, all of us who call ourselves Christian must be about the business of doing all we can to restore a godly understanding of the human person to our culture. At the heart of this understanding is the dignity of the person from the moment of conception until natural death. May all of us continue to work together in all ways — from apostolate to voting booth — to bring this understanding to the society of man.

Tomorrow I will participate in a life chain at St. John the Evangelist of Greece on Ridge Road from 2 PM – 3 PM, ending with Benediction at 3:15 PM. Refreshments will follow as well as a talk I will be presenting. 

Please pray for the success of this day and for my talks and presentations.

Just as a seed cannot produce a stalk which will bear a new ear unless it first buries its roots deep in the ground, so we cannot bear fruit for the apostolate if we do not first put forth the roots of a deep interior life, enabling us to draw from God Himself the sap which will make us fruitful.”