The first day of the U.S. bishops’ novena for life!

Today is the first day of the novena for life. I will not be posting the novena every day. You can however, find the entire novena here.

Day one

Lent for Life.

Thanks to Sue Cifelli for sharing Steve Lopez's idea for a pro-life Lent. I do not think Steve is a Catholic because in his email he admits having to do some research when he first heard the term Lent. But as you can see, he understands the significance of sacrifice during this solemn church season.

...I would like to invite everyone out to Planned Parenthood during Lent. What better place to remember the suffering of Jesus Christ than outside of Planned Parenthood...?

I know we all have very busy lives so I tried to come up with a few suggestions that would allow everyone to spend some time during each day of Lent in front of Planned Parenthood with their spiritual brothers and sisters.

1) If you exercise on a treadmill daily -- that activity can be given to God during Lent. Walking and praying in front of the Planned Parenthood each day during Lent is a great way to have communion with God and increase your physical fitness.

2) Have lunch with God outside of the Planned Parenthood. Anyone who thinks they don't have time to commune with God because they're too busy with work still has to eat. Bring a sack lunch to Planned Parenthood where you can eat and pray with fellow pro lifers during Lent.

3) Have breakfast with God -- bring a bagel and stand outside of the Planned Parenthood during Lent. Alternatively, if you're fasting during breakfast, lunch, or dinner that time can be given to God outside of the Planned Parenthood in t

BTW, 40 Days for Life coincides with Lent so if you are participating in 40 Days for Life, you can still use the above suggestions. Catholics can pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Holy Rosary during this time.

An Energizing March for Life Video

See if you can spot former Hawaii Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo.

The Deacon's Bench

The Presence is Real

Powerful Pro-Life video.

Spiritual Adoption

I want to thank Kathy D. for sharing this very powerful pro-life video. We have her son to thank for the beautiful background music in the video.

For those of you not familiar with the prayer for spiritual adoption of a preborn baby, it was written by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. If you do not yet pray this prayer for protection of the preborn, I invite you to start today.

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you very much. I beg you to spare the life of the unborn baby that I have spiritually adopted who is in danger of abortion.”
- Prayer of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

The above prayer is from a website where you can spiritual adopt a preborn baby.

Spiritual Adoption

Our Holy Father Benedict XVI Urges the Whole World to Unite in a Prayer Vigil for All Nascent Human Life

In the evening of November 27, 2010 at the liturgical beginning of Advent - a time of joyful anticipation for the birth of Christ - His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate a prayer vigil in St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican for the intention of all nascent human life. At the request of the Holy Father, a letter was sent to all the episcopal conferences of the Catholic Church this past June asking them to take part in this prayer and to organize prayer vigils at the beginning of Advent in all local churches. This letter was jointly sent by Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Pontifical Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and by Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

Let’s do everything possible so that our parishes, communities, prayer groups and families join in this universal prayer for life, in communion with the Holy Father. Personal prayer in union with the Church for the intention of defending preborn human life is our duty and raises great hope that with God’s help the civilization of life and love will triumph.

For details on how to join Pope Benedict in prayer during the Vigil for All Nascent Human Life, click here.

Archbishop Raymond Burke: Catholic Orthodoxy: Antidote Against the Culture of Death

You can find both the text of Archbishop Burke's address and the video over at Human Life International.

Benedict XVI: "Decriminalizing abortion is a betrayal to democracy"

The Holy Father's message also includes voting for life.

EWTN Family Prayer - For Women Considering Abortion

October - Respect for Life Month

Picture source

STATEMENT FOR RESPECT LIFE MONTH
Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo
Chairman, Committee on Pro-Life Activities
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
September 27, 2010

Powerful Pro-Life Prayer - Mary, Help of Christians

Picture source

The following prayer was written by Jack Smith of The Catholic Key Blog and shared by Mary Jane.

My sister was born two years ago. She’s really fun. I can’t wait to play with her, but I can’t. I’m frozen in a tube and doctor says he needs my cells to help cure really famous people with really bad diseases.

Mary Help of Christians, Pray for Us.

Here I am Lord, but momma doesn’t know I’m here yet. Doctor says I can’t possibly be here yet and he gave her some medicine. I’m in a dark place and trying to grab on to mom.

Mary Help of Christians, Pray for Us.

I know I’m not perfect, Lord. Doctor says I have an extra chromosome. He told mom I’d be really miserable when I’m born.

Mary Help of Christians, Pray for Us.

Mom thinks she made a mistake. I’ve been growing in her for a few months now. She doesn’t want anybody to find out. But dad found out. He told mom if she doesn’t take some money and go to Planned Parenthood, he’ll leave her.

Mary Help of Christians, Pray for Us.

Mom’s been taking really good care of me for eight months now, but she never talks to anybody about me. She told grandma about me yesterday and grandma said she’s gonna disown mom. We’re taking a trip to some different state so grandma will still help mom.

Mary Help of Christians, Pray for Us.

Dear God, I’m born at last! I’m in a really bright room. There were lots of people here, but nobody was happy when I came out of mom. Now everybody’s gone, and I don’t have a blanket, and I’m cold, and I’m bloody, and I’m hungry, and I need Help.

Mary Help of Christians, Pray for Us.

MULTIMEDIA Prayers for Life: Respect Life Mass and procession

The following was shared with me in a comment:

Archbishop Robert J. Carlson led the faithful on a procession from Cathedral Basilica to Planned Parenthood to give witness to the more than 50 million unborn children who have lost their lives by abortion since 1973. The protesters prayed for the mothers of the unborn children and for our nation in hopes it will adopt public policies that protect life.

This multimedia slideshow features photographs from the rosary march with Archbishop Robert Carlson with audio interview from Beth Lauver, Director of Respect Life Apostolate for the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

St. Louis Review Prayers for Life

The Wearing of Purple - 37th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

My first impression on seeing our priest vested in purple was "Father, must be confused".  No, Father P was far from confused.

During his homily he explained to others like myself who were clueless, that he was wearing purple in commemoration of the day that abortion was made legal in the United States. 

Picture source Fr. Z

Purple in the liturgical sense stands for penance and purification.

The United States must purify herself for the great sin of abortion and do many, many penances.

Father then went on to talk about how even though Christianity has some things in common with Islam, such as their great respect for Jesus and His Virgin Mother, the reasons Muslims is at war with America is because in their eyes we are going against God's laws, we are the infidels.  We are a nation that kills it own children.  We are a nation that wants to legalize and normalize homosexual marriages.

Let this be a wake up call to us Christians living in the United States.  Protect and defend what is sacred and that begins with the unborn and with the sacrament of marriage.

Holy Hour of Adoration on January 22nd, Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

I just learned about this from the Prayers for Priests e-group I belong to.

January 22, 2010 will be the 37th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. In Phoenix, in individual parishes, we spend time in Adoration and do penance in atonement for the sins of abortion. Would you like to join us?



It is not too late to sponsor a Holy Hour at your parish (or to encourage participation at other parishes) for healing those affected by abortions and for conversion of those who promote abortion. Some parishes are able to have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament all day long, other have a few hours in the evening. During the Exposition hours, have different groups in the parish say the Rosary on the hour. Some other activities include Mass, Benediction, Chaplets of Mercy, etc.

I would be pleased if you do have an activity, to list it on this site so your parishioners can see the scheduled activity and time. Days of adoration

Respect Life Sunday Check-List

Mary Ann Kreitzer shared a checklist for tomorrow Respect Life Sunday here.

Tomorrow is Respect Life Sunday in the Catholic Church and a good time to reflect on what you will do to help end abortion. Prayer and fasting always provide the foundation, but where to go from there?

Here is my quick baker's dozen:

1) Participate in the Life Chain tomorrow.

2) Spend at least one day at a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil.

3) Give a donation to a crisis pregnancy center.

4) Share your pro-life values with someone to whom you've never mentioned it.

5) Wear the little feet pin on your lapel and be prepared to explain why.

6) Spend time with your children or grandchildren reading them a pro-life book like Angel in the Waters.

7) Use pro-life checks. (Note: Don't order from Life Checks whose parent company also prints checks for Planned Parenthood.) Try Heritage House. X (DONE)

8) Write a letter to the editor supporting the right to life of the unborn or the conscience rights of medical personnel not to participate in abortions.

9) Visit a nursing home and make friends with someone who gets no visitors.

10) Vote pro-life. Support for murdering the innocent is a disqualifying issue. No politician who supports killing the weak and helpless should get your vote - EVER.

11) If your state has a Choose Life license plate, get it. If not, put a pro-life bumper sticker on your car. X DONE

12) Have Masses said for the intention of ending assaults against life.

13) Encourage parents of big families; they get plenty of criticism from the worldly.

St. Michael, Defender of Children

St. Michael, Defender of Children
by Joseph Meaney

I was struck by a passage in scripture showing St. Michael the Archangel defending children. The Old Testament Book of Daniel relates the following:

But at that time Michael shall rise up, the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people: and a time shall come, such as never was from the time that nations began, even until that time. And at that time shall thy people be saved every one that shall be found written in the book. - Daniel 12:1

In what period of history have children, especially those waiting to be born, faced such tremendous threats to their lives? How is it possible that almost 2 billion children have been killed by surgical abortion worldwide since 1960 and the response of even pro-life people is so muted? Today there are countries like Russia where 52% of pregnancies end in abortion. Evil on this gigantic scale has to have a satanic origin, and St. Michael is the one who first defeated the Devil's plans.

Please join HLI in our prayer campaign to St. Michael the Archangel using the powerful prayer first given to the Church by Pope Leo XIII. The response so far has been extraordinary. We have had to print over 2.5 million prayer cards just to keep up with the requests from our website.

Read the rest here

Catholic Burial for the Murdered Innocents

Te Deum Laudamus - An Act of Mercy: Mass and Burial of the Unborn with Fr. Frank Pavone and Bishop John M. Quinn at Assumption Grotto

God bless Fr. Pavone and Bishop Quinn.

Feast of the Holy Innocents

It is impossible for Herod's henchmen to recognize with absolute certainty, among all the babies of Bethlehem and its vicinity, just which infant boy is Jesus Christ. Thus, seething with diabolical fury, Herod orders the massacre of all who resemble Jesus in gender and approximate age. This barbaric case of "mistaken identify" becomes the source of incomparable exaltation for the Holy Innocents. For there is no greater glory than for a person to be mistaken for Christ himself. Perhaps the Lord had this in mind later in life when he declares that only those who change and become like little children can enter the kingdom of God. In our childlikeness, we are most like Jesus Christ. The blood of the Son Jesus that cleanses us fro all sin beings to reach us and transforms us today in a powerful way through the blood of the martyred Holy Innocents.

From the Magnificat: Christmas Issue 07

On this feast day, let us remember the present day massacre of the holy innocents through the crime of abortion.

Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,
And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.

I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,
Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death
by the Resurrection of Your Son.

I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.
Today I commit myself
Never to be silent,
Never to be passive,
Never to be forgetful of the unborn.

I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement,
And never to stop defending life
Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,
And our nation once again becomes
A nation with liberty and justice
Not just for some, but for all.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen!

From Priests for Life