Alison Girone (Left), Adobe Stock (Right)
CV NEWS FEED // At the 2024 Bishops’ Pro-life Banquet in Nebraska, Church authorities celebrated the recent pro-life victories in the state and committed to continue fighting to protect life.
Southern Nebraska Register reports that the Nov. 22 event drew a capacity crowd at the Marriott Cornhusker Hotel ballroom in Lincoln. Archbishop George Lucas of Omaha, Bishop Joseph Hanefeldt of Grand Island, and Bishop James Conley of Lincoln all spoke at the event.
During the event, Nikki Shasserre received the 2024 Gospel of Life Award. Shasserre was the campaign manager for Protect Women & Children, which successfully worked to defeat Nebraska’s pro-choice ballot measure.
Greg Schleppenbach, CEO of The Culture Project, spoke at the event, congratulating Nebraskans on rejecting the “culture of death” by voting against an amendment that would enshrine abortion in the state constitution and instead passing legislation that bans abortion in the second and third trimesters.
Schleppenbach had previously served as state pro-life director and executive director during his 25 years with the Nebraska Catholic Conference. Later, he spent six years as associate director of the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
He added that the pro-life movement’s goal is not just to make abortion illegal, though, but “to make it unthinkable.”
Schleppenbach said in an interview with Southern Nebraska Register, “The Church needs to do what the Church does really well, and that is provide support structures for pregnant moms and families and addressing all the kinds of issues that often drive women to even think about, let alone go through, an abortion.”
He also said that working at The Culture Project, an “initiative of young people set out to restore culture through the experience of virtue,” has taught him the importance of not just fighting the abortion industry, but of addressing those seeking abortions.
“That means reaching young people earlier in their lives and in getting them on the right path before the culture of death gets its grips on them and takes them down very dark and destructive paths,” he said.
The Culture Project helps these young people through a mentorship program for middle and high schoolers to learn about human dignity, sexual integrity and virtuous living.
