Bella

Although I have not seen this yet and it is sometimes hard to promote something one has not seen, this seems like it will be very good. As part of 40 Days for Life here in Madison, we definitely encourage you to see this if you get the opportunity.

Relevant Radio, along with the Diocese of Madison, will also be promoting Bella when the movie comes to Madison from November 9 until November 11 and are giving away free tickets. Please go to either website (linked) for more details.

Thoughts from Planned Parenthood on 40 Days for Life

To get an idea of what the abortion industry is thinking about 40 Days for Life, here is a recent email from Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards regarding 40 Days for Life. It is sometimes difficult to get an understanding of what an organization like Planned Parenthood is thinking based on such communications, since to a certain extent, these type of emails/letters are written to get supporters excited, and to raise money. However, although the primary purpose of the email is to raise more money for Planned Parenthood, it is interesting nonetheless, as it provides some insight into what they are thinking about this "crisis."

It's pouring here at Planned Parenthood.

Specifically, right this minute, it's pouring in
Kansas, where a particularly venomous district attorney
has just filed 107 baseless charges against Planned
Parenthood in court. And today, the anti-choice fringe
is asking Congress to suspend $300 million in federal
funding for our affiliates' health care services until
the case is settled.

Unbelievable. Please help.

Today's news comes on the heels of an unprecedented
series of attacks on Planned Parenthood.

Last week, the rain fell on us in Washington, DC, where
one U.S. senator called us out by name in an amendment
that would have limited birth control funding for
health centers like ours.

Throughout this month, the anti-choice fringe is
showering our clinics with protesters during its "40
Days for Life" campaign, which our own Emily X is
documenting in painfully vivid pictures and videos.

And then, there's President Bush's appointment last
week of an anti-birth control hardliner to be in charge
of U.S. family planning policy. And let's not forget
our epic fight in Illinois last month to open our
Aurora health center.

This unprecedented storm -- these attacks on Planned
Parenthood and the women we serve -- are relentless,
and are on the move across the country with no signs of
stopping.

We've been at this work for more than 90 years, and if
there's one thing we've learned, it's when to ask for
help. And it's now. We need your help right now.

Sometimes we ask you to take action, sometimes to
volunteer. Today, there is only one way to help: with
money.

We need to fight the 107 charges the local district
attorney has filed. We need to keep Congress from even
considering cutting $300 million in our funding. And we
need to do it fast, so that we can shut down this
outrageous effort before it gains any more momentum.

You can see and hear more from workers at clinics being
targeted by the anti-choice "40 Days for Life" campaign
on the blog posted by Planned Parenthood employee Emily
X. It's some tough but inspiring reading. She has been
signing her blog posts like this: I am Emily X. I am
Planned Parenthood.

You know what? You are Planned Parenthood, too.

Thank you for being there for us today. We'll keep you
posted about how you can help as this crisis evolves.

Sincerely,

Cecile Richards
President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Letters

Here are a couple Letters to the Editor that were published in the Wisconsin State Journal this week:

Praise for Goldberg's thoughts on abortion

Thanks for columnist Jonah Goldberg 's insightful thoughts on abortion on the Oct. 18 Opinion page, summed up in one question: When does life begin? The only one with the true answer to this question is God, and only God has access to our hearts to help us bring about change in ourselves and in our world.

Thousands of people are now joined in prayer in 89 cities (four in Wisconsin) across the nation in the largest and longest simultaneous pro-life mobilization in American history -- 40 Days for Life. Through prayer and fasting, participants believe that abortion, the choice against women, will come to an end in our country.

So we will continue to pray for these victims and for those who profit financially from their conditions, especially the employees of Planned Parenthood, Madison. Find more information at www.40daysforlife.com. Thanks again for helping bring the abortion issue to the hearts of many.

-- Nick and Kay Ringelstetter, Prairie du Sac

...and also this one:

Bishop 's leadership inspires at vigil

A historic event in our country is now half over. Madison is one of 89 cities where Americans have been present -- day and night -- outside of abortion facilities to pray and fast for an end to abortion. The prayerful witness will continue through Nov. 4.

The Madison Abortion Clinic on Orin Road is the site of Madison 's 40 Days for Life vigil. Bishop Robert Morlino joined the prayer vigil from Sunday night to Monday morning. I am grateful beyond words to the bishop for his moral leadership, and invite those who believe Americans can do better than abortion to join the vigil.

I truly believe God will hear the blended prayers and sacrifices being made after 33 years of legalized abortion and bring it to an end.

-- Rebecca Sande, Cambridge

More Thoughts on Monday's Prayer Service

Some additional reflections this morning from Bishop Morlino on the prayer service from last Monday:

I want to share how meaningful it was to stand in front of the Planned Parenthood Clinic from midnight until 1 a.m. last Sunday. To be with people who are praying and fasting during this 40 day vigil to end abortion is to be uplifted and given new hope.

As we quietly and peacefully prayed, I especially prayed for the unborn, for women who are tempted to abortion, for those women who think that their dignity is increased by the freedom of choice - not understanding that their dignity as women is really taken away by the freedom of choice, for those women who are hurt by the tragedy of abortion, that they will be healed and that they will have hope, and for those who perform these procedures that they will see the truth about them and come to the light.

I prayed for all of those who have kept and who will keep vigil during the 40 Days for Life, with thanksgiving for all that they give and for the sacrifice that they make.

The Scriptures each Sunday of this month have given us much to ponder on life issues. This coming Sunday's readings are especially pointed. The Pharisee thanks God that he is not like the rest of humanity, sinful and fallen. The tax collector simply says, "O God, be merciful to me a sinner."

Sometimes, I fear that people who have been part of an abortion see pro-life people as the Pharisees. Instead, we all need to pray as the tax collector does. We need to be the ones who humble ourselves so that others will see that they can be forgiven. We need to open our arms to the wounded, so that they will come for healing.

In the Responsorial Psalm we hear these words of comfort: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves." Reach out to those you know who are hurt and brokenhearted. Invite them to speak to any of our priests. Let them know that no sin is unforgivable, that our God is Love and that we, humble people who follow Christ, welcome them.

MJS Follow Up

Patrick McIlheran from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has comments on his blog this week about the positive response he has received from his Sunday column on 40 Days for Life.

Heavens: I write with some sympathy about why people would stand outside an abortion place even in the middle of the night -- and I get overwhelmed with email.

A number of people who lauded me said it must have taken courage, the daily press not being particularly sympathetic to their cause. Well, no: My boss wants me to write stuff he disagrees with. It's in the job description. So I don't need any credit for that.

Especially since -- and this is by actual count -- the email was running 4-73 in favor of the column. I mention this only because I have never gotten 73 emails on anything I've written before, much less 73 emails -- the great majority from women, by the way -- liking it. People don't often bother to write unless they're ticked off.

Or insanely grateful. That's the other theme running through these emails: All sorts of people, many of them taking part in other 40 Days vigils around the country, saying thanks for not kicking them in the teeth. "So often," writes one woman, "people standing for life are portrayed as religious fanatics, extremists, woman-haters, violent, and screaming maniacs. ... Most people who give up their time to stand outside of an abortion clinic are peaceful, prayerful, concerned, heartbroken people." Others said they felt grateful just to hear their views presented, as one said, "without caveats."

Which is how you get, I guess, when you find yourself showing up in pop culture only as a standard bad-guy caricature. I've seen "Law and Order" maybe twice. Both times, it turns out, the bad guy was some spiral-eyed nut-case pro-lifer trying to blow up women. Or maybe it was any of a dozen other shows on which the label "pro-life" is presumed to be a cruel hypocrisy. Pro-lifers' relationship with the news and entertainment media seems to have degenerated to something like an abused spouse -- they flinch at the approach of a camera or a reporter.

So it was cheap grace on my part. All I had to do was listen to them, hear what they were saying, and I got emails like the one from a Mr. M'Mwirichia in Michigan, who wrote, "It's been a blessing praying in the cold, sometimes wet conditions and muscling through a fatigued work day is a small sacrifice compared to what is going on in that building. Thank you for your piece and may the work of your hands continue to be blessed."

It's a pretty cool job when you get to do things that lead people to bless you. I'm humbled.

Hey, as pro-lifers, I think it is okay to laugh at ourselves from time to time. Yes, it is tough being pro-life sometimes, as the media portrays us as being either anti-woman bigots, mentally disturbed persons, hypocrites, or any other number of false labels. But it is reassuring there are people like McIleran out there, may God Bless him, even if he thinks his column was not that important.

Midnight Prayer Service at Planned Parenthood

Thank you everyone who came to our little past mid-way prayer service for 40 Days for Life Madison on October 22nd! Bishop Robert Morlino (pictured above) led the faithful in praying the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, with about 100 others who came to join him in prayer outside of Planned Parenthood. What a blessing, to have so many praying for life at midnight, especially considering so many of those there had to go to work or school later that day!

To listen to the bishop's comments from the prayer service, please click here.

After the bishop left, Fr. Eric Sternberg from Waunakee led those remaining (about 50) in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. The weather was surprisingly warm for this time of year, but it was great to have so many people there. The crowds began to disperse at about 1:00 a.m.

Some other photos are up on the website from the midnight prayer service, please check them out by clicking here.

Pulling on a lever you can't see

Great article on 40 Days for Life this morning from Patrick McIlheran of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"You guys are nuts!" shouted a woman driving past the Farwell Ave. sidewalk where Francis Dantzman stood.

She was right, in a way. A slight, retirement-aged man in red-plaid flannel, Dantzman rode his bike from his home in Mequon on a day of rain and tornado watches. He was going to ride it home. If he's not nuts, he's at least daring.

In between, around 3:45 on a momentarily sunny afternoon, he was holding a sign reading, "Abortion kills children." He was also holding a rosary, a big, folk-arty wooden one, praying for an end to the abortions taking place in the building behind him. He was praying silently, and he did not interact with anyone going in or out, other than simply to be seen.

So in a purely materialist sense, the notion he'd have an effect on the atrocities happening nearby was kind of nuts.

Dantzman, standing alone, wasn't really alone: He was part of 40 Days for Life, a series of prayer vigils that people opposed to abortion are holding in about 90 cities nationwide, including Appleton, Green Bay and Madison. The vigils began Sept. 26. So far, say organizers, at least here, there's been someone present every moment, except for one 15-minute stretch.

Yannick Ratnayake, 33, was in front of the building in a light drizzle much earlier in the day - about 5:15 a.m. With him were three other men, all about the age where they'd have to head off for work shortly thereafter, as Ratnayake would. Some held rosaries; all were praying. The signs were stacked nearby. At that hour, there would be practically no one to see them anyhow.

Being prayerful and present was as much the point as being seen, said Ratnayake. A father of four, he feels abortion not only ends a human life, it inflicts lasting harm on the women who undergo it and on the society that permits it. Prayer, fasting, repentance, giving up some sleep - "There's so much redemptive power in that," he says.

The Milwaukee vigil's been drawing about as many women as men, say organizers, though the men predominate during the night. For fathers particularly, says Ratnayake, it's a chance to show some moral leadership. If one looks for some sense in why the men would stand in front of a building that no one would enter or leave for hours, that might be a reason.

And praying seems to be what the pro-life movement can do these days. From the standpoint of politics, things are cloudy. Presidential front-runners in both parties favor legalized abortion. One of them, New York's Republican ex-mayor Rudy Giuliani, was in town that day, not a quarter-mile south. He probably didn't see the vigilists.

Ratnayake says the vigil is the first time he's protested anything. Other men said the same. One mentioned how he was moved by the emotional devastation still wracking a friend years after her abortion. Another, Jim Wassel, 51, of Merton, said he felt called to the issue when he rejoined the Catholic church a year ago.

"You can't just sit at home and not do anything," he said.

So, he was in front of the again-empty building at 9:30 p.m., as the rain held off and concert-goers took a smoking break in front of Shank Hall. A few came to talk now and then, said another late-night vigilist, David Prado. Mostly, said Wassel, the men were praying for the souls of the children killed that day and for the souls of the people who killed them. Prado said one evening, a woman walked up, said she'd had an abortion and asked if she was doomed to hell. No, Prado told her. They prayed for her, too.

Which tells us why it makes sense to just stand and pray. If one believes that abortion is a terrible evil, if one fears that, as Pope John Paul II put it, we're trapped in a "culture of death," and if one believes in the reality of a loving God, then repenting and praying and standing in front of an empty building make sense. They amount to pulling on a very powerful lever that can't be seen.

As John Paul also said, "In the designs of Providence, there are no mere coincidences."

Once, there were eight abortion clinics in Milwaukee, Dantzman points out. Now, there are two.

Patrick McIlheran is a Journal Sentinel editorial columnist. His e-mail address is pmcilheran@journalsentinel.com

Testimony from a 40 Days Participant

Testimony from Valerie Eilers, a 40 Days for Life participant.

I never thought in a million years that I would do something as bold as praying in front of an abortion clinic. I first heard about the 40 Days for Life campaign two months ago, and since that time, I questioned myself almost daily as to whether I’d be able to do it. During this time of discernment, my husband and I miscarried our fourth baby. Through the times of mourning, sadness, grief, and depression, I honestly hoped that God would exonerate me from participating in the vigil. By September 26, I could think of no reason not to participate except for fear.

Before getting married to my husband, my exposure to sex was one based on ignorance, sinfulness, and perversion of its true value. This is not the description one would expect of a person whose “education” about sex began in fifth grade and continued almost yearly throughout my public school career. To be truthful, I was not ignorant of the mechanics of sexual reproduction or of the anatomy of both male and female bodies.

What lacked in my sexual education was “the theology of the body.” I describe this as the soul’s connection to the physical act of sex. Without the soul, mankind would lack a feeling of purpose and completion; likewise sex without soul lacks purpose and integrity.

I may never know why sex was not addressed to me by my parents. Perhaps they, like the public school system, assumed that it was sufficient for me to learn about body mechanics, birth control, and disease prevention. The only thing I know for sure is that, by the time I had learned that abstinence was an option, it was already too late. At 16 years old, surrounded by what seemed at the time to be a unanimous majority of peers who were sexually active, I waited only for a person who I had a “long-term” relationship with (for appearance’s sake.) This was the devil’s sex- prompted by lust and an adolescent’s desire to fit in socially.

Having sex became to me a way to “purchase” affection, attention, and companionship during some of the loneliest, darkest, saddest years of my life. It was, like bulimia, drugs, and alcohol, a medicine I used to temporarily assuage the pains of my heart, soul, and mind. Whatever sanctity I may have inherently attributed to sex became tarnished more and more over time.

If poor self worth was the cause of my “prostitution,” each use and (especially) abuse exacerbated the horrible way I felt about myself.

Somewhere inside me, I knew that sex was only meant for the person I would marry. Yet everyone else, including my family who had taken me to the gynecologist for birth control at age 16, seemed to be saying the very opposite- if only by omitting that abstinence was an option.

Eight years ago, inevitably, I became pregnant out of wedlock, and it was again my sister who I told first. As was her habit, she interfered and told my mother about the pregnancy before I could. I remember sitting in that wingback chair facing the sofa where my irate mother and sister sat and issued the only choice I had, “Get an abortion, or you’re out.” I was an unwed and pregnant twenty-one year old woman. I wasn’t ready, but I wanted to do whatever was necessary to get ready to be a mother to the baby I thought of as my daughter Hunter. But, for me, there was no “choice” involved. I aborted Hunter, and no one ever talked about it.

Again, it seemed the devil’s choice was the only one: doing what was wrong and against my conscience for the sake of appearances and to comply with outside pressure. I went with a friend; I can’t remember if a family member even offered to go with me. As with every other trauma I’ve suffered in my life, I stuck a metaphorical sock in my mouth (probably food, alcohol, and drugs) so that my grief would be quiet enough not to disturb anyone.

From that time, I continued to plummet downward mentally and emotionally until, five years after the abortion, I finally reached rock bottom in my life. On August 23, 2004, I called out to God. I really didn’t know much about Him, except that He was the only one who could help me. I found out that being a Christian and/or believing in Christ carried with it a responsibility on my part. Like any other relationship, it required communication and openness to trust. To me, unlike relationships with human beings, this was neither burden nor risk. Perhaps the best part of my relationship with Christ was that it was intimate without being sexual. By this time in my life, “sexual” meant shame, sin, filth, and feeling robbed and violated.

God heard me, and He has healed me in many ways from the filth I’d accumulated from living contrary to His will. But, the culture of death has left its mark on me, and I’ve prayed so hard for God to put an end to the distortion I have about love, sex, and trust.

During the first year of my conversion to Christ, I relied heavily on my own reading of the Bible, as I’d been told that “all the answers are in the Bible.” Truthfully, I did find most of the inspiration and guidance I needed in there. However, for the healing and restoration I needed, and to stop repeating the same sins over and over again, I found redemption through the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist.

Lately, I’ve been struggling and asking God, “How can sex be redeemed- to go from an unholy act to a beautiful and sacred act? It will take an erasure of all of the lewd, perverse, and harming images and experiences of my fallen past.

40 Days for Life was His answer and gift to me. Over the years since 1999, I often wished that there had been someone who reached out and revealed that abortion was not the only “choice” I had. I am sure, though, that my conversion was helped by the prayers of compassionate souls who prayed for women like me and for the end of abortion. I can’t go back and change what happened in my life, but I can pray for others and ask God to show the same mercy he showed to me. I can beg Him to call them also to repentance and new life. Thanks to 40 Days for Life, I can also stand up for what’s right and oppose the evil that robbed me of so much.

* * *

The first time I went to the vigil site, I prayed for one hour while the clinic was closed. Nothing but grace can account for the near absence of fear I felt during that hour. I’ve gone back, not out of guilt or obligation but to pray empathetically and to show love for the people inside. I’ll never know the result of my prayers, but I trust that God hears them and will help the people who are hurting, lost, and deceived by the evils of abortion.

The next time I went was a Friday, and the Planned Parenthood was open. Knowing that Fridays are the days on which abortions are performed, it was heart-breaking to see the women and couples going inside. Being familiar with the atmosphere and what goes on in such places, it was even more upsetting. A very young girl came with her mother, and it made me sad to think of how much destruction this “choice” may cause in that family.

In the end, grace has abounded in my life during these 40 Days for Life. I feel newfound peace, and I think Hunter not only forgives me but is also proud that I’m standing up for other unborn babies and showing compassion to their young parents. My husband and I have met new friends, and we no longer feel so alone or isolated. Our relationship has deepened, as well as our faith lives. Through prayer, fasting, and community outreach, I’m confident that the lies and works of the culture of death are being put to death on a cross. When we cast aside what is evil, it is put to death, and new life rises from the ashes. I can testify that it’s true.

Mid-Way Prayer Service

Please join us, if possible, next weekend Sunday, October 21st (arrive around 11:50 pm) to mark the little over midway point of the 40 Days for Life vigil. We will have the privilege of having Bishop Robert Morlino join us in vigil from Midnight-1am (Sunday night going into Monday morning, Oct 21-22)

Rosary at the Capitol

And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."
-Apocalypse 12:1

Saturday, October 13th marks the 90th Anniversary of the Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima.

An organization called "America Needs Fatima" is organizing Rosary Rallies throughout the country this Saturday. At 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 13th, there will be a Rosary offered outside the Wisconsin State Capitol, at the State Street enterance. While this is not part of '40 Days for Life', this seems like a worthwhile endeavor. The scourge of abortion will not end in America unless we have recourse to the Lord Jesus, through his Mother.

Two Weeks...

An image of the Divine Mercy of Jesus stands across from the Madison Planned Parenthood.

We have now passed two weeks of continuous 24 hour a day prayer outside of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Madison, Wisconsin. Laus tibi, Christe! May Our Lord continue to touch hearts and bring about a renewed reverence for the gift of life!

We also certainly had some very encouraging stories from last week. Here is what one of the vigil participants told us about their experience praying outside the abortion center:

This morning a lady who had walked into the Planned Parenthood Clinic while we were praying came back out, looked at us, and said ‘I didn’t.’

I’ve been praying through Psalm 119 as a prayer for all who support abortion, that that they would turn and follow God’s laws. Today I stopped at verse 175 and prayed this for the unborn being brought into the clinic by their mothers, ‘Let me live that I may praise you.’

Another vigil participant on a different day mentioned that a young woman who went into Planned Parenthood for pregnancy testing came out to talk to those praying. She thanked them for being out there, and said their prayers worked. May the Lord be with both of these women.

***

In a recent story about 40 Days for Life in the Capital Times, one of the abortion center staff remarked, "If they want to waste their time standing out there that's their business." The problem with Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers, is that they have an incomplete understanding of reality, for they fail to see the importance and power of prayer. Only God has access to hearts, and only He can bring an end to abortion in America. Without prayer and without recourse to the Mercy of God, abortion will never come to an end in our country.

So we will continue to pray, especially for Madison's abortionist, Dr. Dennis Christensen.

Praying for Life: At Planned Parenthood clinic's doorsteps

The Catholic Herald has a lot of good articles this week about respect life month and 40 Days for Life. If you are able, please try to pick up a copy!

Here's their article on 40 Days for Life by Mary Uhler.

MADISON -- Thousands of people are praying for life on the doorsteps of Planned Parenthood facilities at 89 different locations in 33 states around the United States, including Madison.

They are joining in 40 Days for Life from September 26 to November 4. "This is the largest and longest simultaneous pro-life mobilization in American history," said David Bereit, national director of the campaign.

In an interview on his visit to the Madison vigil on September 27 and 28, Bereit explained how this campaign got started. Planned Parenthood built a clinic in College Station, Texas, where Bereit lived. A friend of his called and told him that 10 babies had been terminated at the clinic. "It hit me that I had to do something. The light went on."

He talked with his wife, Margaret, and two weeks later quit his job in the pharmaceutical industry. "God made it clear that I didn't have a choice in the matter. It's been a journey in faith but we wouldn't change a thing," he said.

Bereit became director of the Coaliton for Life in College Station, where he worked for four years. He encouraged people from 60 churches to stand and pray outside the local abortion clinic.

In the fall of 2004, he planned the first 40 Days for Life in College Station. It included prayer, fasting, and community outreach with volunteers visiting 25,000 households with pro-life literature.

"We saw a continual drop in abortions," he said, up to 28 percent the year of the 40-day vigil. "Planned Parenthood labeled us the most anti-choice place in America."

The 40 Days for Life spread to Dallas, then Green Bay, Wis., Houston, and other cities. "It is astounding how God has worked," said Bereit.

He encourages people to participate in the vigil. "Ultimately it falls on each of us. Our example speaks louder than words."

Respect Life Mass

As part of 'Respect Life' month, Bishop Robert Morlino from the Madison Diocese will be offering a Respect Life Mass on October 7th at 11:00 a.m. at St. Patrick's Church in downtown Madison.

For those interested, there will also be a Rosary March at Holy Redeemer Church (off of State Street) on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Photos from the Vigil Launch

Check out the Photos on the 40 Days for Life Madison website for the opening prayer vigil on September 26th.

National Plug

Nice, our blog got a plug from a national pro-life website. Jill Stanek, who is covering the events in Aurora, IL (they are now open, despite the courageous efforts of good people of faith down there), talks about the influence of blogs in shaping the debate surrounding Planned Parenthood's deception. Planned Parenthood used lies to get the city to get an abortion centered opened there, and while media coverage was originally favorable towards the pro-abortion side, eventually the non-conventional media helped get the word out about the dishonesty of Planned Parenthood.