I think it is true to say that the week of May 12 to May 17 was one of the most inspiring I have experienced for quite a long period.
I received an unexpected invitation, through a teacher named Mrs. Cindy Ashton, to speak to the students of St. Joseph’s All Girls High School at Morrow Park. The subject was “pro-life” and in three periods, I addressed almost 400 girls. I have been speaking on pro-life in Canada for more than 20 years and think I have acquired a “psychological sense” of whether or not the audience is with me. Often it is a somewhat “mixed” reaction, not usually, though sometimes, verbally expressed, apparent from facial expressions and tight-lipped reactions to some of my uncompromising statements regarding the rights of the unborn and the evil of abortion. But, from the questions asked and the general atmosphere of the audience, I felt certain that the teaching of the Catholic church has the uncompromising support of the students of St. Joseph’s High School. I am very grateful to the principal and staff for what was a very encouraging experience.
The annual March For Life
The March for Life this year was the most successful we have had so far. Here is a quote from LifeSite: “Over 3,500 pro-lifers joined in the March for Life, which was led this year by 4th degree Knights of Columbus in full regalia. The numbers showed an increase of over 1,000 participants from last year’s count. The march from Parliament Hill commenced with encouraging speeches by pro-life parliamentarians, pro-life leaders and religious leaders, including two Catholic bishops”
On the morning of the March, we had a Mass at St. Patrick’s Basilica. The church has seating accommodation for 1,000 people, but it was packed to the doors. The chief celebrant and preacher was Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher of the Alexandria-Cornwall Diocese. A church service was also held at St. George’s Anglican Church, led by Rev. Robert McRoberts. There was only standing room in the church.
A total of 22 pro-life MPs attended the march. One of the most encouraging aspects of the march was the fact that the majority of those present were youth. Two youth conferences were also held, which were very well attended.
The banquet
The day concluded with a very enjoyable banquet, held at the Ottawa Congress Centre. The guest speaker was the famous Dr. John Willkie, who, with his wife Barbara, has authored 14 pro-life books. Eleven members of Parliament were in attendance and each of them gave a brief but stirring speech. One of the parliamentarians was Elsie Wayne, who received two standing ovations and a congratulatory plaque in recognition of her courage and integrity.
Meeting Elsie Wayne
Earlier in the day, I had the honour of personally meeting Elsie Wayne. It happened like this: unknown to me, Jim Hughes had arranged that I would sit on the platform on Parliament Hill and meet Elsie, because I had spoken about my admiration for her courageous stand against what is contradictorily termed “same-sex marriage.” Elsie is gifted with not only a very impressive presence, but also a powerful personality. She is a Pentecostal, not a Catholic, but we had no difficulty in agreeing on the teaching of the Bible on the utter contradiction of the expression “same-sex marriage.” For those who are not familiar with the Bible, here are just two relevant references. From the Old Testament – Leviticus 18:22. The New Testament – Romans 1:27. Quote: “In the same way, men give up natural sexual relations with women and burn with passion for each other. Men do shameful things with each other and, as a result, they bring upon themselves the punishment they deserve for their wrongdoing.
“They know that God says that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these things, but they even approve of others who do them”.”
Politicians: take note!
I have taken these quotes from the Good News Testament, produced by the Protestant Bible Society. I think if the outspoken St. Paul were faced with politicians who spoke against or denied these scriptural passages, he would have no hesitation in telling them to “SHUT UP.”
