40 Days for Life 2024 - Friday, October 18, 2024

 Annunciation of the Lord and Saint John the Apostle Parishes

We pray for the babies that will die today, for the mothers and fathers and all their family members. We pray for mothers greiving an abortion, for the women considering abortion that they have a change of heart and that the Lord will send them the help they need in their hours of distress. We pray for abortionists and all Abortion Supporters. supporters. We Pray for Crisis Pregnancy Centers. 

It was pretty dark when I arrived at the corner of Queen and Bank. Of course, I had to go to the washroom. I shouldn't drink so much coffee I guess. But that will never happen. The building across the street has a washroom and a food court, so that helps

Anyway, shortly after beginning my prayers, Pat came by. I saw her coming out of the corner of my eye but since she was coming from a different direction I didn't notice her at first. I gave her instructions on how to find the corner but she couldn't follow them so she ended up coming out of the Train station across the Street. ( probably my fault although Pat is directionally challenged too) 

A little while later James Larivierre who is the Pro-Life Rep from Saint John the Apostle came. We all prayed together. I thought that it was really neat that Saint John the Apostle Parish had signed up for the same day we did. I joined Saint John the Apostle Parishioners for Life Chain two weeks ago. 

James and Pat

Maureen and Pat

Pat and I left at 8 for a coffee across the street. I was kind of cold although I shouldn't have been with all the heavy winter clothing I was wearing.

After our coffee, we took the train back to Blair. Pat drove me the rest of the way home.  

I took these 2 photos below after our coffee break. I was glad to see that there was another Saint John the Apostle parishioner with James when we left; Pat and I are parishioners of the Annunciation of the Lord Parish in Ottawa. 

James and James 

Father Rob and Father Kevin were there between 1 and 2, as well as Janet, Ken, Gord and Lois, Luzia  arrived at 2 and Lois stayed with her until 3pm. Margaret and four Sisters from the Queenship of Mary came for 1 hour in the afternoon as well 

Thank you, God, for all those praying today for the 40 Days for Life Intentions.  

Thank you, God, for Hearing our Prayers!

Thy Will Be Done! 

Thank You and Overview of Ottawa's 2022 40 Days for Life Campaign

from Helena Szakowski

Church and Ministry Coordinator

Ottawa’s 2022 – 40 Days for Life Campaign

Dear 40 Days Reps and Friends:

We Thank God, first and foremost, for enabling the planning and completion of our now 17th 40 Days for Life Campaign in Ottawa.

Thank you, particularly, to our Main Coordinator, Wanda Hartlin, for her perseverance, expert communications, and organization work, and to her family members, Bernie, and Cynthia, for providing our sound equipment and helping at our rallies. Thank you to our 40 Days Committee members for their support and advice, with special thanks to Jim Cairney for his visits to pastors leading up to the campaign. Also, to John Pacheco for our website, to Bernard Couture for updating our Facebook page, and to Debbie Duval of Campaign Life Coalition for obtaining our city permit and coordinating our Zoom meetings. Thank you to the preserving prayer warriors who were out at the vigil site many, many days, throughout the campaign, and for those who were providing us with hourly participation numbers. Thank you also to pastors, deacons, and religious sisters who carved out time to participate in the public prayer vigil.

It is with gratitude that I convey my sincere thankfulness to all 40 Days Reps who took on this important and vital role in the campaign. Your efforts have contributed to a most encouraging coverage of prayer hours whether at the vigil site, and in some cases through church Adoration vigils, or a prayer-at-home vigil day.

Our outreach to churches and ministry groups in the late summer resulted in 28 churches, 3 ministry groups, and 1 lay community, committing to out-on-the-street vigil hour participation. In some cases, churches committed to a vigil on the street for the first time. Overall, when considering the commitments on both of our website calendars, 22 of the 40 days were committed prayer days on the street, plus there were close to 4 committed prayer days in church, and 1 prayer-at-home vigil day, for a total of 27 committed days.

Thank you to 3 special ministry groups who took on-the-street vigil days, namely Couples for Christ, and the young adults from NET and CCO.

Thanks to our out-of-town pro-life visitors to our vigil site from St. John Parish, in Perth, ON, St Mary parish in Carleton Place, and 1 frequent visitor from Renfrew.

Thanks also to the Knights of Columbus Councils that got behind their parish’s 40 Days prayer vigil day. This is such a boost and an encouragement to assist with filling our vigil hours.

With the Supreme Court in the United States no longer providing protection for the abortion industry, abortion facilities are shutting their doors rapidly in that country. At the same time, God has been encouraging us to persevere with these campaigns, and as of today, according to the American headquarters website, 310 known lives have been saved, 2 abortion workers quit, and 14 abortion facilities closed, since just prior to this fall’s international campaign. The final international results for this fall’s campaign will be known in the coming weeks. To God be all the glory!

To date, these international 40 Days for Life vigils have resulted in closing 131 abortion facilities, saved well over 22,000 known lives, and led to 242 workers leaving the abortion industry. Tens of thousands of women and their families have been spared the pain and trauma of losing those little ones through these public prayer vigils. If there’s ever a time to be involved in this cause, it’s the present moment. May God bless you abundantly for all your efforts in support of these campaigns!

For the least of our brethren,

Helena Szakowski

Church and Ministry Coordinator

Ottawa’s 2022 – 40 Days for Life Campaign

40 Days for Life Ottawa 2018 - Final Week

I received this from Wanda yesterday As you can see there is a need for volunteers this week. Please consider spending some time in prayer at the vigil site during the next several days. 

Thanks and God bless you!
Maureen

"This is our last week of the 40 Days for Life campaign. Let’s give it a good ending. The cold has set in and volunteer fatigue is showing, but we’re almost there. Can you give one more hour to pray at the vigil site? Please come out whether or not there is a group or church scheduled for that day.

This Sunday, October 28 is the vigil day for NET Ministries and Notre Dame Cathedral. Both are having trouble filling up the vigil hours. Can you give one hour on Sunday?

Monday and Tuesday, there is no group or church who have taken on these days as vigil days, so signs can be obtained in St. Patrick’s Basilica in the Scavi, beside the Gift and Book Store. Please bring back your sign when your vigil time ends.

Wednesday is Halloween. We do have a vigil day scheduled, but this is a special day for prayer. If you can, please join them.

Thursday, there is no group or church holding a vigil day. The supply bag will be at St. Patrick’s Basilica, in the Scavi.

The week ends well, with committed vigil days on the weekend. Still, your presence would be very welcome. The more people praying – the more the power of prayer.

And don’t forget the closing rally on Sunday November 4 at the vigil site at 7 pm.

Leg’s give it one last try.

Check for vacant hours on the website VIGIL CALENDAR at, https://40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/ottawa/  

Yours for Life,

Wanda

Wanda Hartlin

Co-ordinator

40 Days for Life, Ottawa

wanda40daysforlife@clife.ca "

40 Days for Life - Mid Point Rally Ottawa -October 14, 2018

The following is from Wanda Hartlin

The 40 Days for Life campaign has reached the half way mark. It’s time for everyone to connect again.

Join us at the 40 Days for Life mid-point rally, this Sunday, October 14 at the new vigil site, Queen St at Bank St (alongside the CIBC bank) at 7:00 pm.

Archbishop Terrence Prendergast will be present with his encouragement. We have two speakers: Deacon Guy Dacquay, who has supported and been with us from the beginning in 2008, and Florence Lavergne from National Campus Life Network (NCLC), to talk about the pro-life movement on Ottawa university campuses. Gary Knight will lead us in singing.

We’ve had a few challenges this year, a change of location, the loss of our supply bin (temporarily replaced with a sturdy blue plastic bag), but challenges only serve to make us stronger.

God is good and he honours our efforts. He “…has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

So, don’t loose heart, continue the 40 Days for Life vigil. Our witness is needed. In today’s culture we must stand up for the Culture of Life, if we don’t, our rights will be eroded and we’ll only have ourselves to blame.

Hope to see you at the mid-point rally,

Wanda

Wanda Hartlin

Co-ordinator

40 Days for Life, Ottawa

wanda40daysforlife@clife.ca

Ottawa 40 Days for Life page:  https://40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/ottawa/

Praying today at Bank and Queen

Lois and I met at the 40 Days for Life vigil site again this afternoon shortly after 1:00pm  to pray for an end to abortion. When I arrived, Paul Lauzon and two ladies from  Our Lady of Fatima Parish were there. The ladies were quietly praying the rosary. I signed in and took a sign . Shortly after I arrived  a young man nicely dressed ( he probably worked in an office close by)  came by just as Lois arrived and  told us to move because " we were within the bubble zone" which needless to say we were not. We explained that we were outside the bubble zine and pointed to the sign. He ignored what we were saying and a few times rather loudly told us to move. He left but came back and told us he was going to call the police.  He was belligerent and very authoritative.  I don't know if he called the police but about 10 minutes later the sound of sirens brought 4 or 5 police cars and an ambulance to our corner right across the street where a man was sitting with his dog on the sidewalk looking for handouts. He was peaceful and wasn't bothering anyone so why 4 police cars and an ambulance? It was very bizarre. The cops spent at least 20 minutes talking to the man then left. Very strange indeed.

There was a similar occurrence last Wednesday when Lois and I were there. A young  lady passed by and told us to move because " we were within the bubble zone" She wasn't as nasty as the man today but still.

Oh incidentally, Lois walked from where we were praying to the bubble zone sign and it was 25 feet so we were about 25 feet outside of the bubble zone

No more negative incidents after that. The weather was beautiful so we stayed and prayed for about an hour and a half and then walked to a quaint little bakery, Bread and Son near Gloucester and Bank and bought bread: freshly baked at $5 a loaf, yummy

God willing Lois and I will meet again next Wednesday: pray and buy bread 

Bubble zone sign 

 This is where we pray 

which is 25 feet outside the bubble zone

New bag with a few 40 Days for Life signs 

The bin holding signs, sign up book, 

information with help for women in distress etc was stolen over a week ago