Sunday, March 17, 2013

An Eerie Silence. Good and evil are realities we are all well familiar with, realities that battle one another and no better place to see such a battle is outside an abortion mill. I was reminded of this in light of an incident from a week ago Saturday.

The afternoon began peacefully enough - with a community picnic. Michel and his wife Lise had brought lunch for those of us at the vigil site; a welcomed soup. During the meal, as I was standing next to our banner, an eerie silence caught my attention. For those of you unfamiliar with the intersection of Saint Joseph and Saint Laurent boulevards, where the vigil is taking place, silence is not a word that readily comes to mind. Rather, cacophony is more apt as there is a steady stream of cars and trucks and buses, screaming sirens from the emergency vehicles, and the blowing wind through the plentiful trees. Not silence. Yet, for a brief moment, all was quiet. Eerie, I thought. An omen, perhaps?

The afternoon passed. Michel, Lise and others left. We were no more than seven or eight when three youth, in their early 20s, one guy and two girls, showed up and for sixty minutes performed a horrific skit. The lad with several props - a doll, a rosary, and a statue of Jesus, began to twist the doll’s head round and round while screaming, with his peers playing their parts - cawing madly like crows.

The skit was macabre. A three year-old in our group as well as her mother cringed at the performance and not before long father led them away. Another two in our party withdrew to a nearly coffee shop. I remained, alone, praying!

Prayers Answered. Along comes one of our more colorful prayer warriors. Not unfamiliar with street theater himself, with his ghetto blaster and electric guitar, André charges up to the three youth and begins his religious rhapsodies. A theatrical battle ensues. Who won? In time both camps tone down their acts and conversation begins between them.

Finally other angels arrived. Miguel and his family have a knack for showing up when there is some kind of spiritual battle going on. During the fall 2012 vigil, his wife Monica appeared out of nowhere to confront a youth who had been confronting me. On this day, she dawns a pro-life sign and unabashedly strolls with her youngest around the site. As for Miguel, he joins me in prayer. In time the youth leave.

Here are my heroes:

Vigil Schedule – The vigil is blessed to have a wonderful crew closing the site each night. Thanks go out to Philip, Andrew, and Pierre. As for the middle hours needing coverage this coming week, here are the intevals where your assistance is needed: Tuesday (1-4 p.m.), Wednesday (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.), and Thursday & Friday (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.).

Number of Saved babies? As of Day 33 of the vigil (March 17), there have been 417 babies saved from abortion.

Weekly Highlights

• Thursday past marked the three-quarter point of the vigil and we celebrated with an evening of Eucharistic Adoration. The evening began at 7:30 p.m. after closing the site and continued until midnight. During this period, up to twenty people came and went from Saint Enfant Jésus church. Thanks to Fathers Pierre and Louis for their participation and to those among you for sharing your gifts of song.
• Wild Wednesday – This day had something for everybody. On the one hand, there were educational opportunities; Yves and then I hosted discussions with students visiting the area with their school. Next, two police officers appeared warning us not cross into the abortion mill’s bubble zone; they had received a (false) complaint that one of us had. At mid-day I was interviewed for close to an hour by Diana Deboe live on her weekly pro-life radio program on Dominion Air (Virginia) WYRM. Finally, despite two no shows in our schedule, we were blessed to have a good number of visitors appear and fill the empty slots; as I said previously, God is the vigil scheduler and not yours truly.
• Way of the cross – This past Friday, the way of the cross went on as scheduled in the park despite the flurries. Mary and Alexandra accompanied me. Next week will be the final chance to experience this unique event – outdoors and across the street from an abortion mill; hope to see many of you.
• Sunday's sunny skies yet cool temps did not discouraged vigilers from filling every time slot of the day. Praise God.

A look ahead:

• Tuesday, March 19, Movie Night: “Restless Heart: The Life of Saint Augustine,” Decarie Square, 7:30 p.m. $10.
• Friday, March 22: Way of the Cross (3:00 p.m.)
• Sunday, March 24: Closing ceremony (3:00 p.m.)
• Monday, March 25: Closing Mass – Holy Name of Jesus, Chomedey (7:30 p.m.), sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, District 91.

Payer Intentions

The young lass who came to visit us last fall after leaving the abortion gave birth this past Friday (March 15) to a 2.9 kg boy. Both are doing fine.

R.I.P. – Mr. Jean-Marie Courbon. Mr. Courbon was a resident at Résidence Saint-Dominique, the senior residence bordering the park in which the vigil is being held. He would occasionally come by and chant the Angelus and sing the Salve Regina.

Sunday, March 3, 2013

The key word for week 3 of the “40 Days for Life” prayer vigil for the end of abortion was “groups.”

Over the past week, several came to the vigil location to witness for the cause of life. On Monday, it was the Polish community of Our Lady of Czestochowa, led by Father Josef and accompanied by several member of his faith community; in the accompanying photo we see Asha and Elena with Saint-Enfant-Jésus in the background. The following day, six members of the Agape Association of Laval were present, including its president Mrs. Betty McLeod. Finally, on Friday three members of McGill’s Newman Centre drop by to pray a rosary.

This is a positive omen as other groups have expressed an interest in coming to the prayer site – Councils 6497 and 14315 of the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Women’s League of NDG, and the Legion of Mary preasidium at Our Lady of the Philippines Mission of Montreal.

Beware! Tempus fugit! Time is running out as the vigil ends Sunday, March 24, 2013.

The Weather -Though not as turbulent as the previous week, the weather continues to test the mettle of those at the vigil location. On Wednesday, blowing wet snow had vigilers tucking their heads in as they recited their prayers, while on the previous two days the humidity had participants seeking more frequent breaks. To the right are two of our more faithful prayer warriors - Charlotte L'Heureux and Claire Letarte.

Follow-up - Special thanks to those who responded to my appeal of last week for vigiling during the middle hours of the day. Robin modified his schedule to accommodate the need, Michael volunteered for several two-hour shifts during this period, and Jean-Léon, now on paternity leave due to his second child, has stepped forward as well.

Number of Saved babies? We are up to 238. Bravo! Praise God! Yes, as of Day 19 of the vigil (March 3), 238 babies had been spared from abortion. May our prayers and vigiling continue!

Summary of this past week:

Friday - Two events unfolded. At 3:00 p.m. a reenactment of Christ's way of the Cross was performed outdoors in the park. This is a weekly activity and I hope many of you can make it out in the weeks ahead. Also, on Friday, close to twenty people gathered in Saint Raymond church (Laval) at 7:30 p.m. for an evening of adoration followed by mass. Fellowship in the sacristy followed.

A look ahead:

• Tuesday, March 5, 7:30 p.m.: Mid-vigil mass, Saint Enfant Jesus church
• Thursday, March 7, 7:30 p.m.: Adoration hour with sacrament of penance, Saint Enfant Jesus church
• Friday, March 8, 3:00 p.m.: Way of the Cross
• Saturday, March 9, 3:30 p.m.: Sacrament of penance
• Sunday, March 10: Vesper service (6:00 p.m.)

Hope to see many of you at these events

We’ve completed the first week of the 40 day prayer vigil for the end of abortion - one seventh of the way!

For many, the highlight of this first week was the Tuesday evening kick-off mass. It was presided by Father Jean-René and for several days afterwards, I was reminded how it had inspired many.

Other highlights include:

1. The bitter cold weather of the weekend;
2. Judith Lussier’s scathing commentary - L'esprit du clocher, in the Metro daily makes an reference to our work in front of the Morgentaler abortion mill.

The success of the opening mass bodes well for the mid-vigil event – a second mass, again at Saint Enfant Jésus church (5035 Saint-Dominique street, eastern border of Lahaie park). This will be on Tuesday, March 5, beginning after daily closure of the vigil location in Lahaie park. Mark it on your calendars. A pot-luck gathering will follow the service.

As for the week ahead, several planned events are offered for your interest:

• On Friday, we reach the quarter mark of the vigil, and two events are planned.The usual Friday afternoon Stations of the Cross will begin at 3:00 p.m. while an all-night of adoration is set to begin once the daily closure at 7:00 p.m is completed. It will run until 6:30 a.m. when reposition will be done. A mass for those interested will follow at 8:00 a.m. (lauds at 7:40 a.m.) in the convent of the Franciscans Missionary Sisters of Mary (80 Laurier St. East).
• On Saturday, Father Joel, vicar at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral will direct an afternoon meditation on the culture of life inside Saint Enfant Jésus church. This begins at 2:00 p.m. and runs through until 3:30 p.m. The Sunday eve mass will follow at 4:00 p.m. There will be adoration and possibly the sacrament of penance.
• Finally, Sunday afternoon a vesper service is scheduled beginning at 6:00 p.m. – either in the park or inside saint Enfant Jésus church.

Hope to see many of you at these events.

 Tonight we launch the 40-day prayer vigil with a Eucharistic celebration. The mass is scheduled to get underway at about 7:00 p.m. in Saint Enfant Jésus church. Father Jean-René, vicar at Saint-Angèle parish in Montreal-Nord will be our celebrant. All are welcomed.

Afterwards, depending on circumstances, we may do a procession into the park. This will be followed by some fellowship back inside the church.

Else, Day 1 of the vigil is tomorrow and our presence in Lahaie park (across the street from the Morgentaler abortion mill, 30 Saint Joseph Blvd. east) will continue through to March 24.

All are welcomed to join us in prayer.

Heavenly Father,

We pray that the scourge of abortion be lifted from our land,

That those who promote it may be brought to a change of heart, 

That all who are tempted to abortion may be lovingly helped to protect the precious gift of life, and

That all who have experenced an abortion may be comforted with the healing gift of love.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord,

Amen

 This past Saturday, I was asked how the birth rate in Quebec compares to the abortion rate. After a little bit of research this is what I came up with.

Roughly speaking for every three births, there is one abortion.

Here are the sources:

• First, the figures for the number of births come from the statistical branch of the provincial government - Institut de la statistique du Québec, and may be viewed here . At this site, you'll find yearly figures for the number of births from 1900 through to and including 2011. Observe that over the past four years the figures have leveled off at about 88 000 from a low of 72 000 in 2000 and 2002.
• As for the abortion statistics, recent figures are not as readily available. I used the figure of 30 000 which comes to us from a study by a pro-abortion group Conseil du statut de la femme, released in 2008 and presenting figures from 2002 through and including 2006 (page 25). These figures vary between 28 500 and 29 900. I rounded them up to 30 000 in order to account for the chemical abortions - i.e., the morning-after pill and other abortifacients.

Whether in the United States, Canada, or elsewhere, abortions harm women. The following statement is from Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, issued today, regarding the death of a young woman during a late-term abortion at the Germantown, Md., clinic of LeRoy Carhart.

"It has happened again. Another mother has been killed by so-called 'safe and legal' abortion. It happens constantly, in fact, but the abortion industry usually succeeds in covering it up. And even when they don't, the rest of us succeed in keeping it relatively quiet. That has to change today."

"Late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart began an abortion procedure a few days ago on a woman who was about 33 weeks pregnant. These abortions are legal, and he performs them at his killing center in Germantown, MD. Yesterday, she developed complications. The abortionist could not be reached. She was taken to the emergency room by private vehicle, and she died.

"Three things need to happen here. First, the state of Maryland has to shut down Carhart's killing business. Second, every person who cares about this needs to spread the word immediately about this tragedy, to awaken the consciences of our neighbors. This includes pastors speaking out about the harm abortion does, and it includes all of us telling the stories of those harmed and killed by abortion.

"Third, we need to redouble our efforts to mobilize people in the pro-life cause. If this latest tragedy isn't enough evidence that the time to end abortion is now, then what is?"

"No longer will we allow these women to remain unknown to the American public," Father Pavone said. "The silence ends today."

For more on this topic, click press conference to view a video produced by the Maryland Coalition for Life.

In yesterday's National Post, Jonathan Kay writes an excellent piece entitled "Some Questions for Carolyn Bennett."

A few of the merits I found are the following:

• Clear - his response to Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett's charge about the sparsity of late-term abortions is great;
• Knowledgable - he presents a breadth of information spanning not only abortion practices in Canada but also in other countries as well; and
• Authoritative - he cites several professional thinkers.

Enjoy!

Rapper Omekongo Dibinga wrote and performed the following video to draw attention to the deadly fate awaiting many young girls.

The clip includes candid footage. Saggering figures are given and a mother relates how she has killed her own daughters and where she burried them.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/DHE_3vRkpwk

Though the video focuses upon events in India and China, the destruction of young girls in their mother's wombs and shortly after birth is happening elsewhere.

A CBC report indicating that in utero girls are aborted right here in Canada prompted Conservative MP Mark Warawa (Langley) to present the following motion this past September 27, 2012 in the House of Commons: M-408: "That the House condemn discrimination against females occurring through sex-selective pregnancy termination."

Support for Motion 408 may be found here, including a petition you can sign and download in order to get others on board.

Lauren Enriquez has written a revealing blog, splicing together candid quotes from abortionists concerning the work they do.

I reproduce a few below, while the full story - linked here, contains many more along with their references.

• “They [the women] are never allowed to look at the ultrasound because we knew that if they so much as heard the heart beat, they wouldn’t want to have an abortion.” Dr. Randall, former abortionist. Quoted in "Pro-Choice 1990: Skeletons in the Closet" by David Kuperlain and Mark Masters in Oct. “New Dimensions” magazine.
• “Even now I feel a little peculiar about it, because as a physician I was trained to conserve life, and here I am destroying it.” Dr. Benjamin Kalish, abortionist.
• “Sorrow, quite apart from the sense of shame, is exhibited in some way by virtually every woman for whom I performed an abortion, and that’s 20,000 as of 1995. The sorrow is revealed by the fact that most women cry at some point during the experience… The grieving process may last from several days to several years… Grief is sometimes delayed… The grief may lie sublimated and dormant for years.”  Dr. Susan Poppema, abortionist. (Poppema, S. & Henderson, M. (1996) Why I Am an abortion doctor. New York: Prometheus Books)

Bryan Kemper writes a pretty good commentary linking the tragic event in Newtown, Connecticut of this past Friday to the carnage occuring daily at abortion mills.

He writes: "I am not merely trying to show them (horrific events in history) as the same thing (as abortion), I am trying show the horrifying fact that we don’t see them as the same thing."

He writes with feeling, grieving as much the lost of lives in Newtown, CT, to the loss of "the other thousands of innocent human persons killed on the same day that so few people are crying for."

The remaining of the commentary adroitly defends charges leveled against him for begin opportunistic.