Day of Remembrance

PARSIPPANY  Across the country on Satur­day, Sept. 12, pro-life Americans will honor in a profound way the memory of the unborn babies who have been lost to abortion.

In the Diocese of Paterson, at St. Christo­pher Church here, the National Day of Re­membrance for Aborted Children will be observed with an outdoor memorial service at 1:30 p.m. hosted by the Morris County Right to Life.

The solemn prayer service will be held simultaneously at 126 memorial sites around the country. Some are to be held at the grave­­sites of these victims of abortion to ensure that these babies will never be forgotten.

Lisa Hart, vice president of the Morris County Right to Life, told The Beacon, “We hope and pray all will attend and join us in prayer as we remember the forgotten babies whose lives were unjustly taken through abortion.”

On the campus of St. Christopher Parish, there is a memorial for the unborn victims of abortion, where the memorial service will be held. At the prayer service, the Way of the Cross for the Unborn will be recited as well as additional prayers and the singing of hymns. Several other parishes and cemeteries in the Diocese have similar memorials to the unborn whose lives were taken by abortion.

In Clifton, the St. Philip’s Knights of Columbus Council 11671 and the Columbi­ettes Council 1167 will host the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children on Sunday, Sept. 13 following the 8 a.m. Mass in St. Philip the Apostle Church at the parish’s memorial to the unborn.

According to organizers of the Day of Remembrance, the memorial sites within the boundaries of the Diocese are also located at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover, Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Franklin, St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Stirling, and St. Joseph Parish in Mendham.

In addition to the babies who have lost their lives to abortion, those affected by abortion are also encouraged to attend the services. “We also pray for healing for the moms and dads of those babies who died from abortions and the conversion of those involved in the abortion industry,” said Hart.

For help for women and spouses with regrets after an abortion, there is Rachel’s Vineyard a, ministry of Priests for Life, which offers weekend retreats throughout the year at locations across the nation, to promote healing.

New Jersey is among the most abortion-friendly states in the nation as there are no major restrictions on abortion, such as waiting periods, mandates involving parental consent or limitations on publicly funded abortions.

Throughout the state, pro-life organizations continue to fight for equal rights for babies in the womb by calling for state senators and assembly members to support and pass A2228/S429, the “Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.” Also known as the 20/20 Project, the act will ban abortions after 20 weeks in the state. There is substantial medical evidence that babies in the womb feel substantial pain by 20 weeks or five months post-fertilization.

The National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children was first observed in 2013. It was coordinated by Citizens for a Pro-life Society, Priests for Life and the Pro-life Action League. At many of these memorial sites, the remains of babies killed by abortion have been buried there. According to the event sponsors, many were retrieved from trash dumpsters of abortion clinics or pathology labs where the bodies of the aborted unborn were shipped.

Those interested in hosting a prayer vigil are encouraged to visit the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children website found at www.abortionmemorials.com.

“We honor and recognize the value and beauty of each and every human life,” said Hart. “These children, who were cast aside and denied the chance to take a breath or say a prayer or to love their moms and dads and be loved by them, deserve at least to have prayers of remembrance offered for them.”