To all 40 Days for Life participants –
You are all answers to prayers that have been prayed before this 40 Days for Life campaign and all of the way through it. Thank you for listening to God speaking in your hearts and for coming to the sidewalk to take part in this year’s 40 Days for Life campaign.
This year there were 307 cities in 16 different countries that took part in this fall’s 40 Days for Life campaign. Since the start of it, there have been 543 babies and their mothers saved from abortion (that we know of). On Sept. 22nd in Madison, a young woman approached one of our prayer warriors and told him that she had an appointment for an abortion on Sept. 24th. She gave this prayer warrior the joyful news that she had chosen life for her baby due to our presence out on the sidewalk. Isn’t that beautiful? Praise God!
Early on in this Madison campaign two young men slid into our vigil line-up and absconded with our vigil bag and all of its contents as well as with our two big signs. I’m not sure if they thought they would stop us or what their purpose was however – of course – that did not stop us. Thanks to a great team – we did not skip a beat!
I would like to give special recognition to people without whom this 40 Days for Life would have fallen flat.
Mary Markielewski, our Vigil Captain coordinator. If an hour was not filled and we couldn’t find anyone to fill it, Mary did. At last count, Mary was at around 90 hours on the sidewalk during this campaign. God bless you, Mary!
Our Vigil Captains: Bliss Thiel, Ken Pientka, Rebecca Miller, Katie Mueller, Kathleen Terry and Laura Stuczynski. They were the ones making calls to get hours filled! Thank you all for your dedication and time!
Huan Hoang also really stepped up and filled hours when nobody else could be found. At last count, Huan was at around 34 hours on the sidewalk during this campaign. Huan’s motto became, “You can’t out give God!” Huan was also the one to get the new vigil bag and binder deployed the same night it was taken. Thank you so much, Huan!
Others high up in hours: Joe Nicosia gave his witness for 30 hours and Karen Wagner gave her witness for 28 hours during this campaign. Thank you Joe and Karen!
Ken Pientka -also no stranger to vigil hours this campaign – was out on the sidewalk for around 23 hours during this campaign.
Other individuals who stepped in and filled hours at the last minute or helped in other ways: Alan Mahinski, John Bohn, Bob Dorn, Vern Acker and Ben Yanke.
We also would have been lost without our parish liaisons! Thanks to all of you that helped motivate and organize people from your parishes to get them to the sidewalk!
The parish with the most cumulative hours between its different groups was once again St. Joseph’s in Baraboo. Between their K of C, Daughters of Isabella and parish vigil hour commitments – St. Joe’s filled 44 vigil hours.
Thank you to all of the K of C groups and other men’s and women’s prayer groups that filled many blocks of hours too!
Thank you all so much for the gift or your prayers and time (We also want to thank all of the spouses and families for their sacrifices of having one or more family members giving so much time to 40 Days for Life. Just as that person made sacrifices to be out on the sidewalk – their family members made sacrifices because they were without them for that time).
Of course, we will never really know how much difference our prayers and presence have made until we get to Heaven. We are assured on earth of the difference it makes when we hear the beautiful stories of the mothers who have chosen life for their babies like we heard just before this campaign began.
Vigil for Life is so grateful to God for all of you!
Although 40 Days for Life is over for another year, we still have our 365 for Life campaign with vigil hours to fill! Thanks, in advance, for your time!
OPEN HOURS
Tuesday, Nov. 3 – 1 needed at 3p
Wednesday, Nov. 4 – 1 needed at 8a; 1 needed at 10a; 2 needed at 11a; 1 needed at 1p; 1 needed at 2p; 1 needed at 3p; 2 needed at 4p and 1 needed at 5p.
Thursday, Nov. 5 – 1 needed at 9a; 1 needed at 10a; 1 needed at 11a; 2 needed at 12p; 1 needed at 1p; 1 needed at 2p; 2 needed at 3p; 1 needed at 4p and 1 needed at 5p.
Friday, Nov. 6 – 1 needed at 2p.
To sign up for hours go to: vigilforlife.org/calendar/monthview or e-mail info@vigilforlife.org or call Gwen at (608)393-8545.
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UPCOMING RACHEL’S VINEYARD RETREAT Healing from Abortion If you or someone you love is struggling from the pain of abortion. Project Rachel is offering a Rachel’s Vineyard healing retreat, Nov. 13 – 15. Confidentiality is assured. To register or ask questions, contact Mary at 608-221-9593 or meadmt@sbcglobal.net or rachel@straphael.org or www.madisondiocese.org/rachel .
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Day 41 intention
Pray that the witness of 40 Days for Life bears abundant fruit, and that we begin again each day to storm the gates of hell until God welcomes us into the gates of heaven.
Scripture
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. On this rock I will build my church; the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
— Matthew 16:18
Reflection from Fr. Frank Pavone
When we read this verse, we usually think that the Lord is promising that the church, which is His Body, will withstand all the attacks launched against it.
Of course, that is true. But when we think about it more carefully, we realize that in a battle, the gates do not run out into the battlefield to attack the enemy. Rather, they stand still to defend the city from the enemy attacking it.
So when the Lord says that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church, who is doing the attacking?
It is the church storming the gates!
The church, all of God’s people in Christ, is called to take the offensive, to run into enemy territory, and to gain ground for Jesus Christ.
We do not wait for an invitation; we already have a command.
We prepare, but we do not wait for circumstances to be perfect; we already have one who has gone before us.
During these 40 days, we have stormed the gates. We have taken the offensive. We have pushed forward the boundaries of the kingdom. And we must keep doing so, in numerous ways.
Indeed, the gates of hell will not prevail. The gates of falsehood will flee in the presence of truth. The gates of sin will melt in the presence of grace. The gates of death will fall in the presence of the church, the People of Life!
Prayer
Father, we praise you. We have heard the voice of your Son, and therefore we can make our voices heard.
We have done battle with the power of evil, and therefore we can have compassion on those still within its grip. We have been freed from the kingdom of darkness, and therefore we can bear witness to your Kingdom of Light.
May the witness of all your people through these 40 Days for Life bear abundant fruit, and may we begin again each day to storm the gates of hell until You welcome us into the gates of heaven.
We pray in the victorious name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
