Saturday, October 20 - On day 26 of our vigil for the end of abortion, I was reminded, again, that God is in charge and is intervening during this vigil. Let me explain.

Heading to the vigil for my afternoon shift, I felt morose. Georges had opened the site and covered the first half with Charlotte. I would cover the second and as the schedule was void of any name except my own, I felt sad at the prospect of being on my own. However, I learned God had other plans.

On arrival, I was stunned and elated by what I saw. Families! Miguel, from Lanoraie, accompanied by his wife Monica, was standing next to the banner reciting prayers and proudly showing off the youngest of their clan – a six month old. Then in the distance, I spotted Maria with her husband Pierre and their 3 year-old Marie-Camilla speaking with a young woman. And this was only the beginning.

As the afternoon wore on, God’s handiwork was apparent. People came and went from the prayer location. The peak was about 4 p.m. when no fewer than thirteen people were on hand: Ymelda and her sister and her two children, tapers in hand, were praying, Francois and Andrew were chanting psalms by the picnic table, and finally Carole and many of her friends had rendez-vous'ed at the site and were now reciting their devotions. What a blessing I was privy to.

Lord, have mercy on me, a man of little faith.

Finally at about 5:30 p.m., the day was coming perfectly to an end as the rains had subsided, the sun came out, and a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky.

Daily Highlights: 1. Presence of several families with their children; 2. Natalie a newcomer and fellow Christian came for a first visit; and 3. Rainbow at day’s end.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012 – Day 15

I could not help but notice God’s protective hand working at the vigil today.

At the outset of the day, the schedule appeared complete. Our regulars had slotted themselves through until 3 p.m. Charlotte and I took the early shift from 7 a.m. until 10 a.m. At this time Vaclav and his wife were then scheduled for a ninety minute block. Carl was then slated for two hours. And finally John and his wife Celeste would follow. All set, right? Not quite.

I knew something was amiss when Carl showed up at 9:30 a.m. rather than his appointed time of 11:30 a.m. I approached him to inquire about his early arrival. He explained that his wife had made arrangements late the day before with friends visiting from out-of-town for a noontime meal this very day. Hence, this spelt havoc with my well-groomed schedule.

Not to worry for God is the vigil’s scheduler. Shortly after Carl’s arrival, Gabriel unexpectedly showed up. I greeted him and asked how long he was thinking of staying; he answered, until about 2:30 p.m. Problem solved! So a period of angst quickly evaporated. Praise be to God, the King of schedulers!

Else, I thank God for the different blessings He has endowed each and every one of us. On this day, I think particularly of two of our members gifted with the wonderful charism of loving and personal conversation.

John and Celeste travel into the vigil site once a week from their home on Ile Perrot, a forty-minute ride, if the traffic is good.

In the two weeks that they have come, I have looked on with awe at how passers-by are drawn to them and seen moving conversations follow. Last week, they spoke with a high school age girl for what was close to half hour.

Today, a young man, driving by saw our banner, decided to stop and come over to investigate. Who were the first people he meets at the site but John and Celeste. Again what seems like a pleasant conversation ensues, lasting well over thirty minutes.

This couple radiates a love that is easily seen some twenty yards away. I feel blessed to have them represent our vigil team during these 40 days for life.

Today's numbers: 21 visitors to the site logging in over 45 hours of prayer time.

Monday, October-08, Day 13 of the prayer vigil for the end of abortion had a little bit of everything: the reunion of old friends… the surprise arrival of others… the generosity of one.,, and a couple of close calls.

Ymelda and Marlene live on the furthest eastern point of the island of Montreal. Using public transit it is a long hike to travel into the city, let alone getting to the vigil location. I, on the other hand, live in the north end and rarely, if ever, cross paths with either. And so the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil is an opportunity for old acquaintances to be renewed. Such was the case today and Ymelda accompanied by her other sister, Muriella, came by the vigil location for an hour of prayer.

Also, today is Thanksgiving Day Monday and two blessings came our way while at the vigil location. First, there was the unexpected visit of some of our regular prayers. Michel and his wife Lise often come on Tuesdays and Thursdays and so their arrival today was an unexpected Thanksgiving treat for Francois and I. They stayed an hour and half to pray.

The second came in the package of a Thanksgiving meal. Charlotte laboured in her miniture apartment to prepare a Thanksgiving meal for Francois and I. The meal consisted of a generous portion of baked chicken, along with an assortment of fixings – cranberry juice, sauce, potatoes including sweet potato.

Finally, near day's end, a couple of persons tried to mar our banner. First a young woman, brandishing a magic marker took sights on the banner in a menacingly manner; fortunately I was able to dissuade her from doing any damage.

The fate of the banner in the second attempt was not as trivial. A half hour after the first incident, a young man on a bike appeared and managed to sweep the banner twice with black streaks before I intervened.

 Fortunatley, our clean up crew, led by Pierre and including little Camille, were able to remove the better part of the stains. On learning of the incident the next day, Francois perused the banner, saying afterwards that he was not able to see any traces. Thanks Pierre.

The vigil runs through Sunday, November 4th, and prayers may be found on site daily from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

So far, during the current vigil, over 130 children have been spared death due to abortion. Keep your prayers coming.

Day 12 was one of our busier days at the vigil for the end of abortion with 18 people coming by for an hour or more, logging in nearly 40 hours of prayer time among them.

Hector and his family dropped by for a second time since the beginning of the vigil this past Wednesday September 26th . He, his wife, and four children (18 years, 9, 6, and 9 months) spent an hour at the site. The cool autumn temperatures – about 14C, didn’t seem to bother him, as he wore a simple t-shirt throughout the sixty minute watch. He promises to return on Wednesday evening.

Also, a kind Samaritan dropped by with a box of Donuts and six coffees for those of us at the vigil location. He mentioned that he really appreciated our work and shared a personal story. Both he and his brother were both adopted as infants and he credits the work of persons like ourselves for having encouraged his natural mom not to abort them and put the twos of them up for adoption.

Finally, special thanks to Maria for dropping by at day’s end with a pot of hot carrot and squash soup. There were four hungry vigilers who devoured its contents in no time.

This September, the Quebec Life Coalition will be hosting its eighth "Forty 40 for Life" prayer vigil. This is a forty consecutive days of praying and fasting for the end of abortion. We will be joined by several hundred other vigils, worldwide. Over the previous campaigns, some astonishing records have resulted worldwide. The following is a synopsis of some of these figures. Stay tuned to our website to learn how you can be involved. The vigil begins Wednesday, September 26, 2012.

Summary of Results – 2007-2012

There have now been ten coordinated 40 Days for Life campaigns since 2007, mobilizing people of faith and conscience in 440 cities across the United States and Canada, plus cities in Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Belize, Denmark, England, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Poland, Puerto Rico and Spain.

During these unified efforts, participants witnessed countless blessings from God:

• 1,894 individual campaigns have taken place in 440 cities in 14 countries
• More than 525,000 have joined together in a historic display of unity to pray and fast for an end to abortion
• More than 15,000 church congregations have participated in a 40 Days for Life campaign
• Reports document 5,928 lives that have been spared from abortion – and those are just the ones we know about
• 69 abortion workers have quit their jobs and walked away from the abortion industry
• 23 abortion facilities completely shut down following local 40 Days for Life campaigns
• Hundreds of women and men have been spared from the tragic effects of abortion, including a lifetime of regrets
• More than 2,100 news stories have been featured in newspapers, magazines, radio shows and TV programs from coast to coast… and overseas
• Many people with past abortion experiences have stepped forward to begin postabortion healing and recovery

After so many years of legalized abortion, many people of faith are experiencing a renewed sense of HOPE!

(Day 24: 308 Saved Babies!!!)

Three out of five women are coerced into having their abortions.

Yesterday at the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil location, a young women approached as I was praying with a colleague and asked us whether we knew that our presence was intimidating to women.

As I reflected on her question, my thoughts turned to the work of Dr. Reardon at the Elliott Institute. He and his peers are documenting the numerous instances in which women are coerced into having their abortions. I encourage you all to visit The Unchoice web site to learn more about this work.

I am not advocating that women be given a choice in having an abortion - every abortion destroys a human life and, so, this fact trumps a woman's choice in disposing of the life growing inside her.

Rather, I wish to expose yet another misconception that abortion gives women a choice.

Also, I wondered if our visitor had seen the sign at our prayer site offering free help to pregnant women.

The vigil runs through Sunday, April 1, daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Yesterday I wrote that the 40 Days for Life Vigil site was drawing people from all around the Montreal area to come and give a prayerful presence against abortion. Likewise it is drawing persons opposed to this goal.

This past Thursday, a group of eight men and women in their early to mid twenties converged on the site at the corner of St. Joseph E. and St. Laurent blvds. With homemade signs stating "Pro-Choice", they milled about for about twenty minutes before heading off into warmer climes. During their stay, I was approached by one, a young woman, who wondered about the sign indicating the number of Saved Babies. I explained the source of the number - the national 40 Days for Life web site, and the reporting method - emails sent to the central office from the 256 or so current vigil locations from around the world (e.g., 10 in Canada, 9 Spain, 7 Australia).

After the conversation had ended, we went our separate ways. Shortly there after, I notice that the scarf that had been draped around this young woman had found a new location - spanning the homemade sign indicating the number of saved babies! Does hiding the truth lessen it in anyway?

The vigil runs through to and including Sunday April 1, daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Have you made plans to drop by? Love to see you there.

(Day 13 - 148 Saved Babies)

While reading today's Office of Readings, I was carried back to this past weekend's experience at the 40 Days for LIfe vigil location.

In the book of Exodus, the angel of the Lord protected the Hebrew people from Pharaoh's army by placing itself between the two camps. So, too the vigilers outside the Morgentaler abortion facility in Montreal were protected by the angel of the Lord from the local secular climate via the harsh weather conditions of this past weekend.

Saturday's strong winds and Sunday's cold temps dampened many spirits safe those of the prayers coming to stand and pray for life. Of these, many travelled from afar - Pincourt, Longueuil, and Laval, to spend several hours at the vigil location in Lahaie park.

Also, the site is drawing diverse prayer groups. On Saturday, six members of a Lasalle faith-based group came to spend the afternoon, with a pot of soup for all to partake in, while on Sunday members of St. Patrick's youth group were on hand. (At the kick-off, a Côte-des-Neiges couples group were on hand vowing to return.)

Finally, in addition to groups, the vigil is a magnet for individuals who otherwise do not see one another. For example, over the weekend, persons from different faith communities converged to pray and share fellowship.

The vigil runs through April 1, daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Yesterday I learned that we had breached the three figure threshold (101) and today the count stands at 121 saved babies.

Thank you every body. Your prayers are making the difference.

Here in Montreal, we are not aware of any turn arounds. Yet, we stand strong at the corner of St. Joseph and St. Laurent Blvds, advocating for a culture of life.

Via our banner, prayers, and outreach, we are hoping to bring God's message of love to many who have lost the joy of living.

Even in yesterday's snowstorm, our message was getting out. A few among us engaged the pedestrians of the Main, many of whom were vehemently opposed to our presence in such a public venue. We can only pray that God touches their hearts, permitting them to turn and walk with Him in the fulness of life.

Union de prière!

Day 2 at the "40 Days for Life" prayer vigil was pretty barren.

The number of participants was half that of the previous day - 11 compared to 22. The weather progressily got worse as the day went on; a snow squall hit the park at around 3 p.m. And even the pro-choice crowd remained away. Pretty stark day.

Yet, anyone familiar with deserts knows well that it is teaming with life. The "barren" afternoon - no one had register from noon until 7 p.m., indeed was not devoid of life.

First there were the moments of solitude. I was blessed. Prayer and reverie brought me to the foot of the Cross or in the garden of Gethsemane. Hymns buoyed my spirit.

Also, an elderly woman passing by, went out of her way to give me words of encouragement.

Then the first in a series of non-scheduled prayers showed up. At 2 p.m. Barbara arrived and together we chatted and prayed and before we knew it, it was already 4 p.m.; time for her to leave. An hour passed before a second prayer warrior showed up - Yves, and at 6 p.m. a third, jerome replacing Yves.

We fellowshiped and it was 6:55 p.m.; five minutes to go. After a final prayer of gratitude, we closed up shop, gathering the site's belongings. Day was done.