We have Marched for Life and now Richard will Run for Life

On Saturday 6^th September over ten thousand Pro-Lifers joined the March for Life in London. You can read a report here.

Now Richard Keane, a former Good Counsel intern, will run a half marathon to help raise funds for our life saving work. Here is what Richard had to say in a talk he gave in his local Parish, please read what he said and then support our work and his efforts.

“I'm running the Potters Half Marathon to raise £2,000 for the Good Counsel, a remarkable Pro-Life organisation where I was proud to intern. 

For over 28 years, the Good Counsel Network has provided life- changing support to mothers and families in vulnerable situations- offering compassionate counselling, practical financial and housing aid, spiritual care through Masses, and even essential baby items to help mothers choose life.

Their work has helped save over 4,000 babies, and every donation goes directly to helping their mission. Walking alongside women in crisis with love and dignity, the Good Counsel Network offers a beacon of hope where it's needed most.

I spent nearly eight months as an intern for the Good Counsel Network, finishing in May this year. During that time, I witnessed the incredible efforts that staff and volunteers go to fulfil their mission, and I had the privilege of being involved in the day to day running of the Good Counsel. I prayed outside abortion centres, offering leaflets to passers-by, with a particular focus on vulnerable mothers. I also offered counsel to these mothers and their families during sessions in the Good Counsel office. As I mentioned before, they provide practical, as well as psychological and spiritual help.”

You can sponsor Richard here. Or donate using one of the following options,

Bank Details

Name: The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel

Sort Code: 40-06-30

Account Number: 13994678

By Credit Card over the phone:

Call 0207-723-1740 Monday to Friday, 10.30-6pm

Paypal.me/SaveLivesGCN

27 Mile March for Life

Please sponsor Stuart, Lorraine and Gabi as they take part in this year’s 7^th Annual GK Chesterton Pilgrimage. Gabi and Stuart, along with others, plan to walk the full 27 miles from Notting Hill to Beaconsfield. Grandmother of three, Lorraine will join them when they stop to pray outside the abortion centre in Ealing, where she prays regularly, and will walk the remaining 22 miles with them.

You can sponsor Stuart here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gkcwalk17

And you can sponsor Lorraine here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lorraine-coyne

To sponsor Gabi you will need to send a cheque payable to; The Guild Of Our Lady of Good Counsel, to, PO Box 46679, London, NW9 8ZT. All money raised will go to the Life Saving work of The Good Counsel Network (You can also send cheques for Lorraine and Stuart to the same address).

If you would like them to pray for anyone along the way, whether you sponsor them or not, please send an email to catholicgkcsociety@yahoo.co.uk

Details of the pilgrimage, which you are welcome to attend, and for copies of the GK Chesterton prayer in a number of languages, see www.catholicgkchestertonsociety.co.uk

Pro-Lifers You're Getting Fat! An...er..gentle hint from Jan!

Under the enchanting title "Pro-Lifers - You're getting fat: Join us for a bike ride in support of Good Counsel" Jan Klepacki has organised a sponsored event to raise us some funds to help reach, advise, feed and house expectant mums.

This is much appreciated at a very tight time financially. And after all there has been some widening of many girths around here...

So here are the details:

Choose the sanctity of LIFE, over the idleness of the couch. Join the great ANNUAL GOOD COUNSEL CHARITY BIKE RIDE, from Haslemere to the historic town of Littlehampton, on the coast. A group of young, jolly, pro-lifers will gather on Friday night at 7pm at the Our Lady of... Lourdes Church in Haslemere, 2 minutes walk from Haslemere train station (direct trains from Waterloo). Free accommodation, lots of comradery with the bike ride setting off the following morning. Good counsel is a charity that provides counselling and practical support for women in crisis pregnancy situations so that they are able to choose life for their child. Alternatively, you can join us directly on Saturday. The ride starts at 10am at the Church. The event end time is flexible but attendance until 4pm will allow one to make great use of the BBQ and company. Bring your swimming gear in case you want a swim once we arrive in Littlehampton! To obtain a copy of the gift aid and sponsorship form for this event please email me at klepackijan@yahoo.com for any further info please feel free to call me on 07838022247 or 01428641519. Perhaps, YOU CAN TALK THE PRO-LIFE TALK, BUT CAN YOU CYCLE THE PRO-LIFE CYCLE?

Sign up on facebook http://www.facebook.com/events/361338287270205/

Paris to Chartres Walk May 2010

Just over a week ago I set off in the direction of Paris with a sleeping bag, a few changes of clothes and small provisions with one of the most joyful groups of Pilgrims that you will find. We met at 7am to have Mass celebrated in Westminster Cathedral Crypt which finished with a rapturous version of the French hymn “Chez Nous Soyez Reine” which was to be heard many times during the course of the Pilgrimage.

I was with My Fiancée, Madeleine Readings who I wrote about recently on this blog because she had decided that she would try to raise sponsorship for The Good Counsel Network for completing the Pilgrimage.

Madeleine was attempting to complete the Pilgrimage for the 16th time. She first completed it when she was only 7 years old. She was the youngest person to ever complete the Pilgrimage, a record she still holds(as far as we know.) She has painted a vivid picture for me of her finishing doubled over almost but defiant she would get to Chartres without any assistance.

Now 23 Madeleine not only completes the Pilgrimage but is the “Chef de Chapitre” (chapter leader) of Juventutem which is the English Youth Chapter, which makes her journey twice as hard. I have seen first hand just how hard it can be to keep everyone going at the end of any of the days, especially the second day (which is the longest in terms of walking), when we have been walking for 12 hours and have completed approximately 30 miles. People are really struggling and she has to find a way to keep them going and a way to keep the group together.

The Pilgrimage itself is 72 Miles of walking from Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris to Notre Dame Cathedral, Chartres mainly through woods and fields. This year we were blessed with fine weather which if anything was too hot! We had 30 degrees from start to finish once the sun came up. Hardly any food is provided, so we are left mainly with as much food as we can carry on the day.

The nights are meant to be a time of rest, but are actually just as difficult as the day in its own way. We are all in very large plastic communal (single sex) tents which are extremely cold and lie on uneven and stony ground and often have uncut grass up to our knees when standing.

Madeleine and I both successfully completed the Pilgrimage and, for the first time in her memory, we were privileged to get seats inside of the Cathedral in Chartres. The English group have previously been inside, but never had seats, and last year (my first time) we didn’t even manage to get inside.

Madeleine has so far raised close to £1,900 (with gift aid) which is really great news. There is still time to donate towards her sponsorship if you would like to at www.justgiving.com/madeleinereadings . We had set a target of £2,500 which is now within touching distance. If you can dig deep and support my very brave fiancée to support our life-saving work.

Conor