Mourning two years of Planned Parenthood in Aurora

It was windy and overcast and there was a chill in the air as pro-lifers gathered on Friday, October 2 at noon to mark the second anniversary of the day Planned Parenthood Aurora opened its doors for the first time. Thirty-five stalwart pro-lifers gave up their lunch hour to mark this dark memorial. Father Fred Peterson of St.George Byzantine Catholic church in Aurora led the faithful in the prayer of the Sixth Hour of the Byzantine Liturgy of the Hours. In the Liturgy of the Hours, the hours are counted from dawn according to the old Hebrew Reckoning, so the sixth hour is at noon. This is the hour Our Lord was hung on the cross, and as such it has always been a special hour of prayer for many Christian traditions. The prayers of the sixth hour, mostly Psalms and prayers taken from the Psalms, have a heavy focus on the persecution of the righteous and prayers for God’s deliverance from enemies. This was a very appropriate focus as we prayed for an end to abortion in Aurora and Planned Parenthood’s deadly business. The prayers were accompanied by incense and a Byzantine icon of Our Lord’s crucifixion. Though it was a sad anniversary, Eric Scheidler reminded the faithful to be joyful for the good the Lord has brought out of the evil of Planned Parenthood’s presence in Aurora, namely the enlivening of the pro-life community in the Fox Valley and the addition of many people to its ranks who otherwise may never have done anything for the babies and their mothers who so desperately need help. We pray that this is an anniversary we never have to mark again, even as we square ourselves to the hard work of fighting Planned Parenthood that lays before us.