Friends in the Field - Zoë Rowmanowsky

Walking the Walk
Meet three apostolates who are extending the borders of Christ's Kingdom.

Crossroads, Inc.

When the 1994 Mississippi floods made national news, Franciscan University student Steve Sanborn noted how willingly people helped each other in a crisis. This observation sparked an idea. "I thought if I could get a group of people to walk across the country as witnesses for life, maybe others would help us along the way," relates Sanborn.

In 1995, Crossroads, Inc. was born to be a pro-life effort primarily for and by university students. Fifteen students and one priest as spiritual advisor braved the pavement that first summer, and in three months, walked from the West Coast to the country's Capital.

"It's a big commitment and a great sacrifice for the students," says Sanborn. "We do it because we want to draw attention to the crisis of abortion." Students may commit themselves to the entire three-month walk, or they may join the group en route. Crossroads' walkers rely on the generosity of individuals and pro-life groups to house and feed them. Along the way, they give talks at parishes, schools and community groups, and give interviews to local media.

The walkers generally cover about 18-25 miles per day. They walk in two shifts, often covering territory at night. Two vehicles accompany them along secondary roads. They carry pagers and a cell phone.

"We're out there to change hearts and minds, not to condemn and judge people," says Sanborn. "We're trying to make friends, teach people the facts, and be of help any way we can." Most of the walkers were born after 1973, the year abortion became legal in the U.S. "So we consider ourselves survivors," says Sanborn. "It's motivating to realize, 'It could have been me.' " When speaking to youth, the walkers often set out extra chairs to bring home the reality that there should be others among them who never made it.

One young woman, who was planning to have an abortion, approached Crossroads when she read their pro-life T-shirts. After speaking to one of the walkers, she decided to have her baby. Sanborn can't keep track of all the ways Crossroads has touched people. "It's incredible how warmly received we are," says Sanborn. "Our youth and friendly approach are great assets in getting our message across."

Crossroads' volunteer staff begins planning for each pro-life walk six months beforehand. They solicit private donations and begin to make arrangements for accommodations, talks and media interviews. Their route over the past three years has taken them from California through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and on to Washington, D.C.

This summer they hope to have two groups walking separate routes. One group will cover the usual route, while the other will walk from west to east through the southern states. Sanborn, who is still looking for a priest to accompany the walkers this year, says the trek is a type of pilgrimage. "We go out as Catholics, and pray a lot as we walk, but we work with anyone, whether they're Christian or not."

Recently, Crossroads produced a 12-minute video that Sanborn plans to send to colleges and universities. They also started "Project Michael," a fund they can draw from to help pregnant women in need.



For information or to make a donation, contact: Crossroads, Inc., Box 771, Franciscan University, Steubenville, OH 43952, 800-277-9763.



Support for 51% of the Human Race

Canticle

Now there's a magazine designed specifically with Catholic women in mind. Canticle, a 48-page quarterly pulished by St. Michael's Press in Charlotte, South Carolina, is helping to meet an increasing need.

"There are growing numbers of converts, women coming back to their Faith and young moms wanting solid resources," says editor Genevieve Kineke. "We want to provide authentic Catholic information to help women discover how they can put their femininity at the service of the Church."

Launched in February of this year, Canticle focuses on topics and themes particularly relevant to women's dignity and vocation. Each issue features regular departments on subjects such as women's health, the Blessed Mother, chastity, prayer, law and legislation, personality profiles and international news. "The columns are designed to help a woman look at and interpret the world around her, and to live her Faith in practical terms," explains Kineke. For example, this fall's issue will address the topic of the search for the perfect baby. Prostitution and pornography will be discussed in the winter issue.

The practicality of the magazine is as important to Kineke as its universality. "We want to reach women of different cultures and build a sense of solidarity, focusing on the essence of what it means to be a Catholic woman," says Kineke, a convert and mother of four. Canticle is meant for all women who are searching for greater meaning behind their vocations — whether single, married or consecrated. Though the staff wants to make the publication accessible to all Catholic women, Kineke admits it's primarily geared toward an educated audience. It's also undeniably Catholic in content and flavor, though Kineke hopes other Christian women will also find the magazine appealing.

In a culture that increasingly embraces death, Kineke wants the magazine to help women understand and bask in God's love, and to pass this love on to others. "The name Canticle was chosen to remind us that, like Mary [in Luke 1:46-55], every woman has, or should have, a magnificat of her own, hopefully one of joy and acceptance of God's will for her life."

Canticle's small, young, dedicated staff works hard to place their magazine in the hands of as many women and parishes as possible. Kineke would like to see dioceses make the magazine available at family centers, Pre-Cana programs and women's retreats. "It's an excellent information tool, and can help spread the universal message of authentic femininity," says Kineke.

Private donations and subscriptions keep the magazine on the presses. The staff is currently looking for sponsors through their St. Joseph Appeal, which asks men to contribute $500 to the magazine.

And why should men help fund a women's magazine?

"We believe it's in men's best interests for women to form themselves in their Faith," explains Kineke. "Like St. Joseph with the Blessed Mother, men can provide a kind of shield to help women live out their vocations."



Contact Canticle at: 229 North Church St., Suite 400, Charlotte, NC 28202, 800-933-9398, e-mail: canticle@mindspring.com. Yearly subscriptions are $15.95.



Get Ready for the Catholic Inversion

Thy Faith, Inc.

When a fundamentalist Baptist friend at work began riddling him with questions, Gary Michuta began to discover the riches of his Catholic Faith. "To my shock, the Church not only had something to say, but its answers were grounded in Scripture, history and logic. I was swept off my feet." Still enamored, Michuta is now in his fifth year as president of the Michigan-based apologetics group, Thy Faith, Inc., which he founded in 1994.

"We want to help Catholics who are already in the Church to learn, love, and share their Faith in a loving and charitable way." Michuta refers to himself as an "invert" — a Catholic who never left the Church but discovered the life-giving truth that was there all along. "Our main goal is to create an 'inversion' movement in the Church; to get Catholics excited about their Faith," says Michuta.

With a volunteer staff of 20, including Michuta's Baptist friend who turned Catholic, the apologetics apostolate fulfills its mission through parish talks, personal dialog and promoting solid Catholic books and tapes. They do apologetics seminars using mock debates and audience participation. Often, they team up with other groups and individuals to present conferences on evangelization and apologetics. Their largest audience to date was a parish mission at Divine Child Parish in Dearborn, Michigan, where Michuta spoke to 800 people.

Much of Thy Faith's time is spent producing a bi-monthly magazine, Hands On Apologetics. It's a virtual toolbox of apologetics illustrations, tips and suggestions. Michuta edits the magazine, with the help of consulting editors Susan Cumming and Joseph Waked. The 34-page publication features departments such as "Finding a Fallacy" and "Meet the Early Fathers." "It's fun, short, practical and pithy," says Michuta.

Hands On Apologetics, and the entire apostolate of Thy Faith, is dedicated to the "how" aspect of apologetics. "A lot of material will tell you what to say about your Faith, but not how to say it," says Michuta. "We wanted to focus on the how because that's what people need to know to be effective." The apostolate encourages people to send in questions and personal stories of apologetics dialogues. These stories are often published in the magazine as a way of sharing what works and what should be avoided.

The leaders of Thy Faith have a spiritual approach to teaching apologetics. "We like to emphasize the relationship of prayer and apologetics," says Michuta. Aspiring apologists and evangelists are encouraged to develop a personal prayer life and to pray for the people they talk with, so they operate out of a spirit of love rather than "winning."

Michuta believes the apostolate offers something complementary and not competitive. "Who has time to re-invent the wheel?" asks Michuta. "We design our talks and magazine to be an enhancement to already existing programs. Our projects are about Catholics educating Catholics."

Though still small, Thy Faith, Inc. is steadily growing. The group is funded by private donations and has no marketing or advertising budget. "We're America's best-kept secret," admits Michuta. "Through word of mouth, we now have supporters and subscribers throughout the U.S. and in Canada, England, Malta, India and Mexico."



For more information or to receive a copy of Hands On Apologetics, contact: Thy Faith, Inc., 33228 W. 12 Mile, #305, Farmington Hills, MI 48334, 313-522-1662, e-mail: ThyFaith@ CompuServe.com.