Years before Culture of Life Family Services began, its founders, Deacon Ken and Marie Finn, attended an international conference on the family in Acapulco, Mexico. It was there that they met St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta for the first time.
Mother inspired them. At the conference, she spoke about the importance of the family, God’s plan for the family, and consequences that follow when His plan is forgotten. She spoke about abortion, saying “Always when you want to have a child, you can have it. But if you don’t want it, don’t destroy it. Give it to me.” It was this first encounter with Mother where God showed them that there was much more that could and should be done for families, planting the seeds that would eventually grow into COLFS.
Deacon Ken and Marie would see and write to Mother Teresa on many other occasions. Looking back at this conference, at which the Finn’s also met the Billings’s – who started the Billings Method of natural family planning – one can wonder if COLFS would exist today were it not for these providential encounters.
Deacon Ken wrote of the Acapulco conference, “the congress clearly met the specifications of Pope John Paul II, as stated on Dec. 28, 1981. He said it was essential to uphold the total human person, the physical, psychological, moral and spiritual.” The good deacon’s words in this article are very similar to the words of COLFS’ mission statement from 2001: “to promote a Culture of Life by improving the physical, social and spiritual health of our community as a nonprofit organization.”
St. Mother Teresa lived a radical love for God and neighbor and was unwilling to compromise that love in the face of weakness, fear, or the status quo. From this same great love, COLFS was instituted in 2001. Since then, for 25 years, we have served tens of thousands of patients in the greater San Diego area with life-affirming healthcare. As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, we can rejoice in the beautiful connections with which God has blessed COLFS, especially to St. Teresa of Calcutta, through our beloved founders, Deacon Ken and Marie Finn.
