From one of my favorite psalms, Psalm 139, we read:

You formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, because I am wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works!
My very self you know.

Our loving God willed each of us into existence and He cares about every detail, knitting us in our mothers’ wombs. Even after we are born, He still cares about the details and nothing is too unimportant or trivial to bring to Him in prayer. I often marvel at this. Some days, I am so caught up in the quotidian — work, emails, laundry, ordering diapers, meal-planning- that I forget that my God wants to know all about it and for me to seek Him in the everyday. And when we give him the day’s first moments, He gives us more of the steadying and strengthening love of Himself.

My husband and I, Justin Silvers, co-chair the Respect Life Ministry and participate in many social justice initiatives and the Reparation Society’s First Saturday Devotions. Justin serves on the Finance Council and is an altar server; I am an EMC. We met in the sacristy back in 2014, married in 2016 and welcomed our daughter Christianne Marie in November 2020. A fundamental component of our lives is being part of a community rooted in Christ. And we have found this community at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew. God called us to these pursuits, through no merit of our own, planting the desires in our hearts to serve Him in our parish community, which includes our friends who stand outside the Cathedral seeking assistance after masses.

We are particularly called to pro-life ministry because it affirms the dignity of every individual- born and unborn- willed by God, knit in the womb and wonderfully made. The pro-life witness is needed more than ever. In our throwaway culture, where challenges to life, conscience, and freedom abound, we must defend life and harness the best of the power and spirit, providing compassionate and holistic support to persons of all ages- a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy, an elderly man needing help with his groceries or a sick person contemplating physician-assisted suicide. And we believe in the power of prayer to reorient the hearts and minds of people.

So, on the last Saturday of every month, after the 7:30 AM mass, come find me, Justin and our baby and join us for the Rosary for Life. We would be delighted to pray with you.

Christina Marie Silvers and her husband Justin met each other through serving in ministry at the parish. They are active parishioners, currently serving in liturgical ministries, Finance Council, and in the Social Justice Ministries. They have a passion for upholding the dignity of life and have lived out this calling serving with the Respect Life Ministry.

Christina invites you to pray with her and her family through the monthly Rosary for Life and to become more involved with the helping the parish help build up the Culture of Life. To learn more about the ministry, contact Justin and Christina.