On a quiet autumn Saturday, hundreds of faithful from all different ages, cultures, languages and experiences all across the archdiocese came together in peaceful, prayerful witness for life.
What is normally a bustling area of the city, near parks, businesses, and major throughways, was punctuated by a serene silence as pro-lifers prayed and accompanied the Eucharistic Lord around the Planned Parenthood facility in Denver. It was clear to all who attended that a spirit of profound prayer punctuated the gathering, part of the annual 40 Days for Life campaign.
“This event is incredibly powerful. It means a lot to me to see so many people stand for life, especially for those of us who have come here for years to pray for life,” said Sandra Sack, a parishioner of Our Lady of Grace in Wattenburg.
“We’re here to show that God truly does care about his children, that he wants us to live, that he wants us to love him,” added Garner Stockton, a student at Regis University. “The act of creation was an act of love, and he wants us to love him.”
Unique from previous years’ processions, this year’s happened to fall on the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed, or All Souls Day, on which the Church traditionally remembers those who have gone before us.
“The promise of Jesus in the Gospel today is one of eternal life for those who follow him. In that living relationship with Jesus we find our identity as his beloved children of the Father,” Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila said. “As his children, on this All Souls Day, we grieve the loss of the millions of innocent lives–our brothers and sisters in Christ–lost to abortion, and we pray for a culture of life that respects, honors and defends each person from the moment of conception to natural death. As children of the Father, we are called to hope in him and to work so that all might have the abundant life to which he calls us.”
The crowd’s prayerful witness comes during an especially contentious election season, marked by serious challenges to the sanctity of human life, most notably in Amendment 79, which would enshrine a so-called “right to abortion” in the State Constitution.
“For me, it’s important to support the pro-life cause to defend life. It’s about raising our voices for the children who do not have a voice,” said Laura Acosta, a parishioner at Holy Cross Parish in Thornton. “More than anything, Amendment 79 intends to remove all limits on abortion and to remove from parents what is their responsibility. So, we’re here to raise our voices and say yes to life and, of course, to accompany the Eucharist through the streets.”
In contrast to vitriolic protests and debates during this election season, the morning offered the faithful an opportunity to come together in prayer and witness for life.
“This event to me means a love of life and support for anyone who is confused or afraid of making the right choice because of what the world says about it,” shared Mackenzie Sigler, a University of Colorado Boulder student. “I’m here for all the unborn babies who never get to grow up, and for all the babies that could be born if we change things. Prayer is so powerful. We don’t even realize the effect that it has. It’s all we can really do sometimes.”
As the crowd made their way around the Planned Parenthood facility, heads were bowed, rosaries were drawn, and hands were folded in prayer. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Those gathered were evidently deep in prayer and reflection.
“As we’re walking around the Planned Parenthood block today with our Lord, I just keep thinking about mercy, and how much mercy he has on all of us,” added Shayla Elm, a parishioner at Most Precious Blood who served as a perpetual pilgrim with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage last summer. “We hope that the graces of the Eucharist can just spread out over this block and have so much mercy on all the women who are faced with pregnancies.”
Mercy truly is the crux of the pro-life movement and of the Respect Life ministry in Denver, Jeannine Duffield, director of Respect Life Denver, confirmed.
“This event really, truly, is about God’s mercy and just seeing his love and mercy here. We are Christ’s hands and feet here on earth; it’s up to us to show his love and mercy in all we do. And that’s what we’re all about at Catholic Charities and Respect Life Denver,” she said, noting the incredible work being done by Marisol Womens Services, a ministry of Catholic Charities, to walk with women through pregnancy and beyond, providing integral resources and support to make choosing life possible.
“It’s incredibly powerful to see so many people celebrating the dignity of human life and helping to build that culture of life, love and mercy,” Duffield concluded.
On the group’s second pass around the facility, that spirit of quiet, reflective prayer gave way to external prayer and praise, with Marian hymns echoing through the neighborhood streets. Voices young and old, singing in English and Spanish, blended together in praise of God and in honor of our Blessed Mother.
Despite serious challenges to the sanctity of human life like Amendment 79, the crowd was filled with the virtue of hope, looking to Jesus and the resurrection he promises.
“It’s hopeful to be here,” shared Easton Baier, a Regis University student. “I think hope is a huge aspect of being Catholic and being out here shows our hope that the future is going to be better. Even though Jesus died on Friday, Sunday is just a couple of days ahead and he’s going to rise up from the dead. I think it was really hopeful to have so many people here and from all age ranges and different churches and just different people.”
“I am grateful to everyone who came together this morning to pray for and stand in defense of life as we processed around Planned Parenthood,” Archbishop Aquila concluded. “At this critical moment, with life and death before us just as they were before Moses, may we continue to cry out as Moses did: ‘Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, obeying his voice, and holding fast to him’ (Dt 30:19-20).’”
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