St. Joseph's Workers for Life and Family

St. Joseph’s Workers for Life and Family was founded in 1993 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, by the late Sr. Lucille Durocher (formerly C.S.J.). St. Joseph’s Workers publishes pamphlets, booklets, prayer cards and our monthly newsletter which looks at issues Canada is facing today, especially those pertaining to life, family and the Catholic faith. We also publish through the internet with our SJW e-News. In doing so, we bring the good news of the Gospel of Life to help bring about a true Culture of Life in our society.

Blessing of the new office- November 2004

St. Joseph’s Workers for Life and Family’s specific and primary purpose since it’s inception in 1993 is as follows;

1)	To compile, publicize and disseminate informational and educational material regarding the social, economic, and moral teaching of the Roman Catholic Church with particular emphasis on marriage, the family, education and the relationship of both the individual and the family to the state, all in accordance with the magisterium (teaching authority) of the Church as set out in Papal (central) and Episcopal (regional) teaching instruments.
2)	To promote and to assist the promotion of natural family planning through counseling and distribution of literature.
3)	To consult with Catholic theologians and canon lawyers, clergy and religious to ensure full understanding and faithful adherence to Catholic teaching.
4)	To consult with Catholic and secular educators, parents and groups with respect to monitoring and evaluating the availability and suitability of family life (sex education) studies in both Catholic and public school systems.
5)	To consult and co-ordinate activities with Catholic physicians, both general practitioners and specialists, with respect to medical and ethical considerations relating to issues of family health, with emphasis on contraceptive practice, natural family planning, sexually transmitted disease, and therapeutic abortion.
6)	To collaborate with Catholic and secular publishing houses with respect to the publication and distribution of pro-family material.
7)	To conduct educational activities in support of the general purposes of St. Joseph’s Workers for Life and Family.
8)	To conduct and sponsor public discussion groups, forums, panels, lectures and similar programs.
9)	To consult and co-ordinate activities with parish officials (priests, religious, lay officers) with a view to the provision of both resource and informational materials to parishes.
10)	To run the main office in Ottawa, Ontario, with all departments and activities necessary to carry out the work of St. Joseph’s Workers for Life and Family.

St. Joseph’s Workers for Life and Family is needed more today than ever before. And the three primary reasons for it’s existence are:

We believe in the total protection of all human life, from the moment of conception until natural death. Today human life is under attack from all directions; abortion, embryonic stem cell research, cloning, euthanasia, and assisted suicide are some of the key examples.

Human Life is sacred because from the beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, Who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from the beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being.

(Catechism of the Catholic Church: 2258)

We recognize that the family is the key institution of our society. But today the concept of marriage has changed so dramatically, while marriage breakdown continues to have a detrimental effect on families, and especially on children. Society must not only protect, but encourage the family unit, which has always been recognized as the fundamental building block for the health and prosperity of all nations.

A man and woman united in marriage, together with their children, form a family. This institution is prior to any recognition by the public authority, which has an obligation to recognize it. It should be considered the normal reference point by which the different forms of family are to be evaluated.

(Catechism of the Catholic Church: 2202)

Our Catholic Faith has many challenges today, especially with advancements and modernization of our society. But we also see it being attacked constantly by those who oppose the True Will of God. Our Catholic Faith is a gift that we must accept and also spread to others in need of hearing it.

The Church, “the pillar and bulwark of the truth,” faithfully guards “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” She guards the memory of Christ’s words, it is she who from generation to generation hands on the apostles’ confession of faith. As a mother who teaches her children to speak and so to understand and communicate, the Church our Mother teaches us the language of faith in order to introduce us to the understanding and the life of faith.

(Catechism of the Catholic Church: 171)

With our mission in hand, we at St. Joseph’s Workers for Life and Family, are here to Promote and Defend Life, Family and Faith!