Editorial
Power of prayer is at the heart of 40 Days for Life campaign
September is a time when we turn the calendar from summer to fall.
We look forward to watching football and seeing the splendor of God’s creation come alive yet again through a brilliant changing of colors on our landscape.
But this year, our thoughts are also focused on our Church as it continues to be burdened by clergy sexual abuse scandals that have left many of us turning to our all-loving God to help us overcome these painful trials and tribulations.
While we pray for the victims of abuse, our Church, its leaders and our universal family of faith, we seek God’s wisdom, healing and grace to guide us through these turbulent times. Yet, we also remember our petitions must not end there.
Each September offers us the opportunity to step up as Christians to offer heartfelt prayers to end abortion.
The annual fall 40 Days for Life campaign starts later this month on Sept. 26 and runs through Nov. 4. It is an international, multi-faith effort that seeks to end abortion through peaceful prayer vigils at abortion centers, and to raise community awareness of the consequences of abortion. An annual 40 Days for Life campaign also occurs each spring.
During the campaign, individuals silently pray during one-hour time slots in front of abortion centers around the world, including in Indianapolis and Bloomington in central and southern Indiana.
The six-week period provides each of us a grace-filled opportunity to offer special petitions to end abortion. Besides Indianapolis and Bloomington, there are 40 Days for Life sites located throughout Indiana and the surrounding region for anyone interested in prayerfully standing up for life. All campaigns are in need of volunteers to sign up to pray.
According to Sean Carney, the president of 40 Days for Life, nearly 14,650 lives have been saved since the campaign was initiated in 2007. Worldwide, 96 abortion facilities and more than a dozen abortion referral agencies have closed their doors following a 40 Days for Life campaign, including the Planned Parenthood facility in Fort Wayne, Ind., which closed in July. Talk about the power of prayer!
“Planned Parenthood blamed the [Fort Wayne] closure on ‘intimidation’ from local pro-lifers. Of course, there’s no intimidation at a 40 Days for Life campaign,” Carney noted on the 40 Days for Life website.
“Allen County Right to Life, which hosts 40 Days for Life campaigns in Fort Wayne, noted a more likely explanation for the closure: client visits to the Planned Parenthood facility had dropped by 67 percent in the last decade.”
The Fort Wayne closure provides crystal-clear evidence that our pro‑life efforts are making a difference. During the next 40 Days for Life effort beginning in a few weeks, we can continue standing up for all life—from conception to natural death—which our faith implores.
The Central Indiana 40 Days for Life campaign will take place on the public right-of-way outside of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility, at 8590 Georgetown Road, in Indianapolis.
A kickoff rally will take place at St. Luke the Evangelist Church, 7575 Holliday Dr. E., in Indianapolis, at 7 p.m. on Sept. 23, featuring Rev. Randy Hunt III, pastor of New Life Community Church in Indianapolis. Also, at noon on Sept. 26, the public is invited to join David Bereit, co-founder and former CEO of 40 Days for Life, for an hour of prayer outside the Indianapolis Planned Parenthood facility.
For more information or to sign up to pray, contact Debra Minott at 317‑709-1502 or debra@goangels.org or go to 40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/indianapolis.
In Bloomington, the 40 Days for Life campaign will take place on the public right-of-way outside of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility at 421 S. College Ave. For more information or to sign up to pray, contact Monica Siefker at 812-330-1535 or 812‑345-7988, or monica.siefker@gmail.com, or go to 40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/Bloomington.
For more information or to sign up at other sites, log onto 40daysforlife.com and click on “Find a Campaign.”
Our hearts break whenever we learn of another innocent, unborn child losing their life through abortion.
May we again use our worldwide 40 Days for Life campaign to shine a light on the darkness of abortion, and continue our mission of evangelization by working to end this evil.
—Mike Krokos