My thoughts turn to families in our own diocese who have welcomed the birth of a child during this past year and to those who are expecting a baby in the near future – Bishop Kevin Doran.

I was one of those people who was middle of the road. I didn’t really know what happened during an abortion procedure. When Abby described it I just thought how blinded I had been – Ashley Bratcher.

“Lord bless our Christian mothers; Lord Bless our Christian fathers.”

"Will those who sincerely believe that marriage is between a man and a woman be forced to act against their faith and conscience?” - Bishop Martin Drennan.

"Mothers and fathers bring different, yet complementary, gifts and strengths into a child's life".

Without father figures, young people often feel ‘orphaned’ and left adrift at a critical moment in their growth and development.