Domus Vitae

Domus Vitae (" the house of the vie" in Latin) is a catholic association defending what it calls the " respect of the vie". She fights in particular against the abortion, contraception, in vitro fertilization and proposes the possibilities of abstinence or methods known as " naturelles" such as the Billings method for those which want to control their procreation.

Organized by more than 30 international movements at the time of the JMJ of Cologne of 2005, the purpose of Domus Vitae is to sensitize the young people with the respect of the life by the reception, the prayer, of the conferences, testimonys and great concerts.

In short

Many international movements of France, Belgium, Austria, England, the United States,… are linked to create, within the World Days of the Youth of Cologne 2005, Domus Vitae, or “House for the Vie”.

Domus Vitae wants to be an answer to the call of Jean-Paul II in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae, by creating a center for the life during the World Days of Youth. This center mainly in heart of will have wounded the reception life and the underprivileged ones; like the people with a Handicap, the young people socially excluded, the unmarried mothers or the former drug addicts…

Domus Vitae wishes to fall under the line of the work of Mère Teresa, and to be devoted the most stripped to. She wishes that this contemporary witness of the love, as well as other current witnesses of the defense of the life, be able to be used as example to the young people of the festival.

Domus Vitae registers the Culture of Life in the middle of its activities: Prayer, Formation, Forum, Culture,… by supporting particularly the reception of wounded life.

This project received the approval of the official organization of JMJ of Cologne.

Missions

To sensitize the young people with the respect of each human life, since its Design until its natural death
To open the hearts and the intelligences upon an engagement to serve, defend, protect the life in all its stages
To create a dynamics of Charity in favor of most underprivileged

Pillars

The reception of the wounded life

1. Organization

Present movements: Priests for Life, Servants and Looking after for the Life, the Franciscains of the Revival, as of other movements with which we are in contact so that they are invested in Domus Vitae.

2. Goal

The vocation first of Domus Vitae is the reception of any person wounded by the Life: unmarried mother, woman wounded by an abortion, nobody with a handicap, former drug addict,… and all pilgrim.

Domus Vitae wants to be a place where each casualty of the life feels at his place, in the middle of JMJ. That implies an organization adapted to the specific needs of each one.

3. activities

an attentive ear with wounded life:

A place calms where the people touched and moved by one moment by prayer, a teaching or a Témoignage can find an attentive ear and to have a personal discussion with the hosts of Domus Vitae. The host of Domus Vitae is a priest, religious () or Laïc having received a specific training with the listening and the spiritual accompaniment of the people in difficulty.

a place of rest:

A room (10 beds) will be placed at the disposal them people wishing to live the JMJ at their rate/rhythm so that they can rest, make a nap or profit from a medical opinion. The presence of a Doctor and nurses for the elementary care will be ensured throughout the activities.

a place of reception for the people with a Handicap

an introduction adapted, a spiritual accompaniment and animations during times of worship, and Prière are envisaged.

Of the workshops where each one will be able to express the beauty of the Life with its own talents by means of drawings, paintings, dances… will be set up. This work will be exposed each day on a banner at the entry of Domus Vitae like message of hope, life and beauty.

a place of reception for the deaf people:

We will propose a translation in sign language in the most current languages. We are already in contact with several associations which could hang in load this part of the organization.

a place of reception for the blind men:

We want to propose a booklet of presentation of Domus Vitae in Braille which would include/understand prayers for the life to accompany nonthe indicators in their times by prayer, a presentation of associations Pro-life with their coordinates as well as a short summary of the conferences which will be given to Domus Vitae.

Accessibility with the various events:

We will reserve during the cultural activity(AP)s (concerts, Plays…) places opposite the podium to the people in wheel chair. Accessibility with the places of the talk coffee or conferences will be also facilitated.

a prayer of the morning with the patients:

One moment when each one will be able to give in the hands of the Seigneur what il/elle has on the heart, one moment of prayer, before hearing the Messe… There will be also the possibility of receiving the sacrament of the patients. We would like to invite the young patients of the hospitals of Cologne or the neighborhoods which could not completely take part in the JMJ to join not this skew it.

Spiritual animation

1. Organization

Present movements: pilgrims for the Life, the Franciscains of Bronx, Priests for Life, Associated movements: Necessary ABBA ^ref., Ressuscito, Youth Light

2. Goal

To request and request for the wounded life, in order to:

To answer the call of the the Holy Father in the Gospel of the Life which recalls us that it is “urgent that a prayer in favor of the life crosses the world”. This prayer for the life is in the middle of Domus Vitae. Ensured by the communion of the Saints, under the protection of Notre Dame de Guadalupe, through the powerful intercession of modern witnesses of the respect of the life, we want to request “creative God which likes the life” so that “the culture of death is replaced by the Civilization of the Truth and the Love” (Jean-Paul II Compostelle 1989)

To share the concern constant of the Pope; how the generation Jean-Paul II is recipient of the prayer for the life and, for the example of modern witnesses, to give them the desire, with their return of Cologne, to spread the Good news of the Glorious Life of Jesus Ressuscité!

3. activities

Each day: Laudes, Mass, Rosary, Vespers, Complies and Adoration

Prayer of intercession with modern witnesses of the respect of the life. In the side chapels, evocation and presentation of great figures of the combat pro life:

- Happy the Mother Teresa of Calcutta

- King Baudouin (Belgium) for his engagement near the casualties of the life which will have led it to abdicate in order to express with all its opposition to the law on the abortion in 1990.

- the Happy Jeanne Beretta Molla (Italy) , which knowing that she was condemned by the disease, preferred to rather give rise to his/her daughter than to fall through.

- the Cardinal O' Connor (the United States) Archbishop of New York, for his tireless work near the casualties of the life, having led it until in prison to have occupied of the centers of abortion.

- the Happy Emperor Charles 1st (Austria) for his action in favor of peace and “its heart deeply opened with the compassion”.

- Professor Jerome Lejeune (France) , which discovered trisomy 21 (syndrome of Dawn), large defender of the mental handicapped people (he regards the embryos as people).

We wish a continuous prayer around these modern witnesses of the Gospel of the Life, alternating between times of worship, silence, prayer and sumptuous offices (provided however of the layout of the premises…)

the crowd of the pilgrims will be able to come constantly to request, take a time of praise during the times animated by the choral societies or the religious communities agreeing to take a turn in the organization of these prayers.

Doctrinal formation and lesson

Conferences and Testimonys animated by many participants, as of the free discussions in the form of talk coffees will be proposed during the festival in order to give to the pilgrims a formation which sensitizes them with the culture of life, the reception of wounded life and in particular of the handicapped people.

These doctrinal formations and lesson will be given in the four following forms:

Talk coffee

1.1. Goal

To allow the young people to meet and discuss in a slackened atmosphere. It is more specifically a place of reception where one can rest far from the agitation of the JMJ.

1.2. Organization

A team of volunteers of Domus Vitae (5 to 10) will be present permanently to serve as the drinks (fruit juice, coffees…) and to meet the pilgrims.

The village of the stands

2.1. Goal

It is the place of discovered and presentation of the various forms of actions in favor of the life. Panels will also present the messages of large witnesses (Teresa Mother, Professor Jerome Lejeune, Monseigneur O' Connor, Luigi and Maria Beltrammo Quattrochi, Jeanne Beretta Molla, Sainte Maria Goretti,…). This pole has also vocation to offer councils for the young people eager to launch of initiatives in favor of the Respect of the life and the Amour in their country. It is also an opportunity for the various movements present of creating bonds.

2.2. Organization

Each movement or association will be responsible for its own stand and will have to ensure a permanence of 13 17:00.

A score of stands representatives various movements will explain their goal, their history, their localization… Each movement will distribute leaflets presenting its action, how to take part, become member or obtain in it more information on the activities to come… Several computers connected to Internet will allow an access to the Web sites of the movements present.

Catecheses

3.1. Goal

It is the heart of the formation of this festival of Youth. There, the young people will be able to meet bishops, successors of the Apôtres, which will explain the message of Christ to them contained in the Gospels, clarified by the lesson of the Catholic church. If the organization of the JMJ as certain bishops accept it the catecheses will be founded on the topics and the texts given by the organization of the JMJ like on lesson centered on the Gospel of the Life and adapted to the mental handicapped people.

3.2. Organization

The catecheses will be given by bishops such Monseigneur Léonard, as well as others coming from various countries.

The catecheses will be done in two times: initially a time of Teaching then a time of discussion and exchange. The discussion will be prepared in advance with the speakers so as to offer to the young people an orientation guided with their questions and reflections.

A simultaneous translation in at least three languages (German, English and French) will be laid down.

4. Forum

4.1. Goal

Whereas the catechesis is a place to receive the teaching of God, the forum is made to return testimony of the Don marvellous of the life and the gifts of God in our lives. It will include various testimonys and conferences on the life and the example of great Christian models which have work for the respect of the life and announced the Gospel of the Life.

4.2. Organization

Many participants are envisaged, coming from various countries and various mediums:

The presence of participants Ci below is confirmed right now:

Tim Guénard - CANADIAN: old boxer converted at the time of its meeting with the people handicapped. It published one entitled book " More extremely than the haine".
Dominique Morin - French: with a powerful message on the importance of the Chastity. It published several works whose “AIDS made ego a witness. Of Ténêbres to the Kingdom”
Jean-Marie Carried out the - French one: President of the Foundation Jerome Lejeune, which will speak to us about Professor Lejeune and of its research on the diseases of the intelligence, such as the Trisomie 21, it is also to advise at the court of finances.
Monseigneur Léonard - BELGIAN: Bishop of Namur,
Father Charlot - French: former secretary of the Pontifical Academy for the Life
Father Daniel Ange - BELGIAN: founder of the International Catholic school of Prayer and Evangelization of Youth Light

the following participants are not confirmed yet:

Theresa Burke de Rachel' S Vineyard - AMERICAN which organizes avorement sessions of cure post for men and women
Dr. Bernard Nathanson - AMERICAN which will detail the easy ways and strategies which made that the Avortement became legally and socially acceptable in the United States. Personally responsible for 75.000 abortions, Nathanson is one of the major speakers in the United States for the cause of the life. Its book “the hand of God: a voyage of the life with died by the doctor abortionist who changed opinion” is certainly one of the most tragic autobiographies of our time. It will be also the occasion to explain the position of the Église, not only on the abortion, but also on experimental research on the human Embryon or the Euthanasie.

Of the members of the European Parliament in charge of the promotion of the life.

Of the doctors like Professor Lucien Israel (cancer specialist) (agnostic, cancer specialist) who will speak about the euthanasia and the palliative care, of the cases of conscience posed to the doctors or to nurses working in geriatric or gynaecological units…

Other proposals of foreign speakers are currently being studied.

Simultaneous translations in three languages at least (French, English, German) will be laid down.

4- Culture of life

1. Goal

To offer on the site even of Domus Vitae, throughout all Festival of Youth, in the concerts, plays, films, animations, shows… on the beauty of the life. Each day this pole will offer cultural activities so that Domus Vitae is really a place of festive celebration of the Life, that the young visitors are brought to be posed truths questions about the life, its significance, as well as the respect of human dignity.

The suggested program aims before very touching the largest possible audience while being particularly accessible to the people with a handicap so that they can fully take part in it. International dimension is an element to which we attach much importance; participating groups, troops and various coming from country and different horizons.

2. Organization

Life parades, which is accustomed to carry out such events and has international contacts in the cultural world Catholique took the load of this part of the project.

List Artiste S which come to play:

White Spirit
Totus Tuus
Push
CarmenZ
Covenant prayer
They and they sound
Pelikan Performance
Father Stan Fortuna
…

Associations and movements belonging to the project

Associations members

Franciscains of Bronx (the USA and United Kingdom)
Young witnesses of the Human life (France)
Jugend für das Leben (Austria)
the servants and looking after for the Life (France)
Life parades (France)
Pélerins for the Life (Belgium)

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