Msgr. Philip Reilly Offers Encouragement to Chicago Pro-Lifers

Posted by John Jansen (April 12, 2011 at 1:38 pm)

Msgr. Philip Reilly leads the faithful in praying the Rosary outside Chicago's Family Planning Associates abortion facility [Photo by John Jansen]

Indomitable pro-life veteran and world renowned sidewalk counselor Monsignor Philip Reilly visited the Chicago area this past weekend for a series of events to pray with and encourage Chicago pro-lifers in the spiritual battle against abortion.

Restoring a Culture of Life

On Friday, April 8, Msgr. Reilly gave a powerful talk entitled “The Roots of the Culture of Death and Restoring a Culture of Life” at St. Cletus Parish in west suburban LaGrange.

Philip Moore — a nephew of Msgr. Reilly who coordinated his uncle’s visit — reports that during this talk, Msgr. Reilly emphasized the critical need to love our sisters and brothers without hope who are personally involved with abortion in some way, saying, “God has an unconditional love for all his people and never stops loving us, so that is the love we must strive to give to those in darkness.”

Monsignor spoke in particular about his relationship with the recently deceased Dr. Bernard Nathanson, admitting that he at one time considered Nathanson his enemy, but that he came to realize that God never stopped loving Nathanson and wanting him to amend his ways, even after he committed all of the thousands of abortions he was responsible for. Later, Msgr. Reilly realized he must be Christlike and love those opposed to us without preconditions — and so too must all of us.

Msgr. Reilly also emphasized that to be a Christian, we must do three things: think, pray, and act. If we do not do all three, we are not living up to our vocation.

Huge Crowd Joins Msgr. Reilly for Rosary Procession to Abortuary

On Saturday, April 9, Monsignor Reilly celebrated Mass at Old St. Patrick’s Church in downtown Chicago, and following Mass, he led a crowd of 150 pro-lifers in a Rosary procession to the Family Planning Associates abortuary three blocks away.

After Mass at Old St. Patrick's Church in Chicago, pro-lifers prepare to process to the nearby FPA abortion facility [Photo by John Jansen]

After exiting the church, the faithful were greeted by members of the Crusaders for Life club, who distributed dozens of yellow balloons bearing the word “LIFE.”

Upon arriving, organizers realized the group was so large that there was not enough room for everyone to stand on the south side of the street (where the entrance to the abortuary is located), so many in the group stationed themselves across the street and faced the entrance while they prayed.

Encouragement for Sidewalk Counselors

Later in the day, Msgr. Reilly returned to St. Cletus Parish in LaGrange to conduct a Sidewalk Counseling Training Seminar in which he drew on his vast experience outside abortion clinics to teach and encourage those seeking to become more actively involved in this singularly crucial pro-life activity.

Amy Keane, a veteran sidewalk counselor who attended the seminar, spoke for many others when she said of Msgr. Reilly, “The man is a living saint full of charm and humor.” Without a doubt, this holy priest’s visit was a shot in the arm for Chicago area pro-life activists.

[Back to Top]

Tags: crusaders for life, dr. bernard nathanson, msgr. philip reilly, Sidewalk Counseling, st. cletus parish Posted in Abortion, Clinic Witness, Pro-Life Activism, The Culture War. Follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.