Report on the First Week

The first week of the 40 Days for Life campaign has gone well. The weather has been good, with no rain. Early on, our microphone gave out during the proclamation of the word, but that problem was easily resolved. Of course we had the occasional middle finger and obscene comment, but we’ve also had words of encouragement.

Sunday, an annual Memorial Service for our police was held downtown. Streets were blocked off and the prayer vigil was in eyesight of the parade as 2,000 police officers marched from the Supreme Court Building to Parliament Hill. This was done to commemorate officers who died in the line of duty. These officers know too well how abortion traumatizes people’s lives, they see it in their every day police work. And we pay tribute to them for standing against the evils in society.

Bank Street has a continuous flow of buses. As I stood praying, one bus driver who stopped for the red light opened her door and gave me a big smile. It reminded me of the first day of the vigil when another bus driver gave us the thumbs up as he passed by.

Today, my former boss, Karen, came to pray with us, along with her husband and youngest son, John. John has angelman’s syndrome, a type of cerebral palsy that effects his walking and his speech. As he sat in his wheel chair, he happily waved at people passing by, especially the children. I was surprised at the number of people who waved back at him – whether or not they were pro-life, I don’t know, but he had an impact on them.

This coming week we have a couple of days where we need extra prayer warriors. Both Wednesday Sept. 30th and Friday Oct. 2nd are in need of having time slots filled. Please come and join us at the Bank Street vigil, if you can spare an hour.

Wanda

Wanda Hartlin

Co-ordinator

40 Days for Life Ottawa

Photos from September 23rd -- Photos du 23 septembre

Ground Zero Report September 23rd /Rapport de Ground Zéro le 23 septembre

Proclamation of the Word read to some construction workers /
Proclamation de la Parole lue à des travailleurs de construction

Français à suivre...

Today I spent three hours at Ground Zero. During that time there was about 5-8 of us.  I was the first to read the Proclamation of the Word. My reading was Psalms 1-14.  I read the readings with my strong voice so that people could hear me down the street. One line from Psalm 10: 17-18 struck me:

O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;

    you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear

18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,

    so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Is there anyone more fatherless than a child about to be aborted?

The sidewalk counselor told me that before I’d arrived, she had given some pro-life pamphlets to women going in, but the janitor took them out of their hands. He explained that women get told off in the clinic if they walk in with the literature. He made it seem like he was doing them a favor.

A young man spoke to some vigilers. He said that while he respected freedom of speech, we were harassing women (although we are on the other side of the street from the clinic) and that he would call the police. We do have a permit to be there, so there’s no point.

At one point, there was a couple who was hesitant to go into the clinic. I had seen the woman look at our signs. They went to Sparks street and hung around. They really didn’t seem like they wanted to go. I told the group so we could pray for them. They finally went into the clinic. It was very sad. It made me cry. I thought to myself: maybe I should have said something.

I had a very sad conversation with an elderly man who clearly had some serious issues. He said that he supported abortion and that it would have been better for him to have been aborted because when he was born, he had been abandoned by his mother and he was beaten in the orphanage. He never got a formal education so he was never able to make anything of himself and now he lived a life of survival and nobody loved him. At first I answered some of his arguments, but I realized that I shouldn’t push the conversation further. His issue went far beyond that of abortion.

Français:

Aujourd’hui, j’ai passé trois heures à Ground Zero. J’étais la première à lire la Proclamation de la Parole. Ma lecture s’agissait des Psaumes 1-14. J’ai lu avec ma voix forte pour que les gens m’entendent au bas de la rue.  Il y avait plusieurs passages pertinents dans les Psaumes. Comme :

Tu entends les vœux de ceux qui souffrent, ô Eternel!

Tu affermis leur cœur; tu prêtes l’oreille

Pour rendre justice à l’orphelin et à l’opprimé,

Afin que l’homme tiré de la terre cesse d’inspirer l’effroi.

(Psaumes 10 :17-18)

Il n’y a personne de plus orphelin que l’enfant destiné à être avorté.

La conseillère m’avait racconté qu’avant mon arrivé, elle avait donné des pamphlets à deux madames, mais le concierge de la clinique les a enlevés. Il a expliqué que les clientes se font disputer si elles entrent avec la littérature. Donc, il faisait semblant de leur faire un bon coup.

Un jeune homme s’est adressé à quelques veilleuses. Il a dit qu’il respectait la liberté d’expression, mais les dames harcelaient les clients et il a menacé d’appeler la police. C’est complètement inutile, puisque nous avons un permis pour être là.

À un moment donné, il y avait un couple qui hésitait à entrer dans la clinique. J’avais remarqué que la fille avait regardé nous pancartes de près. Ils ont flâné sur la rue Sparks. C’était clair que ça ne leur tenter pas d’y aller. J’ai dit au groupe de prier pour eux. Finalement ils ont entré. C’était très triste. Ça m’a fait pleurer. Je me suis dit : peut-être j’aurai dû intervenir.

J’ai eu une conversation triste avec un homme âgé qui manifestement avait des problèmes mentaux. Il a dit qu’il appuyait l’avortement et que ça aurait été mieux si sa mère l’avait avorté parce que quand il était né, sa mère l’a abandonné. Il n’a pas été éduqué et n’a pas pu se bâtir une vie et maintenant il essayait simplement de survivre et  que personne ne l’aimait. Au début, je répondais à ses arguments, mais finalement je n’ai pas trop poussé parce que son problème était beaucoup plus profond que l’avortement.

Kick-Off Rally, Sunday September 20

Here is 40 Days Co-ordinator Wanda Hartlin's account about the Kick-Off rally held last night on Sept. 20th.

The Ottawa 40 Days for Life had a good start with the kick-off rally, on the Sunday preceding the 2015 Fall campaign. The evening began with candle lighting as Paul, a staff member of Campaign Life Coalition, welcomed over 80 people to the 9th Ottawa, 40 Days for Life.

Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Ottawa, greeted everyone with some words of encouragement in both English and French. Archbishop Prendergast has been a steady supporter of the prayer campaign, often attending the downtown vigil to pray alongside the prayer warriors. His talk was followed by two minutes of silence in commemoration of the aborted babies.

Gary broke the silence with a moving rendition of the song, Alleluia. Deacon Chuck followed by explaining the new direction that the Proclamation of the Word is taking; it will be concentrating this year more on the New Testament. He also explained a new on-line prayer project to pray for the success of the 40-day campaign. Bernard welcomed our French counterparts with his bilingual talk and he went on to tell us about the bilingual Facebook page and blog. Helena answered questions about the church and group vigil days and encouraged everyone to register their participation on the vigil calendar.

Wanda wrapped it up with some local statistics and updates on the campaign, concluding with a heart wrenching story about a woman named Cliona. This young mother had the challenge of carrying a child, diagnosed with anencephaly. This is a fatal disease, and although it was recommended that she abort her baby, she chose to complete her pregnancy and give birth to her child. He was named John Paul and he lived for 17 minutes after birth. Cliona told about the impact his young life on her and on her family.

Everyone is invited to join the prayer warriors at the Bank Street vigil, located across from Ottawa’s main abortion facility at 65 Bank Street. We are gathering for prayer, daily from 7 am to 7 pm, from Sept. 23 to Nov. 1, 2015. Please come, your prayers make a difference.

Proclamation of the Word Daily scripture reading that takes place from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Volunteers are welcomed. To sign up contact Deacon Chuck, deaconcfink@gmail.com

on-line prayer Prayer support for the 40 Days for Life campaign. People gather on-line for half an hour. To participate contact Deacon Chuck, deaconcfink@gmail.com

Dates include: October 15 and October 29 at 9:00 pm

Facebook www.facebook.com/40days4lifeottawa

Photos of the Kick-Off Rally 40 Days for Life - Photos du Lancement de 40 Jours pour la Vie

You can find them here. Vous pouvez les voir ici.

Welcome to Forty Days for Life 2015 -- Bienvenue à 40 Jours pour la Vie 2015

Français à suivre.

This year's 40 Days for Life Campaign in Ottawa will be held from September 23rd to November 1.

Please check out the calendar to know which time slots are free. 

When you've chosen a time slot, please fill out the form to register.

Drop-ins are also welcome. If you find yourself with some time to spare and you're at Ground Zero, feel free to come on by and say a few prayers.

Please also consider signing up for The Proclamation of the Word. This year, there was a bit of a format change. We will only be reading the Psalms and the New Testament.

Don't forget to like the Facebook page. Follow us on Twitter.

Thank you for participation and please spread the word.

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La campagne de 40 Jours pour la Vie aura lieu cette année du 23 septembre jusqu'au 1er novembre.

Consultez le calendrier pour connaître les périodes libres.

Ensuite, remplissez la formule pour compléter l'inscription.

Si vous vous trouvez au Centre-Ville et vous avez un peu de temps à votre disposition, vous êtes les bienvenues. L'inscription nous permet d'assurer qu'il y a toujours quelqu'un de présent, mais ce n'est pas absolument nécessaire.  

Pensez aussi à vous inscrire à la Proclamation de la Parole.  Cette année il y a eu un changement. Nous allons réciter les Psaumes et le Nouveau Testament.

N'oubliez pas d'aimer la page Facebook et de nous suivre sur Twitter. 

Merci de votre participation et veuillez passer le mot!