May 24, 2012 - Thursday Vigil

Jenny, Elfriede, Mary, Sue, and myself gathered tonight for prayer.  The evening was truly blessed by the wonderful weather!  So many people out and about -- we were definitely noticed tonight.  Just a few minutes into the prayer vigil, a very angry man pulled up and yelled "what about if you were raped by (some not so nice words) man and became pregnant...what would you do then?"  Mary went over to speak with this man to calm his attitude.  We received a lot of waves, smiles, blessings, and thumbs up -- thank You Jesus!!

A little while later, a joyful young mom pulled up to thank us for being out on the sidewalk to speak up for life.  She told us that she adopted her daughter and was very thankful for prayer warriors like ourselves who take the stand for life.  She named her sweet little girl, Grace -- because that is what she knows God did for her...graced her with a child to call her own.  We were all just taken in by her heartfelt story.  Little Grace loved waving at us and gave us a big smile.  Again, thank You Jesus for giving us this blessing.

A little more time went by and a young man came up (about 16 or 17) and wanted to know what our purpose was out on the sidewalk.  Jenny shared our mission with him and gave him lots of information that he could share with his friends.  He was truly grateful.

Another huge blessing came to us when our mighty prayer warrior, Richard, stopped by to thank us for all of our prayers for his health.  He is feeling better and the pain is subsiding.  Amen!!  Thank You Jesus!!

We were finishing up our prayer hour when one of our regular "negatives" came walking by.  He is an elderly man who just will not stop to find out the truth.  He proceeded to walk right through us (like a bull in a china shop!)...brushing shoulders with a couple of us.  We smiled...knowing that some of our blessings rubbed off on him...maybe one day he will actually stop and smile.  (Maribeth)

May 17, 2012 - Thursday Vigil

What a beautiful evening!  Jenny and I first prayed/sang our 1/2 hour vigil...(ever carefully walking around the landscaping truck) and with so much traffic backed up by the light, I'm sure those drivers prayed and sang along with us -- even if they didn't want too!  Our first reflection was on Moses' life...how Pharaoh's daughter knew that life was a gift and went to great lengths to save Moses.  We all have choices when it come to life; do we respect this gift?  We then reflected on the importance of family...and how Mary and Joseph were concerned when they thought they lost Jesus...but, when they went to God's house, there He was!  Isn't that true?  When we are lost, we need to stop, find Jesus, and reflect on all that He offers us -- then we are found once again!  One of our songs was "We Shall Overcome" -- that was truly uplifting...knowing that the Victory (in Jesus!) is near.

The second half of our prayer hour was filled with the Rosary.  We were a constant witness on that sidewalk.  A bike rider stopped us to talk about the Presidential Candidates' view on life.  He also told us that his grandmother saved his life about 50 years ago...his mother was young and afraid.  His grandmother raised him and taught him so much about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  What a blessing it was to speak with this man.  I pray that God continues to bless him as he continues the journey that was planned just for him...before he was even born!  A little while later a man stopped by to find out about us...wondered why we were there praying....was there an abortion clinic nearby?  We ended our prayer hour with a prayer for the conversion of abortionists and anyone who is involved with this killing of helpless life.  Thank you God for letting us be witnesses for LIFE!  (Maribeth and Jenny)

May 13, 2012 - Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of our very precious mothers!!  Thank you for the gift of LIFE!!

Loving Father,
as a mother gives life and nourishment to her children,
so you watch over your Church.
Bless these women,
that they may be strengthened as Christian mothers.
Let the example of their faith and love shine forth.
Grant that we, their sons and daughters,
may honor them always
with a spirit of profound respect.

Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

(from the Magnificat)

A blessing for the Unborn....


God, author of all life, bless, we pray, these unborn children; give them constant protection and grant them a healthy birth that is the sign of our rebirth one day into the eternal rejoicing of heaven.
Lord, who have brought to these women the wondrous joy of motherhood, grant them comfort in all anxiety and make them determined
to lead their children along the ways of salvation.
Amen.
(from the USCCB)

May 10, 2012 - Thursday Vigil

Mary & Nick were already at WomanCare abortion mill as I arrived at 6pm.   Nick was finishing his 5pm prayer vigil.  Maribeth soon joined us.  We all blest ourselves with holy water.  Mary prayed her rosary farther down on the grass & Maribeth & I faced the abortion mill holding our "Pray to End Abortion" signs.  We took turns reading prayers & singing songs of praise from the Group Prayer Vigil Booklets.  Then Mary had to leave for Thursday night Mass.  Maribeth & I walked back & forth along the sidewalk up to the traffic light & back to the abortion mill singing the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.  Our prayers this evening were as always for those involved in abortion in any way.  Some gals yelled at us as they drove by but we could not make out what they had said, so we are not sure if it was a positive or negative. Their voices sounded kind of mean, so I think they said a negative.   Lots of traffic at this time of night & so many cars got stopped by the traffic light.  A guy tooted & gave us a thumbs up through his roof.  Then two young gals yelled "God bless you guys!!" with a thumbs up!  We said, "thank you, God bless you also."  We heard happy honks now & then during our prayer hour this evening.  Just before we left, a sweet elderly lady (foreign) came up and asked for Rosaries...one for her and one for her mom.  How wonderful it is to be a witness for life and for Jesus Christ!!  He truly is the golden thread that binds those who are called to Him!  Thank You God for a beautiful night of prayer.  (Jenny & Maribeth)

May 3, 2012 - Thursday Vigil

May 3 - (Maribeth) -- Jenny, Nancy, Ann and myself gathered for our Thursday evening prayer  at the clinic.  For our 1/2 hour vigil, we used the format from the National Day of Prayer in Clinton Township (thanks Jenny--she was able to attend that gathering at noon!).  I’ll post the official program on our 40 Days for Life website--it is a great tool to use for prayer, especially for this upcoming election year.  Included in this prayer program are patriotic songs, which we sang proudly....as the flag waved across the street.  We are truly blessed to be a part of this nation which was founded under godly principles -- and I pray that one day we allow God back in! 

Just as we began our praying, we experienced a new type of persecution.  A woman, probably in her mid-fifties, drove up in her red van and yelled at us, “too bad your mothers did not abort all of you...then we wouldn’t have to put up with your being here.”  We were dumbfounded, as we never had that type of comment.  All we could say was “I’m sorry you feel that way.”  Throughout the rest of our prayer hour, we lifted up this very lost soul with the hardened heart.  God blessed us with many thumbs up and happy honks, and for that, we were very grateful.  We recited the Rosary to finish out the hour of prayer for LIFE.

April 26, 2012 - Thursday Vigil

April 26 - (Jenny) -- Maribeth, Sue, Nancy & myself joined together taking turns reading prayers & singing songs of praise from the Family Prayer Vigil Booklets this past Thursday for the 1/2 hour group prayer vigil -- and we offered this up for all involved in abortion in any way.   Nancy then led all of us in the rosary, meditating on the Luminous Mysteries until Maribeth & Sue had to leave a little before 7pm for their Right-to-Life meeting.  The two of us finished the rosary & headed for home.  It was starting to rain huge droplets when I had left from home, but the rain held out & we finished our prayer vigil with chilly, but dry weather.  Happy honks throughout our hour... excellent!!!  Bring your pro-life signs & join me when you are able.  JESUS, PROTECT & SAVE THE UNBORN & HEAL OUR SINFUL WORLD. AMEN! ! !

April 19, 2012 - Thursday Vigil

April 19 - (Jenny) -- Beautiful, sunny evening to pray for the precious, helpless unborn. It was a teensy bit chilly, but no problem.   I blest myself with holy water & sprinkled a little on the prayer path then began the opening prayers holding onto my Pray to End Abortion sign, my big yellow LIFE balloon with my smiley face on the other side of it with curly red hair & my rosary.  The lawn guy was finishing up & nodded & smiled as he walked by.  Then the "go home" guy drove by & yelled that.  I wondered, why does it bother him so much that a woman is walking slowly & praying to end abortion at this abortion mill?!?!? I said a prayer for him that God would soften his hardened heart & let His truth & light flow into his soul & heal him if he is hurting from abortion in any way.  Then Nancy joined me with her pro-life sign & she led us in the rosary for the pro-life intentions that she mentioned before we began.  For the abortion doctors healing & conversion, we sang the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.  A young woman pushinig her little baby walked by & smiled, happy honks were heard throughout the prayer hour & smiles, waves, thumbs up from those driving by.   Remember, each Thursday (not during a campaign) there will be a group prayer vigil at 6:00 p.m. -- reading/singing from the Family Prayer booklets we use during our official 40 Days for Life campaigns.

END CELEBRATION - APRIL 12, 2012

Below is a recap of our Spring 2012 40 Days for Life Sterling Heights END CELEBRATION!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED -- I hear Father Joe was amazing and very inspiring with his talk about his experience at the clinic.  Thank you Sue and Jenny for bringing this all together--and for doing the recap.  Thank you Karen and The Magdalena's for sharing your musical gift (and thank you Shelley for the pictures--even though they are a bit blurry, they are memories!).  Thank you Father Joe for your dedication and example of how to be a committed prayer warrior for LIFE!  I'm sad to have missed this culmination of our prayers and perseverance during the past 40 days...but, as many of you know, my time was dedicated to the circumstance with my father-in-law (God, bless his soul!). (Maribeth)

Since the witness of 40 Days for Life is rooted in prayer, we opened our End Celebration with these prayers: Answering the Call to Be a Prayer Warrior, Prayer for the Unborn, and Prayer for Priests.

We were blessed by the beautiful songs from Karen Zawadski and the Magdalenas- Shelley Asbury and Robin Sitko.

Sue traced the evolution of Sterling Heights 40 Days for Life. Our first campaign consisted of many dedicated prayer warriors who have continued to grow in their commitment to life for eight campaigns. At the suggestion of one prayer warrior, Adopt a Day was initiated and continues. Priests, Deacons, and clergy have conducted many prayer vigils at the clinic. Jenny Pozniak singlehandedly built a "Chapel Without Walls" where she is joined by prayer warriors on Thursday evenings year round and every evening during the Spring and Fall Campaigns. We have begun Family Prayer Vigils on the Lord's Day during the campaigns. For a half hour at 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm, we pray and ponder the blessing of faithful families. We know that so goes the family, so goes society. So, we pray for strong faith-filled families. We are planning to have these family vigils every Sunday, not just during the official campaigns. We are looking for prayer warriors who would be willing to lead a vigil. We also have a super dedicated prayer warrior who has prayed every day, for two hours at the clinic during all of the campaigns. Outside of campaign times she prays every Friday at the clinic from 9 am - 11 am.  It can be difficult for some to pray at the clinic unless they know that they would not be alone. So remember: Thursday evenings, Friday mornings, and soon Sunday afternoons there will be prayer warriors present so that you will not be alone. This is a major spiritual battle, we really need to be a peaceful, prayerful witness more than 80 days a year! The devil never rests and neither should we disengage from the battle.

Just a reminder, every Thursday at 6 pm,Jenny will be there for an hour of prayer for the end of abortion.  The first 1/2 hour will be dedicated to praying out of the Family Prayer Booklet -- then either the Chaplet, Rosary, or Stations of the Cross.  All are welcomed to this beautiful Chapel Without Walls.

The evening continued with witness from several of the prayer warriors--such as:  Post-abortive woman stopped & held the sign of another post-abortive woman & they shed tears together & prayed together.  Folks not realizing that WomanCare is a baby killing place.  Folks liking the I Pray to End Abortion button & the prayer warrior giving them their button. Folks riding by on a bike & thanking them for praying there.  (Many of our “instances” can be found on our Blog --  http://40daysforlifesterlingheights.blogspot.com/ 

Father Joe shared his heart with the grouip:  Going back to 1948 talking about his mom & dad meeting, falling in love & getting married.  Fr. Joe being their first born (which they offered up to God... not ever telling Fr. Joe).  He went on to college & law school & was practicing law.  Then one day, after hearing Pope John Paul II talk, he realized he had a vocation. He worried about how his parents would feel about his call to the priesthood. When Fr. Joe talked to his parents about his call, they  told him that they had offered him up to God when he was born & were praying that he would become a priest.  Fr. Joe was never alone while praying at the abortion mill because different folks from St. Malachy took various days each week to be there with him.  It was not easy all the time: cold, snow, rain, and hail, but those who stopped by with their thanks or hot chocolate and kind words made it all worth while... even the negative folks.  According to Father, This was much better then throwing a big party to celebrate his 25 years of priesthood. Father also noted that taking  a Pro-Life position requires that you pay a price. Not every one agrees to pro-life truths, so some parishioners walk away. We can relate to that because a number of us feel the tension when we speak the truth about the sanctity of life to friends and sometimes even family members. Father Joe, by his example and reflections, gave us encouragement to not grow weary in our witness and prayer.

We ended the evening with a very warm, friendly, group of folks sharing wonderful treats in the Gathering Center after a beautiful time spent together in church.  About eighty folks attended!  Many mentioned how they really enjoyed this evening. We were assured that we are not alone in our pro-life convictions. We could not help but be filled with hope!