HOLLYWOOD � They don�t wear capes, but for 30 years these real life heroes have been struggling to defend the sanctity of human life from womb to tomb.

�This evening we gather to celebrate an amazing call which each of us has received by God � to protect human life, especially the most vulnerable among us,� Joan Crown told a loyal group of volunteers gathered at Little Flower Church in Hollywood Sept. 23 for a Mass commemorating more than 30 years of respect life ministry in the archdiocese.

Crown, archdiocesan director of the ministry, also shared a touching anecdote with the group, about receiving a picture of a little boy in his white Communion outfit along with a thank you note from his mother for being there when she needed support.  

�There are so many gifts we have received, so much grace showered upon us, because we have responded in a positive way to this call. Because of these graces, we have a deeper understanding and appreciation for this great gift of human life,� said Crown, a longtime respect life worker who succeeded Father Jordi Rivero as director of the ministry in December 2006.

�Your prayers and unrelenting dedication to the unborn have helped me to keep going all these years and I want to thank you,� she told the volunteers.

The ministry�s work on behalf of human life extends from offering educational workshops on each of the life issues to reaching out to men and women who have suffered from a past abortion; from providing enrichment programs for new parents to putting on an annual program, called Chastity Days, for eighth graders in the Archdiocese of Miami.

During the Mass, Crown also announced that, �Today, we have hired our first ultrasound technician, and now we will be able to share with the mother a picture of her child very early on in her pregnancy.�  

Although September 2011 marks the 30th year of service for the Hollywood Respect Life Office, the entire archdiocesan ministry is about five years older. Because that anniversary was never officially celebrated, Crown took this occasion not only to recognize 30 years of service in the Hollywood office, but also over 30 years of service in the North Dade and North Broward offices, with the Sunset and Fort Lauderdale ones following closely behind.

In his moving homily, Father Thomas O'Dwyer, pastor of Little Flower Church, praised the volunteers for doing work that has saved many lives.  

�The cause of protecting and nurturing human life has and remains your mission. That�s why tonight � I know you�re all volunteers � but I deem you �missionaries,�� Father O�Dwyer said. �Yes, missionaries will stand up for Christian values at a time in our world when fundamental Judaic Christian values are seen as old-fashioned in our day by so many. As missionaries here in Broward County, you bring about the very justice of God, justice in its most fundamental fashion.  And you also raise the consciousness of people like myself � priests � and maybe even some bishops.�

Father O�Dwyer cited the work of Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, who is credited with being the first to discover that adult cells can be reprogrammed into behaving as stem cells.  

�Dr. Yamanaka was doing research involving embryonic stem cells when one day he looked down a microscope at a single embryo and in his own words he was humbled. It was just a glimpse that changed his scientific career,� Father O�Dwyer said. �By using scientific knowledge to discover this new approach to stem cell research he brought in many of his colleagues and as a result of this finding, we are told that embryonic stem cell research soon will be obsolete.�

�Now I say to you: if God can use an unprotected embryo to change a human life, he can certainly use us, as he uses you,� Father O�Dwyer continued. �Or, I should say, as you allow yourselves to be used by our risen Lord in this great work you do. By seeking holiness and using the gifts and talents God has given us we are contributing mightily to the kingdom we all love, where there will be no more crying or pain or destruction of innocent life � certainly no abortion, no euthanasia, no assisted suicide, no deep freezing of embryos, and no more destruction of human life in the name of science.�

�I stand as a priest before you tonight, and like that doctor, I am humbled by your presence,� Father O�Dwyer said, pledging his and his parish�s full support for the ministry.

During the celebration, a candlelight ceremony recalled the miracle of God's creation. As each passage was read from the Book of Genesis, a single candle was lit, culminating with the creation of God's masterpiece, the human person. Those who were not allowed to live because of the evil of abortion were then remembered as each candle was extinguished. 

Prayers were offered for their souls as well as their parents and for the conversion of all who have fallen for the lie promulgated by the culture of death.

In recognition of their generosity and support of the Respect Life Ministry, Father O'Dwyer and St. Maximilian Kolbe�s pastor, Father Jeffrey McCormick, were presented with a beautiful work of art depicting a baby being formed in the hands of a potter.

Titled the "Potter's Masterpiece," the artwork, according to Crown, delivers a subtle pro-life message by asking the question, �Does the clay say to the potter, what are you making?�

During the Mass, the ministry�s five prior directors also were remembered in prayer: founding director Father Daniel Kubala, Father James Taggart, Father Daniel Kent, Father Thomas Honold and Father Rivero.