Patrick Macken is a perish priest at St. Anthony’s church in Bermuda. Father Macken is a member of the congregation of Resurrectionists and he went to this particular parish in Bermuda in April 1979 to test out a thesis of his: that by focussing on the very “least” members of the parish—those who were really without any kind of power, the handicapped—that this, in turn, would help the other members of the parish to go out and be the disciples of Christ that they ought to be. “I never believed that just having well ordered liturgy would wholly provide the necessary energy to urge people to live and lead the life of a Christian—as we are called to do.”
Father Macken founded a group in hid parish to help and attend to the needs of the handicapped. It worked. People responded by getting to know the families of the handicapped and offering relief, such as babysitting or helping with the shopping. These same people then found themselves able to respond more easily to other needy people in the parish—the elderly or example. Many people began to come back to the church and St. Anthony’s earned itself a reputation for taking care of their own and for having the will to help. One person with an addiction problem got financial help for an overseas cure that coat more than $6,000.
The current government in Bermuda, the United Bermuda Party was re-elected with a strong majority in February, 1983. During the campaign there had been no comment about, nor any promises of, legislation dealing with abortion. The abortion issue had been “dead” so to speak, for ten years. There were no organized pro-life groups, nor were there any pro-abortion groups. There had not been a demonstration for or against abortion since June 1973. In that year, the same government, but with a weaker majority tried to push an Abortion Bill through the legislature that was not exactly abortion on demand but designated health reason, etc. Suddenly, on June 17th this year Father Maken heard of abortion legislature again being pushed through Parliament. But this time, just as fast as it could be pushed. This new abortion legislation was as unusually cruel piece of work even as abortion legislation goes, and was to strike Father Maken, by sticking right at the heart of the parish work he was doing. The legislation included not only the usual two standard abortion excuses, i.e., mother’s health and rape and incest clauses, but tacked on one more extremely grim clause: the right to snuff out a handicapped child before birth.
“Consider what it meant to me working with the handicapped” Father Macken said. “There is a phrase about ‘devalued people’, meaning the handicapped, the government was now saying that these people were completely worthless. And indeed it was immediately apparent to me that not too far down the road there would be no services for the handicapped. The handicapped would now be legislated out of existence.”
“With this swift reality upon us, a curious thing occurred. Our Bishop, Reverend Brian Hennessy, a man who had never spoken outside of the pulpit, in the seven years he has been there, organized the Catholic people, promulgated the teaching of the church and railed the support of other denominations. He prepared information packages for the parliamentarians. He paid for time of television to get his message across. He gave numerous interviews and spoke in front of business people. His sermons became very powerful with the perception of the spirit of evil being abroad in society. These were great sermon, and certainly, he ordered all he priest to gather support.”
On the day of voting, Bishop Hennessy attended his brother’s funeral in Oakville, Ontario and rushed back to Bermuda by 3 p.m. to sit in Parliament until eleven o’clock that night.
The abortion law was passed 20 to 16 in the House and 6 to 5 in the Senate, July 8, 1983.
The entire legislation was brought in and pushed though within six weeks. Without Bishop Brian Hennessy there would have been no opposition at all in Bermuda.
The Bishop has now written a letter to the Premier of Bermuda, asking what protection he will give the Catholic people of Bermuda, as he, Bishop Hennessy, will insist that his people will not take part in any abortions- related activity.
Of this experience Father Maken said that within his study group of six parents with handicapped children, he has expected that these parents would be the most strongly opposed to this outrageous legislation. These parents were silent.
