Pro-life prayer vigilers "Drenched, spat-on and sworn at (American Style?)"

 
Father Tim Finigan blogs about the abuse received by peaceful and prayerful vigilers (including Bishop John Hine, Auxiliary Bishop in Southwark) outside the Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Maidstone, Kent.

Satan is showing his anger.

See related posts here.

Brooklyn NY Helpers of God's Precious Infants Good Friday Prayer and Witness

From St.Michael's church in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn a procession of about 400 young people walked to a local abortion clinic inorder to pray.

See the photos here:http://www.helpersny.org/Photos%202012/Ambulatory%20Good%20Friday%20%20April%206/index.html

Faithful Helpers of God's Precious Infants at Maidstone, Kent, UK

My friend Carole Smith who co-ordinates the prayer vigils outside the Marie Stopes abortion provider in Maidstone Kent sent me these photographs of yesterday's (Friday) prayer vigil at which my brother Fr Stephen led prayers, after celebrating Mass in the local parish church. As mentioned elsewhere on this blog, I too led prayer vigils there as Maidstone was just 30 miles from my previous parish in South Ashford. Carole writes:

He was the main celebrant at the Mass and he gave us an honest and thorough homily on the spirituality of the Helpers.  He must have touched a few hearts because a couple of the parishioners came and joined us in the rosary at the 'death camp'.

The pro-life battle in the UK is hard and thankless. They do not have the consolation of massive pro-life demonstrations such as the Washington DC March for Life. However, lives are saved and hearts are touched. Please keep Britain, possibly the most secularised nation on earth, in your prayers.

Archbishop Vigneron leads the faithful of Detroit on pro-life vigil

Diane at Te Deum Laudamus reports on a massive turnout of faithful on a pro-life vigil led by Archbishop Vigneron. A pastor leads, the sheep follow.

Guardian Newspaper covers Msgr Reilly's visit to England

Using the usual negative terms of "protestors", "intercepted", "anti-abortion", "racheting up of activities", "the polarised world of America's 'culture wars'", abortion clinics being "targeted", The Guardian has covered Msgr Reilly's recent visit to the UK, including the prayerful vigil kept outside the Maidstone Marie Stopes abortion mill.

On a positive note, The Guardian refers to a greater emerging spirit of collaboration among pro-life groups, particularly thanks to the involvement of a younger generation. Get that? A YOUNGER GENERATION. Young people, pro-life!

As The Guardian itself reports, these developments coincide with a renewed sense of public debate about abortion.

LIFE, a pro-lfe (so of course it will be anti-abortion-in-all-circumstances) organisation, has been

"invited to join a new sexual health forum set up to replace the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV."

And BPAS (British Pregnancy Advisory Service)

"has been omitted from the forum despite its long-term position on the previous advisory group and 40-year track record in providing pregnancy counselling [i.e. abortions] nationwide."

"We are disappointed and troubled to learn that having initially been invited to the sexual health forum we have been disinvited, particularly now we understand that Life have been offered a seat at the table," said Ann Furedi, chief executive of BPAS. "We find it puzzling that the Department of Health would want a group that is opposed to abortion and provides no sexual health services on its sexual health forum."

The BPAS statement only makes sense if you think that helping pregnant mothers keep their children is not a sexual health service but providing abortion is.

All in all it seems things are picking up a little in my homeland. Please continue to pray for England (and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland, which all form part of the UK).

Msgr Philip Reilly at Marie Stopes International, Maidstone, Kent, England

Carole Smith, one of the brave Helpers of God's Precious Infants sent me the following (which I have edited slightly - hope that's OK Carole):

Mgr Phillip Reilly, founder of Helpers of God's Precious Infants in Brooklyn New York, attended the vigil in Maidstone on Wednesday 18th May which was led by Fr Sam Medley, SOLT. Also present were Fr Jacob, CFR and Br Francesco, CFR. There was a good turnout of Helpers pray-ers.

[As you will see if you go here, I used also to lead these prayer vigils before coming here to the US.]

The abortion mill was very busy and many leaflets, rosaries and medals were distributed. The prayers seemed to be doing their job because during the vigil the police turned up. We must have disturbed those inside the mill. A reporter from the Guardian was keen on speaking to some of us but Rose (one of the Helpers) gave him a rosary and rosary card and asked him to pray with her. He was Irish and probably had a grandmother who prayed for him. Eventually Mgr Reilly spoke to him after the vigil. I'm not sure if he got his story.

I believe there were at least one save. Mgr Reilly spoke to one girl and after she went to the door of the mill she turned round and left. She waved and smiled at us.

Rose contacted a solicitor and we hope to arrange a meeting with the policeman in charge so that they will not keep harassing us. They want us to stop giving out the prolife leaflets. [It should be noted, as you will see from the photograph, that the pray-ers pray from the pavement - sidewalk - across the road from the entrance to the abortuary. Some sidewalk counsellors are on the sidewalk outside the abortuary, but never on its property.]

Mgr Reilly spoke at great length when eventually we met for refreshments in the church hall. He is so interesting and he seems to have endless energy. He caught a nap though on the way back to London and later in the evening gave a talk at St James', Spanish Place.

You can listen to the whole talk by going to the blog of Robert Colquhoun - described by John Smeaton of SPUC (Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child) as "a pro-life powerhouse, and organizer of the excellent 40 Days for Life initiative" - Love Undefiled.

John Smeaton quotes the following from the talk:

When the police told him that everyone inside the abortion centre was disturbed by what was going on outside, Monsignor Reilly replied: "What, everyone?" "Yes", the police replied. "Oh wonderful", said Monsignor Reilly.

For further comment see John Smeaton's blog.

Request for prayer: please pray for a mother and father who are expecting the induced delivery of their very premature Downe's Syndrome baby within the next 12 hours. The baby will hopefully be baptised immediately upon delivery.

Prayer Vigil outside abortion centre in Brooklyn, NY, Feb. 19th

This is the most recent video of a Helpers of God's Precious Infants prayer vigil in Brooklyn, New York. Mass was celebrated by Bishop Thomas Daily at St James Cathedral. Msgr Philip Reilly gave the homily and Detective Steve McDonald helped to lead the prayers at a nearby abortion clinic. If you find this short movie interesting,please help to circulate it amongst your friends.

Helpers of God's Precious Infants prayer vigil in New York

Please pray for Canon James Morrow

A great pro-life priest needs our prayers. This received from Rose of Helpers of God's Precious Infants in the UK:

Dear Helpers,
Please pray for Canon James Morrow who has had another stroke. Father Morrow has given his life entirely to the pro-life cause – in 1990 his Bishop released him from Parish duties so that he could campaign full time for the unborn, which he has done faithfully up to the present time. In 1998 he had a stroke and slowly overcoming this and other physical maladies, he battled on. I look on Canon Morrow as the ‘father’ of the pro-life cause in the UK, as he was the first priest to be active in pro-life activities here.
Canon Morrow led our Helpers’ Retreat this year, which was held at Craig Lodge, Dalmally. Please pray for this very wonderful man.

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Busy Day at Marie Stopes

Is Monday usually busier than other days? There was a steady flow of clients going in and out of the Maidstone branch of one of Britain's major abortion providers this morning. A small number of us prayed while two counsellors sought to enter into dialogue with some of those entering and leaving the premises.

There is certainly no indication that MS wants to reduce its provision of abortion services. They are, after all, a business, and as long as promiscuity continues to be promoted through Sex Education, their commercial success will be assured at the cost of the lives of unborn children.

Why is the Catholic Church so silent? Why so few who join us at these prayer vigils? Pope Benedict said in Portugal last week:

Perhaps we have placed an excessive trust in ecclesial structures and programmes, in the distribution of powers and functions; but what happens if salt loses its flavour?

The salt has lost its flavour and there is corruption in the Church that our Holy Father wishes to counter. The "Church" is too preoccupied with commissions, presentation and image, and is failing in its proclamation of the Gospel of Life. The Church is, of course, more than bishops and priests. All the faithful need to be engaged in this, without waiting for "ecclesiastical structures and programmes" to organise it, although scenes such as this one from from Detroit, Michigan, occuring in GB would be a great encouragement.

A priest once said he thought I was very brave to pray outside an abortion clinic. What's so brave about it? Just look at the people in the photo at the top of this post? Is anyone likely to enter into any serious battle with them? The worse abuse we get is being told we are deluded, or some choice language, nothing compared to the suffering of the unborn child and the future suffering of post abortioners. These people are the fearless lowly faithful of the Church, who teach me so much about dedication to God's Precious Infants. And my conscience is far from satisfied when all I do is pray.

After today's vigil and the procession back to the nearby parish church, I returned to my car which I had parked near the abortuary. I saw a young woman get out of a SUV. She had a few words with the driver of the vehicle (boy friend? mother?) She left the vehicle. She looked unhappy. I walked by. I looked back. She had gone into the abortuary. Should I have stopped to ask if I could do anything? After all, how could I know she was going in for an abortion? Usual excuses for not getting involved.

I walked by...

I couldn't put the car radio on for some time as that girl's unhappy - and lonely - face remained before my mind's eye. I am no better than the millions of other catholics who remain silent.

I walked by...

Praying at the Maidstone Marie Stopes Clinic

A correspondent asked: how did it go? It was cold, windy, raining. It was not pleasant. We were called 'hypocrites' by a mother with a child and a baby in a buggy who thought the pavement was her own. These prayer vigils are organised in co-operation with the police. We do not obstruct the pavement, standing on the kerb across the road from the clinic so that people can easily pass by, yet this mother 'accidentally on purpose' knocked into one of our pray-ers, almost knocking her into the road. Had a car been passing something serious could have happened. Thankfully, all our pray-ers know that they should never retaliate but remain calm and, preferably, silent.


Whilst we were praying, our kerbside counsellor came over to us to tell us to pray hard because she could see where we couldn't and it appeared that a young girl was trying to get out of the clinic but she was being forced in by her mother. It appears the girl was being forced to take an abortion pill. Later on a Marie Stopes staff member was seen allegedly checking the floor outside the entrance to ensure that the tablet had not been spat out.

I saw the young girl as she left the clinic - she couldn't have been aged more than 14 years old, accompanied by the mother and a young lad.

We also saw a car pull up, driven by a man with a young woman in the passenger seat. She was clearly struggling with her emotions and, after seeing us, the car drove off. I saw it park further down the road, turn round as if to come back, but then turn round again to drive off. Some fifteen minutes later, the car returned, but drove past, the driver looking very unpleasantly at us.

All we were doing was saying our prayers with nothing more than a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe as a banner.

Further, we saw a young man come out, obviously having left his partner inside. He hung around further up the road and then disappeared while we were praying.

This was the day after Ash Wednesday. I only lead the group a few times a year, but this was when I experienced the war with Satan as never before. My conscience is troubling me that we did nothing more than pray to help that young teenage girl and the child she may have been carrying. When will there be martyrs for the unborn child?

When will more priests and bishops see this grave injustice as worth giving up their time and comfort for?

The collect of Ash Wednesday remains apt:

Support us, Lord, as with this Lenten fast
we begin our Christian warfare,
so that in doing battle against the spirit of evil
we may be armed with the weapon of self-denial.

Helpers of God's Precious Infants Christmas 2009 Newsletter

As you may know, I occasionally join in prayers outside the Marie Stopes abortion facility at Maidstone. This and other prayer vigils are organised by valiant lay people who style themselves the Helpers of God's Precious Ifants. Our next at Maidstone is on February 18th:
Helpers of God's Precious Infants Maidstone 18th February 2010

Here is their Christmas 2009 Newsletter, published with permission.
Helpers of God's Precious Infants Christmas 2009 Newsletter