tvc.dsj.org | April 25, 2017
COMMUNITY
11
40 Days for Life Candlelight Procession
A Candlelight Procession brought to
a close the Spring 2017 campaign of 40
Days for Life, the sixteenth campaign
held in the Diocese of San Jose. More
than fifty people braved the rain for the
walk from Saint Leo the Great Church,
down Race Street to Planned Parent-
hood on The Alameda, for a final prayer
service.
Anne Marie Chrisoulis, pro-life
volunteer, said, “The light rain showers
reminded us of God’s covering as we
walked peacefully praying and singing
hymns for the sanctity of human life.
It’s the desire and goal of 40DFL partici-
pants to be a beacon of light and hope
where there is darkness and distress. To
preserve the sanctity of life. To protect
and be a voice for little humans in the
womb, designed and knitted together
by God. All children are truly a gift
from God.”
“It was a peaceful, prayerful walk,
as we gave public witness to the sanc-
tity of human life, and the authority
of God over all life. As we processed,
we stopped at each block and said
one of the Stations of the Cross. It
was a fitting Lenten exercise,” said
Maureen Saulpaugh, a long-time mem-
ber of the 40 Days planning team.
Stations of the Cross are the focus of the closing procession for 40 Days for Life.
The walk also included prayers and
hymns, and concludes every year with
a pro-life rosary.
When asked why he comes to the
vigil and procession, Jerry Mack says,
“When we think about the life issues,
Catholics must come to grips with the is-
sue of abortion. We have many outreach
programs to support men and women
who choose life for their babies, finan-
cial support, food support and medical
services. We have a million families
The Saint Martin of Tours Young Adult Ministry organized a Lenten Retreat for the parish community.
Saint Martin of Tours Parish Lenten Retreat
The Saint Martin of Tours Young
Adult Ministry were asked by Father
Sergio Ovando to organize a Lenten
Retreat for the entire parish community.
This event was facilitated by the Verbum
Dei Missionaries of San Francisco, spe-
cifically Sister Sara Postelthwaite and
Laryn Kovalik. The chosen theme for
the retreat was “The Wilderness Will
Bloom” and it could not have been more
appropriate.
This prayerful event took place
March 13 and 14 at Saint Martin’s parish.
Attendees were greeted with refresh-
ments and a welcoming atmosphere in
which all had the opportunity to get to
know their Parish members a little bet-
ter. The two-hour retreat followed and
this was an intimate setting made up of
music, a talk, and contemplative prayer
which focused on Lectio Divina.
Lectio Divina is a slow-paced, con-
templative praying of the scriptures
in which we have the opportunity to
discover God who “speaks” to us on a
very personal level. The theme of the
retreat interacted perfectly with this
prayer practice because Lent is a critical
time for us to stop or slow down in order
to reconnect with God and experience
Hope, even in the Wilderness.
During this retreat, the primary
focus was the importance of reflection.
Those who attended not only took
with them a small symbolic stone and
scripture card, but they left with an
overwhelming sense of peace and an
excitement for the joy that Easter brings.
waiting to adopt. But before those pro-
grams can have an impact, we have to
first save the babies. That’s why I come,
that’s my priority.”
Commenting on his presence at the
event, Dominic Gagnon said, “I have
been looking for some way to get more
involved in the pro-life movement. I
consider abortion the number one social
justice issue in this country.”
Mary Ann Smutnak has noticed
the increase of the younger genera-
tion at pro-life activities. “The tide has
definitely turned on the abortion issue,
especially for the younger generation.
We see an increasing participation at
the vigil, the West Coast Walk for Life
and other events, by the Millennials. I
think that’s because of the freedom of
information on the internet. They can
actually watch a video of an abortion
procedure, and see what really takes
place. There’s a growing awareness
that the little boy or girl, the fetus, is a
human being. I was told once by a teen,
that ‘abortion is mean.’ ”
The next campaign runs from Sep-
tember 27 to November 5, with the
Bishop’s Mass for the Sanctity of Hu-
man Life on Tuesday, October 23. For
more information about 40 Days for Life
call Rilene Simpson at (408) 800-5498,
email [email protected] or
visit www.40daysforlife.com/sanjose.