The most pressing task defenders of life face in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s reversal is to transform hearts, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge said during his homily at the Mass for Giving Thanks for the Gift of Human Life Dec. 10 at St. Louis Church in Alexandria.
While Bishop Burbidge regularly celebrates pro-life Masses throughout the year, this most recent liturgy was the first since his election last month to chair the U.S. bishops’ Committee for Pro-Life Activities.
“In our nation today, no doubt, the hearts of God’s people still need to be transformed,” Bishop Burbidge said, adding that attending Mass, praying the rosary, and witnessing peacefully outside abortion facilities and in public advocacy are some of the ways Catholics advance that effort.
“We pray that, with the grace of God, all of our work will help to transform God’s people so that they and all of us will have a grateful, contrite, and serene heart,” he said. “Through our words and deeds, may we show to others our deep gratitude for the gift that so often we can take for granted — the precious gift of life itself, which comes to us from God who uniquely created each one of us in his own image and likeness, whose very spirit lives and dwells within us. It’s only when we are grateful for the gift of life that we will see the need to defend and protect it.”
He referenced the hostility and anger that have manifested since the Supreme Court’s June ruling, which delegated the question of abortion’s legality to states. A number of pregnancy centers and some churches have been vandalized nationwide in the past six months.
“Our work to transform hearts may seem overwhelming, but it should not be,” Bishop Burbidge said. “Why? Because we have the truth and we know that Jesus walks with us.”
After Mass, he joined approximately 50 pro-lifers, including several diocesan priests and families with children, in praying the rosary on a sidewalk outside an abortion facility nearby. After a number of years on Stevenson Avenue near the Duke Street exit of I-395, it moved in early November to Sherwood Hall Lane, north of Mount Vernon.
Participants held signs bearing slogans including “Choose Life” and “Pray for an end to abortion.” They waved to cars that passed on the busy road and many drivers honked their support.
Richard Hayden of Good Shepherd Church and Knights of Columbus Council 5998, which also includes parishioners from St. Louis, organizes the regular Saturday morning gatherings, with coffee, hot chocolate and donuts for volunteers. Their active streak of coming out on Saturdays now numbers 145 Saturdays — nearly three years. It almost ended with the facility’s relocation. But when word of the new address broke the evening of Nov. 4, they quickly mobilized for the next morning.
Hayden shared photos and a video of one 2022 “save”: baby Stella, who was born Oct. 15. He said pro-lifers prompted her mother to think twice while on her way into the Stevenson Avenue facility in March. In September, they held a baby shower for her.
“Mother and baby are doing very well. This is her fourth child,” he said. “She couldn’t be happier and we’re very grateful we had that chance to save her.”
They’re still seeking their first save outside the new facility, which organizers said is the most prolific abortion provider in Northern Virginia.
Counselors are available to minister to women seeking spiritual healing after an abortion — whether that morning or many years ago. Hayden said it’s not uncommon for people to pull over or approach the group to recount their abortion experience and the regret they feel now. In all those Saturdays, he said no one has come to say they regret having their child or wishing they had had an abortion.
“We welcome everybody to come out here,” Hayden said.
Amy McInerny, director of the diocesan Office of Respect Life, said that abortion appointment no shows can increase by as much as 70% when there is a prayer witness outside of the facility. Even those who cannot join the “sidewalk saints” can have an impact by praying that all pregnant women choose life, she said, recommending the website prayforlife.org.
“It is encouraging to remember that there were once seven abortion centers within the bounds of our diocese. Now there are three,” she said. “I believe this shows the power of prayer and sacrifice to thwart evil. Prayer and accompanying expectant mothers in need with direct service are the keys to making abortion unthinkable in our community.”
Schweers can be reached at [email protected].
