By Roberto Aguirre - Florida Catholic
Archbishop Thomas Wenski arrives at the abortion center for the prayer service in thanksgiving for the closing of A Choice for Women.
Sister Maria Carlota de la Santa Cruz of the Fraternidad Misionera del Fiat de Maria, representing the Doral community, holds a Baby Jesus in her hands.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski prays during the thanksgiving service for the closing of A Choice for Women.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski leads the prayer during the thanksgiving service for the closing of A Choice for Women.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski poses with the young adult group Soldiers of Mercy from Good Shepherd Church, who have prayed in front of the abortion center on many occasions.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski poses with the youth group from St. Joachim Church who have prayed at the abortion center on many occasions. This group is led by Fredy Garcia, first at left.
The Spanish-speaking pro-lifers stand with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe which has been their hallmark.
Pro-lifers continue to pray outside the now-closed abortion facility after Archbishop Thomas Wenski's departure.
Photography: ROBERTO AGUIRRE | FC
MIAMI | After nearly 15 years of Saturday morning rosaries, the pro-lifers who gathered in front of A Choice for Women got a surprise: the facility’s gates were open. There were no cars in the parking lot and no security guards. No sheets hung from the hedge, blocking the view inside the property.
Mary Salter, a parishioner at St. John Neumann who has led the weekly prayer vigils at the Kendall abortion facility, reported to her team what she saw April 2. It’s not clear what happened, she wrote in her email, but the place is definitely empty. Callers are being referred to other facilities.
So the team decided to continue their prayerful witness through the end of the
Photographer: ROBERTO AGUIRRE | FC
Everardo Aguilar, right, an active pro-lifer who flew from Mexico to be present at the prayer service, poses with Maria Wadsworth from St. Louis Church in Pinecrest. Everardo continues his ministry with the pro-life group in Mexico.
Photographer: ROBERTO AGUIRRE | FC
Archbishop Thomas Wenski leads the prayer during the thanksgiving service for the closing of A Choice for Women.
"Given the fact that we had very little opportunity to talk or interact with the abortion-seeking women entering A Choice for Women, we nevertheless 'tweaked the consciences' of some of them,” said Salter. “The work of the Holy Spirit, plus seeing us there in prayer, led several women that we learned about over the years to change their minds and give life to their children. Only the Holy Spirit knows how many others simply drove on by, not even entering the parking lot or honoring their appointments — deciding not to kill their children."
Although she can’t say for sure what caused the closing of A Choice for Women, Salter sees a value in the pro-lifers’ weekly witness.
"It is unusual to see a group of people praying publicly,” she said. “We definitely caught the attention of the public driving by. While we were sometimes cursed, we also received many positive honks and 'thumbs-up.' Pro-life sentiments are strong in our community."
Archbishop Wenski sees value in the witness as well, which continues every Saturday at different facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, under the auspices of the archdiocese’sRespect Life Ministry.
“This is an important ministry for the dignity of all human life,” Archbishop Wenski told those gathered April 30. He invited them to continue to be witnesses for life and defend it at all stages.
“It is a very important thing that we stand for: life,” he said, noting that Pope Francis has called Catholics to oppose “la cultura del descarte” — “a throwaway culture.”
Everardo Aguilar had led the Spanish prayer group at the site for years before being transferred back to his native Mexico a year ago by his employer. (One group prayed in English at 7 a.m. and another prayed in Spanish at 9 a.m. every Saturday.)
He came back the weekend of April 30 just to give thanks.
“Like 10 years ago I attended a retreat about (post-abortion) pain and at the same time I was invited to pray in front of the abortion center. It was an exaggeration to me praying four rosaries but they explained to me that each Hail Mary was offered for an aborted baby; in fact, four were insufficient.”
He tried to invite many others to join him, he said, “but they were indifferent.”
In fact, he remembers when he started praying there seven years ago “there was much opposition at the center and we had to be strong to not be provoked.”
“I had been receiving Mary (Salter's) e-mails for years, but then I read that a group of college students was there on a Saturday morning,” recalled another faithful attendee, Shaune Scott. “If college students were there praying, what was my excuse? I gave myself a kick and got myself to A Choice for Women in October or November of 2013, and stayed to the end.”
And now what? Salter echoed the thoughts of many of her fellow pro-lifers when she said, “What we need is a wealthy, prolife, businessperson who would be willing to purchase the property and give it to Heartbeat of Miami (an interfaith pregnancy help center) and the archdiocese to open a (joint) pregnancy help medical clinic.
“I dream big,” she added, noting that one of the prayers they routinely say on Saturday mornings, a “Prayer for the Closing of the Abortion Mill,” makes specific reference to A Choice for Women and ends with the words that it will become “a haven of life.”
RESPECT LIFE PRAYER VIGILS
Volunteers with the archdiocesan Respect Life Ministry organize prayer vigils at abortion facilities as follows:
First Saturday of the month
- From 8-9 a.m., abortion site located at: 3829 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
- From 8-9 a.m., abortion site located at: 6161 Miramar Parkway, Miramar
Second Saturday of the month
- From 8:45-10 a.m., abortion site located at: 7707 N. University Drive, Tamarac (Meet for 8 a.m. Mass at St. Malachy, 6200 John Horan Terrace, Tamarac)
Third Saturday of the month
- From 9-10 a.m., abortion site located at: 263 N. University Drive, Pembroke Pines
- From 9:30-10:30 a.m., abortion site located at: 2929 University Drive, Coral Springs (meet for 9 a.m. Mass at St. Andrew, 9950 N.W. 29 St., Coral Springs)
Fourth Saturday of the month
- From 9 to 10:30 a.m., abortion site located at: 3600 N.W. 79 Ave., Doral
