SALT LAKE CITY — Saint Ambrose Parish will host Mary Ann Kuharski, a wife and mother of 13 children, six of whom are adopted and of mixed races with special needs, who will speak Feb. 22 and Feb. 23. Kuharski also is the author of five books and speaks on life and family issues. She is a founding member and director of PROLIFE Across AMERICA, known as "The Billboard People" because of the way they advertise. Nancy Sliwinski, chairwoman, and Jean Henkels, a member of the St. Ambrose pro-life committee, invited Kuharski to speak to the parish and members of the Diocese of Salt Lake City to educate them and get them talking about pro-life issues. "We want to educate people about the life of a baby in the womb because we have found there are many people in our circles who don’t think about pro-life work," said Henkels. "We want to encourage people to dialog about more than abortion." Sliwinski added that the secular world preaches pro-choice, so "Our voice should be loud and clear. We need to get at the root cause, as the secular world pulls us out of our faith and pushes God into the four walls of the church. We need to bring God back into society and let Him be a part of the dialog and reasoning in pro-life issues. Pro-life is about us helping others, and about us saving souls from committing sins against God. We have free will, and if we choose God and his ways, then we won’t be destroying a life that is innocent and vulnerable." Adopting the six children was a natural thing for Kuharski to do because she also was adopted, she said. "My husband was open to adoption because his sister could not have children and adopted her daughter," Kuharski said. The couple’s adopted children, who now are all adults, are from Asia, India and the United States. PROLIFE Across AMERICA, which began in 1989, is a non-profit organization dedicated to changing hearts and saving babies’ lives, said Kuharski. "We offer alternatives, including adoption and post-abortion assistance to those in need, and 95 percent of our donations go back into our educational outreach. Our ads and billboards are often the only sign of help people in need have." PROLIFE Across AMERICA tried all types of advertising media – radio, television and newspaper – before "we realized that the calls we were getting in response to our ads were coming from our billboards," Kuharski said. "A radio or television ad can cost a lot of money and people may not hear it, but billboards are stationary and people read them." One woman riding the bus was scheduled to have an abortion when she looked out the window and read "our ad," said Kuharski. "She didn’t own a car, was living alone in a city temporarily and was distraught and thought an abortion was her only answer. She called us for help and gave birth to a beautiful little baby as a result." The Billboard People use babies’ faces because they also are involved, Kuharski said. "The babies’ photos on the billboards are those who were saved from abortion and sent to us. On one of our billboards, a baby looks out with the subtle messages that his eyes began to develop 14 days from conception." The ads give basic facts on the development of the baby and at the same time use babies so people will pay attention, she said. Kuharski grew up in a pro-life family and went with her mother to political rallies because "we both felt that if abortion was legal it still destroyed a baby, and that’s why we will never quit on this issue." Raising Catholic Children Lecture WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Saint Ambrose Catholic Church, 1975 South 2300 East, SLC Meet-and-Greet WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 23, 1-2 p.m. WHERE: St. Ambrose, 1975 South 2300 East, SLC For information, call 801-485-5610
Stay Connected With Us