I’ll bet many of you know exactly where you were when you heard the news in June about Roe v. Wade being overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case. We were actually at intermission for the Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany. We came out of the building with thousands of others. My husband checked his messages and one of our daughters had sent a message from the U.S.: “Roe is OVERTURNED!”
We held each other and cried for a long time, with people streaming past us like water in a river. For more than two decades I recalled saying to countless students, “I don’t know if Roe will fall in my lifetime, but I certainly hope it will in yours.” Yet there we were. To escape the pouring rain, we went under the nearest shop’s awning, and I finally looked up, only to see a huge wooden, ornately carved and painted crucifix directly over me — so poignant and reassuring after such a long battle!
Of course, now we are observing a concerning shift in the entire country, closely resembling the territorial opposition between slave and free states in the past. Colorado’s politicians have pressed hard for unrestrained abortion at every stage of pregnancy. If that wasn’t enough, some states are now moving to allow infanticide. It remains our calling to offer our voices and hearts to share objective truth and sound reasoning, spoken with a spirit of charity to those in opposition who — quite probably — have no clue regarding the rich and wonderful teachings of the Catholic Church related to authentic, sacrificial love, as well as the immeasurable value of each human life.
To this end, we continue our education for those who choose to listen, and offer various means of public witness. Keeping in mind the great shifts that are happening nationally as well as locally, we are implementing some dynamic changes for 2023.
First of all, on Sunday, January 22, 2023 — the actual date of the 50th year anniversary of Roe v. Wade — parishes are encouraged to hold commemorative Masses to honor and remember the more than 63 million children that we have lost in the United States due to abortion because of that ruling. Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila will be the celebrant for this Holy Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver at 12:30 p.m. on that day.
Linked on the RespectLifeDenver.org website is a Mass Aid for other parishes to spark ideas for the day, such as utilizing children and young people in the Opening Procession, a Memorial Table display at the front of the church, hymns and Scripture suggestions, with appropriate intercessions for the day.
In addition, following up on our Gospel of Life event in October at St. Thomas More Catholic Parish in Centennial, we are delighted to announce that parishes in Northern Colorado have requested their own Gospel of Life event, featuring an individual with a significant conversion from previous experience in the abortion industry. Dr. John Bruchalski, a former abortionist, now runs Tepeyac OB/GYN, a life-affirming women’s health center in Fairfax, Va. He has agreed to share his powerful story at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Parish in Windsor, on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. All are welcome. Proceeds will go toward the new Marisol Health effort in Northern Colorado.
Let us all remember that great phrase regarding the Bible, “I read the back of the book, and we win!” May our Lord of Life give us great victories in 2023, and may he alone receive all the glory!
Lynn Grandon is director of Respect Life Denver, a program of Catholic Charities of Denver. Learn more at respectlifedenver.org.