On December 9th, Feast of Juan Diego, Father Patrick Burns, pastor of Saint Michael the Archangel Church, welcomed Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and Detective Steven McDonald as they led the Helpers procession to the Ambulatory Surgery Center of Brooklyn abortion mill, on 3rd Avenue and 43rd Street. While the Helpers were praying and singing, a small group of pro-abortion advocates, located about fifty feet away, were standing in a pen set up by the police. They sang profane parodies of familiar Christmas carols, using lyrics that were disrespectful of Christ, the members of His Church and of the Holy Day, Christmas. To their credit, no Helpers responded to the blasphemies, but rather, they kept praying peacefully through these terrible insults. God rewarded their prayers, patience and charity. Not only did some pregnant mothers decide that morning to keep their babies, but after the prayer vigil a person said to me, “The Helpers held a similar prayer vigil here at Saint Michael's sixteen years ago.”  I replied, “You are right. It was July of 1990.” The person then continued, “But did you know, a mother also turned around that day because of your prayerful presence, and just recently her daughter celebrated her fifteenth birthday?”

        On the weekdays following this Vigil, at the same Ambulatory mill, the blessings continued, for many mothers came back out and chose life for their unborn babies. Indeed, on one particular weekday the number was fourteen. And during that same week, the daily sidewalk counselor, Mike Marino, offered some helpful material to a woman walking towards the clinic. The woman said: “You already gave it to me.”  Mike replied, “ I don’t remember giving it to you.” The young woman said: ”You gave me the material six years ago and I now have a five year old daughter at home, thanks to you.”  

       On November 18th, Father Robert Robinson, pastor of  Saint Patrick’s Church in Queens, welcomed Bishop Daily and the other Helpers as they led our major annual Helpers Prayer Vigil from Saint Patrick’s to the infamous "Choices" abortion mill, where hundreds of thousands of innocent unborn babies, through the first six months of gestation, have been literally "torn apart". (Normally on Saturday mornings throughout the year, starting at 7:00 AM, Bishop Daily would be found praying with and assisting counselors like Dotty Doyle and Mary Murray outside All Women Medical abortion mill on Austin Street in Forest Hills.) More than 100 people took part in the procession to "Choices" that Saturday morning, including young people from Jovenes de Valor of the Diocese of Brooklyn and some wonderful young members of the Union Lumen Dei Apostolate, whose roots are in Peru. Some mothers turned around while the group maintained a peaceful presence of song and prayer outside the abortion mill. After a successful prayer vigil, the good people of Saint Pat’s provided something to eat for all those who took part in the Vigil.

     On the morning of Saturday, October 28th, there was torrential rain falling, along with strong gusts of wind, as we left the Monastery of the Precious Blood on our way to St. John Vianney Church in Flushing, Queens, for our Helpers monthly prayer vigil. As I entered the church, to my surprise, Bishop Daily was already vested in alb, waiting in prayer. The Bishop asked  me, “ Do you think anybody will come this morning?” To his surprise, 30 college students came walking into the church. The students were from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., Christendom College, Front Royal, Virginia, as well as Katharina Schipp, a student from Muenster Germany, who, having successfully completed her medical studies, was now finishing her doctoral research studies at Yale University, New Haven, CT. All of these students were taking part  in a Helpers weekend retreat and training program at the Precious Blood Monastery, from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. (In addition, six students from Cornell University had called and indicated they were unable to come that weekend, asking to reschedule their retreat!) Even with umbrellas being blown inside out, there was nothing that could dampen the enthusiasm of those young people, so eager to witness and pray that morning with Bishop Daily, on the streets of Flushing. By the end of the Mass, many of the regular Helpers, including my nieces, Susan and Eileen Moore, filled up Saint John Vianney Church. As we left the parish church in the driving rain and wind, and headed to the Liberty Abortion mill near Main Street and Northern Boulevard, the New York City Police met us at the doors of the church to escort us to the site and back. As always, the officers of the NYPD were exceptional, professional and polite, in helping us exercise our First Amendment Right to assemble peaceably and to petition the government for a redress of grievances for the injustice done by current constitutional law, in violation of the most fundamental right to life of the unborn child. The pastor, Father Brian Dowd was very gracious and hospitable to all.

     The Helpers, Brooklyn, New York, together with the Helpers of Austria, the World Apostolate of Fatima, and the Pontifical Council for the Family, co-sponsored  the World Prayer Conference for Life at  Fatima, Portugal,  from October 4th through October 10th, 2006. It was more than successful. Five-hundred people from forty Countries attended the Life Conference. The conference program was integrated into all the spiritual exercises at the Shrine, including a special Way of the Cross, led by Bishop Karl Josef Romer, the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family. A special cross, made from surgical instruments actually used in performing abortions, was used for The Way of the Cross. On Saturday, October 7th, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, Bishop Romer offered Mass at the main shrine altar and led all the people in entrusting the Pro-Life movement to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

     Sr. Virginia Beretta, the sister of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, addressed the Life Conference, as did the Bishop Emeritus and the present Bishop of Fatima, Antonio Marto. You can read about the conference and even listen to the talks online at www.fatima-pro-life-congress-2006.com  My first talk at the conference was on Humanae Vitae and Donum Vitae; the second, on Evangelium Vitae: and the third on “Golgotha Today-Standing with Mary and John at the Foot of the Cross.”  I urge you to listen, download, or view the available transcripts posted on the Helpers of God's Precious Infants website at: www.helpersbrooklynny.org  More than a hundred people stayed on Monday and Tuesday for the workshops on Sidewalk Counseling and Post Abortion Healing. At the conference, I met Helpers from all over the world who invited me to return once again to their countries. I also received requests to come to others I have never visited, like Togo, Africa, which has just become the second African nation to allow abortions, and Pakistan, where, although technically not allowed, abortions still happen because of the special difficulties unwed pregnant women encounter there.    

     On Wednesday morning, October 11th, I was off to Frankfurt, Germany, where I was met at the airport by Wolfgang  Hering, the President of the Helpers in Germany. From that Wednesday to Monday the 16th, he kept me busy, either speaking or offering Mass at shrines or praying in front of abortion clinics. I ended the week offering Mass and speaking at the great Marian Shrine in Germany, Altotting, at which Pope Benedict the XVI recently prayed. Twenty special caps, beautifully handmade, with the Papal insignia on the front of the cap, were made for the occasion of the Pope's visit to the Shrine. The Director of the Altotting Shrine received one of those caps, which he very generously insisted on giving to me as a gift. I concluded my trip in Germany by taking part that Sunday evening from 8PM to 10 PM,  in a live two hour interview on the Catholic Radio, Horeb, in Munich. My favorite translator, Felicitas, made it easy to respond to the questions.  

     Dietmar Fischer of Austria, who was the main organizer of the Life Conference in Fatima, has requested that we pray especially that the referendum to legalize abortion  will be rejected by the people of Portugal.  Louis J. Matt Jr. of Austria, has also requested our prayers that Amnesty International would not declare legal abortion an international human right. Brother Lawrence Cole SM, a Helper in New Zealand, has requested special prayers for a court case on life coming up in their country. With the legalization  of abortion in Togo, the work of Sally Hall and the Helpers in South Africa becomes more crucial. Pray for their perseverance. Fonda Lash and Maria Graham recently went to Mexico to assist   people like Barbara Spencer to start the Helpers in Mexico. The Good Counsel Network together with the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants in London, England conducted a 9-day novena of prayers outside BPAS abortuary in Central London. Bishop Longley and twenty-one other priests prayed outside this London abortuary. The Novena ended on Dec. 8th the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Keep in your prayers Eva and her daughter Adriana who recently spent some time here at the Monastery and are actively involved in organizing Helpers Prayer Vigils for life and would also like to start a Pregnancy Life Center in Bratislava, Slovakia. 

     God bless Matt Ulrich and all the wonderful Helpers in Seattle, Washington, who, after many years of prayer vigils outside Aradia Women’s Health Center, have learned that the abortion mill is closing after 34 years of doing abortions and training abortionists. There was also a positive story in the papers about how the Helpers have been praying outside of Panned Parenthood, Bettendorf, Iowa since it opened. God bless Rand and Jeanne Wonio, and all the Helpers in Iowa, for their prayerful dedication all these years. Keep in your prayers a wonderful pro-life priest, Father Mark Beran, who has led the Helpers in prayers for years in Omaha, Nebraska. However, Gretchen Moylan, the leader of the Omaha  Helpers, has recently informed me that Father has left for Iraq as a Chaplain.

    The Catholic News & Herald of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, had a front page story on the good work the Charlotte Helpers are doing under the leadership of Margaret  Nogy and others. Under the leadership of Fran Fortier, the Helpers in the Diocese of Joliet Illinois will dedicate January 22nd to  praying outside all the abortion clinics within their Diocese. The Nanuet, NY Helpers, under the leadership of Peggy Beirne, held a prayer vigil on December 8th, led by Fathers Frank Samoylo and Carl Johnson. Many years ago, Father Frank was one of the Helpers prayers. Charles Coudert continues to organize the monthly prayer vigils outside of Union Hospital in Framington, MA. Under the spiritual leadership of Father Ed McDonough, C.S.S.R., the Helpers in Boston continue monthly prayer vigils in front of Planned Parenthood. They started in July 1990.