Our Lady reflected in the window of the abortion clinic during the Oct 7 vigil [photo by Oscar Mendez]
On October 7, 2006, three hundred pro-life Chicagoans gathered at the foot of the towering Our Lady of the New Millennium statue to pray for an end to abortion at a vigil hosted by Chicago chapter of the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, a division of the Pro-Life Action League.
Through the generosity of the statue’s owner, Mrs. Francine Demma, Our Lady stood facing the notorious Family Planning Associates abortion facility during the day-long vigil led by Bishop John Manz of the Archdiocese of Chicago. After celebrating a special pro-life Mass at the nearby Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, Bishop Manz led a procession to the statue of Our Lady, where the faithful prayed for the lives of unborn babies and the conversion of all involved with the culture of death.
Our Lady Saves a Baby
One mother, intent on aborting her baby that very day, changed her mind after speaking with a sidewalk counselor named Mike Busse, who explained to her that the presence of the beautiful statue of Our Lady and the Bishop were specifically for her and her baby. The mother tore up the papers she had just signed giving the abortionist permission to kill her baby, and wrote a note for Mike to give the bishop.
In her note, this mother thanked Bishop Manz and told him that her baby was safe from abortion because he cared enough for her to be present at the abortion clinic that day.
