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I trust you and your loved ones are doing well, which is no easy feat in these challenging times.

I don't doubt that you are grappling with many of the same issues that I am, and which so many other people are also - issues relating to health, our faith tradition, our elected officials, our inter-personal lives, and our relationships with family and close friends.

It would certainly be accurate to say that no small number of matters need our prayerful attention.

One of these bears directly on the work that we do at the Quebec Life Coalition of defending the preborn child – namely the “vaccines” created to protect us against the coronavirus and that are derived from fetal cell lines.

I use quotation marks around the word vaccine because according to many physicians, such as Dr. Simone Gold, the term is a misnomer. Many MDs prefer the term “experimental agent” or something of the kind, arguing that these agents need to undergo rigorous clinical trials before being called a vaccine. These clinical trials include testing on pregnant women, nursing women, children under fifteen years of age, etc.

The vaccines for polio, rubella, smallpox, and chicken pox have all undergone such testing and offer protection against these maladies.

Of the 38 anti-covid "vaccines," 18 openly admit having been derived from fetal cell lines, (including Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer) and 14 others have not divulged complete information.

The fear is that the use fetal cell lines derived from aborted children gains “respectability” as a pretext to save human lives.

Further, I can see the same sort of reasoning used to justify the deliberate killing of preborn children to further scientific research into finding solutions to other of humanity's woes, such as in the areas of healthcare, energy, environment, etc.

Two questions

Two questions preoccupy me.

First and most fundamentally: Is a vaccine really needed? My survey of physicians shows a polemic – those who believe that inoculations are needed and those who do not.

Second: Whether research for a vaccine to the SARS-Cov-19 virus should use fetal cells derived from an aborted child?

This second is also polemical, having garnered plenty of international debate. Representatives of this polemic include on the one hand, the distinguished Spanish ethicist and historian Prof. Roberto de Mattei and on the other hand, the American jurist Christopher A. Ferrara.

The first argues in favour of such a vaccine and the state’s right to mandate its citizenry to get the jab. The second, undaunted by the academic credentials of the first, writes not one but two (pending) critical replies to the first.

Membership in either camp of this polemic is quite similar. Both include religious men and women, some of high rank in the ecclesiastical ladder. Both also include lay men and women, erudites like de Mattei and Ferrara as well as the more common stock, like me.

I have limited studies. I cannot engage in a time-consuming and resource-demanding scholarly review, parsing the subtleties and the arguments from both camps.

Fortunately for me, a dear friend offered consoling advice: "pray."

To the best of our knowledge, we inform ourselves. Then in the quiet of our room, before we go to bed, we turn to our Heavenly Father who knows what is good for us.

25 I say to you, then, do not fret over your life, how to support it with food and drink; over your body, how to keep it clothed. Is not life itself a greater gift than food, the body than clothing? 26 See how the birds of the air never sow, or reap, or gather grain into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them; have you not an excellence beyond theirs? 27 Can any one of you, for all his anxiety, add a cubit’s growth to his height?[3] 28 And why should you be anxious over clothing? See how the wild lilies grow; they do not toil or spin; 29 and yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 If God, then, so clothes the grasses of the field, which to-day live and will feed the oven to-morrow, will he not be much more ready to clothe you, men of little faith? 31 Do not fret, then, asking, What are we to eat? or What are we to drink? or How shall we find clothing? 32 It is for the heathen to busy themselves over such things; you have a Father in heaven who knows that you need them all. 33 Make it your first care to find the kingdom of God, and his approval, and all these things shall be yours without the asking. 34 Do not fret, then, over to-morrow; leave to-morrow to fret over its own needs; for to-day, to-day’s troubles are enough. (Matthew 6: 25-34)

Let us be strong and courageous.

Brian Jenkins
Outreach Coordinator
Quebec Life Coalition

p.s. If you like our work and are able to support us financially, consider a making a gift, whether a one-time amount or a regular donation. Thank you.

I wish you and your loved ones a most blessed Easter and Easter season.

I write to you on Maundy Thursday. Most of us have begun our final preparations for the Easter Triduum.

These may involve fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.

Each of these three activities was engaged in by the prayer volunteers who were present at the first of our twice-annual 40 Days for Life prayer vigil for the end of abortion. This intense 40-day demonstration for life which wrapped up on Palm Sunday was also a public show of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving on the streets of Montreal. It was held in sight of one abortion facility and near three others, the latter three all within a half kilometer radius of where we prayed.

We prayed, fasted, and gave alms at the intersection of Berri and St. Catherine Streets, one of the neediest areas in all of Montreal and the Metropolitan area.

In addition to the general commuter population, most of whom seem content to be silent spectators to the harmful drama of abortion occurring daily in their midst, this intersection draws a wide variety of people, many of whom are quite wounded in various ways. These include:

• The ideologically wounded: university students and others indoctrinated with systems of thought, such as fascism, socialism, communism, and secularism, all of which are antithetical to life and to the life-affirming prescriptions of Our Lord.
• People with dependencies to alcohol and drugs, many of whom openly seen “panhandling” to continue these destructive behaviours.

Furthermore, this spring I noticed new groups coming to this area. First a plethora of construction workers come daily in this area. Whether on university grounds or on the public utilities, they have seen the prayer volunteers daily congregate faithfully, rosaries in hand and prolife signs strung around their necks.

The prayer volunteers also did not go unnoticed by a second and even greater group of people – the homeless.

Though blessed with the presence of the homeless as many are pro-life and openly affirm our work, the prayer volunteers have witnessed countless distressing incidents of physical and verbal abuse as well as acts of vulgarity among their ranks. Police were frequently called to establish and sustain public order.

The prayer volunteers have furthermore been giving a listening ear to the tragic stories of many homeless individuals. These often include accounts of violent upbringings, broken families, and the coping mechanisms used to deal with their pain.

Feeding the Hungry

Our primary goal is the defence of the unborn innocent child, yet Our Lord seems to have called us to additional works of corporal and spiritual charity.

A third group present more noticeably to this area of Montreal are the men and women of all ages who have come to feed the hungry and clothe the needy. Single families, church groups and social media groups have been drawn to the intersection of Berri and St. Catherine Streets to serve meals, bring clothes, and in some cases share the Word of God.

The Quebec Life Coalition has made a humble contribution in this respect. In mid-March, we offered our office kitchen facilities to a homeless man of Indian origin with culinary skills, permitting him and two colleagues to prepare a meal that fed up 700 people, many of whom were homeless.

As we enter our final preparations for Our Lord’s passion and resurrection, we are aware of the Easter joy that awaits us: resurrection and life eternal. The great message of Easter is not only that death has been defeated, but also that life is renewed and affirmed – life in all its wonder, scope, and variation.

Through all of the trials individuals may face, and all of the degradations that our society has in many cases not only tolerated but embraced, the great potential of that life which derives from God to persevere, be renewed, break through barriers, and be enlivened by the Spirit remains constantly on display. This is central to the message of this most blessed season, as well as to all the work that we are engaged with as an organization, from advocating for the rights of the unborn child to responding to the diverse needs of all who cross our paths.

May we turn our attention not only to the victory of life eternal but also prepare for it during our earthly pilgrimage by caring for the vulnerable of our society, most particularly the unborn child.

Sincerely Yours,

Brian Jenkins

This month, I present my translation of a letter that QLC President Mr. Georges Buscemi has recently sent to our Francophone supporters. I present it because I find that it aptly addresses how any sustainable change, particularly that of promoting a culture of life, can occur; namely, humbling ourselves before our creator. I hope you find it interesting and wish to participate.

One of the greatest crosses we must carry these days is being deprived to publicly worship God: churches are closed partially or completely, until further notice. Now, is there anything more essential at gaining the strength needed to establish a Christian society at the service of life than to receive the grace of God through the sacraments that He has instituted? Obviously, our governments, pro-abortion and indifferent to religion, do not share this belief.

Fortunately, we don't have to wait for our governments to take matters into their own hands. If the people cannot go to God, then God will go to His people. Therefore, I am announcing that in 2021, the Quebec Life Coalition will do its utmost to ensure that the salvation of God enters your homes, through a visit by a priest.

How will these visits work? Keeping with the objectives of the Quebec-Life Coalition, the first goal is to have flourish, at all levels of society, a Culture of Life with God having the first place. Now, there is no better way to transform a house into a dwelling where God lives and His laws respected than by consecrating one’s home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Pictured here are the united Hearts of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. (Photo from Benedicta Boutique)

Such a ceremony, which can be preceded by the sacrament of reconciliation for all members of the family and by a private mass, is the perfect way to promise God that, at least in this house, His peace will reign, absent of any vile language, the promotion of vice, of freedom without responsibility, of impiety, of revolt, of doubtful opinions, but of simplicity, obedience, respect for life, from conception to natural death. A consecration is a solemn promise, made as a family, the basic unit of society, that Christ the King is recognized; His laws respected, His wishes fulfilled with gaiety of heart.

If enough homes are consecrated, this will pave the way for the consecration of businesses, groups and associations, town halls, corporations, parties, unions, provincial and federal governments and, ultimately, world bodies. For whoever recognizes Jesus as God and king of his person and of his house will want Him to be recognized in his community; whoever recognizes Him in the privacy of his home will be inclined to recognize him in public.

We plan to launch this initiative very soon. Lent, for example, would be a great opportunity to make the first visits. If, like us, you think that a Culture of Life begins in families and homes, and you wish to receive a visit from a priest to consecrate your family and your home to God, click here. We will contact you to organize this visit. (We'll also give you some tips to help you prepare for your dedication ceremony.)

…

Thank you for helping us with your prayers and donations to get through these difficult times and continue to spread a Culture of Life in Quebec and Canada.

- Georges Buscemi

On behalf of the Quebec Life Coalition staff, I wish you and your loved ones a blessed Lenten period, which begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17 as we prepare for the passion and resurrection of Our Lord.

Sincerely Yours

Brian Jenkins

p.s. Our 40-day prayer vigil begins on Ash Wednesday. To learn more or to sign up, call (438) 930-8643.

p.p.s Learn more about our new staff person, Alicia, on page 4 of our newsletter.

Blessed New Year greetings to you and your loved ones.

I trust that the currant social conditions have not overly disrupted your celebrations of Our Lord’s birth.

Also I hope that the yearly tradition of new year resolutions making did not pass you by!

Not I. I have come up with three. 1. Expanding Vigil365; 2. Producing a weekly “e-newsletter”; and 3. Registering as a candidate in the 2021 federal election.

THE DETAILS

Many of you are already familiar with Vigil365 – the daily pro-life presence in downtown Montreal, at the corner of Berri and St. Catherine Streets.

Typically, three of us, sometimes more, sometimes less, meet for between one and two hours each day, Monday through Sunday, usually in the morning as the local abortion facilities open for business at 8 am.

In 2021, I pledge to take this witnessing one step further. That is, I will add one full day of public witness to the existing schedule. In other words, between Monday and Friday, the coverage will increase for one of these days from the current length to that of regular 8-hour workday. Your prayers are requested in this task.

A WEEKLY "E-NEWSLETTER"

At the Quebec Life Coalition, we currently provide our English-speaking subscribers and other interested persons news of local events on a once-a-month basis.

Further, as English internet readers can access many groups actively fostering the culture of life, whether these be pregnancy support, post-abortion care, post-natal care, news gathering and dissemination, and spiritual support, we at the QLC have not gone into further depth in these areas.

Yet there's room for a weekly English news bulletin that targets the Quebec community, presenting life matters originating in or impacting the province of Quebec.

For instance, the Quebec National Assembly on three separate occasions over a ten-year span - May 20, 2010; April 26, 2012; and again on May 29, 2019, voted unanimously (117-0 in the third of these) a motion reaffirming that a woman can choose to end the life of her unborn child.

Also, the same assembly voted 121-0 on December 9, 2020, to ban reparation therapy, a therapeutic method aimed at helping persons persons struggling with either same sex attraction or gender confusion.

In 2021, I pledge to produce and email a weekly “e-newsletter” dealing with culture of life events affecting our province.

FEDERAL ELECTION in 2021?

Prime Minister Mr. Trudeau and his minority Liberal party were elected in 2019 and are mandated to serve until 2023. Yet, we believe that a federal election may occur in 2021.

A minority status is precarious. If a piece of legislation does not get the minimum 170 votes to pass, the legislation fails and the governing party falls, resulting in the call for a national election.

As a federal budget, a contentious issue, is expected this spring, we believe that it may cause the government to fall.

We encourage you to step forward and become involved in the election process.

There are different ways to do so:

1. Join a political party in order to influence the party platform to become more favourable to life issues;

2. Join an Electoral District Association in order to get a particular candidate elected; or

3. Become a candidate, as I pledge to do.

Wishing you your own blessed resolutions in 2021, I remain

Sincerely Yours

Brian Jenkins

p.s. Your support, monetarily and in prayer, is the foundation of our projects. Thank you.

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What a rich and blessed legacy we have!

Granted, these past months, our attention may have been less on the more sublime matters of our faith and spiritual tradition than on worldly events, such as:

• The events surrounding the US presidential election;
• The Great Reset; and
• The Coronavirus and talk surrounding its lethality, its treatment, public policy response.

Yes, these and other similar events can obscure this legacy. Yet is our age any different from previous ones with their own distractions?

By legacy, I am thinking of our rich faith tradition, which has been handed down to us through the centuries.

Consider the visual arts. Our museums, our churches, and our Christmas cards all depict the wonder of our redemption. The nativity, for instance, has inspired a hoard of artists to represent the birth of Our Lord Jesus, a vulnerable infant child.

A second example of this legacy is the written record amassed over the centuries.

Many theologians, poets, historians and others have been effected by the birth in Bethlehem and the subsequent life of Jesus Christ, to encourage others in writing to lead moral lives and to share the good news of God made flesh.

Consider, for example, the following passage from a contemporary writer:

I heard a saying which has often been repeated in recent years, “We have not to fear a strong Islam in Europe but a weak Christianity.” This is our problem. … our answer to Islam must be to increase our convictions in the Catholic faith, to nurture a virtuous and chaste life, faith in the uniqueness of Christ, in the reality that there is no other way to salvation outside the Church, and that all who are not Christians and who are Islamic have to know Christ and, by God’s grace, freely accept Him. It is our duty to tell them this with love, not with violence; with love, but with conviction. We have to be deeply convinced Christians. We have to foster and nourish in ourselves the spirit of martyrdom, and develop the beauty of a chaste and virtuous life. One of the best and most efficacious means of radiating the Catholic faith and of evangelizing is given when our young people, our families, or priests radiate integrity of the moral life. - Bishop Athanasius Schneider. Christus Vincit.

*** To Quebec residents, for any donation of $100 or more, I will gladly mail you, as a gift, a copy of Mgr. Schneider's Christus Vincit: Christ's Triumph Over the Darkness of the Age.***

I find this passage relevant not only in my defense of the unborn child but also in regards to the Christian apologetics for not infrequently I exchange with pedestrians on matters of faith when I pray near the abortion facilities downtown.

For instance, you may be surprised how often I am told by the people I meet that Muslims and Christians worship the same God.

I try “with love, not with violence; with love, but with conviction” to profess the triune nature of God. Jesus is not a prophet but the second person of the divine trinity.

Next, I can identify with “the spirit of martyrdom” as I take a public stand for life and faith.

In these instances, a "beauty" settles over me; i pray “radiating integrity of the moral life.”

This holiday period, a time when we meet and exchange with near and dear ones, I wish you a renewed joy contemplating Our Lord’s rich legacy and allowing this truth radiate its beauty to those about you.

Merry Christmas,

Brian Jenkins

Outreach Coordinator

p.s. Many of you support us, either occasionally or on a regular basis. Your aid permits our efforts to foster a culture of life. All are welcomed during this Advent/Christmas period to express this support again. During this fundraising campaign, we have so far received 1,880$ towards our 7,500$ goal. Thank you!

Quebec Commissioner of Health, Joanne Castonguay (Photo : Twitter)

By email and mail

November 18, 2020, +JMJ+

Commissioner
Joanne Castonguay
880, chemin Sainte-Foy, suite 4.40
Quebec, Quebec
G1S 4X4

Madam Commissioner,

I am writing to you as President of the Campagne Québec-Vie / Quebec Life Coalition, a non-profit association that aims to make its contribution so that Quebec can once again become a Christian society that protects faith, family, and life, from conception to natural death.[1]

I learned from an article in La Presse that the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, had mandated you “to examine the performance of the health network, especially elder care, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic” and that this study would be similar to a commission of inquiry, less punitive powers.[2]

Your mandate as defined by Mr. Dubé suggests that this spring’s fatalities are all caused by the coronavirus, and that your work will consist solely of identifying gaps in the health care system that would explain why our seniors and other vulnerable people have not been sufficiently protected from a deadly virus. However, we believe that this assumption of a very lethal virus from which we would not have been sufficiently protected is not the only one, nor even the most probable one. We are therefore writing to encourage you to consider, in your report, other scenarios that would better account for the increase in “all-cause mortality” observed in Quebec this spring[3].

In our opinion, the vulnerable people who died in Quebec this spring in unusually high numbers are not only, or even for the most part, dead from a virus with a case-fatality rate close to that of a strong seasonal flu[4]; they mostly died for other reasons[5], including the following:

• Gross neglect caused in part by an acute labour shortage in long-term care facilities, which was in large part the result of a media scare campaign that created panic among long-term care employees; [6]
• A stressful situation caused by isolation and other health measures, weakening the immune system of people who are already very fragile, and making them more likely to succumb to what in normal times amount to relatively benign illnesses; [7]
• A triage policy for seniors, denying them, during the crisis, access to hospital services that were normally available to them; [8]
• Contamination of senior care facilities by sick elderly people who have been evacuated from hospitals (to “free up” 7,000 beds, including those of 1,400 patients who were still sick), in anticipation of a “wave” of “higher priority” patients that never materialized; [9]
• A suspension of several surgeries and other interventions, again in order to “free up” beds to deal with the crisis; a pause in care that may have indirectly caused several deaths this spring; and [10]
• The establishment of euthanasia-like protocols. [11]

Commissioner, you will be required to table a report on how the crisis was managed by the end of summer 2021. We believe that the credibility of your report can only be strengthened if you do not stick to the implicit assumption imposed by government authorities that the emergency measures put in place this spring including the lockdown have “saved lives”. It is our earnest hope that your report will take into account the aforementioned hypothesis, which we believe is more plausible, that health measures, far from having protected the population, actually contributed to the hecatomb : by stressing our seniors, resulting in a fall of their immune systems; by exposing them to patients expelled from hospitals and laden with nosocomial viral loads; by isolating them and making them lose their will to live; by causing their famine and dehydration in care homes from which a large number of long-term care center employees fled in panic because of the fear-mongering campaign by government authorities and the media, and finally by euthanizing them under the guise of “palliative care” made necessary by lack of access to hospital care.

Commissioner, a huge task lies ahead of you. We wish you all the courage and strength you need to successfully complete it. It goes without saying that in addition to offering you our logistical support in your endeavours, we are committed to praying for you and your team, hoping that your work will bear fruit, not only for the sake of the Quebec health care system, but also so that justice will be done for elderly and vulnerable people for whom the deaths this spring were in many cases perfectly preventable.

Yours sincerely,


Georges Buscemi, president
Quebec Life Coalition

This letter has been published on the Campagne Québec-Vie / Quebec Life Coalition website (https://en.cqv.qc.ca) and sent to various organizations and media.

Electronic copies of this letter were also sent to the following individuals:

• Marguerite Blais, Minister responsible for Seniors and Informal Caregivers ([email protected])
• Pascale Descary, Chief Coroner ([email protected])
• Christian Dubé, Minister of Health ([email protected])
• Christian Lépine, Archbishop of Montreal
• Alex Schadenberg, President of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
• Dr. Patrick Vinay, President of Living with Dignity

[1] For more information about our organization, please visit https://en.cqv.qc.ca/ who_we_are

[2] Source: https://www.lapresse.ca/ actualites/2020-08-19/ covid-19-la-commissaire-a-la-sante-fera-enquete.php, consulted on November 18, 2020.

[3] According to the data from the Institut de la statistique du Québec (see https://www.stat.gouv.qc.ca /statistiques/population-demographie/ deces-mortalite/nombre-hebdomadaire-deces_an.html, consulted on November 18, 2020), there was indeed excess mortality in spring 2020 in Quebec. In fact, from year to year we observe a seasonal cycle of death rates, with the rate increasing in winter (with the flu season and other respiratory diseases) and decreasing in summer. In Quebec, approximately 1300 people die each week (186 per day). In 2020 this fluctuating and seasonal mortality rate drastically increased in April, which coincides with the Covid 19 crisis in the province. It is therefore tempting to conclude that these deaths were caused by the coronavirus. However, in our opinion, this is an erroneous conclusion, as we will explain later.

[4] The mortality rate from seasonal influenza is estimated to be 1 in 1000 affected people (see: Fauci, Lane and Redfield [2020], online at: https://www.nejm.org /doi/full/10.1056/ NEJMe2002387, accessed Nov. 18, 2020) while the median covid 19 infection fatality rate is between 2 and 3 in a thousand, according to Ioannidis, John PA (2020), online at : https://www.who.int/bulletin/ online_first/ BLT.20.265892.pdf; accessed November 18, 2020 (Back-up link, here).

[5] There are good reasons to believe that the official figure of 6,710 deaths “due” to Covid 19 as of November 18, 2020, is significantly inflated. For more information on this “statistical inflation”, read the comments of Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi, Dr. Horacio Arruda, etc., quoted in the following article, from the section entitled Gonflage statistique des décès dus au covid ?: https://www.cqv.qc.ca/ libre_opinion_sur_la_pandemie_2020 - gonflage, consulted on November 18, 2020.

[6] Among many examples, there is the situation at the Herron and Sainte-Dorothée residences, as described in this article from the Journal de Montréal: https://www.journaldemontreal.com/ 2020/09/23/ les-problemes-de-personnel-ont-engendre-lhecatombe, consulted on November 18, 2020. Another example from the documentary Mourir dans l’angle mort produced by Radio-Canada, which described the situation in the Herron residence as follows: “31 deaths, but, above all, residents found lying in their feces, without care, dehydrated and starved due to a lack of staff. (This quote ends at 9 minutes 42 seconds in the documentary available at the following address: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=S8dhFPfTWP4, consulted on November 18, 2020.)

[7] On the significant impacts of stress on mortality observed during spring 2020 in different communities, see Rancourt, Denis (June 2020) : https://www.researchgate.net/publication/ 341832637_All-cause_mortality_during_COVID-19_ No_plague_and_a_likely_signature_of_mass_ homicide_by_government_response, consulted on November 18, 2020. This article has been translated in French here: https://lesakerfrancophone.fr/ mortalite-toutes-causes-confondues- pendant-la-covid-19, consulted on November 18, 2020.

[8] An example of such a protocol can be found here: https://www.lapresse.ca/ covid-19/2020-04-18/ un-plan-de-triage-pour-faire-les-choix-dechirants, consulted on November 18, 2020.

[9] At the beginning of the crisis, Health Minister Danielle McCann announced having “freed up” 7,000 beds, including 1,400 patients sent to CHSLDs and other institutions, thereby exposing thousands of vulnerable people to contagious, nosocomial and other diseases. See Mourir dans l’angle mort at 1:49 : https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=S8dhFPfTWP4, consulted on November 18, 2020)

[10] Ibid.

[11] Many Western jurisdictions, in Canada, Sweden, and France, have implemented long-term care facility protocols in times of pandemic that are, in reality, disguised forms of euthanasia. See the following articles for Canada: https://www.cqv.qc.ca/ mort_de_faim_et_de_soif_a_cause_des_mesures_ anticoronavirus, Sweden: https://www.cqv.qc.ca/suede_euthanasie_ dans_les_maisons_pour_personnes_agees_protocoles_eugeniques, and France: https://www.medias- presse.info/gouvernement-et-coronavirus-ouverture-a-leuthanasie-deguisee-en- recommandant-des-usages-letaux-du-rivotril/119441/, each consulted on November 18, 2020.

15 Hearing this, one of his fellow guests said to him, Blessed is the man who shall feast in the kingdom of God. 16 He (Jesus) answered him thus, There was a man that gave a great supper, and sent out many invitations. 17 And when the time came for his supper, he sent one of his own servants telling the invited guests to come, for all was now ready. 18 And all of them, with one accord, began making excuses. I have bought a farm, the first said to him, and I must needs go and look over it; I pray thee, count me excused. 19 And another said, I have bought five pair of oxen, and I am on my way to make trial of them; I pray thee, count me excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and so I am unable to come. 21 The servant came back and told his master all this, whereupon the host fell into a rage, and said to his servant, Quick, go out into the streets and lanes of the city; bring in the poor, the cripples, the blind and the lame. 22 And when the servant told him, Sir, all has been done according to thy command, but there is room left still, 23 the master said to the servant, Go out into the highways and the hedge-rows, and give them no choice but to come in, that so my house may be filled. 24 I tell you, none of those who were first invited shall taste of my supper. (Luke 14:15-24)

This Gospel passage reminds me of the just completed Forty Days for Life prayer vigil for the end of abortion.

The Quebec Life Coalition has consistently organized 40-day vigils since the spring of 2009 - one during Lent and the other straddling the month of October, the month dedicated to the holy rosary.

Much like the host of the great supper in the above passage, the QLC has sent out many invitations for persons and groups to join us for the purpose of witnessing for life.

Again, much like the scriptural passage many have not heeded our invitations, for one reason or another.

As servants at our Lord’s table, we trust in His Providential care for us and for all His little ones.

Much like the servants in the Gospel passage, into the streets and dark spaces of Montreal we went and invited others.

As the twelve hour per day “40-Day for Life” vigil ends, so resumes the two-hour per day Vigil 365, our continuous presence at the intersection Berri and St-Catherine Streets, in downtown Montreal, where five abortion facilities are situated in close proximity.

On one day, I witnessed three women entering a building suspected of were heading to the abortion facility.

The great supper mentioned by the evangelist Luke refers to the heavenly banquet that awaits us all if and only if we heed the invitation.

Our presence, our signs, our cross all beckon pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike to share in this banquet.

… bring in the poor, the cripples, the blind and the lame.

Joyfully our voices are being heard and acted upon by others... the homeless in the area.

• Francis, young and homeless, came to humbly honour our six-foot cross.
• Pierre, homeless, who carries the entirety of his possessions in an army surplus bag and who begs at the entrance of the Metro entrance, day after day, has shared his alms with those of us present.
• Gabrielle, who offers her charms, brims with joy as I give her a Miraculous Medal.
• Karen, homeless, rushes over to him to kiss me, joyful that a motorist had stopped to give her a $20 bill.
• Claudi and Lucie, both homeless and have a walking impairments, come to see us regularly to ask for alms and to chat.

These are the treasures of the Church who have accepted Our Lord’s invitation to the great supper.

Yet, Scripture tells that there are still places left to be filled.

Do you wish to partake of it? Do you know someone who can be invited?

Our Lord wishes that his house be filled. What is stopping each one of us to fulfill our Delight’s wishes?

Your brother in Christ Jesus,

Brian Jenkins

Outreach Coordinator

Quebec Life Coalition

p.s. The Quebec Life Coalition depends entirely on the good will of our readers to continue our work. If you living circumstances permit, kindly consider making a financial gift. 

The Lord encounters us ever anew, through the eyes of the men and women who reflect his presence.

- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s Deus Caritas est.

In last month’s newsletter, I wrote to you about our low turnaround rate while sidewalk counselling in downtown Montreal. Most women and couples who come to the abortion facilities either dismiss our intercession or are unaware of it and carry through with their abortion.

Since this publication of that newsletter, I have received many heartening responses - by phone, email, or snail mail. Thank you to all those who called and wrote consoling and supportive words.

In addition to these, Our Lord has consoled me in yet another way.

Shortly after the publication of that newsletter, I came across an article by the Italian actor Pietro Sarubbi, who portrayed Barabbas in Mel Gibson’s film “The Passion of the Christ”. ("He played Barabbas to Jim Caviezel's Christ and the encounter changed his life")

Sarubbi’s message is timely as it illustrates how God uses eye contact to touch souls.

Writing about the scene in which he, in the role of Barabbas, briefly meets Jesus’ eyes just before descending the stairs after being released by Pilate, he shares:

While I was playing Barabbas, the Holy Spirit used one man to look at another man. Now it’s clear to me; it was perturbing and unsettling then... Later on, I read (Pope Emeritus) Benedict XVI’s encyclical Deus Caritas Est, in which there’s a phrase that expressed very clearly what had also happened to me: "The Lord encounters us ever anew, through the eyes of the men and women who reflect his presence."

The Italian actor and teacher then adds:

This is precisely God’s method: to look at people through the eyes of other people. This explained what was inexplicable to me; I could not imagine that a simple actor playing Jesus could look at me in a way that turned my soul upside-down. From that moment on there was a change in my personal, human, and professional life, because when you’re captivated, you’re captivated in every way.

Sarubbi's experience encourages me to become docile to Our Lord and so allow the women and couples I meet to be captivated by Him and be transformed.

And transformed to what? Sarubbi continues:

And from that moment on an entirely human challenge begins, because there’s no magic wand that transforms you; you remain exactly who you were, but you fall in love with Christ, and your life becomes an attempt to live up to that love. You remain with your sin and your smallness, but you’re enriched by the hope that through prayer you can walk without fear in a new direction.

Allowing the women and couples through me to encounter Christ and so bring love into their lives in hope and in a new direction.

Lord, may we be ever humble to allow you to increase in us so this he transformative love fosters a culture of life.

Yours in Christ Jesus,

Brian Jenkins

Outreach Coordinator

Quebec Life Coalition

p.s. We are entirely dependent on your financial support for our projects such as the daily downtown vigil. Please, consider becoming a making a contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you.

Dear Friends of Life,

I trust you and your loved ones are doing well.

I need to make a candid admission.

I’m pretty unsuccessful at what I am doing.

I am referring here to the sidewalk work of convincing women and couples to forego their appointment to abort their child.

My mentor, Msgr. Philip Reilly, founder of Helpers’ of God’s Precious Infants, in Brooklyn, NY, was able to convince between 6 and 7 women out of every ten he met to keep their child!

On the other hand, I average between one and two… per year!

Given that I am present daily outside two abortion facilities, year-round, my stats are anemic, to be kind.

The following incident is typical. While praying with a partner, I noticed a young couple, early to mid-twenties, walking along St-Catherine Street eastward, approaching us, on the opposite side of the street, the side the court injunction prevents us from crossing onto. A handsome couple – the man bearded, tall and broad shouldered and she, smaller, petite.

My intuition alerted me correctly as subsequently the couple ended their walk outside the building in which the Morgentaler facility is located. There, they stopped, hugged one another, went their separate ways – she inside and he, continuing his walk down Berri Street towards René-Lévesque Blvd.

I am getting ahead of myself. As the couple was walking eastward along St-Catherine street towards the intersection with Berri Street and were not quite level with us, I greeted them with a wave of my hand and then in their direction flashed the sign strung around my neck and resting on my chest, the one promoting the pregnancy help service.

The couple noticed. First the gentleman and then the young woman looked at me and then the sign, exchanged a few words between themselves. That was about all.

No passion. Had there been some passion, some outburst of indignation at my presence, at my gall to “interfere” in their private lives, then I would have felt some hope for saving the life of the unborn child.

No passion, only indifference. Their hearts had turned to stone.

Invoking God

Having done the humanly possible and failing, I knelt, calling upon God to spare this couple from the grief and regret over a choice they can never reverse, and to preserve the life of the innocent unborn child.

The traffic light changed, the couple crossed the street and continued their way towards the abortion facility. During the rest of their walk, one then the other looked back in my direction, she more so than him.

Variations of this scenario happen daily.

An idea

I need your help in two ways:

1. Pray that God blesses these encounters with special graces to soften hearts and
2. Send me your prayer needs.

Concerning the latter, I believe that by bringing these your spiritual needs to modern day Calvary, grace will flow in ways that are both mysterious and miraculous. What do you think?

My personal email address is noted below and I will keep these confidential.

We form part of a mystical body. Let us support one another in prayer during this earthly pilgrimage.

Yours in Christ Jesus

Brian Jenkins

Outreach Coordinator

p.s. Your financial support helps us continue this ministry. Thank you.

Vigil 365 Update - Great News! A Turn-around! This past week, while praying near two local abortion facilities, we met and spoke with a couple scheduled to abort their child. After our exchange, they decided otherwise. Today their child lives. Awesome! Please, keep this couple in your prayers.

Did you happen to notice a few weeks ago a huge sigh of relief?

I cannot be certain, but I believe it came from Montrealers responding to Premier François Legault’s announcement that the confinement measures were being relaxed.

The timing could not have been better coinciding with the warming weather and our desire to go outdoors to enjoy the wonders of spring in good conscience: longer daylight hours, blossoming tulips and lilacs, the verdant landscape, and … rainbows. We were blessed.

This reprieve is that much sweeter as it contrasts with not only with the harsh sanitary measures we have just lived through, but also the tragedy befallen our elderly.

The 70+ crowd suffered much these past few months in nursing homes. Understaffed wards, undernourished and dehydrated, poor hygienic care, solitary confinement are among the litanies of sorrows they underwent. Many of them died.

Though controversy surrounds the numbers of those who perished due to Covid19, none exist about the suffering and deaths experienced by our elderly. Righteous anger has been expressed by both the public and the media and our governments are only beginning to redress these wrongs.

Those of us trying to establish a culture of life are encouraged by the calls to help these vulnerable people. Yet, at the same time, we cannot help but wonder why another vulnerable group is subject to indifference and injustice.

Women who are either post-abortive or wrongly thinking of aborting their child are being denied important truths about abortion.

Will a society that awakens to its neglect of its elderly continue to neglect the harm that abortion does to women?

Abortion does harm women. Researchers are steadily producing new studies showing the adverse complications that abortion has on women.

Why are the media not producing these findings? Why are our governments not legislating against abortion?

Women are exploited when they are not told the truth when they go into an abortion facility.

Women are exploited when society, the media, social services, and our political leaders – deny or are unwilling to deal with the science of abortion.

The documentary Hush illustrates these points.

Producer Punam Kumar Gill sought to sort out for herself the conflicting claims she heard about the impact of abortion on women.

Ms. Gill who describes herself as pro-information, focuses on three critical health issues for women – breast cancer, premature births, and psychological damage.

This past January, while in Washington, D.C., I saw a twenty-minute segment and was impressed by its professional quality. Computer generated images illustrated the growth of the lactic cells during pregnancy and the dangers of an artificial interruption due to abortion. It explained how immature lactic cells could then mutate into cancerous cells.

The documentary provides scientific information, permitting women to reflect on the consequences of abortion. A preview as well as the full film may be seen here.

I intend to purchase several copies to offer to those of you who wish to buy a copy. Also, I would like to arrange a community screening; please contact me using the return coupon and self-address return envelop in either case.

This way, as in the situation with our elderly, we can work to bring to light an important injustice.

JMJ

Brian Jenkins

p.s. If you can, please consider supporting our work with a one-time gift, a regular monthly gift, or a planned gift. Thank you.