Be Our Guest / Sr. Diane Carollo, S.G.L.

Prayer is integral component of Helpers of God’s Precious Infants ministry in parishes

Did you know that there are five abortion facilities, or modern day Calvaries, operating within the boundaries of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis?

Did you know that the archdiocesan Office for Pro-Life Ministry encourages every parish in the archdiocese to pray for a specific facility?

Did you know that the archdiocesan Helpers of God’s Precious Infants assemble each month at an abortion facility in Indianapolis and a Planned Parenthood facility in Terre Haute?

In Indianapolis, the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants Pro-Life Mass is offered at 8:30 a.m. on the third Saturday of every month at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Indianapolis.

The Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration following the Mass. While some people remain to pray in adoration, the rest of the Helpers drive to the nearby abortion facility to pray the rosary and the traditional Helpers’ prayers.

Then they return to the church for the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Benediction following their prayerful presence at the abortion site. The holy sacrifice of the Mass and subsequent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament by the Helpers supports and strengthens the prayerful and intercessory presence maintained at the abortion facility.

In Terre Haute, the Helpers’ Pro-Life Mass is offered at 7:30 a.m. on the first Saturday of every month at the Carmelite Monastery of St. Joseph. Following the Mass and prayers at the Planned Parenthood facility, which refers women to a Bloomington abortion facility, the Helpers conclude their prayers in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Patrick Parish’s perpetual adoration chapel.

What occurs behind the closed doors of abortion facilities offends God gravely because innocent human life is destroyed. But the destruction of human life goes beyond the physical bodies of the unborn children.

Women and men who seek abortion in an attempt to stabilize their lives and relationships discover the truth that abortion contributes to the disintegration of their lives. Post-abortive women and men eventually realize that at the root of many of their emotional, psychological and spiritual problems is the child they aborted. Unless these individuals enter into spiritual conversion, repentance and healing, the disintegration and the erosion within their souls intensifies through the years.

Women and men who are grieving from past abortions are encouraged to participate in the archdiocesan Rachel’s Vineyard Retreats offered twice each year. For information about these healing retreats, log on to www.archindy.org/prolife/ministries/rachel.html.

It is important to realize that abortion requires more than a legal or constitutional fix. Abortion is primarily a spiritual problem that must be addressed.

Public demonstrations, education on human life issues, and political initiatives that support and promote the dignity of human life are necessary, but will never be enough. Catholics must get down on their knees and intercede for abortion-minded women and men, post-abortive individuals, and those individuals who actually perform abortions or participate in any way in the destruction of unborn children.

The spiritual remedy for abortion is conversion, repentance and healing through Christ. Everyone who associates with the sin of abortion, including abortionists and those who conspire against life in organizations such as Planned Parenthood, must be embraced by our prayers that flow from Christian charity.

Please note the abortion facility that has been assigned to your parish in the ministry of prayer by logging on to www.archindy.org/prolife/files/clinics-parishes.pdf. Keep in mind that it is not necessary for parishioners to be physically present at the facility, but it is essential for them to offer prayers and sacrifices for all those who are associated with the sin of abortion.

Through the ministry of prayer, your parish is invited to do the following:

• Pray for women tempted to abort their unborn children at the designated abortion facility.
• Pray for post-abortive women and men who need healing, reconciliation and peace.
• Pray for the conversion of hearts of all abortion facility personnel, including the doctors who are responsible for the destruction of innocent human life.
• Pray for the closing of that particular abortion facility assigned to your parish.

Parishes are encouraged to conduct a novena of Masses each year which incorporates the prayer intentions listed above. As with all parish pro-life initiatives, please consult your pastor or parish life coordinator or sacramental minister regarding the ministry of prayer and the special novena of Masses.

The ideal situation would be for the Masses to be celebrated in the church and announced in the bulletin. A simple announcement that the Mass is for the cause of life should suffice.

For more information on the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants or to start the Helpers’ pro-life ministry in your area, view the handbook which describes the spirituality that supports the Helpers’ ministry by logging on to www.archindy.org/prolife/files/HGPI.pdf.

(Servants of the Gospel of Life Sister Diane Carollo is the director of the archdiocesan Office for Pro-Life Ministry.) †