In these Easter days of celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus, there is no better way to witness to the risen life of Christ than by joining a Witness for Life event. Witness for Life events consist of the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Some attendees stay and pray in the church to intercede for the unborn and those prayer warriors who will be processing to a nearby abortion facility.
Most attendees will walk to a nearby facility in a Rosary procession led by an Our Lady of Guadalupe image. The full Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries will be prayed aloud using walkie-talkie radios that keep everyone praying in unison as recollected as possible. After the Rosary, offering a minute of silence on our knees in front of the abortion center is a very powerful sign that God has not abandoned us, the women in the facility, or the babies who lost their lives that morning.
Sometimes babies are saved by the heroic sidewalk counselors that engage the women as they enter the facility. But the truth is, most of the babies saved are unknown to us, but as many as 70% of appointments are cancelled when prayer warriors are out front! A procession back to the church while praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy will call down God’s unfathomable mercy on all who are involved in abortion in our local area, city, country and world. Our public witness closes with Benediction in the church. When able, these days with social distancing, refreshments, fellowship and sharing happens after the event.
In New York, we have been so blessed to have monthly Witness for Life events in both the Archdiocese of New York and the Brooklyn Diocese. The first Saturday Witness for Life is led by Fr. Fidelis Moscinski, CFR who was inspired by Msgr. Philip Reilly of the Brooklyn Diocese and the peaceful, prayerful approach he teaches through his Helpers of God’s Precious Infants movement. We now have Witness for Life events every Saturday of the month: Manhattan (first Saturdays), Staten Island (last Saturdays), Bronx (third Saturdays), and now for the first time on May 8th, Brooklyn/Queens (second Saturdays).
These monthly Witness for Life events are crucial to the international 40 Days for Life campaigns that happen twice a year, sometimes all year long, where groups of people witness either 12 hours or 24 hours a day for 40 days in both the Fall and Spring campaigns. Without these monthly Witness for Life events to build up the base and invite new people to join, it would be very difficult to maintain a 40 Days campaign.
Joining together in solidarity with other like-minded Christians to boldly proclaim Christ’s victory over darkness and death is a real gift for those who participate. A deep conversion happens as we gather at the foot of the cross together outside the abortion facility and then celebrate in unity the victory that has already been won. This unity is the real “shot in the arm” we all need in order to continue our devotion and dedication to bringing about a culture of life in a very challenging time.
Photo: Pexels / PD-US
