As more than 50 individuals gathered outside of a local Planned Parenthood abortion center the morning of Saturday, Oct. 19, it seemed to be a perfect day for prayer – clear skies and no sign of rain.
With the sun shining, parishioners from Westerville St. Paul the Apostle and Sunbury St. John Neumann churches lined the sidewalk on East Main Street in front of Planned Parenthood. They prayed for the preborn little ones who died and would die in the building directly ahead of them, and for a conversion of hearts.
“What we plant today can manifest itself still 10 years from now,” said Kathy Malagisi, a parishioner at St. Paul who came to pray outside of the clinic.
Members of the two parishes, both located northeast of Columbus, were present as part of the international 40 Days for Life campaign. Catholic and other Christian churches often coordinate a time for their congregation to pray outside of a local clinic.
The 40-day campaign, which runs through Sunday, Nov. 3 this year, includes peaceful prayer and fasting for an end to abortion. The effort is taking place in thousands of cities across the United States and 64 countries around the world.
Father Michael Donovan, O de M (Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy), the pastor at Columbus Holy Family Church, was present, as well as several consecrated religious sisters.
As defenders of life held signs and prayed rosaries, litanies and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy together, the adverse shouts and honks of passersby could not dampen their spirits.
“I find it a mission,” said Kitty Whyte, a parishioner at St. John Neumann.
Whyte and her husband, a member of the Knights of Columbus, drove down from their home in Mount Vernon to defend life on behalf of the Knights. It was the couple’s second time praying in front of the Planned Parenthood clinic.
Whyte followed the example of her mother, who did the same thing decades earlier.
“My mother, a double amputee, would go out and pray across the street from the clinics, and they finally closed them all down in Cincinnati,” she said. “It was wonderful, and she was so happy that day when that happened. They’ve slowly started to open up more, but they still pray.
“Never assume that you don’t impact anything – that’s the big message.”
Malagisi, who attended with her husband, Joseph, was happy to pray for life alongside many other faithful.
“The first thing that I loved was just the amount of the faithful, that you’re not alone,” she said. “You really do see the brothers and sisters in Christ step up because we know the truth, and we know this is life.”
Malagisi said it was great to have a large number of people praying together. She said, for her, seeing that reinforces the faith.
“We know, with prayer, answers come,” she said.
For years, the Malagisi family has braved the elements to pray outside of abortion clinics in various parts of the country. Kathy said they have endured freezing temperatures and rain. They were blessed with the sunshine this time.
She recognized the impact that a presence outside of abortion clinics can have on individuals. She welcomed the positive and negative reactions garnered by the group’s presence in front of Planned Parenthood on Oct. 19.
“As far as the people that go by, the ups and the downs that we get, that just makes us want to pray and be present more because we’re doing good on both sides of the fence – those that are glad to see us here and those that are mad,” she said.
“They know it has to be something really going on there for them to be angry about it, because, if it doesn’t upset them, then they wouldn’t care to make that impression to us. So, both ways, we need to be present.”
Joyce Dobson, who also belongs to St. Paul, joined her fellow parishioners to pray outside of the abortion clinic.
She added that while some consider abortion a matter of politics, she believes it is not.
“It’s not a political issue,” she said. “It’s a matter of life and death. We’re just trying to save innocent lives, and who is more innocent than the unborn? Life is such a gift.”
The first 40 Days for Life campaign took place in Bryan, Texas in response to the opening of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in the area. Volunteers prayed outside of the clinic every hour for 40 days.
In 2007, the first nationally coordinated campaign was launched. Since then, more than 100 abortion centers where campaigns were hosted have permanently closed.
According to the 40 Days for Life website, the movement’s goal is to continue, with God’s grace, until there are no more abortion centers.