Sidewalk counselor Katherine W.
Since Planned Parenthood first opened their Aurora, Illinois mega-center under a cloud of secrecy and deceit in 2007, the facility has been under constant prayer and protest presence organized by the Pro-Life Action League in conjunction with local activists.
On Friday, July 20, sidewalk counselor Katherine W. was thrilled to be a part of a baby being saved at the clinic.
In the words of Ricki G., who was responsible for providing prayer coverage at the clinic from her church, Christ Community:
Katherine was sidewalk counseling when a Hispanic girl came out of PP and walked up to her to talk. She said she brought a friend to PP for an abortion and talked her friend out of it. She was excited & said she felt like ” a hero.”
Katherine talked with the Hispanic gal while her friend sat in the car. Katherine told her about Waterleaf Women’s Center just a block away & asked them if they wanted to go there. She said yes so Katherine drove her car and they followed her there.
I think there are 3 heros in this story: God, the hispanic gal, and Katherine!
Indeed! What a privilege to be involved in this life saving work!
Bishop Conlon Leads the Pro-Life Faithful in Prayer
Pro-life Rosary at Planned Parenthood with Bishop Conlon [Photo by Matt Yonke]
The very next day, Bishop Daniel Conlon of the Diocese of Joliet came to the clinic to lead the faithful in a pro-life Rosary. It was my pleasure to be there for the prayer vigil and to send the League’s greetings to the bishop along with our thanks for his faithful pro-life leadership. Hundreds rallied to the clinic to be with their bishop and receive his blessing on the pro-life ministry at Planned Parenthood.
Shortly after the bishop left for a visit to the nearby Waterleaf Women’s Center an ambulance was called to Planned Parenthood for an emergency of some kind. Thankfully, whatever initiated the call was kept under control as nobody left Planned Parenthood in the hospital.
Activists on the ground called Waterleaf to let the bishop know about the emergency and His Excellency led the faithful gathered there in prayer for the situation. Perhaps it was those very prayers that granted healing to the woman in distress.
Pro-Life Youth Get a Lesson in Activism
Rockford youth at St. George Church for Divine Liturgy
Yesterday, I was pleased to host a group of boys from the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Boys camp and girls from the St. Maria Goretti girls camp, both from Rockford, Illinois. The kids are participating in a summer camp experience that immerses them in their faith and service to others.
We started the morning with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom at my parish of St. George, for which I was privileged to serve as cantor. Afterward, Fr. Frederick Peterson, our parish priest, answered this kids’ (and some of the adults’) questions about the liturgy and the Byzantine rites of the Catholic Church.
Appropriately, the liturgy that day was remembering the feast of the Procession of the Venerable Wood of the Cross and the Gospel reading was entirely about the shame and hatred we endure for following Christ, which was incredibly appropriate given the opprobrium heaped upon pro-lifers when they make a public stand.
Rosary at PP Aurora [Photo by Matt Yonke]
With that in mind, the group caravanned over to Planned Parenthood where we were joined by Fr. Kevin Butler, who led the group in the prayer of the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The kids were privileged to watch two of our finest sidewalk counselors, Marie S. and Andrea H. in action as they prayed. They even got a few honks and rude gestures from passersby, proving the words of the Gospel sound!
Pro-Life Witness a Marathon, Not a Sprint
We will begin the sixth year of pro-life witness outside Planned Parenthood Aurora this fall, and these events are just a tiny sample of all that goes on outside that facility. But they serve as a good reminder that our pro-life work is a marathon, not a sprint.
Sometimes God grants massive, “parting of the Red Sea” style victory to his people, but more often he requires us to slog it out for the long haul doing our best to fight evil and offer hope and light to a dying world. And that’s just what we’ll continue to do through our prayer, counseling and protest ministry at Planned Parenthood.
Be a part of this life saving work wherever you live. Find your local clinic and get tied into the prayer and protest efforts there. If there aren’t any active now, get something going! If you need ideas, help or just someone to talk to about getting involved, e-mail to info@prolifeaction.org or call 773-777-2900. We’re here to help.
