Denver Catholic

BY NISSA LAPOINT AND KARNA SWANSON Life won a victory over the culture of death April 16 when state senators began to buckle in the pursuit of the "abortion rights" Senate Bill 175 and killed it shortly before 7 p.m. Pro-lifers mobilized in less than a week to pray for the de- feat of the destructive bill that threatened to create unfettered access to abortion and undo life-affirming laws in Colorado. Faith-filled citizens inundat- ed state senators with phone calls, emails and personal re- quests to vote down the bill in support of mothers and for the protection of the unborn. Holy Week miracle Jenny Kraska of the Colorado Catholic Conference said the night of April 16 is proof that Catholics can make a difference. "Whenever someone says that we can't make a difference, just remember this night, just remember this bill," she said. That night, the Senate moved to lay over the bill until May 8, one day after the legislative session is scheduled to end on May 7, which effectively killed the bill—the Senate will not vote on it. Sen. John Kefalas, D-Larimer, who belongs to the Orthodox Church, and Sen. Rachel Zen- zinger, D-Jefferson a parishio- ner at Spirit of Christ Church in Arvada, reportedly began to waver in their support of the bill as pro-lifers made their voices heard. Without the majority vote of the Democrats, the bill would have failed. Kraska thanked everyone for their witness that stopped the bill in its tracks. "It is because of your willingness to engage the pub- lic square that we were able to defeat (Senate Bill 175)," she said in a statement. "Your voic- es matter and are needed in the public square now more than ever; please remember what we were able to accomplish and continue to be involved and make your voices heard." Some called it a Holy Week miracle. "I cannot thank you all enough for what you did to make this possible—this is tru- ly a miracle," Kraska said. Prayer rally The bill's progress was stopped one day after near- ly 1,000 Christians and peo- ple of good will gathered with Archbishop Samuel Aquila and Greek Orthodox Father Am- brose Omayas at the state Cap- itol to pray for the protection of life. Young and old; men, wom- en and children; laity and re- ligious; solemnly prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m. April 15. The bill was scheduled for a vote that same evening and faithful from the gathering outside flooded the Senate chambers. However, the Sen- ate moved to lay over the bill because Kefalas, a key sup- porter of the bill, reportedly went home sick. Bill proponents believe the outside prayer gathering and the high volume of opposi- tion and prayer led the Demo- crat-controlled Senate to move to end the bill April 16. During that prayer rally, Archbishop Aquila told the crowd gathered on the Capitol steps that it's important to par- ticipate in the political system. He said Catholics can no lon- ger take the backseat. "Some of the senators have said they have shut off their phones, some of them said they have never been contact- ed by so many," the archbishop said during the gathering. "And you can make a difference. Too many times we have taken a backseat, and Catholics, Chris- tians, and people of good will can no longer take a back seat." His statements echoed the words of Pope Francis, who INDEX Archbishop's Column ......................2 The Catholic Difference ..................4 Call to Charity ...................................4 Letters to the Editor .......................4 Puzzle Page .......................................9 Nun of the Above quiz ....................9 Bulletin Board ................................. 10 Service Directory ....................... 10-11 A Holy Week miracle: Life wins PHOTO BY BERNARD GRANT BISHOP Machebeuf High School students and nearly 1,000 faithful cheer for life at the state Capitol April 15. The abortion rights Senate Bill 175 was killed by the Senate April 16. APRIL 23, 2014 114 Years of Service to the Gospel Volume XC - No. 16 www.DenverCatholicRegister.org I Follow us on INSIDE EASTER PAGE 2 PAGE 3 PAGE 3 Photo Essay: A journey through Holy Week Sacred oil meant to inflame hearts PHOTO BY DANIEL PETTY/DCR Search for God reveals he was there all along CATHOLIC LIFE CANONIZATION PAGE 8 PAGE 6 Follow the archdiocesan pilgrimage to the canonization online Catholic gardening society takes root in Lakewood See Life, Page 6

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