A controversial Catholic educator who advocated students taking part in anti-abortion vigils is no longer the principal of Christ the King School.
Catholic education officials said this morning that Paula Morrison is now principal of Christ the King School, but will not discuss what has happened to former principal David Hood.
“It’s our policy not to comment on personnel matters,” said director of education Robert Praznik.
Hood was suspended with pay for more than a week in October after telling the Free Press that he planned to organize students and parents to participate in anti-abortion vigils outside the Health Sciences Centre as an official school activity. Students who voluntarily took part would receive recognition of the time towards their required community service, said Hood.
From a reader: “I’ve just heard from David Hood’s family (the pro-life principal in Winnipeg) and news isn’t good. The Archdiocese and the Catholic schools board have decided (behind closed doors) to fire Mr. Hood.”
If this is true, there should be a major backlash against the Archdiocese and the School Board. What’s the point of being a Catholic school if you’re in the tank for the pro-abort establishment?
One DVD can stop a vasectomy. One DVD can reverse a Tubal. One DVD can change lives and save marriages and families. One DVD can expose the lie about contraception and prevent an abortion that hasn’t happened yet.
At vespers that evening at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast spoke of Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate that stresses respect for life cannot be detached from human development. The Pope knows that acceptance and openness to life “strengthens moral fibre,” he said, and can help wealthy cultures such as Canada’s better understand the poor. (Source)
I think this is great. And I commend +Prendergast for his leadership in this ongoooooooooooooooing controversy.
But I really need to ask this: did we really need Caritas in Veritate to tell us that abortion isn’t included in human development? Really?
I couldn’t make it because of a late night fundraiser for the COP on Saturday evening. Just too burnt out. Good to see the closing rally was well attended. We had decent coverage throughout the 40 Days Campaign again this year with a solid number of churches participating.
The tide is definitely turning. There’s no question about it. It’s only a matter of time. Here’s Deacon Chuck’s remarks on the Scripture proclamation at Ground Zero. We hope other campaigns start to use it too…if only to keep safe from the violent and unstable pro-aborts who assault us.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I want to take the time to thank all who participated in the Scripture Proclamation during the 40 Days for Life Campaign this Fall. The steering committee including myself were doubtful as to whether all 160 segments could be filled as there were so many factors to discourage would-be participants. You have braved the cold, the rain, the noise and many distractions to make this possible. It takes courage and faith-filled conviction for a lay person to proclaim the word of God in one of the busiest places of Ottawa at one of the busiest times. Congratulations and thank you. Where the Word of God is, God is, and when His Word is proclaimed the evil one will flee offering the prayer warriors greater peace during their time of prayer. Even though the Word was only proclaimed for two hours a day, from what I am told this was likely the most peaceful campaigns we have ever had. No one was assaulted and at no time were police needed to intervene. Have any babies been saved during this campaign? We don’t know, but God does. I have not heard of any successful interventions at the abortuary but that does not mean there were none. We don’t know how many mothers the Lord touched during this campaign to choose life instead of an abortion. We don’t know how many cancelled their appointments with the abortionists. We need to continue as the Lord has taught us, that is, pray, pray, pray. With God all things are possible. He is answering our prayers as He promised. Have faith in that. Just in the last couple of days, we see that the charges against Ruth Lobo were thrown out of court. Linda Gibbons was released from jail as well and her charges thrown out of court. In the coming weeks the Supreme Court will be hearing her case and I fully expect her to win. The charter guarantee of free speech and freedom of assembly cannot be interpreted to limit ones freedom only as long as it comports with government policy. Please continue to keep Linda in your prayers and a favourable Supreme Court decision. If you go to the Life Site News web page, you will see how many other successes the pro-life movement has had during this campaign. Abortion clinics are closing, abortionists are being convicted, and governments are acting to limit abortion funding and abortion rights. We have the momentum so this is no time to fall asleep. Please continue to pray for an end to abortion. There is light at the end of the tunnel and we will get there with the help of our Lord.
A vigil participant was noticing that nearly all the cars in the abortion center parking lot were parked in the staff area — very few were in the area reserved for those with appointments. And that was good.
The volunteer was soon deep in prayer when the abortionist drove up — with his wife and their teenager. He got out of the car and headed toward the building while the wife and teen drove away.
The abortionist’s wife pulled up next to the vigil participant, rolled down her window and asked, “How are you doing?” The surprised volunteer answered, “Good! How about you?”
She responded, “I just wanted to tell you that I so appreciate what you do and how you are always so nice and respectful.” That simple response turned out to be the opening line in a very lengthy conversation.
The wife expressed her gratitude for the way the 40 Days for Life vigil is conducted. In another city, there is a group outside the abortion center that yells at her husband.
Here, however, he’s been told that the vigil participants are praying for him. “He just can’t understand how you can be so against what he does and yet so nice to him.”
She explained that her husband grew up in a home that had no use for religion — the concept is totally foreign to him. The volunteer promised to pray that he would be able to grasp — and eventually embrace – faith. The teen blurted out, “Please do!”
“I asked the abortionist’s wife to pray for me,” said the volunteer, “and she said she would.”
The wife said, “I’m really impressed that you believe in something so strongly and passionately that you’re willing to be here every week for years in every kind of weather.”
“There is much to meditate upon from this conversation,” said the 40 Days for Life volunteer. “It confirmed the constant presence, the peaceful method, the prayerful attitude. It helped give me a renewed sense of dedication to continually trying to get people to sign up so that we can have a constant presence on the sidewalk. We never know who will see us and when they
will see us.
“God gave me an awesome story in order to ask once again for you to join us for 40 Days for Life. Please keep praying for an end to abortion and for ALL those involved. God is using us to help bring His children to Him — ALL of them!”
College Station, Texas and Madrid, Spain have very little in common.
But this fall, the simple campaign of prayer and fasting that started in Texas is having a profound impact in Spain — and in other nations around the world.
The international expansion of 40 Days for Life was unexpected. But it is now one of the many blessings God has given to indicate that abortion is a crisis wherever it takes place.
We have multiple campaign locations in both Spain and Canada this fall. Here’s a story from each country.
On one of the early days of the campaign, a man approached the 40 Days for Life vigil in Madrid and read the sign one person as holding: “Pray for an end to abortion.”
He stared for a moment, then unleashed a tirade of rude words and gestures — and passersby reacted by laughing. The vigil participants just kept praying — and the man kept hurling insults.
It appeared he had been drinking for some time. He was carrying a beer — which he tried to pour on the volunteers. They responded by praying for protection from evil.
At that point, things changed. Another man came along and told the guy with the beer to move along. Instead, he broke the beer bottle against the ground. The plaza then cleared out, leaving only the vigil participants and the man who had stepped in to help.
They had witnessed spiritual warfare — but God had come to their rescue.
Two weeks later, the man with the beer bottle was spotted again — sober and well-dressed, this time. He was seen in church — on his knees … and in tears.
“This strikes us as quite noteworthy,” said Frank in Madrid.
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FREDERICTON, NEW BRUNSWICK
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A woman passed the 40 Days for Life volunteers in Fredericton and called out to them. “My husband made me have an abortion,” she said. “It’s never over.”
To make sure she was heard, she came closer and repeated herself. The volunteers then began to pray for her.
A little while later, a young man approached. He had just received a text message from his wife announcing she’d had an abortion.
He did not want the abortion. His wife apparently felt she couldn’t handle a fourth child. They were supposed to discuss it further. He was shocked by the news.
The mother said the pregnancy had been terminated at seven weeks. The volunteers carried an image of a baby at eight weeks. He was very much moved. He said, “I knew we shouldn’t do it.”
In her text message his wife had mentioned that said she had been assured her it was “just a bunch of cells.”
“How unconscionable,” said Peter in Fredericton. “How could anyone who cares about women lie about anything so fundamental?”
The volunteers and this distraught young dad had a prolonged conversation. They told him about the help available for post-abortion counseling. The young dad and volunteers parted with hugs. “God bless you,” he said.
“Our 40 Days for Life volunteers were exactly in the right place at the right time, both for the hurting mom and the young dad,” Peter said. “It was divine providence — the grace of 40 Days for Life at work. Praise God!”
…After the Winnipeg Free Press broke the story Tuesday, the Archdiocese, headed by Archbishop James Weisgerber, immediately distanced themselves from Hood’s actions, insisting that “Catholic Schools in Winnipeg do not give community service or academic credit for participation in prayer vigils.”
“There are no Catholic schools in Winnipeg that give academic credit for political activity,” Robert Praznik, the Archdiocese’s director of education, told the Winnipeg Free Press. “We’re very careful, we’re not a political organization. None of this is part of the curriculum, and none of this is done on school time.”
In an interview with LifeSiteNews, Praznik insisted the Winnipeg Catholic schools strongly uphold the right to life, but said they “would never give credit to people for attending a prayer service,” just like they “wouldn’t give credit to people for attending Mass.”
“We respect the sanctity of human life. It would be individual parents, families that would make those decisions,” he continued.
Asked if the schools would organize a group to attend a pro-life event, like the Catholic schools in Ontario do by sending students to the Ottawa March for Life, he said, “We would have difficulty if it happened during school hours because of our funding.”
“It’s not that we’re not supporting pro-life activities, but we’re also politically sensitive to the political environment,” he said. “In terms of government regulations in terms of school hours and so forth. We walk a fine line.”…(Source)
“Politically sensitive to the political environment?” That about sums up the state of Canadian Catholicism. Can you imagine saying that to John the Baptist?
When money comes between a Catholic and his Faith and Witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have a name for someone like that.
He’s called Judas. And we have a whole Catholic institutional edifice that’s become one gigantic JUDAS outfit, with the bishops at the top and the diocesan bureaucrats pulling the strings.
I’m really not surprised anymore at the Catholic hierarchy in this country. It’s a disgrace. There’s really nothing else to call it.
At the end of this blog post, you will see a man seated at a board room table That’s the same Archbishop Weisgerber (mentioned in the article above and of D&P fame) who was out there front and center, plugging Development & Peace’s anti-water bottle campaign. The courage! The valour! The honour! Save us from those evil water bottles! And damn the political consequences!
But abortion? Well, that’s a political issue, you see.
Just wanted to share with you a wonderful experience I was part of yesterday down at Ground Zero. Following the end of Christian Community Day (gathering of all Ottawa Catholic School Board staff and support staff at the Conventioin Centre), I proceeded down to 65 Bank Street. Upon arrival, a priest (and 2 others dressed in clerics) was leading those gathered in the Rosary and later on, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Not long afterwards, a group of older teenage girls could be seen looking over at us from the McDonalds location they were standing outside. It wasn’t long before 2 of the girls decided to come over. At that moment, I braced myself for what I thought would be a hefty confrontation. What transpired could have been nothing further from the truth. Myself, along with 2 members of the Holy Redeemer Knights of Columbus, entered into what could only be described as a most engaging conversation about abortion and the defence of life. During the course of our conversation, one of the girls proceeded to tell us that her mother had been seriously considering aborting her. This was obviously very disturbing to hear. When asked why, in the end, her mother had decided against aborting, the girl responded, “She woke up one morning and realized she couldn’t – she knew that it was just wrong.” Seeing that their two friends were heavily involved in discussion, the remainder of the group crossed Bank St. to join in on the conversation. The girls were genuinely interested in what we were doing there and what 40 Days for Life was all about. This group of 6 seventeen year olds showed themselves to be very articulate, polite and well-informed individuals. They asked questions to us concerning abortion and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as well as the morning after pill as a form of abortion. Sadly, the leader of the group informed us that 3 girls whom she knows had had abortions. Another girl in the group (who told us she was pro-choice) stated that most girls her age today view abortion as simply another means of contraception, and that it is mostly the parents who are the ones forcing their daughters to kill their babies for fear of shame. The girls then thanked us and headed off, cigarettes in hand. As I put my placard down, and finished my shift, I thanked the Lord for the blessing of sending these young girls our way. Instead of fearing a confrontation, I was given an opportunity to witness to life. Even more importantly, the Lord placed in our midst a beautiful, young, articulate girl whose mother decided against abortion and instead chose to give life – Amen to that!
Just wanted to share with you a wonderful experience I was part of yesterday down at Ground Zero.
Following the end of Christian Community Day (gathering of all Ottawa Catholic School Board staff and support staff at the Conventioin Centre), I proceeded down to 65 Bank Street. Upon arrival, a priest (and 2 others dressed in clerics) was leading those gathered in the Rosary and later on, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Not long afterwards, a group of older teenage girls could be seen looking over at us from the McDonalds location they were standing outside. It wasn’t long before 2 of the girls decided to come over. At that moment, I braced myself for what I thought would be a hefty confrontation. What transpired could have been nothing further from the truth. Myself, along with 2 members of the Holy Redeemer Knights of Columbus, entered into what could only be described as a most engaging conversation about abortion and the defence of life. During the course of our conversation, one of the girls proceeded to tell us that her mother had been seriously considering aborting her. This was obviously very disturbing to hear. When asked why, in the end, her mother had decided against aborting, the girl responded, “She woke up one morning and realized she couldn’t – she knew that it was just wrong.” Seeing that their two friends were heavily involved in discussion, the remainder of the group crossed Bank St. to join in on the conversation. The girls were genuinely interested in what we were doing there and what 40 Days for Life was all about. This group of 6 seventeen year olds showed themselves to be very articulate, polite and well-informed individuals. They asked questions to us concerning abortion and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as well as the morning after pill as a form of abortion. Sadly, the leader of the group informed us that 3 girls whom she knows had had abortions. Another girl in the group (who told us she was pro-choice) stated that most girls her age today view abortion as simply another means of contraception, and that it is mostly the parents who are the ones forcing their daughters to kill their babies for fear of shame. The girls then thanked us and headed off, cigarettes in hand. As I put my placard down, and finished my shift, I thanked the Lord for the blessing of sending these young girls our way. Instead of fearing a confrontation, I was given an opportunity to witness to life. Even more importantly, the Lord placed in our midst a beautiful, young, articulate girl whose mother decided against abortion and instead chose to give life – Amen to that! – Catholic Teacher
1) Ground Zero Reports:
A priest took the first spot for the proclamation of the Word and later shared with me that in all his life he had never experienced such a Spiritual attack. The night before the proclamation he was unable to sleep and was inundated with ridiculous thoughts aimed at discouraging him from going. He said that as he was proclaiming the Word, even with all the distractions of busses and construction work, that he sensed the power and the peace of the Lord. I am not intending to discourage you but to encourage you. Clearly our adversary does not want us there. Where the Word of God is…God is, and Satan departs allowing the prayer warriors and street counsellors to be in the company of the Lord without the distractions of Satan. PLEASE sign-up for one of the slots. There are many to be filled in the coming weeks. Please see the online schedule and choose a time.
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Please be sure to send us your observations, reflections, and any other pertinent information you would like to share with the other 40 Days for Life Participants. Your identity will be kept anonymous
2) News:
I just went to get my hair done – and saved a baby from abortion instead!
5) Scripture Proclamation: It’s the hottest ticket in town! No, not the Senator’s. Proclaiming Scripture at Ground Zero, dummy! The slots are filling up quickly. There’s one left next Wednesday and then the following Weekend. Holy smokes, this thing is taking off. We’re bringing the “big heavy” down on the devil’s head. God knows exactly what we need and He’s bringing it. We’re cracking a big gaping hole in the Enemy’s defenses. And when we get a crack, we’re going to drive right through it and set the captives free!
___________________________ https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0AqhKltPAk8d7dGJmOXVXbTI1X1ZXOUhQRGdsTEgxQ3c&single=true&gid=8&output=html
6) Report from America – Available to read on our home page every day.
7) Theme Days:
Day 11 Saturday, October 08, 2011 - Motorists, Bus Passengers Passing By
Day 12 Sunday, October 09, 2011 - Abortionists
Day 13 Monday, October 10, 2011 - Aborted Children
Day 14 Tuesday, October 11, 2011 - Landlords of Abortion Mills
Day 15 Wednesday, October 12, 2011 - Sidewalk Counsellors
Day 16 Thursday, October 13, 2011 - Students for Life Across University Campuses (esp. Ottawa Students for Life / Carleton LifeLine)
Day 17 Friday, October 14, 2011 - The Meandering Pedestrian
1) Biggest Campaign Ever!
The next 40 Days for Life pro-life prayer campaign starts next week and it is the biggest ever, according to Shawn Carney, the national director of the event that has become an inspiring grassroots pro-life phenomenon.When the last campaign ended in the Spring, pro-life advocates had gathered at 247 locations across the country and around the world and organizers said, at the time, they had confirmations of 483 unborn children whose lives were spared because of the campaign at abortion centers. That made the number of babies who had not become victims of abortion reach a high of 4,082 — and it has gone up since….read the rest here.
2) Planned Rallies for this year’s 40 Days for Life Campaign:
September 25th at 7:00 pm – Kick-Off Rally on Parliament Hill. Evening Prayer led by Marcel Dion. There will be some great speakers including Ruth Lobo and Doris Gagnon. This will be followed by a candle-light procession to Abortion facility at 65 Bank St.(Ground Zero)
Campaign Starts on Wednesday Sept. 28th @ 7:00 am
October 16th at 7:00 pm- Mid Point Rally at Ground Zero.
November 6th at 7:00 pm: Closing Rally – Vespers at Saint Patrick’s Basilica followed by candle-light procession to Ground Zero (65 Bank St.)
Registration for prayer vigil:
The peaceful prayer vigil will be conducted across from the abortion facility at 65 Bank Street from 7 AM to 7 PM throughout the 40 days (September 28th to November 6th) of the campaign.
This year, 40 Days for Life Ottawa is adding another spiritual weapon to our prayer arsenal during this year’s Autumn campaign – the proclamation of Scripture!
The proclamation of the Word will take place during the hours of 11:00AM until 1:00PM each day during the Campaign across the street from, and just a little to the north of, the abortuary. We will have a podium, microphone and speaker set-up. You will need your own bible, an umbrella in case it rains and perhaps and bottle of water. Proclamation of the Word is in support of the Prayer warriors and street counsellors, therefore, it will not be so loud as to disrupt their work.
My friends, this exercise amounts to nothing less than an exorcism. We are going to be putting some holy heat on the demons…to set the captives free and bring life and freedom to Ground Zero. With this ground-breaking initiative – the first one in North America (at least to my knowledge) – we are going to advance the collapse of abortion in Canada by years.
I remember once, many years ago, walking by a street preacher on Sparks Street who was preaching the Word of God and I wondered to myself if I would ever have a chance (or the courage) to do that in public. Well, here’s my chance and here’s your chance to make an extraordinary witness to Jesus Christ and the Unborn.
Bold, baby. Bold. It’s the only way to go! Don’t let this opportunity go by, sign up, gird up your loins and engage. Because we’re going to win…sooner than we all think. Thanks be to God!
If you want to participate in this unique and powerful initiative, click here to get more details (permanent link, Proclamation!, under Vigil Registration on the top menu of the 40 Days for Life – Ottawa site).
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, as it judges the thoughts and purposes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
Speaking of Milwaukee, the 40 Days for Life team has its green smocks again – the ones that look almost exactly like the ones Planned Parenthood’s escorts wear. In fact, they even say “parenthood volunteer” with a cross-like design that resembles the style of Planned Parenthood’s logo. Here’s a picture of green-smocked volunteers in Milwaukee:
Planned Parenthood tried to pull a fast one – they switched to orange smocks for their escorts. “They looked really pleased with themselves,” Dan said. But his team was ready – they pulled out orange versions of THEIR OWN smocks! He’d seen one of the orange Planned Parenthood smocks earlier and sensed that something was up.So they had some orange “parenthood volunteer” smocks on hand just in case Planned Parenthood switched colors. The vigil participants put on the orange and Dan says the smiles on the escorts’ faces “turned upside down – WAY down!” (Source)
Boy, would I like to roll with these guys. They’re my kind of fighters.
Praying and Being There Gets Results
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