Vigil for Life at the Cathedral
Unable to make it to Washington for the March for Life, I went to Sacred Heart Cathedral tonight for a "Silent Vigil in Reparation for Roe v. Wade."
About 50 people were there (many other area pro-lifers were able to go to Washington, and some were at a protest at the Unitarian Church). My wife was at the Cathedral, as was Bishop Matthew Clark, still showing effects from his surgery last year.
We sat in silence in Eucharistic adoration. Some read prayer books. Some said rosaries. Some simply sat. The only sound was the trickling of water in the baptismal pool.
It was so peaceful that I decided not to take a picture in the church proper; I did not want to break the mood. So the only image of the night was of a table displaying pro-life items.
About 50 people were there (many other area pro-lifers were able to go to Washington, and some were at a protest at the Unitarian Church). My wife was at the Cathedral, as was Bishop Matthew Clark, still showing effects from his surgery last year.
We sat in silence in Eucharistic adoration. Some read prayer books. Some said rosaries. Some simply sat. The only sound was the trickling of water in the baptismal pool.
It was so peaceful that I decided not to take a picture in the church proper; I did not want to break the mood. So the only image of the night was of a table displaying pro-life items.
As I sat there, I prayed for Anthony, the unborn child I have spiritually adopted for the next nine months. I prayed for all the unborn children at risk of losing their lives, and for their mothers and fathers that they will find the strength and support they need.
We concluded with St. Francis' s Prayer for Peace.
On the way home, I listened to an EWTN report about the March. So many young people. So full of enthusiasm and energy. The election has provided a spur to the movement.
I pray tonight for the conversion of Barack Obama, and the healing of our nation.
Labels: Bishop Clark, pro-life
posted by A Secular Franciscan | 8:39 PM
4 Comments:
Strictly speaking, conversion applies to one's allegiance to Christ and belief as a Christian. No executive orders so far, breaking from the Clinton/Bush II tradition. I'd rather focus on what can be done by real people in the trenches, rather than what may be done by a single man, powerful as he may be perceived to be.
"Conversion" here refers to his beliefs concerning abortion. (According to one dictionary, conversion is "A change in which one adopts a new religion, faith, or belief." In terms of abrotion, it is a belief - thus the prayer is that he will change his views on this issue.
As for new rules, they are in the works. As I write we are awaiting news on the lifting of restrictions on U.S.-funded abortion counseling internatioanlly. There was also FDA approval of tests involving embyonic stem cells. While the compnay has been securing its own funding to this point, it will be seekign federal funding - as will other companies - for such research.
The real people in the tranches will include the people who are energized to work against abortion, and by those who change their minds about it and stop supporting or choose not to seek an abortion.
I'm already working in the trenches. 40 Days for Life. Prayer vigils like last nights. Spioritual adoption. The annual Good Friday prayers and march here in Rochester. Financial support for women's centers and shelters. Writing to my elected officials, to editorial pages, and on blogs. Etc.
Join in!
Do you care about anything but this one issue? Do you see any other problems in the world/ country? You could not tell it from this blog.
Gee anonymous, you obviously did not go back and look at posts about church music, poetry, the illegal invasion of Iraq, the Bishop saying Mass in jail, Catholic radio, pre-marital sex, lay preaching, Huckabee, Pax Christi, Secular Franciscans, Dada, orthodox vs. traditional, assorted saints, Catholic culture, the St. Padre Pio Chapel, my novel, the new Vatican YouTube channel, my father nearly dying, various fudgings of the truth by Obama, Palin, etc.
Abortion has been front and center because of Obama's extreme position on the issue, some Catholics overlooking his stand, and the shift in power in Washington to make changes in abortion/stem cell policies more likely.
Moreover, we are talking about an issue that involves the killing of approximately 1 million babies each year in the U.S. alone. That trumps some other issues.
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