Reclaiming Our Children

"Take Care of Yourself" Planned Parenthood

Today I did something I used to do all the time, but rarely have the time for anymore since I am working full time in post abortion ministry. I went to pray in front of Planned Parenthood in Greenburgh, New York, as part of Forty Days for Life. It wasn’t planned…I found myself in the area and felt a call, as Monsignor Reilly would say,  to visit Calvary .

There was a time, in the late 80’s and early 90’s  when I was a regular at this Planned Parenthood  every Saturday morning, praying and speaking to the women who were going in for an abortion in the hope of having them change their minds. So many situations popped into my mind today as memories came flooding back.

Physically, nothing much has changed, except for the presence of a brightly colored  cheery looking truck with a group of young women and guys on it and the words “Take Care of Yourself” .  There is nothing cheery about abortion and it is so ironic that this place of death would deceive women into thinking it is a place of care.

It really struck me to think of how many babies have died in that clinic and how many women have been injured there since those days long ago. With over a million abortions in our country each year,no doubt it's a lot.

It is very personal when I go now. It is no longer an abstract clinic with nameless faces ,but the place where babies I know by name died, and people I have grown to love in our ministry had their entire lives change. As I stood outside praying, I felt myself getting emotional thinking of the pain and grief this one building has caused in the almost twenty years since I was a regular presence.

I’ll admit it…I hate going. It leaves a rawness in me because the people are not strangers anymore but ones I have grown to care deeply about. As I watch the workers walk in and out I wonder what it is that allows them to do this and then I say a pray for them knowing that there but for the grace of God it could be me.

It is good to go to the clinics and pray, just as it was good for St John to be at Calvary. To stand at the foot of the cross as babies die and lives are forever changed. I am grateful I got to spend a little time there today. However, Calvary is not a place you go to “Take Care of Yourself”. It is a place of pain and death, still hearts can be converted there and that is our prayer...that no matter what, God's grace can change the hardest heart even in this place of death.

Governor Cuomo Needs to Address the Real Issues of NY, not Abortion

Ok, I do not like to address politics on this blog, but my guess is, it is getting to you as much as me.  I have to admit it, the political stuff is killing me.  I try to ignore it, but it is impossible. It is everywhere... on the radio, TV, consuming my mailbox, and even in cold calls. If only I could hide away until it is over.  But wait, I need to vote!

I live in New York so it is particularly painful, as I watch and read the deception of Governor Andrew Cuomo in regard to abortion. Being someone who has experienced abortion and who deals with the pain and grief of others who have experienced abortion, on a daily basis, it makes me angry when I listen to his lies, and there are a ton of them when it comes to abortion.

Here in New York State, abortion has been legal since before Roe vs. Wade, and has next to no restrictions.  The law is not going to change anytime soon, so why is Governor Cuomo basing such large portion of his campaign addressing this issue? It's a diversion. Because the REAL issues we have here in New York State, like unemployment, corruption, and taxes are issues he does not want to address. Instead, Cuomo chooses to focus on making his extreme late term abortion agenda a voting point. 

Case in point, Governor Cuomo's "Women's Equality Act," which would have passed years ago if it were not for his extreme abortion agenda.  All he has to do is take the abortion portion out, but he refuses to separate it from the rest of the bill and then blames the Republicans for it not passing, citing all of the other issues at hand which are being held hostage, including domestic violence, wages, and sexual harassment.

Along with that, it is implied that women's health is in jeopardy because Planned Parenthood may get defunded. HUH? Is this the same Planned Parenthood that protects child molesters and teaches minors kinky sex? Or is it the one where women have died or been injured during supposed "safe, legal, and rare abortion"? Yep, that's the one!

Ok, I am ranting, but I think I have a right to rant. Governor Cuomo, you need to speak to the women who are suffering.  Those voices are never allowed to be heard, and frankly people who agree with and support Cuomo do not seem to care about us. Abortion is not something women proclaim to the world, and they count on that.

Now, Cuomo is trying to establish a "Women's Equality Party" which will, in essence, if it passes, enslave women, not bring them equality. Like Roe vs. Wade, it is built on lies that sadly, all too many people believe.

I hope that women educate themselves and do not fall for his distractions from the real issues. In the end, we are the ones who will continue to suffer if the Governor gets his way with his extreme agenda, as he sits pretty in office.

Governor Cuomo does not care about women. If he did, he would pass legislation ensuring women get the truth of the dangers of abortion. He would put laws in place to prohibit coercion and protect minors.  Instead, he seeks to expand its reach when he should be addressing the real problems of the State of New York. 

Imitators of God

The Pope stressed that in order to “imitators of God” as St. Paul describes, one must walk in humility and mercy. 'Be merciful - says Paul - forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. Be, then,  imitators of God and walk in love', that is, walk in mercy, forgiveness, love. And these are the words of a child of light”, the Pope said.

It would do us all good to reflect on our words today  and ask ourselves: "Am I a Christian of light? Am I a Christian of the dark? Am I a Christian of the gray areas? And thus we can take a step forward to meet the Lord", he concluded. (Pope Francis 10/14)

Ellen Burstyn on Abortion

Ellen Burnstyn was just interviewed and shared her thoughts on many life experiences here.

At the age of 18 she had an illegal abortion.  This is what she has to say about the abortion:

I don’t recommend abortion to anybody. I don’t think it’s a good thing to do. At the same time, if women are pregnant and don’t want to have a baby, they will get an abortion one way or another. And if it’s illegal, they will get an illegal abortion. As I did. And it’s a scarring experience. The illegal abortion just botched me, so I couldn’t ever get pregnant again. That was a part of the trauma.

I commend her for speaking out and wonder if she has ever had a chance to go for healing. What she does not seem to realize is that, illegal or legal abortion, is a scarring experience and it has "botched" countless women.

The thought process of "women are going to do it anyway" always baffles me. Do we give drugs to drug addicts because they are already drug addicted anyway?? Or, for that matter, what other behavior is there is legalized simply because people are going to do it anyway?

Abortion "botches" women, legal or illegal.  There is not question about that.

Abortion has harmed millions in our country and until we offer compassionate healing and educate the public in productive way, we are always going to have those who think like this. It has just touched too many of us.

Spanish Afternoon of Prayerful Remembrance for Abortion

Please join us for an Afternoon of Prayerful Remembrance & Intercession in Spanish, this Sunday, November 2nd.  Our Lady of the Rosary in Port Chester, New York. 

An Afternoon of Prayerful Remembrance and Intercession (APRI) is, as its name suggests, a prayer service created in the spirit of the New Evangelization, for the entire local community. Acknowledging abortion’s universal impact through reflections and testimonies offered as part of the day, the prayer service offers the opportunity for all of us to come together in an extended period of prayer, contemplation, and intercession in the context of the Church’s Sacraments, seeking forgiveness and healing for our entire nation.

Prayerful Remembrance

Abortion impacts us all..join us tomorrow for the "Prayerful Remembrance Service" . Enter in to the experience of testimony, prayer, intercession and the sacraments for all who are touched by abortion...mothers, fathers, siblings, friends, grandparents, every one of us!

This prayer service is currently being held across the country and beyond. If you are interested in the manual contact Theresa at [email protected]

St. John Paul II, Pray for us!

Today is the Feast day of St. John Paul II, whose final moments of life were spent celebrating the Mass of Divine Mercy.

In 1997, where the relics of Blessed Faustina are kept, John Paul II addressed the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy with these words:

"At no time and in no historical period - especially at a moment as critical as our own - can  the Church forget the prayer that is a cry for the mercy of God amid the many forms of evil which weigh upon humanity and threaten it.  The more the human conscience succumbs to secularization, loses its sense of the very meaning of the word mercy, moves away from God, and distances itself from the mystery of mercy, the more the Church has the right and the duty to appeal to the God of mercy with loud cries."

For those of you may not know, it was Pope John Paul, II who instituted the Feast and his 25^th anniversary was marked by a Holy Card made to commemorate it. The card depicted the Holy Father praying in front of the image of Divine Mercy. I have no doubt that the PJPII is looking down today with joy at those proclaiming the mercy that the Lord has for each one of us, despite our failings and sins, even because of them!

There is a beautiful Eucharistic Prayer of Reconciliation in our faith that goes like this, “God of love and mercy you are always ready to forgive, we are sinners and you invite us to trust in your mercy."  He does not force us. He invites us. He tells us His mercy and love are there for us and all we need to do is trust.

Anyone who is familiar with my healing story knows that The Divine Mercy devotion played a huge part in it along with Our Lady of Czestochowa and that the “Entering Canaan” post abortion ministry has been based on both of these devotions. This was in the 1980’s when Divine Mercy was still pretty unknown. At the time when I was going through my healing, I had no idea that Pope John Paul II held these as his main devotions as well.

I remember when I found out, I was certain that I had been drawn to them because of his prayers. That he surely must have entrusted his flock to those devotions he loved. Later, I also learned that when he was Bishop in Poland, he would counsel women who had had abortions. How God’s grace touches us and moves without us even knowing it!

It is no secret that humanity in our time is threatened. You cannot turn on the TV or radio without hearing about war, immorality in all forms, violence, etc.  It is hard at times not to get discouraged, but we remember the words of Pope John Paul, II, “Be not afraid."  We place our trust in our Merciful Savior who is a personal savior, because it is our faith and trust in Him that saves us from despair, from not only the sins of the world but, our personal sins.

As we celebrate the feast of St. John Paul the II, let us recall these words of his to us., “A simple act of abandonment is enough to overcome the barriers of darkness and sorrow, of doubt and desperation. The rays of Your Divine Mercy restore hope, in a special way, to those who feel overwhelmed by the burden of sin."

Mary, Mother of Mercy, help us always to have this trust in your Son, our Redeemer. Help us too, St. Faustina, whom we remember today with special affection. Fixing our weak gaze on the divine Savior's face, we would like to repeat with you, "Jesus, I trust in You!" Now and forever. Amen.

They're Still Trying to Disprove Post-Abortion Trauma Syndrome

From Aleteia- Pricilla Coleman, PhD who has done tons of research on the impact of abortion, responds to the article"Is So-Called Post-Abortion Trauma Syndrome a Myth," on Good Therapy that I posted about here. Once again , she shreds their theory. Thank goodness for a PhD who wants the truth about the impact of abortion and not an agenda.

 

Pricilla Coleman, PhD

On October 6th an article titled “Is So-Called Post-Abortion Trauma Syndrome a Myth?” written by Zawn Villines, appeared on GoodTherapy.org. In order to address the question she poses, Villines does not focus on the large international body of peer-reviewed scientific evidence indicating that abortion increases women’s risk of experiencing mental health problems. Instead she exclusively describes results of the flawed “Turnaway Study,” led by Diana Greene Foster.

Villines highlights the Turnaway findings that there were no significant differences in mental health trajectories between (1) women who had abortions and (2) those denied abortions, because their pregnancies had advanced beyond the legal gestational limit. Villines neglected to mention that 60% of the women in the Turnaway group who continued their pregnancies expressed happiness about their pregnancies. And no mention is made by Villines of the glaring methodological shortcomings of the Turnaway study.

The following major problems, among others, preclude trust in all the results obtained.

the rest is here

Morning of Prayerful Remembrance

 

We would like to thank the Maureen Cardiello and the Bridgeport Diocese for the "Morning of Prayerful Remembrance and Intercession" at St Mary's in  Ridgefield, CT this past Saturday.

Next Up, Sunday, October 26th at Resurrection Parish in Rye, NY

Hope to see you there for this beautiful service of prayer and intercession!

October 26, 2014
2:00pm – 5:00 pm
Resurrection Parish
910 Boston Post Road
Rye, NY
Contact: [email protected]
Phone: 718-881-8008

 

Interested in hosting a service? Give us a call or shoo tus an email and we help  you with what you need!

"Abortion is Part of Being a Mother"

Aleteia
October 19, 2014

Author Katha Pollitt Claims "Abortion is Part of Being a Mother"

Activist tries to convince Americans that caring for kids sometimes means killing them - Theresa Bonopartis

Over the past week multiple media outlets have covered the recently published book by Katha Pollitt, “Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights.” An October 16th excerpt, penned by Ms. Pollitt in the Huffington Post, is entitled “The Abortion Conversation We Need to Have.”

Webster defines “conversation” as an oral exchange of sentiments, observations, opinions, or ideas. Sadly, Ms. Pollitt’s excerpt, and I suspect the rest of her book as well, reads nothing like a conversation and very much like an attempt to convince society to go along with her agenda. There is no honest exchange of ideas in which she fairly presents pro-life arguments before skewering them.

Ms. Pollitt tells us,” We need to talk about ending a pregnancy as a common, even normal, event in the reproductive lives of women.” But it is not "normal," regardless of its frequency, and no amount of writing or talking will ever make it so. That is why abortion continues to be such a controversial issue. She tries to justify her position by stating abortions occur worldwide and throughout history. So have rape and murder, but simply because an action is widespread does not make it normal or acceptable.

The rest is here