A Peaceful, Prayerful, Public Witness for Life

BISHOP
KEVIN J.
SWEENEY

“.. There are millions of people of goodwill whose voices are yet unheard, whose course is yet unclear, and whose courageous actions are yet unseen. These millions are called upon to gird their courage, to speak out, and to offer leadership that is needed. History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the vitriolic words and violent acts of the bad people but the appalling silence and indifference of the good people. Our generation will have to repent not only for the words and actions of the children of darkness but also for the fears and apathy of the children of light.”

I was a sophomore in college and 20 years old when I heard the words written above. I heard Dr. King’s voice speaking those words, recorded in a scene from the movie Driving Miss Daisy. The words spoke to me and challenged me. They still do. I have returned to those words many times during the past 30-plus years. Dr. King mentions “the appalling silence and indifference of good people…”

For the past 50-plus years in our country, many people of goodwill have been neither silent nor indifferent in speaking and witnessing on behalf of the dignity and value of every human person, of every human life. We believe that life begins at conception. While there are many different opinions about the “exact moment” an individual’s life begins in the womb of his or her mother, the overwhelming scientific evidence points us closer and closer to the “moment of conception.” For the past 50 years, the laws of our nation have failed to recognize the life and rights of a child in the womb.

From the announcement of the “Roe v. Wade” Supreme Court decision on Jan. 22, 1973, until the “Dobbs v. Jackson” decision of June 24, 2022, abortion was legal throughout our country. Now, as a legal question, each individual state can decide whether abortion can be permitted, restricted, or prohibited. Our State of New Jersey is one of the most “pro-abortion” states, allowing abortion through the ninth month of pregnancy. When I consider this, I return again to the words of Dr. King and ask myself what “history may record” as the “greatest tragedy” of this “period of social transition” in our time and place?

I was in high school when I first recall hearing the word “abortion” and learning what it meant. I have shared before that my high school principal was a great “Pro-Life Champion.” I recently recalled that there was a book published in 2017 telling the story of my High School principal, Msgr. Philip Reilly. The book is appropriately entitled Pro-Life Champion — The Untold Story of Msgr. Philip Reilly and his Helpers of God’s Precious Infants. It is available on Amazon.

On the Amazon page, there is an excellent introduction to the book, but also to Msgr. Reilly and the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants. That introduction begins with these words:

PRO-LIFE CHAMPION is the untold story of Monsignor Philip J. Reilly, who, almost single-handedly, reclaimed the pro-life movement from a course of violence by setting it on a path to prayerful, non-confrontational witness to the sacredness of human life. In the course of rescuing the movement from an untimely death at the hands of pro-choice politicians, he has counseled thousands of distraught women on the street and trained hundreds of like-minded individuals to do the same, thereby saving an estimated hundred thousand lives …

When Msgr. Reilly was starting the “Helpers” in 1991, I was a junior in college, and he asked if I would be willing to spend some time, once a week on a Saturday morning, praying on the sidewalk outside an abortion clinic in Queens, N.Y. For the first few weeks, there would usually be a group of 10 or 15 of us praying while Msgr. and one or two women were “sidewalk counseling.” A “sidewalk counselor” speaks lovingly and gently to women who are entering the clinic, letting them know that if they are pregnant and considering abortion, there is loving, non­judgmental help available if they wish to keep their child.

The group of “prayers” grew steadily in the following weeks and months. Around that time, a new bishop was named to head the Brooklyn Diocese, Bishop Thomas V. Daily. Msgr. Reilly asked Bishop Daily if he would be willing to pray outside the clinic and perhaps celebrate a Mass at a nearby parish beforehand and then lead a prayerful procession to the clinic. Bishop Daily agreed and committed to lead a “Helpers Vigil” once a month. Sadly, in those years, there were so many “clinics” in Brooklyn and Queens that the Vigils would usually take place at a different parish and “clinic” each month during the course of a year.

The experience of praying with the Helpers and seeing Bishop Daily’s example had a great impact on my life and my vocation. The experience of praying on the sidewalk outside of places where abortions were performed also taught me many lessons. I would like to mention three of those lessons here:

1. When a woman is walking into an abortion clinic, no one should ever yell at her or condemn her. Perhaps only God knows what is happening in that woman’s life, in her family, and in her heart. She should only receive love and compassion, but she and, if pregnant, the child she carries deserve to know that, if she wants to choose to keep her child, there are people who will help her and walk the journey with her and her child, not only until birth but for as long as is necessary.
2. When people pray and do sidewalk counseling in places where abortions take place, lives are saved. This may be an “untold story” of the “Pro-Life Movement” or the “abortion debate,” but it is true. Only God may know how many mothers who were contemplating an abortion have been able to give birth to their child, hold their newborn, and raise their child because someone was standing outside a “clinic,” offering love and assistance and letting the Mom know that she is not alone.
3. Some (many) people believe and feel that no one, especially a celibate male priest or bishop, should stand outside an abortion clinic, even if that person is only praying. When Bishop Daily (and Bishop DiMarzio) would lead large prayer vigils, those who are in favor of abortion, often in large numbers, would also be outside the clinic. Sometimes, those on “the other side” would yell some ugly words and phrases. I came to realize that many who disagree with prayer and sidewalk counseling outside a “clinic” are people of goodwill. They see abortion as “health care” or a woman’s “right,” and they often see those who would speak or stand against abortion as “anti-woman” or attempting to impose their beliefs on others, restricting their individual freedom. We never responded to those who yelled at us. I came to see this as part of the “wisdom” of the Helpers’ approach. There are times when “all we can do is pray.” Msgr. Reilly was very clear with all those who participated in a Helpers Vigil that they should never “respond” (verbally) to those on the other side. He said that if you are praying the Rosary, you should not “interrupt your conversation with the Blessed Mother.”

As you can probably tell by now, I could go on at some length on this topic. I am sharing all of this at this time because I wish to let readers and those in our diocese know that, after a time of prayer, thought, and discernment, and after a few providential conversations and encounters, I am planning to celebrate a Mass each month, followed by a peaceful, prayerful procession to a place where abortions are performed or promoted. The clarion call of Dr. King to be “children of the light” finds origin in Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, “Walk as children of Light for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (5:9). With our hearts joined in prayer we will be witnesses to God’s never-failing grace and love.

A few blocks from St. Margaret of Scotland parish in Morristown, there is a large Planned Parenthood facility. Sadly, for many, many years, Planned Parenthood, as an organization, has been one of the largest promoters of abortion throughout our country and throughout the world. I believe that taking some time to peacefully pray and offer a public witness outside that facility will encourage many to ask themselves again, “When does life begin?” and for people of goodwill to ask themselves, “Are we promoting a Culture of Life or a Culture of Death?” Also, returning to Dr. King’s words, I wonder whether our generation will have to repent for the fears and apathy of the children of light?” A monthly Mass and procession are, in many ways, a “small step,” but if we offer it to the Lord, he can multiply the blessings and good fruits.

In recent months, the people of St. Margaret’s have been having a monthly Mass and prayerful procession to the Planned Parenthood facility. I am grateful to the pastor, Fr. Duberney Villamizar, and the parishioners for the opportunity to join them.

When I thought about beginning this effort, I was very happy to realize that, this year, the first Saturday of October falls on Oct. 7, which is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. That seemed like a good day to begin. I invite readers and people from throughout the diocese to come and join us for this Mass and procession. The Mass will begin at 8 a.m. You can see the flyer on page 10 in this week's E-Edition of The Beacon for more information, or visit our diocesan website. God willing, we will have the Mass and procession on the first Saturday of each month.

As we enter the month of October, which is “Respect Life Month” and the “Month of the Holy Rosary,” I ask all to pray for a greater respect for the dignity and value of every human life and for all mothers, fathers, and families. Let us also never forget the lessons of the “2nd Joyful Mystery,” the Visitation, when the scriptures show us our Lord and John the Baptist as “unborn children” and Mary and Elizabeth as expectant Moms in what today would be called “crisis pregnancies”:

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

Lk. 1:41-42