November 3, 2010

Bishop leads prayer vigil outside, Planned Parenthood headquarters

By John Gleason

On the morning of Oct. 30, more than 100 people gathered across the street from the Planned Parenthood Headquarters in Denver to hold a prayer vigil.  The non-confrontational event was attended by Denver Auxiliary Bishop James D. Conley, who led the group in recitation of the rosary.

The Respect Life Office sponsors a monthly prayer vigil at the site on the first Saturday of each month, but October proved to need a change in date.

“We had the Gospel of Life Conference at the beginning of the month,” she told the Register, “and we rescheduled to Oct. 30 to not only coincide with the Respect Life Mass, but that Bishop Conley would be available to lead the rosary and vigil.”

Prior to the vigil, Bishop Conley told the Register that to the average passerby, an abortion clinic looks like any other medical clinic.

“Most people who drive by don’t realize that inside these facilities little babies are routinely torn limb from limb from their mother’s wombs,” he said.  “By peacefully and prayerfully standing out in front of these killing centers, we point to the evil going on inside and let the world know something is horribly wrong.”

Bishop Conley said that often women will cancel their appointment if they see people praying out in front of an abortion clinic and Planned Parenthood’s own statistics reveal that if a woman has to reschedule an abortion appointment, half of them will choose to carry their baby to term.

“If only one baby is saved and one mother is spared the trauma of the abortion experience, then it is all worth it,” he said.  “This is why it’s important we participate and give prayerful witness in front of the abortion centers.”

Jazmin Morales attended the vigil.  She and a dozen members of her youth group from St. Augustine Parish in Brighton travelled to the clinic to lend their voices to the crowd.Morales, 14, said she and her friends felt the need to stand up and be heard, and praying the rosary outside the clinic was one of the best ways they could do that.

“It’s important for us to come here,” she said.  “We want to be here for the unborn, those who cannot speak for themselves.”

For more information on future prayer vigils, contact the Respect Life Office at 303-715-3205 or visit www.archden.org/respectlife.