themselves under my patronage.”

“We place The John Paul II Life Center and all its supporters, women and babies that it helps under Our Lady of the Pillar’s patronage and that of Our Lady of Guadalupe”, said Von Dohlen.

Members of the Center’s Board of Directors were recognized for their dedicated work over nearly five years.

Natural Family PlanningHave questions about NFP? We can have a speaker come to your parish or group.Page 2

Save the Baby FundHow we’re helping women in crisis pregnancy choose life.Page 7

A Quarterly Newsletter Issue No 1 - Fall 2010

Sonogram MachineThe Knights of Columbus donated a sonogram machine!Page 2

Thank YOU!

Our NeedsLearn about what we need and how to help. Page 7

B U I L D I N G A C U L T U R E O F L I F E

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Pictured are The John Paul II Life Center Board members Chris and Sheri Danze, Tim and Pat Von Dohlen, Vitae Clinic Board member Dr. Roger Harden, and Life Center Board members Heather and Dr. Jeremy Kalamarides.

The John Paul II Life Center has opened! On October 12, 2010, a beautiful fall day in Austin, Texas, The John Paul II Life Center was blessed by Fr. Jim Evans, Chaplain and Fr. Alberto Borruel, the Austin Diocesan Pro-Life Moderator. We unveiled our new state-of-the-art sonogram machine thanks to the Knights of Columbus, featured on page 2.

Our opening could not have happened without the prayer and hard work of many people. We are grateful to each person who has contributed in individual ways to the opening of the Center. Without your efforts, this Center would still only be a hope and a dream.

Our opening date, October 12, has special

significance as the secular Columbus Day and is also the feast day of Our Lady of the Pillar.

“It is appropriate that the opening was on Columbus Day. Columbus each night wrote in his ship log “stay the course”. We have stayed the course against difficult challenges and obstacles”, said Tim Von Dohlen, President of the Center’s Board of Directors.

The Virgin, in her first apparition, appeared with the Child Jesus and asked St. James to build a church on the site promising that “the church will stand until the end of time in order that God may work miracles and wonders through my intercession for all those who place

ServicesA list of what we offer to the Austin area.Page 5

Board ReflectionsA letter from Board President Tim Von Dohlen.Page 6

At the opening of The John Paul II Life Center on October 12, Knights of Columbus from the Saint John Neumann and Saint Catherine of Siena Councils presented a check for funds they raised and the matching funds from Supreme for the purchase of the sonogram – a Medison SA-X8. Knights from other councils and assemblies who helped with the fundraising were also present, along with Past State Deputies Ken Otte and Ray Neumann and Executive Secretary Mike McLaughlin. Receiving the payment was Steve Morris, National Account Manager for Medison. Alan Guisinger was recognized for his invaluable help in evaluating sonogram machine options.

The Knights of Columbus have assisted The John Paul II Life Center in setting up a Save the Baby Fund to help pay for a sonogram for women who are unable to pay themselves. Chris Danze, Vice President of the Center said, “Helping women see their baby will save babies lives and help all of us involved to remember Mother Teresa’s call for each of us to remain faithful”.

Natural Family Planning, also called modern fertility appreciation, is an umbrella term for certain methods used to achieve and avoid pregnancies. These methods are based on observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. The John Paul II Life Center offers educational speeches and seminar presentations provided by highly qualified and trained individuals on pro-life topics, including Natural Family Planning education.

In November, Dr. Jeremy Kalamarides, Medical Director, and his wife Heather gave a presentations on Natural Family Planning to the Mom’s Group at St. William Catholic Parish in Round Rock and to the MOYC (Mothers Of Young Children) group at St. Thomas More Catholic Church. Dr. Jeremy Kalamarides Ob/Gyn who is the Center’s Medical Director has said, “My Ewife and I look forward to teaching and educating women about natural procreative technology which helps women suffering from infertility to achieve pregnancy without utilizing in vitro fertilization”.

If you are interested in arranging for a speaker about Natural Family Planning and NaProTECHNOLOGY, please contact us at info@jp2lifecenter.org or call 512-407-2900!

Learning about NFP

Dr. Kalamarides is pictured holding an attendee of the St. William’s

Moms’s Group meeting.

Thank you, Knights!

Knights of Columbus from the Austin area presented their donation check to Dr. Jeremy Kalamarides of The John Paul II Life Center, pictured

with the Medison SA-X8.

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B U I L D I N G A C U L T U R E O F L I F E

VITAE CLINIC OF AUSTIN1600 W. 38TH Street, Suite 115, Austin, Texas 78731 • 512-458-6060 • www.vitaeaustin.com

The Vitae Clinic practices women's health care in full compliance with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services and therefore will not provide oral or other artificial contraceptives, provide abortions or use methods of achieving pregnancy that contradict these directives.

The Vitae Clinic and its staff welcome patients of all faiths and backgrounds. They recognize and hold the dignity of every human being, born and unborn, in the highest regard.

GYNECOLOGICAL CARE

The Vitae Clinic provides women with holistic women's healthcare throughout her reproductive lifetime and beyond through the use of NaProTECHNOLOGY or natural, procreative technology. Common gynecologic issues such as premenstrual syndrome, ovarian cysts, painful periods, long and irregular cycles and irregular bleeding can be addressed in cooperation with treatment from a trained Medical Consultant. This approach to medical care is based on treating the underlying cause of disease and working cooperatively with a woman's cycle to treat it.

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING

The Vitae Clinic appreciates and encourages the use of Natural Family Planning (NFP). NFP can be used by a couple to postpone or to achieve pregnancy.

Through training and mutual cooperation, a couple can easily observe their signs of daily fertility or infertility. NFP is a healthy and holistic alternative to artificial and hormonal contraception, allowing the couple to achieve or postpone pregnancy without medication. The staff at the Vitae Clinic are trained to assist couples in modern methods of fertility appreciation. Its effectiveness to avoid pregnancy is as good as any artificial contraception.

OBSTETRICAL CARE

The Vitae Clinic offers comprehensive preconception care, routine and high-risk prenatal care for women throughout pregnancy. You will receive the best possible care through labor and delivery as well as postpartum care. Dr. Kalamarides is devoted to providing the most personal service and highest standard of care for you and your growing family.

INFERTILITY

At the Vitae Clinic, we understand the frustration associated with experiencing infertility and seek to provide compassionate natural alternatives to artificial reproductive technologies. In our practice, we focus on looking for the underlying causes of infertility that allow for a rational, dignified and effective approach to treatment, utilizing methods of therapy to treat infertility that are supportive of a woman’s body.

Call 512-458-6060 today for an appointment!

JEREMY A. KALAMARIDES, D.O.

MEDICAL DIRECTOR

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The Mission of The John Paul II Life Center is to help build a “culture of life” structured around the beliefs of the Catholic faith through pro-life medical care, supported by education and spiritual growth programs.

Knights of Columbus from the Austin area gathered to present a check for funds raised to cover the purchase of the pictured sonogram machine. Tim Von Dohlen, Board President, presented

a check for the sonogram machine to Steven Morris of Medison USA.

Fr. Jim Evans, Chaplain of The John Paul II Life Center, raises a hand in blessing the new sonogram machine.

Bishop Joe Vasquez blessed the Vitae Clinic opening on October 18. Shaking his hand is John Brindley, President and CEO of Seton Medical Center Austin. Pictured in the background is Dr. Jeremy Kalamarides.

The following is an excerpt from an article published in the Catholic Spirit. The full article is available on The John Paul II Life Center’s website at www.jp2lifecenter.org under the News heading. This article was included in the October issue of the Catholic Spirit; it is used with permission from the Diocese of Austin. “We are here to support couples and women who want to use NFP as a means to track their fertility and menstrual cycles,” Dr. Kalamarides said. Kalamarides and his staff are “open to working with all NFP groups,” including the Couple-to-Couple League (the SymptoThermal method), as well as couples who use the Billings Ovulation Model and the Creighton Model, he said. “It’s my dream to be able to open a pro-life practice and raise the awareness of natural family planning to young women, engaged couples preparing for marriage, couples facing fertility issues and couples who want to revitalize their marriage,” he said.

The Vitae Clinic is a full-service obstetrics/gynecology practice. Patient care includes providing annual exams, care for pregnant patients, treatment for fibroids or heavy menstrual flows and post-menopausal care. Dr. Kalamarides will deliver babies and perform surgeries at Seton Medical Center at 1201 38th St. in Austin. His practice is open to patients of all faiths and backgrounds, he emphasized. The clinic will accept a variety of insurance coverage, including Medicaid.

Vitae Clinic in the news

Memberships

The John Paul II Life Center is a member of the following organizations:

National Catholic Bioethics Center Heartbeat International OptionLine National Institute of Family and Life Advocates

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Services OfferedServices

Sonograms 24 hour hotline - 1-800-395-HELPPre-natal care Pregnancy testsMedical Pregnancy VerificationCrisis Intervention ConsultingFertility educationAbstinence education in schoolsAbstinence education in communities

Referrals! Adoption

ChurchesCommunityEducational AssistanceMedical

B U I L D I N G A C U L T U R E O F L I F E

Board ReflectionsLooking Back Moving Forward

Any time you start something new there is apprehension and uncertainty. When you start any new business it is hard and there are unexpected obstacles. But none of us assembled in Judge Raul Gonzales law office one week after the death of Pope John Paul II anticipated all the challenges it would take to create The John Paul II Life Center – a pro life sonogram center with as affiliated ob/gyn medical practice. Statistics indicate that over 50% of new business start-ups fail. When there is not a road map to follow it is even harder.

The first ingredient for success is to surround yourself with dedicated and passionate people for the cause and then to draw from knowledgeable professionals for assistance. Overarching this is the need to place all the efforts in God’s hands and pray for His guidance. I was blessed to have a wonderful Board of Directors with each person contributing in his or her own unique way. I cannot express sufficiently all the Board’s appreciation to each person who helped along the nearly five year path to make The John Paul II Life Center a reality.

I believe writing a book to detail steps to take and obstacles to avoid will be worthwhile. In the meantime, here are the critical steps we implemented to organize:

1. Created the legal structure to form the tax exempt legal entity able to hire physician.

2. Identified physician (Ob/Gyn) and engaged.

3. Obtained sonogram equipment (Knights of Columbus Grant) then created Sonogram Center.

4. Engaged Practice Management Group to assist in physician clinic start-up.

5. Created hospital relationship with Seton Healthcare Network.

6. Assisted in obtaining physician licensing.

7. Secured location.

8. Developed marketing and operations plan.

Please pray for our continued guidance to help build a Culture of Life in Austin. Remember Ezekiel 33: 7-9: “Thus says the Lord: You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me. If I tell the wicked, “O wicked one, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death. But if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself”.

Each of us who have been engaged in the fight for protection of human life and the dignity of the human person knows that this in fact is our challenge. We cannot control what a person does, but we can control what we do to warn that person of the consequences of their actions.

Tim Von DohlenBoard President

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CHRIS DANZE

SHERI DANZE

HEATHER KALAMARIDES

JEREMY KALAMARIDES, D.O.

PAT VON DOHLEN

TIM VON DOHLEN

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B U I L D I N G A C U L T U R E O F L I F E

The John Paul II Life Center needs prayer. Please pray for us. We have placed ourselves under the patronage of Our Lady of the Pillar and Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the unborn.

The John Paul II Life Center needs volunteers. Volunteers can help with administrative tasks, can directly work with women in crisis, or can help in a number of other ways. We need your help in serving women in crisis. Any hours you can devote to us are deeply appreciated.

The John Paul II Life Center needs donations. A 501(c)(3) organization, all gifts made are tax-deductible. Your gift will be used for many things, from providing free pregnancy tests to women in crisis, to Natural Family Planning materials, or for something as simple as our electric bill. Should you want to donate directly to the Save the Baby Fund to provide women with sonograms, mentioned above, simply write “Save the Baby Fund” in the memo line of your check. There is an envelope included in this newsletter for any gifts you wish to give.

We appreciate your comments and suggestions. Contact us at give@jpiilifecenter.org or by phone.

prayervolunteersdonations

Our Needs

Save the Baby FundThanks to the Knights of Columbus, The John Paul II Life Center has a state-of-the-art 3D/4D sonogram machine. It can provide 3D images of children in the womb, as well as capture video! Statistics show that over 80% of women who see their baby through a sonogram choose life for the child.

Every woman who walks through our doors in crisis should have images of her child. Even though we own a sonogram machine, each sonogram costs The John Paul II Life Center money. The costs come from materials, insurance and labor; the determining cost factor is the woman’s stage of pregnancy. The average sonogram costs $400. If a woman has insurance, insurance can help pay the costs. For women without insurance, we need a fund - the Save the Baby Fund - to cover the cost of each woman’s sonogram.

We want women to have visual connections with their pre-born children, and we have the tools to do it. We cannot afford to provide free sonograms to every woman who walks in. Your help is needed to cover the costs.

Donations to The John Paul II Life Center’s Save the Baby Fund will go entirely to providing sonograms to women in crisis.

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Actual images from our sonogram machine!

B U I L D I N G A C U L T U R E O F L I F E

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“America, your very future as a nation depends on your willingness to protect the Right to Life of the most defenseless in your society.” Pope John Paul II