News

40 Days for Life Canada Begins With Kick Off Rallies and Prayer Services

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski and Steve Jalsevac

TORONTO, February 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The 40 Days for Life campaign got off to a successful start across Canada as kick-off rallies and events took place yesterday to prepare for the beginning of the forty days of peaceful vigil and prayer for an end to abortion.

Nicole Campbell, coordinator of the 40 Days for Life Toronto, told LifeSiteNews that over 350 people gathered at St. Charles Borromeo Church for a rally yesterday at 3 p.m. The crowd was addressed by several speakers and encouraged by music provided by a group of musicians who assembled for the occasion.

Angelina Steenstra and two other members of Silent No More Awareness Campaign spoke on the disastrous effect of abortion on the mental and physical well-being of women. The very personal and often heart breaking testimonies of the three women captured total attention and here and there listeners could be seen wiping tears from their eyes.One listener told LifeSiteNews she could hardly breath during the testimonies because she found them so riveting.

Two Toronto based Sisters of Life were present. Sister Monica Faustina shared a moving success story from a previous 40 Days for Life campaign in New York city and spread the Sisters' usual infectious joy and exuberance to the crowd.

Nicole Campbell, spoke on the need to put faith into action by coming out and participating in the silent vigil kept at the abortuary, and of the need of constant prayer support for those keeping vigil and for a conversion of souls to the culture of life. She emphasized that the actions of those who participate in the 40 days for Life are intended to reach out to women with love, both before and after abortion, and to those who come to the abortion centres with them. Conversion, the changing of hearts and minds, as well as saving women and babies from abortion, were emphasized to be the primary goals of 40 Days. She also urged all participants to pray for abortionists and their staff.

Campaign Life Coalition president Jim Hughes gave a brief history of the efforts of CLC to bring 40 Days for Life to Canada, its great success in Ottawa last fall and the expansion of the 40 days to other provinces.


In Ottawa a Vesper service was held at St. Patrick's Basilica yesterday evening as part of a "spiritual launch" of the 40 Days for Life in the nation's capital.

Paul Lauzon, coordinator of 40 Days for Life Ottawa, told LSN that over 250 people attended the service, which was presided over by Archbishop Terence Prendergast, who was accompanied by The Rt. Rev. Carl L. Reid of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada.

In a short homily during the service Archbishop Prendergast spoke of fasting, prayer and personal conversion as the essence of Lent and as being integral to the 40 Days for Life campaign.

One unique initiative of this 40 Days for Life campaign reaches out to those who do not have an official campaign in their city or cannot make it out to the Vigil outside of the local abortion facility. The initiative is a prayer support registry called 40 Days for Life @ 180º

The idea is similar to the one used for recording who will be holding vigil in front of the abortion centre at a particular time. Each participant can register for one or more hours of the available 960 hours of the Campaign, indicating the Church or Group and the City they represent.

The goal is to cover the calendar completely with prayer warriors and is a way of acknowledging the participation of Canadians across the country, from north to south (hence the 180º), who want to participate with their prayers and sacrifices to build unity and momentum and strength for the 40 Days for Life global campaign.

The registration form is available here: http://www.40daysforlife.com/ottawa/index.cfm?load=page&...

All five Canadian cities hosting the campaign will have kick-off rallies to begin the Vigil on Tuesday evening, February 24, near the abortuary where pro-lifers will hold vigil for the 40 days of Lent.

At this time there are still lots of uncommitted hours to be filled and the campaign organizers are encouraging everyone to contact their local 40 Days for Life coordinators:

Ottawa: Paul Lauzon, [email protected] - 613.729.0379

Toronto: Nicole Campbell [email protected] - 416.204.9749

Montreal: Georges Buscemi [email protected] - 519.569.0369

Winnipeg: Maria Slykerman, [email protected] - 204.452.2459

Edmonton: Karen Richert (Edmonton Pro-Life), [email protected] - 780.425.1637

To learn more about the 40 Days for Life Campaign, please visit the website: http://www.40daysforlife.com/ottawa/index.cfm?active=1

Communiqué de Campagne Québec-Vie

****English version below****

Soeurs et frères en Jésus Christ ! Vous êtes invités au lancement des 40 jours pour la vie à Montréal, le: mardi, 24 février, à 19h30, au parc Lahaie, coin St. Joseph et St. Dominique (en face du 30 St. Joseph E., l'adresse de la clinique d'avortement Morgentaler).

Voir la carte: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=45.522909,-73.591297&daddr=&hl=fr&geocode=&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=17&sll=45.523428,-73.592327&sspn=0.003601,0.009656&ie=UTF8&ll=45.522871,-73.591189&spn=0.003601,0.009656&z=17

Le "40 jours pour la vie" est un évènement oecuménique Chrétien pro-vie.

Pour 40 jours, débutant le 25 février et terminant le 5 avril (le temps du Carême), plus de 130 villes au Canada, aux États-Unis, en Irlande du Nord et en Australie tiendront des vigiles de prière et de jeûne de 40 jours, minimum 12 heures par jour, devant une clinique d'avortement (svp voir www.40daysforlife.com/montreal pour plus de détails) pour la fin de l'avortement. En plus de pouvoir vous inscire à la vigile (pour ce faire, vous n'avez qu'à suivre ce lien:

(http://www.vigilcalendar.com/montreal/ ) comme Chrétien -- laïc, religieux, ou pasteur -- vous êtes invités à prier et jeûner durant ces 40 jours à cette intention cruciale. Finalement, les "40 jours" à Montréal, ainsi que toutes les autres campagnes, lanceront des campagnes de sensibilisation publiques qui comprendront plusieurs activités tels la distribution de circulaires en ville et la rédaction de lettres à l'éditeur, etc. Le mûr de silence qui entoure cet infanticide institutionalisé qu'est l'avortement doit tomber.

Pour ce faire, nous Chrétiens devont nous retourner vers Dieu en sonnant la trompette du salut par la foi en Jésus Christ. Pour trop longtemps notre silence a été perçu comme une approbation; et même il faut l'avouer, le sang des enfants à naître est sur nous, aussi. Donc, il nous faut agir dès aujourd'hui--il nous faut refuser de vivre dans cet Égypte qu'est notre situation politique et sociale contemporaine. Pour dire "oui" à Jésus, il nous faut dire "non" à l'avortement! Nous n'offrons pas toutes les solutions pour rebâtir ce Québec dévasté, mais nous avons, avec Jésus, la pierre angulaire de cet édifice glorieux que pourrait être le Québec renouvellé de demain!

Chrétiens, qui êtes le corps du Christ, venez donc au lancement des "40 jours pour la vie" ce 24 février à 19h30. Il y aura des discours, de la prière avec chandelles, suivi d'une courte procession au couvent Franciscain où se déroulera une session d'inscription à la vigile. Vous aurez aussi la chance d'appuyer financièrement les "40 jours" en achetant de la marchandise, ou en nous demandant comment vous pouvez vous impliquer plus profondément dans l'évangélisation pro-vie ici à Montréal.

________________________________________________________

POUR S'INSCRIRE À LA VIGILE DES 40 JOURS:www.vigilcalendar.com/montreal

Organisateur Comité organisationnel du 40 JOURS pour la VIE - Montréal
Tél: 514-928-4819

courriel: [email protected]

web: www.40daysforlife.com/montreal



***********************************
english

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, You are invited to the kickoff event for the 40 Days for Life in Montreal, on: Tuesday, February 24, at 7:30PM, at the "Parc Lahaie", on the corner of St. Joseph and St. Dominique (across from 30 St. Joseph E., which is the address of the Morgentaler abortion facility).

See map here: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=45.522909,-73.591297&daddr=&hl=fr&geocode=&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=17&sll=45.523428,-73.592327&sspn=0.003601,0.009656&ie=UTF8&ll=45.522871,-73.591189&spn=0.003601,0.009656&z=17

The 40 Days for Life is an international Christian ecumenical pro-life event involving 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion (see http://www.40daysforlife.com/about.cfm ). From February 25 to April 5 (Lent), over 130 cities in Canada, the US, Australia and Northern Ireland will engage in a 40 day, minimum 12 hours per day vigil in front of an abortion clinic to pray and fast for an end to abortion. In addition to enrolling in the vigil proper (which you can do by following this link: http://www.vigilcalendar.com/montreal/ ) as a Christian --lay, religious, or pastors or priest-- you are invited to pray and fast during this Lenten period for this crucial intention. Finally, the Montreal campaign, as well as all the others, will conduct a public awareness campaign through the vigil, of course, but also by means of a street campaign and letter writing, as well as radio and other media announcements. The silence about abortion must end!

We Christians have all been silent collaborators in the culture of death for far too long--so let us proclaim the way of repentence. A cultural renewal can only begin by identifying the wrongs in the way we live and discerning, by praying to Almighty God, the way out of the Egypt that is our political and social reality.

The 40 Days for Life is but a step to cultural and societal renewal in Montreal and the province at large. Let us begin with this small step! So, Body of Christ, come to the kickoff this February 24 at 7:30 pm! There will be some speeches and candle-lit prayer outside, and then we will proceed to the Franciscan convent nearby for a registration session, and some refreshments and food. Here you will have the opportunity to support the 40 Days by registering to the vigil, by buying 40 Days products, or by asking how you can otherwise help this campaign.

Yours in Christ,
________________________________________________________

SIGN UP HERE FOR THE 40 DAYS VIGIL:www.vigilcalendar.com/montreal

web: www.40daysforlife.com/montreal

Main Coordinator 40 Days for Life - Montreal
Organizing Committee

Tel: 514-928-4819
email: [email protected]
website: www.40daysforlife.com/montreal-english



-30-

 

 

2009 March will be 11th year event has taken place - much larger crowd expected

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

 

OTTAWA, February 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The annual Canadian National March for Life, to be held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 14, has for the first time in 11 years received the full support of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).

 

A proposal by St. Catharine's Bishop James Wingle at the bishops' annual plenary last September for a mass mobilization of the clergy to attend the March for Life received strong support from Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet and Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast. CCCB president Archbishop James Weisgerber of Winnipeg also observed that well over 50 bishops and hundreds of priests attend the National March for Life every January in Washington, DC.

 

Archbishop Weisgerber said “We want to support it because it is a good thing,” and indicated that he will encourage his brother bishops and the clergy to become involved, “especially people from the region so that the march becomes quite a lot larger.”

 

Jim Hughes, president of Campaign Life Coalition, which organizes the annual March for Life, was delighted with the news of the bishops' support.

 

“That’s powerful,” Hughes said. “That’s probably the best news I’ve heard in 2009. It’s always wonderful to have the spiritual leadership and support of the bishops of Canada and we welcome this initiative on their part and we look forward to a long and growing relationship with them.”

 

Archbishop Weisgerber designated Archbishop Prendergast, who was the first Canadian bishop to attend the March for Life last year, as the coordinator for the bishops' initiative.

 

The 2009 March for Life, given the sobriquet "Exodus 2009," in recollection of the 40 years Israel spent wandering in the desert before reaching the Promised Land, will mark 40 years since the omnibus bill of Pierre Trudeau which decriminalized abortion in Canada and allowed the destruction of over 3 million lives since the bill came into effect in May 1969.

 

Mary Ellen Douglas, national coordinator for Campaign Life Coalition, said she was very pleased to hear of the initiative of the bishops.

 

"I'm delighted that the Bishops are taking a proactive stand to ensure that as many people as possible attend the 2009 March for Life on Parliament Hill," Douglas told LifeSiteNews. "We hope and pray that this 40th year will mark the end of the killing. We've been in the desert of the culture of death for forty years and its time to come to the promised land of the culture of life.

 

"Neil McCarthy, communications director for the Toronto archdiocese, said his diocese will have a strong presence at the March.

 

“The March for Life provides an ideal opportunity for the Catholic community to come together in support of life,” McCarthy told the Catholic Register. “Archbishop (Thomas) Collins will be attending this year's march and the Office of Catholic Youth will be organizing buses to Ottawa."

 

Source: Lifesite

February 2nd and 17th – 7:00 p.m. St. Michael's Choir School (66 Bond St. enter under the clock tower):
 

Learn how you can “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” here in Toronto and to sign up for vigil hours, contact Nicole Campbell at Campaign Life Coalition 416-204-9749 or check out http://www.40dayscanada.blogspot.com/.

 

 

By John Jalsevac October 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In spite of the outcry of thousands of Canadians, the Governor General presented Henry Morgentaler, Canada's "father of abortion," with the official Order of Canada snowflake medal this morning in a ceremony at the Citadel of Quebec in Quebec City. He was scheduled to receive the award along with 20 other recipients.
A statement released by Rideau Hall, the office of the Governor General, on Thursday commended Morgentaler for increasing "health care options for Canadian women," and for "influencing public policy nationwide."

No mention was made of abortion in the release, despite the fact that Morgentaler has devoted nearly his entire career to promoting and performing abortions. He has boasted of personally killing more than 100,000 unborn children, and is responsible for the deaths of millions more. Because of Morgentaler's pro-abortion activism, Canada currently has one of the most extreme abortion regimes in the world, in which a woman can have her unborn child killed up to birth at taxpayer expense for any reason.

"(Morgentaler) has been a catalyst for change and important debate," said the release. "He has heightened awareness of women's reproductive health issues among medical professionals and the Canadian public."

"I'm honoured to receive the Order of Canada today," Morgentaler said, reading from a statement following the ceremony.

"Canada's one of the few places in the world where freedom of speech and choice prevail in a truly democratic fashion."

A small group of pro-life protesters was able to organize a rally at the Citadel on the short notice.
"We have been too quiet and I think it's time to step out in a bigger way," Peter Ryan, Campaign Life Coalition New Brunswick (CLCNB) president, told reporters. Ryan was part of a group of six New Brunswickers who travelled to Quebec City to protest at the ceremony. "Our country is throwing away hundreds of thousands of children while we are struggling with a low birth rate," he added. Pro-life leaders across the country responded to the awarding of the Order with outrage.

Patrick Hanlon, President of the Right to Life Association, said, "Morgentaler receiving this award … should be seen as a great sign of disrespect to the non-controversial nature of the Order of Canada, to the women and children hurting and dying from abortion, and to the majority of Canadians who disagree with this notorious abortionist."

Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition, stated, "We are strongly opposed to a man who is a professional killer of unborn children in their mothers' wombs being rewarded with the Order of Canada."

On July 1st of this year, the Governor General announced that Morgentaler had been named to the Order of Canada, sparking a nationwide protest. Soon after the July 1st announcement, Campaign Life Coalition commissioned a survey of over 150,000 Canadian household. They were asked the following question:

 

Do you believe abortionist Henry Morgentaler should receive the Order of Canada?

 

Amongst the 13,000 respondents, more than 56% were opposed to Morgentaler receiving the award. Additionally, more than 100 Members of Parliament spoke out publicly against Morgentaler's nomination, while many past recipients of the Order of Canada returned their award, stating that it had lost its value because of the nomination of Henry Morgentaler.

 

Source: Lifesite

 

 

By John Jalsevac October 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In spite of the outcry of thousands of Canadians, the Governor General presented Henry Morgentaler, Canada's "father of abortion," with the official Order of Canada snowflake medal this morning in a ceremony at the Citadel of Quebec in Quebec City. He was scheduled to receive the award along with 20 other recipients.
A statement released by Rideau Hall, the office of the Governor General, on Thursday commended Morgentaler for increasing "health care options for Canadian women," and for "influencing public policy nationwide."

No mention was made of abortion in the release, despite the fact that Morgentaler has devoted nearly his entire career to promoting and performing abortions. He has boasted of personally killing more than 100,000 unborn children, and is responsible for the deaths of millions more. Because of Morgentaler's pro-abortion activism, Canada currently has one of the most extreme abortion regimes in the world, in which a woman can have her unborn child killed up to birth at taxpayer expense for any reason.

"(Morgentaler) has been a catalyst for change and important debate," said the release. "He has heightened awareness of women's reproductive health issues among medical professionals and the Canadian public."

"I'm honoured to receive the Order of Canada today," Morgentaler said, reading from a statement following the ceremony.

"Canada's one of the few places in the world where freedom of speech and choice prevail in a truly democratic fashion."

A small group of pro-life protesters was able to organize a rally at the Citadel on the short notice.
"We have been too quiet and I think it's time to step out in a bigger way," Peter Ryan, Campaign Life Coalition New Brunswick (CLCNB) president, told reporters. Ryan was part of a group of six New Brunswickers who travelled to Quebec City to protest at the ceremony. "Our country is throwing away hundreds of thousands of children while we are struggling with a low birth rate," he added. Pro-life leaders across the country responded to the awarding of the Order with outrage.

Patrick Hanlon, President of the Right to Life Association, said, "Morgentaler receiving this award … should be seen as a great sign of disrespect to the non-controversial nature of the Order of Canada, to the women and children hurting and dying from abortion, and to the majority of Canadians who disagree with this notorious abortionist."

Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition, stated, "We are strongly opposed to a man who is a professional killer of unborn children in their mothers' wombs being rewarded with the Order of Canada."

On July 1st of this year, the Governor General announced that Morgentaler had been named to the Order of Canada, sparking a nationwide protest. Soon after the July 1st announcement, Campaign Life Coalition commissioned a survey of over 150,000 Canadian household. They were asked the following question:

 

Do you believe abortionist Henry Morgentaler should receive the Order of Canada?

 

Amongst the 13,000 respondents, more than 56% were opposed to Morgentaler receiving the award. Additionally, more than 100 Members of Parliament spoke out publicly against Morgentaler's nomination, while many past recipients of the Order of Canada returned their award, stating that it had lost its value because of the nomination of Henry Morgentaler.

 

Source: Lifesite

 

 

 

Posted: October 10, 2008, 7:56 AM by Jonathan Kay

Barbara Kay

Abortion czar Dr Henry Morgentaler will be receiving his Order of Canada in a quiet little ceremony in Quebec City today. The typical OC is inducted in Ottawa amongst his or her peers. So it is fitting that Dr Morgentaler's should be in Quebec, where the abortion rate is double that of the rest of Canada, and therefore the least likely place in Canada to draw a large protest. Ah well, just one more symbolic displacement from the centre of Canadian life for the peripatetic abortionist.

Dr Morgentaler was born in Poland. By coincidence CNN has been running a series this week, Eye on Poland, which offers "wide-ranging reports on this complex country tackling a time of transition; from Warsaw to Sopot, to Gdansk, Krakow and Lodz." The series has much to say about the country' history, economy, political progress, arts and so forth. But thanks to information I received via Vancouver medical researcher Brent Rooney, who focuses on premature risk factors, here is a little known fact about Poland that is unlikely to be aired on CNN: Since 1995, Poland's extreme preterm birth rate (XPT) per 100 live births has plummeted by 98% .

An XPT birth is one that occurs at 28 or under weeks gestation (normal gestation is between 39 and 42 weeks) - and amongst the many other deficits associated with XPT is Cerebral Palsy. The risk of Cerebral Palsy is about 38 times higher in XPB births than in the overall newborn population: that is, a live birth at 28 weeks or less leads to a more than 3700% increase in Cerebral Palsy. So naturally any young woman contemplating a family would want to know how to minimize the risk of an XPT birth.

Here's where the statistic I mentioned above about Poland gets interesting. While the Polish XPT rate has dropped by 21% between 1980-2006, the U.S. preterm birth rate has escalated by 44%. The reason for Poland's "preemie miracle" can be found in the induced abortion rates for the corresponding years. In 1989 Poland instituted a very restrictive abortion law. In the next four years induced abortion rates went down by 98% per 100 live births. Opponents of the law predicted a health disaster. But not only did the preterm rate decrease, maternal mortality also declined by 41% according to studies reflecting rates from 1995-97, while infant mortality decreased by 25%. You can check out the uncontested research link between "prior first trimester induced abortion" as an "immutable medical risk factor associated with preterm birth" here.

Let me be clear: I am not advocating a repeal of the right to abortion for Canadian women. I am, however, advocating for stricter "informed consent" laws around abortion. Dr Henry Morgentaler is the reason most women in Canada believe that abortion is a risk-free intervention. You will not see XPT birth listed as an elevated risk for a future pregnancy on pro-choice websites or on the consent forms at any Morgentaler clinic nor, to my knowledge, at any other abortion clinic. Indeed, as became clear when, as I reported in a previous column, I sent a "sleuth" to a Morgentaler clinic posing as a woman contemplating an abortion, she was told by a doctor there in no uncertain term: "One, two, three abortions, there are no risks [for future pregnancies].”

If women knew about these and other risks of induced abortion, the only surgical intervention that is routinely performed on women without having been performed first in animal studies, at the very least the rate of multiple abortions would decrease. The benefit to our health care system is obvious: fewer future high-risk pregnancies would immediately reduce pregnancy-related costs and high-tech, labour-intensive care in neo-natal units, not to mention the dramatic decrease in the high lifetime burden of care associated with the stricken children. The emotional costs to the parents of these children are of course incalculable, and any information that would lead to fewer such tragedies should be an outcome all Canadians, including the most fervently pro-choice amongst us, should welcome.

And so, as Dr Morgentaler receives his Order of Canada today, let us reflect on the irony of life. We so often hear the phrase "rush to judgment" when we speak of people charged with a crime they may not have committed. We should also be careful of the "rush to honour" those whose legacy may embarrass us. And here in Quebec City today is, verily, a case in point of a rush to honour I believe will one day prove a cautionary tale for the Order of Canada committee.

 

Source: