Everyone we have talked to about the Vigil Saturday and Sunday at Cicero and Elston was impressed. The Mass Saturday morning was standing room only. Despite a drizzle and even some downright rain, the beautiful statue of Our Lady of the New Millennium was never unattended, and some people kept the entire vigil.
Three Babies Saved during Vigil
It was a weekend to be remembered. There were at least three saves that we know of and only the Good Lord and Our Lady know how many women contemplating abortion drove on by when they saw the statue and the people praying.
Many people driving by stopped and came over to see the 33-foot stainless steel likeness of Our Lady, and took pictures. We were there when the truck arrived with a police escort, watched the raising of the statue and had a nice visit with Fran Demma whose husband Carl designed the statue and began the program of setting it up at Chicago-area religious institutions, parishes and religious events.
It was a blessing to have this beautiful statue of Mary positioned in front of the abortion mill parking lot. Julie Mc Creevy of the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants was in charge of the event.
Clinic Closed for Day in Des Moines
I had to miss much of the vigil since I was speaking Saturday evening in Des Moines, Iowa and led prayers at a Planned Parenthood abortion mill there. The mill was closed down for the day, we hope in honor of our visit to Des Moines.
I spoke at the Basilica of St. John the Evangelist to about 120 guests, on the Kingship of Christ and our role as the soldiers of Christ in the Church Militant. I returned to Chicago in time to visit the site of the statue once more before the statue was taken down.
Be a Bob Newman
Meanwhile, our hat is off to the brave and daring souls who continue to take the pictures of aborted babies out to the highways and by-ways of America, especially Bob Newman of Pittsburgh who went onto the campus of Duquesne University recently.
Bob got the same kind of complaints from students there that we get whenever we go out. The photographer from the Duquesne Duke, the campus paper, however, did not know that you aren’t allowed to show the photographs of aborted babies and, lo, there on page one and page three is Baby Malachi being held by a pro-lifer.
The cover picture is mainly a slam at Bob because it shows a little girl walking along past the photograph. The editor probably felt he had to show the photograph in order to point out that children shouldn’t see these pictures.
One complaint was that people eating should not have to look at pictures of aborted babies. Vice-President of Student Life, Rev. Sean Hogan, defended the showing of the pictures saying abortion is worse than the holocaust. He called the pictures reality and the truth, and said he believes the demonstration was effective because it elicited reaction from students who should be involved in a dialogue on abortion.
Another complaint was that the protest didn’t include other issues, but most comments in the Duquesne Duke were positive or at least not very hostile, even though the Headline says “Pro-life group rattles campus.” We hope it did.
Bob Newman of Face the Truth America responded to the Duke that the presentation was not religious, opinion, right-wing or political, but just the plain and simple truth that abortion legally destroys thousands of defenseless babies every day in this country. To complaints that it should have been done in a secluded place and toned down, Bob replies:
Abortion has been secluded, toned down and hidden from the American people for more than thirty years, and the culture of death continues to grow. Yes, the truth hurts, but we must show the truth to save the lives of the little ones.
Lord, please send us more Bob Newmans.
