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.

Dr. Guy Turcotte was released earlier this week from prison week after having served 46 months for killing his two children - a five year-old and a three year-old. The sentence was light as he was found by a jury to be not criminally responsible for his actions. The following editorial by Mr. Rénald Veilleux (Gatineau, Qc) is a good reflection on this incident and the general moral climate in the province of Quebec.

Yes, it is sad and disturbing to think that Dr. Guy Turcotte could do such a thing toward his children. Such insensitivity, such violence against his own children. He must have been seriously blinded either by madness or rage or both?

A similar conclusion applies unfortunately to how many other people or parents who do away with the lives of innocent victims, of their own children.

Where are we as a society? Have we lost our bearings, our basic and moral values for the respect for all human life?

I can not help but draw a parallel with the life of the unborn child and the fate that we reserve for it all too often. Yet, here, few people are indignant, are outraged.

Some of us who are scandalized at the behavior of Dr Guy Turcotte do not hesitate to end the life of the unborn for various reasons. It was not planned... it's going to bother us, endebt us etc. ..... and these reasons to eliminate are numerous and easy particularly as they are supported by the majority and funded through our taxes.

Our governments lack the money to help the poorest in our society, but they have the money to fund abortions.

Is it any wonder that our society is on the road to bankruptcy?

Between 2000 and 2009, 491 babies dies after they were born alive following an abortion.

The following story has garnered much attention in the media since it first hit.