Honoring Exemplary Pro-Life Leadership

Four years ago, my office established the Gospel of Life Award to recognize and thank Catholic individuals who have demonstrated exemplary efforts to promote the Gospel of Life in their parish and community. One individual is chosen from each of the three dioceses of Nebraska.

On Oct. 22, at the annual Bishops’ Pro Life Conference banquet, three women were recognized for their decades of extraordinary commitment and leadership to building a civilization of love and life.

This year’s recipient from the Grand Island Diocese is Mrs. Bernadine Overman from Scottsbluff. Thirty years ago, Mrs. Overman saw a need for helping pregnant women who saw abortion as their only option out of a difficult situation. After months of prayer and discussion with others, she founded Birthright in Scottsbluff and served as its director for 30 years until her retirement this October.

Over those 30 years Bernadine recruited and trained volunteers, rented space for an office, maintained the accounting and correspondence and gave talks about Birthright throughout the community and region. In addition, she made sure there were at least two scholarships available each year to the local community college for those who gave birth to their babies and needed an education. According to Bernadine, it was a "labor of love."

The recipient from the Lincoln Diocese is Mrs. Shirley Lang. Mrs. Lang has an extensive background of pro-life leadership with state and local pro-life groups. She was a founding member of Lincoln Right to Life, serving as its president, secretary, treasurer and speakers bureau chairman. She also served as president, national director and lobbyist for Nebraska Right to Life and was the master of ceremonies for the annual Walk for Life in Lincoln for many years.

As impressive as this list of accomplishments is, Shirley’s commitment to the pro-life cause is best exemplified by her willingness to open her home to a pregnant teen in need of help. Shirley’s positive influence on this young mother was evident in a number of ways. The mother eventually married the father of her child, went back to school and became a nurse and, with Shirley as her sponsor, was welcomed into the Catholic Church.

The recipient from the Archdiocese of Omaha is Mrs. Agnes Schleppenbach. If her last name looks a little familiar it’s because she is my mother! Mrs. Schleppenbach built the foundation of Pierce County Right to Life shortly after Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973. It was one of the first county pro-life groups in the state.

Despite raising 11 children, she found time to lead the group, recruit members, conduct meetings, develop educational materials, fundraise and serve as a regional director and board member of Nebraska Right to Life. In addition to her community and regional leadership she was a pro-life coordinator at St. Joseph’s parish in Pierce for 25 years and served as a board member of Birthright in Norfolk for 10 years.

In their document "Living the Gospel of Life", the U.S. Bishops said that "Scripture calls us to ‘be doers of the word and not hearers only… [for] faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead’…Life in Christ is a life of active witness. It demands moral leadership. Each and every person baptized in the truth of the Catholic faith is a member of the ‘people of life’ sent by God to evangelize the world."

These three extraordinary women are inspiring examples of this "active witness" and "moral leadership" through their faithful and generous service to our least brothers and sisters. God bless them for their service.