DAY 40: Thank you, Saint Regis Parish, Trafford; People of God Covenant Community; Saint Michael the Archangel Parish; Saint James Catholic Church, West End; Saint Joseph Parish in Amsterdam, Ohio; SHIFT BUDDIES Vince P., Jim and Cathy S., Steve and Denise M.; VOLUNTEERS Knights of Columbus Rich D. and George S., Pat S.; FUEL, The Passionist Nuns, The Sisters of Saint Joseph, The Carmelite Nuns of Latrobe; and Brothers and Sisters who prayed, fasted and witnessed with us for these 40 Days for Life.

It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle.
It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal. SAINT JOHN PAUL II, WORLD YOUTH DAY 2000

We take our hopes and dreams to the sidewalk to share with our abortion bound sisters and brothers. Abortion tortures them. In Jesus’ name, we bring love to share as best we can. The beauty we bring is Jesus. I regularly watch and sing along with the music video attached below.   It frees my heart of abortion ugliness.  It would be good to sing these words to abortion bound people there at the sidewalk. Let them know God loves them. Let them know he longs to heal them. If we schedule a sing-a-long this is one of the songs we should sing.  In our daily blogs, you see pix of our sidewalk witnesses.  Thank you, all of you Fall 2021 witnesses who joined us on the sidewalk and those of you whose hearts were with us, even though you could not come to the sidewalk. You make our hearts sing.

Universities and think tanks regularly invite Dr. Janet Smith, Jason Evert and Matt Fradd to speak about contraception and abortion related topics. I never heard their strangely beautiful facts anywhere else.  Knowing them helps me be more useful on the sidewalk.

Children are the supreme gift of marriage. If you say yes to one child you are saying yes to generations. You are saying yes to descendants of yours that could be more numerous than the stars in the sky.  One human life could populate the Beatific Vision by 100,000. God sees the big picture. Sometimes we see only the diapers and the long nights and the finances. Obedience to God’s plan of fertility is the key that unlocks a vault of graces that God wants to pour on to us. Jason Evert

Does natural family planning make sense? About 2% of couples using natural family planning get divorced.

Natural family planning taught me that my wife’s body is perfect. She doesn’t need any pills, shots or barriers.  She just needs to be understood. Instead of suppressing her fertility with chemicals to conform to our desires, we can shape our desires to conform to the way her body is already perfectly created.

How many women need the pill for medical reasons? Virtually none.

What about the condom?

The Celtic Blessing | Celtic Worship & Friends, featuring Steph Macleod

NOTES FROM THE SIDEWALK

PAT M. SHIFT MANAGER 7-9

While getting up at this hour – and on a Sunday – isn’t my favorite thing, there’s clearly a beauty to being there on the sidewalk when things are dark and quiet, deserted and peaceful.  I was joined this morning from the start by shift buddy Vince P, and two of my brother Knights of Columbus from St. Regis Council #6299:  Mike C. and Lud S.  (Lud, our Grand Knight, God bless him, was with me not only for this morning’s shift, but for my full shift on Friday night as well.)  Mike and Lud, thank you so much for being there with me.  Vince led us in praying all 20 decades of a Scriptural Rosary, followed by the Divine Mercy Chaplet.  Three of his brother Knights from Council #14696 joined us in prayer at about 8 AM: Grand Knight George S., Richard D., and David O.  

It felt so good to be with so many brother Knights out on the sidewalk doing battle with the evil that is abortion.  So with that, let me make an appeal to all of those Catholic men reading this now to take just a minute or two today to consider whether God might be calling you to become a Knight.  I resisted joining for many years, but am so glad I finally did.

Early Sunday Witnesses

Vince leading Knights in prayer.

Knights of Columbus, Saint Regis Council #6299, Mike and Lud the Grand Knight

Vince with brother Knights Richard and David with Grand Knight George

KEN B. SHIFT MANAGER 9-11

In the Extraordinary form of the Mass we pray the Mass of Christ the King today. The Communion prayer is from Psalm 28. The Lord shall sit as King forever. The Lord will bless His people with peace. I think our whole prayer and our works of Mercy at this place are guided towards this becoming reality. Please Lord, reign over us as King bringing everlasting peace to the womb, to our families, our Church and our nation.

I give thanks for all those who have prayed for peace, mercy and the Kingship of Christ during this campaign especially my very faithful partner Pat S. who has been here every moment of every shift with passion and prayer, for life in the womb, and for the Church. Also, today for the members of the Knights of Columbus Dave, George and Rich witnessing for life each Sunday from 8:00 to 10:00, and for the many members of The People of God Covenant Community who bring their special gift of prayer and praise to the sidewalk every campaign including today: Bill, Ben, Pat, Michelle, Steve, Pat, Pam, Matt, Julie, Matt, Tom, and Patty.

And I am always touched by the ministry of the faithful Rosary walkers who stop every Sunday bringing holy prayers and sacramentals to this place of death. May Christ reign in every heart.

Volunteer Knights Rich and George join People of God Covenant Community Church in prayerful worship.

Rosary walkers add prayerful pro-life witness

Good company of People of God joining in pro-life worship

RICH and ROSEANN K. SHIFT MANAGERS 11-1   

We are grateful to have John, Peggy and Joseph from St. Joseph’s Parish in Amsterdam, Ohio, to come, witness and pray for our 2 hour shift. It is always a blessing to meet fellow pro-lifers, who are like minded and have the same desire to end abortion.  We prayed trusting that God would answer our prayers. Our time on the sidewalk today was prayerful and peaceful.
Roseann

Shift Manager Rich with John, Peggy and Joseph who traveled from Saint Joseph Parish in Amsterdam, Ohio

Sharon S. SHIFT MANAGER 1-3

Overall, it was a quiet but prayer-filled time with the faithful St. Michael the Archangel parishioners blessing the street by their presence and prayer. We were off to a blessed start when a kind man passing by extended God’s blessing and told us he would pray for us. We were also blessed by a visit from Mimi from Epiphany/Divine Mercy Parish who recalled praying with 40 Days for Life in Pittsburgh from the start. What a blessing to have her with us. Also, deacon candidate John from Divine Mercy brought bottles of water and stayed to pray with the group – altogether 13 of us – Mimi seated and 12 standing at the half-circle, praying the Glorious Mysteries and singing the Salve Regina to finish. 

Philene, Mimi, Claire, Mary, Bud, Michele

Prayer warrior witnesses from Saint Michael the Archangel

JOE W. SHIFT MANAGER 3-5

Coming soon!

ANDY L. SHIFT MANAGER 5-7

Coming soon!

And God saw that it was good.

And __