Young people like challenges. They like the opportunity to express themselves on a public issue that matters. The Father Ted Colleton Scholarship offers senior high school students a wonderful and meaningful challenge. Now entering its 12th year, the scholarship program continues to be co-sponsored by The Interim and Niagara Region Right to Life. The program calls on students to write an essay on a stated theme, as well as completing a personal application form. Three awards are made annually in the sums of $1500, $800, and $500.
Parents and grandparents can encourage their children and grandchildren to participate and take up the challenge. Teachers should encourage their students to take part.
The deadline for applications is November 30. The theme for the 2012-2013 academic year is: “Effective witness in the public square requires a new focus on what is important to young people. What can be done to convince young people, your peer group, that ‘the life issues are not only genuine social-justice issues; but they are the priority social-justice issues’?”
The 2011-2012 edition of the scholarship program produced many optimistic views regarding progress for the pro-life cause in Canada. It is good to see the passion, sincerity, and genuine commitment of younger Canadians to ending the tragedy that has gripped this nation since the Omnibus Bill of 1969 inaugurated abortion on demand. These students are a new generation and they have no fear in speaking up and demanding that their voice be heard. Below are some excerpts from the dozens of excellent essays submitted for last year’s Fr. Ted Colleton Scholarship contest.
Divya Mamootil
Society has never justified murder, yet the thought that abortion is also murder has not occurred to most people.
Aya Taha
It is shameful, immoral, and unfaithful of us to live in a country that allows such crimes to take place not only daily, but every minute of the day that passes by. It is inhumane of us to continue to live in this country without trying to stop or at least prevent such crimes from occurring.
Aditya Rau
At the heart of our nation’s identity lies a commitment to equality, respect and dignity. The rights of the unborn child should indeed form part of these core values.
Adrianna Sustar
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (Timothy 4:12). It is evident that God is solving this issue by means of the new generation.
Adrianna Sustar
With technology today the world is quite literally at one’s fingertips. This enables young adults to educate the world and make a difference.
Angela Bissonnette
Right now things are very dark and there is a lot of sin. And yet we know how it all ends. We know Christ will triumph. So we move forward in the dark, knowing that at any time things can change dramatically. I just want to be part of that dramatic change when it happens.
Angela Bissonnette
We should not tell ourselves that our situation is worse than it actually is. We are allowed to speak up about abortion, to picket, to hold pictures of aborted babies on street corners. We should not be Chicken Little, crying “the sky is falling, the sky is falling” because this will sap us of our strength and we won’t get anything done.
Angela Bissonnette
There was a time when slavery seemed unbeatable, but it was beaten. There was a time when the Nazi’s seemed unbeatable but they were beaten. There was a time when Communism seemed unbeatable but it was beaten. Today abortion may seem unbeatable but it will be beaten.
Bailey Sadowsky
As long as there is a smidge of hope in a person’s heart, the pro-life campaign will battle on. Like the sun that shines through the clouds every day, there will always be optimism for the pro-life movement because people continue to learn from their mistakes; every day, new laws and ideas are being introduced around the world, and awareness regarding the pro-life cause can only grow larger and affect more people.
Bernadette James
How can there not be enough room on God’s earth for one more child? Yet every day the “pro-choice” supporters come up with answers, each more cruel and heartless than the last.
Bernadette James
The youth of our society taking a stand, educating our nation about the harsh reality of abortion, and turning thoughts into inspiring actions, has made me more sure than ever that there is hope yet … Bold and brave we are the voice for the voiceless. We are silent no more
Carolyn Hough
Not only do I want to be hopeful, I must be hopeful. Christ is our anchor for hope. He fought the battle against evil and won.
Carolyn Hough
As long as there are people and leaders who stand up for the unborn there will always be optimism, for wherever there is one who speaks out change is possible
Elisa Kwon
We are not talking about ethics when we talk about abortion. We are not talking about opinions. We are not talking about feeling bad or sentimental. We are talking about something fundamental that underlies all of humanity – a relationship with the Infinite that makes us free from being possessed, dominated, controlled by this world, and gives value to all human life.
Emily Suchy
How the media represents abortion directly relates to how society expresses their views on abortion … Because they are unaware of all the facts, society is vulnerable to being misled, for they form opinions and support causes based on only biased information.
Kiera Van Der Sande
The youth pro-life movement begins in high school. In Vancouver, Catholic high schools assemble several times a year to learn, give voice to the unborn, pray, and enjoy life together. The recent Youth for Life day on October 2, 2011 saw 400 students from across the archdiocese witnessing to the value of life. Pro-life groups meet weekly within these high schools, as they do nationwide. As well, university campus pro-life groups are moving forward and gaining courage, while reactionary pro-choice groups struggle. This is the demographic that will be future business owners, politicians, doctors, lawyers, and more: all fighting for the right to life for the unborn.
Eryn Westerveld
I believe as Canadians, we are in the middle of an age that has pegged abortion as a hot button issue. Canadians know the facts about abortion, now they need to know how to handle it.
Evan Goh
Today we are faced with a desperate task of not only changing a law, but changing a culture. It is difficult, but I believe that the truth will triumph over the lies of those who support and promote abortion. I am willing to stand by my beliefs and fight for social change.
Hetty Van Haleteren
Education has the power not only to inform but also to change the way people think and act. As Canadians we pride ourselves on our education and the ability to make choices that are informed. This should and must extend to the abortion debate in Canada.
Isaac Longsworth
The problem in Canada is not that there are not enough people that are pro-life, but rather, that those who profess to be pro-life don’t do anything to help.
Isaac Longsworth
There is hope for the Canadian pro-life movement because we have God on our side. While our world may not view this as significant, we know that God is the foundation of our movement. Every person who stands for a good cause has reason to hope.
Isaac Longsworth
Sometimes, when I see the pro-abortion forces and all of the power they wield through the media, popular culture, money, and fear, I feel discouraged. Then, I remind myself what I am fighting for. I remind myself of the thousands of children’s lives that are at stake when they are in their most vulnerable position. I remember that every child’s life we save is a huge victory in and of itself, and this gives me hope.
Kim Campbell
Optimism is the only way through. In a society that is commonly referred to as “The Culture of Death,” it can be easy not to see any good in the world. However, I fully disagree. We can be optimistic because there are millions of pro-life supporters all around the world. We can be optimistic because young people are the new faces of this fight. We can be optimistic because people care.
Salina Hunt
The pro-life movement is rooted in justice and Christ, and Christ is the ultimate victor. In Christ, there is hope and reason to be optimistic. Just as Psalm 1:3 says, “They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all they do, they prosper .”
Sarah Bleile
Our role is to bring the abortion issue to the forefront in the minds of individuals and of society, revealing the truth clearly and thoroughly so that fear and uncertainty no longer sway people towards abortions. We must be, as it were, a clean window through which the light of God’s truth can shine into this world.
Christina Holman
If most Canadians feel uneasy about the lack of regulation on abortion, then why is nothing being done to fix this issue? This question can be answered by Burke’s classic quote: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Many people are apathetic. They may feel unsettled, but that is not enough to spur them into action. The simple, true fact that the unborn is a person, and that murder of a person is wrong, is no contender to the hassles and dilemmas of everyday life. Apathy is the greatest impediment to change.
