In His Sign Network

How many Catholic apostolates can claim Jimmy Swaggart saved them? "We can," laughs Dominic Lettieri, founder and director of the Philadelphia-based media apostolate, In His Sign Network. Originally called Acts 29, the apostolate had to change its name because a Swaggart ministry shared the same title. Lettieri consented; he couldn’t fight it anyway as his fledgling apostolate was barely surviving. Then a compensation check, signed by Swaggart, arrived in the mail which happened to be the exact amount the apostolate needed to get moving into the black. "Without that, we may not have survived," says Lettieri.

Dom Littieri with Father Manning.

In His Sign Network ministries is a dream come true for Lettieri. "As a child I loved radio and would sneak one into bed and listen to all hours," he recalls. It took more than 30 years, however, before that dream was realized. In 1976, after bankruptcy and losing everything he had worked for, Lettieri heard the Lord’s call to begin a radio ministry. The details, even the format, came to him as he walked down the street from a courtroom where the judge had just promised him a jail term if he didn’t pay his back taxes. Shortly after, the Lord brought money into his life and a year later, the radio apostolate was up and running.

"Our mission is to evangelize, educate and build community through radio communications," says Lettieri, who has done cable television programs but prefers the airwaves. His live show, "Putting it on the Line," runs through the week during traffic time on WTMR 800AM in Philadelphia’s metro and outlying areas. WAAT 750AM in Scranton, PA also carries it. Well-known Catholic guests such as Fr. Benedict Groeschel, Mother Angelica, Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua and Ralph Martin join Lettieri to talk about the Catholic faith and contemporary issues.

On Fridays, Lettieri’s program is dedicated to call-ins and prayer for healing. The lines are always jammed. He also hosts a 15 minute program called "Help Wake Up America" which he hopes will soon expand to a half hour program. Lettieri guestimates his audience to be 25-40,000 people, though there are six million people who have access to the stations which carry In His Sign Network programming.

Former congressman Charles Dougherty, Dom Littieri and Jim Nolan.

In addition to the radio programs, the apostolate co-sponsors a yearly Unity Conference in Philadelphia which brings together Catholic groups of every charism — pro-life, charismatic, Marian, Eucharistic, Divine Mercy. "It’s a great opportunity to network, hear from each other and recognize that we’re all unified in the Church and share the universal call to holiness and spreading the gospel." In His Sign Network also runs seminars at their Kolbe Center, named for St. Maximilian Kolbe, and brings speakers to the local area.

Efforts are underway to establish a network of stations which Lettieri hopes will bring the good news of Jesus Christ and the truths of the Catholic faith to millions of people across the country. "In five years, I hope I’m simply doing what God wants, whatever His perfect will is, whether that’s 500 stations or going off the air," says Lettieri.

To find out more about In His Sign Network, contact the Kolbe Communications Center, 136 Garrett Ave., Rosemont, PA 19010, call 610-527-2906, fax 610-527-1816, or visit their web site at www.voicenet.com/~ihsn

Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries

"Therefore behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards, and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. . . And I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord" (Hosea 2:14-15, 19-20 ).

These words of the Lord to the prophet Hosea tell of the healing and hope that Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries offers to those scarred by abortion. Founded in 1989 and based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, Rachel’s Vineyard provides opportunities for men and women to be free of the emotional and spiritual pain that abortion has left in their lives. "I’ve seen miracles happen," says Dr. Theresa Burke, co-founder and director of Rachel’s Vineyard, "When you bring the Lord into post-abortion trauma, lives are restored, healed and converted."

The roots of Rachel’s Vineyard can be traced back to Burke’s days as a graduate intern. She was leading a therapy group for women with eating disorders and discovered that eight out of ten women in the group had experienced abortion and were still suffering its trauma. Burke’s supervisor told her she had no business prying into people’s abortions and that the issue was off limits in her counseling. "When I left graduate school, I immediately set up a support group at no charge for people suffering from post-abortion trauma — it was always full," says Burke.

A psychologist, Burke began combining spiritual truths with psychological tools in her therapy. She was influenced by Fr. Michael Mannion, a consultant for the Holy Father’s 1995 encyclical, Evangelium Vitae. His theology regarding post-abortion healing could be summed up like this: when a mother gives birth, she is the child’s lifeline to the world; in abortion, the child becomes the mother’s spiritual lifeline to God. "When I heard this, my heart pounded and I knew God was calling me to devote my life to this work," says Burke. She developed a retreat model with this theory as the foundation.

Rachel’s Vineyard retreat weekends are modeled after the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. Using "living Scriptures," participants are led through various meditations to express and grieve their losses. The retreat team employs props, low lighting, music, rituals and psychodramas so that participants experience God moving in a concrete way. They also learn to take responsibility for their own part in the healing process. "We set the stage and the space for the Lord to work and then the most incredible things happen," says Burke. "People who have been dealing with abortion trauma for years are suddenly healed during these retreats — it’s amazing."

The weekends are led by Burke herself or by individuals whom she has trained. A priest is always on the retreat team. "It’s important that the women (and men) have a tangible presence of the Church and can be supported and welcomed by the Church in the person of the priest." The sacrament of reconciliation is made available, Mass is offered and personal counseling with the priest is an option for retreatants. Though Rachel’s Vineyard retreats use a Catholic model, people of other faiths participate and experience healing as well. Numerous Protestant churches are now using Burke’s retreat model (minus the sacramental aspects) for their own post-abortion ministries.

Rachel’s Vineyard retreats have been presented in over 20 states. Recently the apostolate became a division of the American Life League, who stepped in to provide financial support. The demand for retreats and training seminars continues to grow across the country. Burke, a mother of five, is dedicated to planting the seeds and watching the vineyards spread. "When a woman chooses to go through the work of healing, she is being freed to love," explains Burke. "This allows her to go home and be a better wife, mother, professional, daughter and child of God."

For more information, or for upcoming retreat and training dates, write to: Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries, PO Box 195, Bridgeport, PA 19405-0195, call 877-HOPE-4-ME, fax 610-354-0311 or visit the web site www.rachelsvineyard.org. All inquiries are answered confidentially.

Children of the Father

Anthony J. "Tony" Mullen, founder of Children of the Father Foundation, with his father James N. Mullen.

There’s no free lunch in this life, so the saying goes. But a suburban Philadelphia-based apostolate, called Children of the Father Foundation, is serving up something longer lasting than a midday meal: free books, tapes and resources to help lay people better understand and share the Catholic faith. "Our mission is to directly answer the Holy Father’s call for a new evangelization," says founder and director, Tony Mullen. "We’re doing our part by distributing materials and getting people committed to praying for the evangelistic work of the Church."

Mullen experienced a personal call to apostolic work before he had read or heard John Paul II’s invitation to re-evangelize the nations. The Pontiff’s words were the impetus for Mullen to begin Children of the Father, named for its mission to bring God’s children back home to the Church. "Our main task is to seek after those who have left the fold, who are not practicing their Catholic Faith anymore, and to help bring them back," says Mullen.

Through the generosity of their benefactors, Children of the Father members supply Catholic books, booklets and tapes for no cost to parishes and to individuals on their mailing list. They send materials to people as far away as Bombay, India. "We carry resources that we believe are effective tools to help people understand and appreciate the fundamentals of the Catholic faith." Among their materials are: Fr. Paul O’Sullivan’s book, The Wonders of the Mass; Fr. Stephano Manelli’s book, Most Blessed Sacrament; How to Pray the Rosary, by Fr. Richard Rooney; and an audiotape by Tom Rutkoski, a layman from Pennsylvania.

Mullen has seen the fruits of the apostolate’s work in the letters he receives, the support from local priests and the reconversions that are happening. Two people have recently come back to the Church because of the materials from Children of the Father. A Jewish woman is also considering converting, in large part due to her contact with Children of the Father. But Mullen says it’s more than the materials they provide — it’s the Holy Spirit and prayer that actually provide the power for God to work.

Children of the Father has a prayer partnership with the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters, (known as the pink sisters for the color of their habits), who intercede before the Blessed Sacrament for the apostolate’s work. Mullen has also organized an informal prayer group called Friends of Our Lady. Members of the group make a promise in writing to pray at least one decade of the rosary each day for the return of fallen-away Catholics and the conversion of the entire nation. About 200 people are currently committed to Friends of Our Lady, which Mullen says is just one more way that people can commit themselves to the mission of the Church. "If people are busy, or housebound, or have reasons they can’t do active work in evangelization, this is a perfect way to participate in our work and the work of the universal Church," he says.

At the heart of Children of the Father’s mission is obedience and support of the Magisterium. "We believe in working closely with the hierarchy and we want to help local pastors in their work as shepherds and fathers," he says. To that end, members of Children of the Father Foundation make their materials available to local parishes and priests, hoping to eventually be of assistance in every Catholic Church in their area.

A nonprofit organization, Children of the Father has two part-time employees and 19 volunteer leaders. Married with four children, Mullen says he’s all too happy to continue in this full-time apostolic work which draws no salary. "To be part of this call to a new evangelization — to me there’s no more important work."

For more information about Children of the Father Foundation, to obtain their materials or to join Friends of Our Lady, write to: Children of the Father Foundation, Inc., 222 South Manoa Road, Suite 250, Havertown, PA 19083, call 610-853-9801 or e-mail aaajm@nni.com.

e