Bishop Joseph Strickland has named Father Nolan Lowry as the new head of the Sanctity of Life ministry in the Diocese of Tyler. He replaces long-time director Father Gavin Vaverek.
Father Lowry, Pastor of St. Edward Catholic Church in Athens, Tx, is originally from Gilmer, Texas. He is a convert to the Catholic Faith, trained in Rome, and possesses a License in Sacred Theology with a specialty in moral theology.
Father Lowry said, “I am truly honored that Bishop Strickland has asked me to direct the Sanctity of Life Office for the Diocese of Tyler. Building on the Pro-Life work of Fr. Gavin Vaverek for the last twenty-five years, I look forward to assisting the Bishop in continuing to proclaim the Church’s Gospel of Life in East Texas.
While we live in one of the most Pro-Life areas in the nation, an increasingly secularized worldview and “throw-away culture” threaten to diminish respect for human life at all its stages. The Sanctity of Life Office will continue to coordinate various apostolates like the Gabriel Project, focus on issues particularly related to the beginning and end of human life, and begin to offer more teaching events in conjunction with the St. Philip Institute of Catechesis and Evangelization.
Additionally, it is my hope to build stronger bridges between the Diocese of Tyler and Pro-Life Protestants in East Texas who are working toward many of our same goals. I believe exposure to the consistent moral teaching of the Catholic Church will bring about Christian Unity, and our doctrine on sanctity of life is an essential means to that end.”
