Vigil for Life

PATERSON  For the Basauri family, parishioners of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here, the fight against abortion is personal and being advocates for life is something that siblings, Rafael and Sylvia Basauri, learned from their parents. The brother and sister, who are youth leaders of the Young Prophets at St. John’s, spoke at the Youth Vigil for Life with Bishop Sweeney sharing their personal witnesses at the cathedral Jan. 22. The vigil took place on the grim anniversary date of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal 48 years ago.

Rafael Basauri gave a reassuring voice to the young people in the congregation and those watching it on livestream that they were not alone in fighting for the unborn.

“In high school I was one of the few, if not, the only one that was pro-life among my group of friends,” he said in his witness talk. “I could see that many of my friends could not see from the moment of conception there was life within the womb. It was hard being the only pro-life student at my school and I had to stand my ground. That made it much more important to speak out.”

With the help of his parents, they guided him so that he can defend life and his Catholic faith with knowledge, compassion and truth. His entire family attended the March for Life last year, which was another reassuring moment for the family as Basauris’ youngest sister, Giovanna, is adopted.

Basauri recalled at the March for Life that his sister, Giovanna, met an elderly man and they both took a picture together holding the signs “I was adopted not aborted” and “Adoption saved my life.”

“This brought me so much joy seeing someone she could relate to who was adopted and given a chance to have a good life.” He said. “We are a blessed family and a loving family to have had a mother give her up for adoption rather than choosing or feeling there was no other option than abortion. As devoted Catholics, we should speak up for those who cannot, especially for those in the womb.”

Sylvia Basauri, in her witness talk, also spoke about Giovanna. “As her older sister, it is my responsibility to protect her from anyone or anything. So hearing things from friends such as an unborn child is a burden, an inconvenience, and if she wanted to, a woman should have an abortion is absolutely unacceptable.”

In talking about her sister, Sylvia Basauri said, “She was definitely planned; she was meant to be born like every single pre-born baby. She was the missing piece in my family.”

The vigil was attended by young people and their parents sitting socially distanced throughout the cathedral. The faithful throughout the Diocese viewed the Jan. 22 event at home via livestreaming. The evening began with Mass followed by the witness talks, and Adoration and Benedic­tion of the Blessed Sacrament.

Bishop Sweeney said at the start of Mass, “We come together tonight as the Church and as God’s family. We come tonight in prayer. On this day, the sad anniversary in our country, now the 48th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, we join together in faith to pray for the dignity, value and respect for life. To pray for an end to abortion and to pray for healing. To pray for peace throughout our country during these difficult times.”

In his homily, the Bishop asked the young people, “Why are we here?” He shared many reasons and one of them was, “We’re here, it can almost sound simplistic but it is the truth, we are here tonight to be with Jesus. Because Jesus has called us to be here with him. Try not to forget especially my young sisters and brothers that he has chosen you,” he said.

“Right in our midst, there is a whole new generation of heroes and leaders, you’ve seen it in a dramatic way in the past year — people of great courage,” the Bishop said. “I know that so many of you are going to respond as you’ve seen others in service and that God’s call in your life will be sharing your gifts and talents.”

Thinking about the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Bishop recalled that he was 3-years-old when abortion was made legal. He reflected on participating in the pro-life movement, remembering going to the March for Life for the first time when he was a freshman in high school. He recalled going again in 2005 and saw what he called a “youth explosion.”

“When I went from 1985 to 1997, the crowds grew each year. It was wonderful to see crowds standing up for our faith on behalf of the unborn,” said the Bishop. “When I came back in 2005, something had changed. The number of young people attending the March for Life had exploded.”

The Bishop said in closing, “We’re here to have opportunities to come together in prayer and listen to Jesus. To remember and learn day-by-day that he calls each of us by name and that every day we should say thank you to God and to our parents for the gift of life.”

Also speaking at the vigil was Holly Wright, program director of Lifenet N.J., a non-profit organization that advocates on pro-life issues. It is currently opposing the Reproductive Freedom Act proposed by Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and fellow Demo­crats in the state legislature. Lifenet is also leading the way to have the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act made law. Wright is also director of Casa Guada­lupe in Clifton, a house of discernment for young women in the Diocese.

“We need to bring this message with truth and love,” said Wright. “I just want to present how you can be voice to the voiceless. The first thing is to pray, this is a spiritual battle. We need to pray because 48 years ago the Supreme Court considered the baby in the womb is no longer a person and no longer has rights, yet we know God came to us as a baby in the womb and each life is precious.”

Wright spoke about the many options a young pregnant woman has to save the life of a baby and that the Church does not condemn but rather offers hope and healing.

Using the word, “SLED” as an acronym, Wright presented a simple way to answer the differences of an unborn baby in the womb that do not make them less human. “S” stands for size and while the unborn baby is smaller, that does not make them less human. “L” stand for level of development or age and already all the genetic information is presented less than one second in the moment of conception. “E” stands for environment and where a person is located does not determine a person’s humanity. “D” stands for dependency and a baby outside the womb is no less dependent than a baby in the womb.

Afterward, a Holy Hour with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was led by Franciscan Father of the Renewal Agustino Torres of St. Michael’s Friary here, who shared a brief reflection and encouraged the young people to pray.

“This isn’t just about changing your minds or informing you about something that’s important,” Father Torres said. “This is our family. This is us. They are a part of us. That is why we will pray and that is why we will never stop standing up for those who are unborn.”