Saturday is often the busiest day at abortion centers. Some estimates say that there are as many as 8,000 abortions in the United States alone on any given Saturday.?If you?ve never been to a 40 Days for Life vigil, make this Saturday your first time to go and pray.
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
The Birmingham kickoff was a great event in freezing cold weather, so it was extra encouraging to see our Alabama friends turn out in force for this candlelight vigil. The volunteers pray outside a Planned Parenthood center that had been closed for nine months before reopening. It no longer does surgical abortions, but lives are still being lost to chemical abortions.
Both Bishop Robert Baker and Bishop Emeritus David Foley came out to pray. Joy Pinto of EWTN was at the event, and Fr. Terry Gensemer of the Charismatic Episcopal Church was the MC.
The evening started with a short prayer service including readings from scripture. It ended with the signing of Amazing Grace as the participants laid flowers on the sidewalk in front of the abortion center.
MOBILE, ALABAMA
Mobile, on Alabama's Gulf Coast, was also pretty brisk with a cold wind coming in. We had quite an enthusiastic crowd for the event at the vigil location outside a Planned Parenthood abortion center.
I was told there is a law still on the books that dates back to the civil rights movement, limiting the number of people who can stand together on the public sidewalk. If that's true, no one's trying to enforce that law ... and the attorneys who work with the local team here believe the ordinance is basically unenforceable.
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA
As I pulled up to the Tuscaloosa kickoff rally, I assumed I'd be alone. It was in the 40s and pouring rain! Nevertheless, we had about 20 people, mostly University of Alabama students, out for a somewhat truncated kickoff event.
A local priest opened us in prayer. There was music provided by some students who brought a guitar out in the cold, rainy weather. I even got splashed by a passing car.
What is great about this vigil--in addition to people coming out in cold rain--is that the abortion center is temporarily closed. But the faithful still came out to pray with the goal of a permanent shutdown.
