Denver Catholic

DCR - Jan. 15, 2014

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INDEX Archbishop's Column ......................2 The Catholic Difference ..................4 Nun of the Above quiz ....................4 Letters to the Editor .......................4 NEW: Cartoon 'Lil' Pete' .................8 Testimony: Denver Nuggets ..........11 Bulletin Board ................................. 14 Service Directory ........................... 15 113 Years of Service to the Gospel www.DenverCatholicRegister.org I Follow us on Volume XC - No. 2 JANUARY 15, 2014 'This is a spiritual battle' INSIDE MEDIA CNA PHOTO Archbishop to media: Influence culture for good PAGE 2 VOCATIONS Meet the 10 deacon candidates KRISTIN COSTANZA, left, a student at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Md., prays in front of the Supreme Court during the 2006 March for Life in Washington, D.C. The annual march marks the anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade. This year marks the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade. PAGES 6-7 PHOTO BY CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES Prayer is weapon of choice in fight against abortion BY JULIE FILBY O nce a month early on a weekday morning, several cars line a quiet stretch of Pontiac Street between 38th and 39th Avenues in Denver. From those cars, about 25 teenagers emerge, rosaries in hand, who then surround the perimeter of Denver's Planned Parenthood headquarters and begin to quietly pray. They don't yell and scream, or hold up posters of graphic images, attempting to scare people out of entering the second largest abortion facility in the country. Their tactic is that of love, and their weapon of choice is prayer. "Love for others is what drives us," explained Kirsten Grandon, president of the Pro-Life Club at Denver's Bishop Machebeuf High School that organizes the vigils. "Loving others is the best way to love the Lord … and this love must come with action." The simple act preaches love more than anything, she said, though at times the message is lost on passersby who harass them. "It's not the easiest thing, holding rosary beads at Planned Parenthood," Grandon said. "But we're asked to step outside our comfort zones, we're not called to live comfortably. "We're called to speak out against abortion." Next week, Jan. 22 marks 41 years since Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in the United States. Since that ruling, it is estimated 56.9 million babies have died nationwide through abortion. The issue has divided the country like few others, and every day countless people pray that abortion will end—including many who feel called to pray near the clinics themselves. "Some chose to align with the sufferings of Christ next to the greatest place of spiritual battle," explained Lynn Grandon, Kirsten's mother and director of Lighthouse Women's Center across the street from Planned Parenthood, and program director for Respect Life Resources of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Denver. "Abortion clinics have shut down because of the power of prayer, because this is a spiritual battle. We're battling evil … you've got to know your enemy." The enemy she refers to is the evil of abortion itself, not those seeking one. "They have a soul too, and we have to be there to help them," she continued, referring to individuals seeking abortions as well as workers employed by the industry. In roughly the last 10 years, 44 abortion facilities across the country have shut down, 88 abortion workers have quit their jobs and 8,245 babies were saved—all attributed to the power of prayer. Specifically, during 40 Days for Life campaigns. 40 Days for Life is a national pro-life campaign, started in Texas in 2004, that includes peaceful 40-day prayer vigils outside abortion clinics twice a year. The next campaign begins March 5. See Battle, Page 8

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