3/5/2009
Lenten vigil set for abortion site under construction on MLK
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| Lenten vigil set for abortion site under construction on MLK |
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Nina Rhea
On Ash Wednesday, 50 pro-lifers of all ages, mostly Catholics, gathered to pray the rosary and sing songs of praise for life.
Within 500 feet of the prayer vigil were a handful of construction workers laying the foundation of a Planned Parenthood sex education and abortion center.
The gathering was the kickoff for the Lenten 40 Days for Life. Organizer Randy Stewart of St. Agatha Parish stationed himself on the corner of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Beech Street with a table, prayer sheets, a microphone and amplifier. The protesters held signs that read, ‘Pray To End Abortion.’ Jeannie Zeller of Holy Rosary Church led singing.
“There are many pro-life ‘fronts’ in the movement to end abortion,” says Stewart. “One front is lobbying for pro-life legislation to limit abortions. Another front consists of the prayer warriors. We are on the front lines, in the trenches. We pray to God that he will help change the minds of those seeking an abortion. We also ask for a miracle to change hearts of abortion workers.”
Zeller then cries into the microphone: “Let’s pray for the conversion of those who are building this center of death and for those doctors who abort little babies, that they will know that Jesus is life itself.”
The number of 40 Days for Life prayer actions has increased across the country. The strategy is twice-yearly vigils, one in the spring and one in the fall. The organization claims to have saved 1,128 lives since its inception in 2004 in Texas.
Christina DeGoede of Holy Rosary Parish has taken on organizing two more community groups in Washington state in addition to collaborating with pro-lifers in Portland and Beaverton.
The catalyst for the vigils on MLK Boulevard is the ongoing weekly presence of pro-lifers associated with Precious Children of Portland, which for two years has worked to thwart a Planned Parenthood expansion on the site.
“Standing on MLK speaks volumes,” says Bill Diss a teacher who founded Precious Children and is facing ethics charges from Planned Parenthood, which accuses him of taking signs from the construction site. Diss says groundbreaking organizers gave him the signs, which he returned as soon as asked by police.
After the Ash Wednesday vigil on MLK, the group went to nearby Holy Rosary Parish to hear speakers who know abortion’s after-effects firsthand.
Deborah Tilden joined a post-abortion retreat led by a group called Rachel’s Vineyard. “It was there that I found truth, hope, and healing.” Tilden made a commitment to God and to her daughter whose life she ended that her death would not be in vain. It was then that she knew she was called to lead other women to post-abortion healing at her church in Sherwood, First Light Community Church.
Cindy Brunk had an abortion at age 15. “I turned to drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity. I carried a heavy burden for 12 years. I never talked about it.”
Brunk had an awakening during the viewing of the film, “The Joy Luck Club,” which includes scene of a mother ending the life of her child. Afterward, Brunk wrote a letter to her lost child and had clarity about what she needed to do: grieve over the loss and trauma of the abortion.
Tamra Johnson is a Catholic convert and attends Holy Rosary. She had an abortion at 14. A successful student and athlete, she was teased at school. She came to feel like a “bad girl.” School became painful and she quit sports and became promiscuous. “I felt worthless,” she recalls. At age 18, Johnson attempted suicide. Healing and acceptance came through a Rachel’s Vineyard retreat.
“John Paul II once said that we are the walking wounded,” Johnson says. “My abortion affected everyone in my life.”
Project Rachel is the Catholic Church’s healing ministry to those who have been involved in abortion. To locate the nearest ministry, visit www.hopeafterabortion.org or call 1-800-249-8074.
Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries is both Catholic and interdenominational — www.rachelsvineyard.org 1-877-HOPE-4ME.
Rachel’s Vineyard also offers help for men whose children have been lost to abortion.
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