A Halifax counsellor wants out of the abortion business
On Oct. 15, about 400 participants in the Toronto 40 Days for Life campaign gathered together for a Mass at Blessed Sacrament Church with Toronto Auxiliary Bishop Peter J. Hundt and at least 10 other concelebrating priests. In his homily, Hundt quoted Karl Rahner, a 20th-century German theologian who predicted that “tomorrow’s Christians will be mystics or they will not be Christians at all.”
He further qualified this statement by saying that this quotation is often called to mind when he thinks of those who dedicate themselves to pro-life work. “When one is standing in the rain in the middle of the afternoon and cars are going by, it can be difficult to see how we are making a difference,” Hundt said. “When I am standing with the rest of the vigilers, I can’t help but think that they must be what Rahner was talking about – they are steadfast because their faith is strong.”
With nearly half of the 40 Days for Life Campaign behind them, some vigil participants, such as those involved in the Halifax 40 Days for Life campaign, have kept up their efforts despite the odds. One strike against the Halifax vigil site is that it is a hospital and not a stand-alone facility whose “clients” are recognizable. “You have no idea who is going in for which procedure. We just pray that our presence speaks to those who need to hear our message on the way in,” said Julie Culshaw, Halifax 40 Days for Life organizer.
Culshaw said their efforts have borne fruit far beyond reaching the women who may be vulnerable to abortion.
The 40 Days for Life blog describes how one participant’s conversation with a woman who was a counsellor at the “Pregnancy Termination Unit” led her to change jobs. The worker in question said she “felt such darkness when she worked there” and has since asked to be transferred to another part of the hospital.
Toronto vigil participants have also been reflecting on the fruit that has been borne since 40 Days For Life made its debut in Toronto. “I see a real maturity and wisdom among the participants this time around,” says Toronto 40 Days For Life organizer Nicole Campbell. “Those who show up are focused and serene. They know exactly what is being accomplished with their prayers and they know that the difference they’re making is the difference between life and death.”
Campbell mentioned that Saturdays are especially moving at the “Women’s Care Clinic” at Dufferin and Lawrence (one of the two Toronto vigil sites, the other being the “Cabbagetown Women’s Clinic” downtown). “Saturdays are usually big days for sidewalk counsellors,” said Campbell. “There are usually anywhere from 15-20 people praying on the sidewalk at any given time on Saturday morning and because of this, the sidewalk counselling is especially powerful.”
Campbell explained how this past Saturday, a young woman with a toddler was making her way into the “Women’s Care Clinic” with her boyfriend. When asked by one of the sidewalk counsellors if she was going in for an abortion, the young woman broke down explaining that she really didn’t want to “murder her child” but she felt like it was her only option. After a long conversation and many tears, the young girl and her blossoming family got back into the car and, after exchanging information and promising to keep in touch, the young woman is now getting the help she needs.
This story highlights just one of the more than 200 “turnarounds” from the first half of the international 40 Days for Life campaign this fall.
“One thing that I habitually tell the young women is that all of us are here because we care and we want them to avoid the pain of loss,” said Campbell. “Many of them are so used to conditional love that the support they experience on-site is earth-shattering for them.”
Along with Toronto’s two vigils, six other Canadian cities are taking part in the 40 Days for Life: Ottawa, Winnipeg, Fredericton, Montreal, Halifax and Kitchener. Ottawa held its midpoint celebration on Oct. 13, when over 100 people processed from the vigil site downtown to St. Patrick’s Basilica to join 200 others for a Mass celebrated by Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast.
Gloria Lawrenson, of Silent No More, addresses the Kitchener mid-point rally.
Kitchener held its midpoint rally on the evening of Oct. 14, with a keynote address from Hamilton Auxiliary Bishop Gerard Bergie and a talk given by Gloria Lawrenson of Silent No More. Bergie’s talk started out with examples of where God’s people had turned away, or given up on him, but He always offered another chance to restore the wounded relationship. “God does not give up on us,” he said. “So we must never give up on others,” he added, referring to unborn children as victims and the 40 Days For Life participants as advocates for social justice.
Bergie reminded the crowd that, “We cannot say ‘I’m for social justice’ and then turn a blind eye to abortion and other life issues.” He expanded: “Today, it’s popular to be ‘for social justice,’ but we sometimes neglect justice for the unborn.” Bergie’s talk picked up not only the participants’ spirits, but it also picked them up off their feet as they gave a standing ovation and a rousing round of applause.