With only one week left of the fall 40 Days for Life
campaign, I wanted to share a touching story with you
that appears in the current issue of the National
Catholic Register.
It's about two of the local 40 Days for Life leaders
in Massachusetts. Until reporter Gail Besse called me
about this story, I had no idea what Stephen Marcotte
and Paul Fullen did for a living.
It turns out they do the same thing in their
full-time jobs as they do with their local 40 Days
for Life campaigns -- they save lives!
Here, thanks to the National Catholic Register's kind
permission, are excerpts of their story...
-----------------------------------------------------
HEARTS ON FIRE FOR LIFE
BY GAIL BESSE
-----------------------------------------------------
Ever since the day he responded to an emergency at
the Four Women Clinic in Attleboro, Mass.,
firefighter Stephen Marcotte has looked at lifesaving
in a new way. The crisis was abortion-related.
"I asked the patient's name like I do on all medical
runs, but nobody knew," he recalls. "Here they had
just aborted this 19-year-old girl's baby, and I saw
them scrambling to find out who she was. To them, she
was just a procedure, a paycheck. That really
bothered me."
An eight-year veteran Attleboro firefighter and
emergency medical technician, Marcotte found himself
contemplating Pope John Paul II's call to build a
culture of life.
"It just didn't sit right with me that I was just
sitting by with this in my back yard," he says.
Marcotte, 34, prayed about the situation at
Eucharistic adoration.
The result: He's now helping coordinate a 40 Days for
Life vigil outside that same clinic. The vigil is one
of 174 planned across the United States and Canada in
the lead-up to Election Day, Nov. 4.
The 40 Days for Life campaign seeks God's power to
end abortion. It consists of 40 days of prayer and
fasting, community outreach and peaceful public
witness outside abortion facilities. The effort is
modeled on biblical 40-day periods when God worked
miracles through Noah, Moses, Elijah, Jesus and the
disciples.
In Worcester, Mass., firefighter Paul Fullen will
head up another of the five Bay State vigils. Fullen
and his wife, Crystal, both 37, will coordinate
efforts outside Planned Parenthood there.
"We could have other firefighters involved that I
just don't know of," says David Bereit, founder and
national director of 40 Days for Life. "I get to know
people around this shared mission rather than by
their occupations, but it's certainly a natural fit.
Firefighters have already demonstrated they're
willing to sacrifice and risk their lives. Now
they're willing to sacrifice and risk embarrassment
and persecution.
"There's just as much heroism involved in trying to
save a life in the womb as in fighting fires in
burning buildings," adds Bereit.
Fullen, a 10-year veteran of the fire department,
sees the connection between his occupation and his
pro-life prayer work with new clarity. "Our job," he
says, "is to protect life and property."
"This is stepping out into the trenches," says
Marcotte. "Prayer is so important, but it's combining
prayer with getting out of my comfort zone that drew
me. I just bought into the whole campaign. The Holy
Spirit put it on my heart to trust that the Lord is
in charge -- and I'm excited about how he continues
to bless this campaign."
Bishop George Coleman of the Diocese of Fall River,
Mass., is among more than 20 Catholic bishops
nationwide actively supporting this pro-life
mobilization.
Bereit, says he, too, is energized by the campaign's
momentum. Since it began in Texas in 2004, two
Planned Parenthood centers have stopped doing
abortions and a third clinic has closed. At least 500
babies are known to have been saved.
"This comes at a crucial time now that abortion is in
the forefront of the political debate," Bereit points
out.
Marcotte admits he was wary of going public with his
convictions. "I knew I'd get razzing from some of the
guys, and I was a little nervous," he says. "Then I
thought: Whoa -- if I like being out of my comfort
zone by praying outside the clinic, then I shouldn't
worry about my comfort zone when it affects other
parts of my life. I've got to be consistent."
Fullen concurs. "My wife is expecting our seventh
child," he says with a smile, "so the other guys
think I'm crazy anyway."
"Many firefighters I know are not afraid of standing
up for what they believe in," says Father Michael
McNamara, a Boston archdiocesan priest who has headed
numerous pro-life prayer vigils. "Maybe it's because
when they understand their role in the protection of
life as a vocation from the Lord, they seek God's
guidance in their everyday lives.
"It's so in their character to view a situation with
a clear mind and logical thinking," adds Father
McNamara. "They're used to reflection and then action
as normal responses on the job."
Volunteers in their 30s like Marcotte and the Fullens
are typical nationwide, Bereit notes.
"You know, until I started with 40 Days for Life, I
was just like many people are now," says Fullen. "I
was uninformed. Hopefully, this will get people to
realize how the life issue is right up there in the
forefront for the upcoming elections."
Although 40 Days is ecumenical, Bereit says, it's now
almost 75% Catholic, thanks to early support from
pro-life leaders like Father Frank Pavone and Father
Thomas Euteneuer, along with coverage in the Register
and other Catholic media.
"Evangelicals are being inspired by their Catholic
brothers and sisters," Bereit says. "It's beautiful
to watch people who don't see eye-to-eye
theologically stand arm-in-arm to speak up for life."
Especially when they put their actions where their
words are, extinguishing the fires of the culture of
death -- one vigil at a time.
Read the whole article online at:
http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/16302/
-----------------------------------------------------
I thank Stephen and Paul for their willingness to
answer God's call.
And I thank God for raising up people -- just like
YOU -- all across North America who are also
answering God's call to "speak up for those who
cannot speak for themselves."
Together we are making a powerful impact!
No comments:
Post a Comment