40 Days for Life

MORRISTOWN  During the season of Lent, Catholics can deepen their faith by committing to more prayer, penance and sacrifice in preparation for Easter. For Frances Spilman, a parishioner of St. Bernard’s in Mount Hope, one Lenten promise allows her to do all three at the same time — participating in 40 Days for Life. 40 Days for Life began yesterday on Ash Wednesday and will continue through Palm Sunday, April 5, as pro-life advocates keep vigil across the street from Planned Parenthood, 196 Speedwell Ave. here every day during Lent during the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Morris County Right to Life has organized the 40 Days for Life vigil and it invites the faithful to join them to save babies in the womb. Those who will be participating will be part of an international campaign happening outside abortion clinics all around the world. The Morristown vigil hopes to have at least two people every hour at the vigil. People who are fluent in other languages are also needed to counsel women in the language they speak.

Spilman, who is coordinating the local movement and has participated with 40 Days for five years, said, “I read about it at my parish’s bulletin. My brother, his wife, who is from China, and their three children sometimes join me,” she said. “I find 40 Days especially conducive to Lent. During Lent, I try to pray more, to do specific penance and to think more about others. As we stand outside of Planned Parenthood, we pray for the parents and babies and that the parents find the strength to have their babies, overcoming the difficulties in their lives. We pray that they realize God is always with them and that he will always help them. As for penance, it is sometimes difficult to leave the lovely warm house and our families and go out in the cold but we do it for the parents and their babies.”

Sue O’Dougherty, president of the Morris County Right to Life, who is a parishioner of Assumption in Morristown, has been participating for 20 years in vigils like 40 Days. “We believe God cares even when no one else does,” she said. “I don’t think most people can see what is happening when it is just a woman who has a baby inside her and it is a stressful, uneasy or tragic thing. Catholics are supposed to care about what God cares about and I think God cares about these women and children and all involved in the ‘situation room’ dynamic that’s going down at chemical and surgical abortion centers.”

With the campaign for the election of a president this November in full swing, Mission­ary Sister of Immaculate Conception Sister Jane Abeln, a parishioner of St. Catherine of Siena in Mountain Lakes, said, “Demo­cratic candidates are proposing to support abortion in all nine months of pregnancy and even infanticide if the baby is born alive. On the other hand, President Trump and Vice President Pence have been faithful in support of unborn life, including reversing the Mexico City policy, taking Title X money from Planned Parenthood, appointing pro-life Supreme Court justices and pro-life judges in many vacancies, and even coming personally to the March for Life in Washington, D.C.”

During the time outside the clinic, advocates will pray the rosary, hand out literature with pro-life alternatives and sometimes, counsel women. Participants are invited to bring signs or a sign will be provided for them.

Lisa Hart, a parishioner of St. Patrick in Chatham, is an eight-year participant of 40 Days for Life. “The prayer vigils consist of peacefully and prayerfully standing in the public right of way outside the abortion clinic, which is legally protected in our country, holding a sign if you wish but not necessary,” she said. “Many women have turned away from their choice to walk into the clinic when they see people peacefully praying outside. Simply standing in witness also helps passersby understand that someone cares enough about the children in the womb to take time to be present where lives are lost.”

Another important aspect is the education participants provide to people walking into the clinics. They share resources about First Choice in Morristown and Several Sources, based in Ramsey.

Mary Decker, who is 81-years-old and a retired registered nurse, has been participating in these types of vigils since 1980 and does it year-round. She said, “We reach many hearts with education. We give them information on where to get free health services. We let them know that we care for their well-being and remind them they are loved by God.”

While the vigils are peaceful, the participants said it is common for them to be criticized for their efforts by others. O’Dougherty said, “Sometimes, you will have people who drive by hollering out the window and make an explicit gesture. They will probably tell you to go home and/or get a job or a life, a little irony there.”

Nevertheless, she added, while there is this sense of persecution, even more so, it is a reason to be there. “Sometimes you will be told very sad stories from men who do not want their girlfriend to get the abortion,” she told The Beacon. “Some­times you will have a girl try to stay with you outside the clinic while her mother is inside and calling her on the cell phone relentlessly to get in there. There have been vans with out of state license plates filled with women. We have seen institution logos on cars with men driving a single young female in the back seat.”

To get an idea what happens at Planned Parenthood locations, many of the participants recommend viewing the film, “Unplanned,” which tells the story of Abby Johnson’s experiences working there. Sister Jane said, “Up to now, more than 15,000 babies are known to have been saved from abortion, more than 99 Planned Parent­hood facilities were closed, more than 190 workers quit the industry and more than 750,000 individuals and 19,000 churches have been activated to stand for life.”

To sign up, participants can log into the 40 Days for Life website, which shows a calendar that allows participants to choose the specific time and date they would like to attend.

“The people with the 40 Days group in Morristown are really wonderful,” Spilman said. “We have one man who wakes up early in the morning to come to pray, a lovely woman who drives the sisters at Assumption College to the vigil every week, a really dedicated couple who go out for hours at a time and have driven pregnant women to First Choice. There are many other terrific people in the group and they all have interesting stories. They are an encouraging, faith-filled, kind, empathic and dedicated group who do everything possible to save unborn babies.”