Bishop Michael F. Burbidge encouraged Virginia Catholics to persevere in advocating for life at every stage during the annual Mass for Respect Life at St. Ambrose Church in Annandale Oct. 6.
“Throughout October, Respect Life Month, we celebrate God as the source of all life,” said Bishop Burbidge. “We rejoice in knowing that he has created each one of us in his own image and likeness and that his very Spirit lives and dwells within us. Thus, we proclaim the sacredness of all human life from the moment of conception to natural death.”
Bishop Burbidge, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, offered three suggestions to defend life from attacks, particularly against the unborn and most vulnerable. Communicate in love and without compromise the truth that the right to life is fundamental. Communicate that truth even in the darkest places, relying on God as the source of all our strength and consolation. And continue to serve, helping mothers and fathers through the challenges of pregnancy and welcoming a new life.
“We live in a world where some, including those elected to the highest offices, sadly neglect” the basic truths about the sanctity of life, he said. “It is our sacred duty to defend them vigorously and tirelessly.”
One of the ways parishioners of St. Ambrose show their support for life is by sponsoring a monthly drive collecting diapers, baby wipes and formula in a pack-and-play in the church vestibule for the MaRiH Center in Alexandria. Ron and Mary DeSantis, who also lead the parish Knights of Columbus council and women’s group, organize the effort.
“Part of the reason that we want to be involved in things like this is because we do value life,” Mary said, noting that providing diapers and other maternity necessities helps families in need afford other essentials such as groceries. The couple has no relation to the Florida governor, who ran for president earlier this year. “He had (the name) first,” Mary quipped, gesturing toward her husband.
More than two years after the Dobbs decision remanded abortion policy to states, some pro-lifers have lamented Virginia’s emergence as a “destination state” for abortions.
Earlier this summer, an abortion facility opened in McLean, according to WUSA9. Executives at Meadow Reproductive Health and Wellness told the station that they relocated from Texas, which banned most abortions. During the 18-month relocation process, they received more than a dozen rejections from landlords who refused to lease office space to perform abortions.
The diocesan Office of Respect Life said that peaceful prayer demonstrations for life have started near the facility. According to 40 Days for Life, prayer vigils can increase the “no show” rate for abortion appointments to as much as 75 percent.
In Bristol, near the southwest corner of Virginia, Karolina Ogorek, administrative director of Bristol Women’s Health Clinic, told WTOP earlier this year that approximately 90 percent of the abortion facility’s clients are from Tennessee, West Virginia, and other states where abortion is restricted. The Cardinal News of Roanoke reported in July that the facility’s landlords are in litigation to terminate its lease, claiming it was signed without disclosing the intent to perform abortions there.
“Abortion promoters have set their sights on Virginia in order to make it a hub for more abortion facilities to operate,” said Olivia Gans Turner, president of Virginia Society for Human Life and a parishioner of St. Timothy Church in Chantilly. She noted that in addition to the McLean facility, two more are in development in Richmond and Roanoke. “This should alarm every pro-life and Christian person in the commonwealth.”
Virginia Catholic Conference Executive Director Jeff Caruso, like Turner, urged Catholics to vote and engage in grassroots advocacy.
VCC, the public policy arm of Virginia’s bishops, “continues to urge lawmakers to enact policies that would protect mothers and their children from the tragedy of abortion, and that provide pregnant women and new mothers and families the support they need,” he said. “Catholics throughout Virginia have a vital and irreplaceable role in this advocacy.”
Caruso said Virginia Pro-Life Day next year Jan. 29 and the Virginia March for Life April 2 are “key opportunities to come to Richmond to be a voice for life.” More information on both events will be announced soon, he said.
In closing his homily, Bishop Burbidge advised the faithful to keep Christ at the center in both success and setback. “Despite our best efforts, things will only go our way some of the time,” he said. “There will be moments of victory; there will be moments of defeat. Political views and public opinion will change. But Jesus Christ will not. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
Find out more
Access USCCB pro-life resources at respectlife.org.
Sign up for VCC updates and advocacy alerts at vacatholic.org.
For opportunities for prayerful witness outside the new abortion facility in McLean, email [email protected].
This story has been updated.
