Dear Friends of the Kolbe Center,
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Here in the United States we are about to celebrate American Thanksgiving, and I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you who have supported our apostolate with your prayers and donations during the past year. In a recent newsletter we recalled the ancient saying, “Memento Mori,” which was the greeting of the Hermits of St. Paul in France in the seventeenth century. “Memento Mori” reminds us to be prepared for our own death, to be ready to meet our Heavenly Bridegroom when He calls us home. This month of the Poor Souls is the perfect time to herald our partnership with My Catholic Will—the only Catholic will-writing tool available online.
By taking the necessary and easy steps to write your legal Catholic Will, you will ensure that your support for the building up of the Kingdom of God continues after your death. You can make a lasting gift to your family and to the good works of your choice by completing your Will through this simple online tool. To write your will FREE of charge, visit MyCatholicWill.com. But please also visit Dr. Paul Byrne’s Life Guardian Foundation website to make sure that you do everything necessary to protect yourself and your loved ones from being euthanized against your will.
Kolbe Advisory Council Welcomes a New Member
The Kolbe Center has an advisory council made up of theologians, philosophers and natural scientists who support the Kolbe mission with their prayers and with research, writing, and teaching, within the limits imposed by the duties of their state in life. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Michelle A. Cretella as the newest member of our advisory council. Michelle is a pediatrician, writer, researcher and speaker. She is the past executive director of the American College of Pediatricians and is the current co-chair of its Adolescent Sexuality Council. She is also a pediatrician spokesperson for the Catholic Medical Association and Advocates Protecting Children; she is a long-standing member of the Association for American Physicians and Surgeons, as well as a consultant to the Rhode Island Family Institute.
Dr. Cretella served on the Board of Directors of the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) for 13 years beginning in 2005 prior to being hired as the ACPeds’ first Executive Director, a position she held from 2018 -2021. Dr. Cretella served as Vice President of the ACPeds from 2010 - 2014 and as President from 2014 - 2018. Prior to holding executive offices, she chaired the ACPeds Pediatric Psychosocial Committee, Adolescent Sexuality Committee and Scientific Policy Committee as a board member. In these roles she became one of the ACPeds chief researchers, writers and spokespersons on a host of pediatric issues, especially transgender belief in youth. Her article Gender Dysphoria in Children and Suppression of Debate was published in the 2016 summer issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.
Dr. Michelle A. Cretella: A Leader in the Fight Against Transgenderism
Following an interview with Tucker Carlson, Dr. Cretella became recognized as a leading physician critic of gender ideology in pediatrics. She contributed to the development of model legislation at the state and federal levels in three areas. These legislative successes include bills passed to 1) protect youth from sterilizing and otherwise harmful transgender interventions, 2) maintain fairness and safety in female sports, and 3) maintain accurate sex markers on legal documents. She has contributed to several amicus briefs for various pro-family and pro-life court cases at the state, federal and international levels. She has been consulted by Breitbart News, FRC, One News Now, Relevant Radio, FOX News and many others.
Dr. Cretella is a peer reviewer for three professional journals: the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, Issues in Law and Medicine, and the International Journal of Behavioural and Healthcare Research. Dr. Cretella also serves on the Advisory Board for the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity. And is a member of the international John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family.
Dr. Cretella received her medical degree in 1994 from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. She completed her internship and residency in pediatrics in 1997 at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut. She completed a fellowship in College Health through the University of Virginia in 1999. Dr. Cretella practiced pediatrics with a special interest in behavioral health from 1999-2012. She left clinical pediatric practice in 2012 to devote more time to her family and pro-life child advocacy. Dr. Cretella and her husband are the proud parents of four grown children.
If you know a theologian, philosopher, medical expert or natural scientist who believes in the mission of the Kolbe Center and whom you would like to nominate for membership on our advisory council, please email me at howen@shentel.net and let me know.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, of Good Saint St. Joseph, and of all the Saints, may the Holy Ghost inspire our every thought, word and action, so that we hasten the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Social Reign of Christ Our King throughout the world!
In Domino,
Hugh Owen
P.S. Here are links to some of Dr. Cretella’s online videos:
- Tucker Carlson (FOX News) 7/24/17 - “Pediatricians versus Transgender Politics”
- The Daily Signal (2017) - “Watch the Uncensored Video on Gender Dysphoria from a Pediatrician"
- Heritage Foundation Panel (2017) - Pediatrician drops a bomb on idea that transgenderism is real — completely destroys it with truth - TheBlaze
- Two illustrative videos produced by Dr. Cretella, ACPeds and Family Watch International (2021)