At The Pro-Life Vigil We Are There To Offer Help And Support

Yesterday at our 40 Days for Life vigil in Brixton, Gabriella, one of our staff members spoke with a mother who is 8 weeks pregnant. She shared that she feels confident in having her abortion, though her heart seems set she did accept one of our leaflets that offer help. At the 40 Days for Life vigil we are there to stand peacefully, offering help and prayers for both mother and child. Please join us in praying for this mother as only God can change hearts. 

Heavenly Father, we cry out for your mercy and ask You to remove the scourge of abortion from our land. Use us as your vessels, Lord, to bring the light of truth to our nation once again.

Pregnant? Find help and support.

Come and pray at our vigil in Brixton or one of the other vigils around the Country.

For vigils outside the UK see here.

"Please Keep Going"

One of the Pro-Life vigil volunteers gave the following  testimony, at the recent 40 Days for Life launch event in Brixton. Please read it, share it and then decide if you should come to the vigil as well.

First of all, I want to say thank you. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for standing faithfully, often quietly, and sometimes in very difficult circumstances. Many of you will never fully see the impact of what you do—but I am here today as living proof that your presence matters more than you may ever know.

 

Who I Am & Where I Came From

I grew up in a practising Catholic home. At 21, I immigrated alone to Spain. At 22, I married in the Church.

I was young, far from my family, in a new country, trying to build a life and a marriage with faith and hope.

 

Pregnancy & Sudden Crisis

When I found out I was pregnant, I was about eight weeks along. Despite everything else that was going on, I was filled with joy. There was joy in my heart because I loved my baby. At the same time, my marriage had become unsafe. The man I had married—someone I loved—had bipolar disorder, he stopped taking his medication, and our home became unbearable and frightening. What should have been a time of protection and care became a time of fear. I felt shocked, confused, alone—and deeply ashamed to reach out to my family.

 

Turning to the System for Help 

Eventually, I reached out to social services and a local women’s organisation. I remember feeling relieved. I truly believed these people would help me and my baby. Around the same time, I went alone to my first routine pregnancy check-up. I was filled with fear and uncertainty.

As I sat there, I noticed pamphlets everywhere—about gestational diabetes, pregnancy complications, and abortion. I remember thinking, “Oh no… I am alone in this. How would I ever get through this?” And yet—even in all that fear—abortion never crossed my mind.

 

Abortion as the Default Response

During the appointment, I shared my situation with the doctor. She handed me pamphlets I had already seen. Among them was one for social services, and I thought, “Good. They will help me with my baby.”

What happened next shocked me. When I went to social services and explained the domestic violence I was experiencing, every professional involved in my case was quick to offer abortion. I kept hearing the same sentence, again and again: “You know you have a choice. You are only 8… 10… 12 weeks.” Not one person asked me what I wanted. Not one person asked if I wanted to keep my baby. Not one explored what support might make that possible.

Erosion of Confidence & Hope

After hearing this repeatedly, I began to doubt myself. My confidence disappeared. The little hope I had left began to fade. For the first time, the thought of abortion—something completely against my values—started to feel like a possibility. Not because I wanted it, but because of the fear I was being fed. Abortion no longer felt like an option. It felt like the only way forward.

I felt ashamed. I lost my sense of who I was. I felt like a puppet—being referred from one place to another, always with the same offer: abortion first, and support later.

 

Second Medical Visit & ‘Easy Pills’

To clarify, in Spain women are often referred to specialised abortion clinics later in the first trimester. So my second check-up was still at a regular GP, this is often where the abortion pills are offered. I was told, “It’s simple. Just pills.” I didn’t accept. I said I needed time to decide. Inside, I felt shattered. Conflicted. Weak. Helpless.

 

Encounter with Pro‑Life Presence: The Turning Point

As I walked out of the GP, I saw a small group of men and women outside. One was praying the rosary. They were handing out leaflets quietly. As I passed them, one handed me a leaflet. It showed a mother and her baby and said, “We are here to help.” At first, I thought it was another abortion leaflet. But on the bus, I read it carefully.
It said: ADEVIDA – “We are here to listen. We can help. No to abortion.” My heart skipped a beat. It was a light in the darkest days of my life.

 

Support, Restoration & Community

I got off the bus, crossed the road, and caught the bus back—hoping they would still be there. They were. I spoke to them. The next morning, I went to their centre. ADEVIDA is an organisation like the Good Counsel Network. They offered practical support, counselling, and a community of other mothers. For the first time, I felt listened to. Seen. Supported as both a woman and a mother.

Their presence outside that abortion centre was the voice I had been longing to hear. The voice that restored my strength. The voice that restored my hope.

 

Why Your Work Matters

This is why what you do matters. You offer presence where there is pressure. Support where there is silence. Hope where fear has taken over. Please know that your quiet faithfulness reaches further than you will ever see.

 

Encouragement & Commissioning

Thank you for believing that women are strong.
Thank you for believing that babies matter.
Thank you for being the voice that says, “You can do this—and you don’t have to do it alone.”

Please keep going.

The 40 Days for Life vigil in Brixton will run for 12 hours a day, 8am until 8pm, seven days a week from Ash Wednesday until Palm Sunday 29^th March. If you could spare an hour or more to come and pray with us, it would be of great help. The vigil takes place at the corner of Brixton Hill and Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 5BJ. For more details or to book please call Gabriella on 07745711064 or 02077231740

Just the Right Time for A Pro-Life Witness

Belinda didn’t want to go for an abortion in the first place because as a Christian she knew it was wrong. However she felt like she had no choice because her boyfriend, the father of her child, refused to help her in any way as he wanted her to have the abortion. If she didn’t go through with the abortion she would be  homeless almost immediately. 

She postponed her appointment by a day and then got up as late as possible, hoping against hope she would miss her abortion. She made her way slowly to the abortion centre, alone.  She asked a few people for directions to the abortion place, all of them told her not to go there, to keep her baby instead. When she arrived, Lorraine, one of Good Counsel's counsellors met her at the gates of the abortion centre. Belinda was grateful for the offer of help but decided to go inside anyway. Inside the abortion centre was extremely busy, there were lots of women waiting for their abortion. Belinda was shocked by the large numbers, and thought about how many babies lives were going to be ended that day. She decided that she would accept Good Counsel's help and that her baby was not going to die that day.  She

went back out and spoke to Lorraine, who told her that the Good Counsel Network could help find her accommodation and help her financially, she was very happy when she heard this and decided to come to our centre to find more about the help that was available to her. She turned up homeless with her suitcase at our centre. Here we placed her in temporary accommodation and helped her financially throughout her pregnancy and well beyond it. When her son was born she moved into a flat we helped her to find. Belinda found part-time work while her son was small. She now works full time. Her son is a practising Catholic, doing well at school and is hoping to go to university to become a lawyer.

Lorraine pointed out to Belinda that if she had attended her original appointment on the previous day or if she had come on time on the day of her new appointment she would have missed meeting Lorraine who would not have been there at those times. But God had another plan for Belinda and her son!

Help us reach out to Mother’s like Belinda with prayer, help and support by attending the 40 Days for Life Vigil near you.

The vigil in Brixton will run for 12 hours a day, 8am until 8pm, seven days a week from Ash Wednesday until Palm Sunday 29^th March. If you could spare an hour or more to come and pray with us, it would be of great help. The vigil takes place at the corner of Brixton Hill and Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 5BJ. For more details or to book please call Gabriella on 07745711064 or 02077231740

Preaching the Gospel of Life through Prayerful Witness

 

At the 40 Days for Life vigil in Brixton on Thursday one of our vigil volunteers had a positive interaction with a passer-by on the street. He was a young man who had noticed our volunteers standing quietly in prayer and had stopped to ask what they were doing and why. He reacted so positively to the explanation that he was given that the vigil volunteers invited him to join them in prayer. They said the Our Father together, he explained that he was non-denominational, he then offered up a lovely prayer asking God to bless us and our work, it was beautifully sincere and heartfelt. That moment really cheered up our volunteers. This blessed moment helps remind us why we stand at these vigils in the first place. Unexpected conversations, shared prayers with strangers are all powerful signs of hope. We are a reminder to the world that the unborn child is human and that their lives matter.

Join us at  Brixton for the 40 Days for Life Brixton Vigil

The vigil in Brixton will run for 12 hours a day, 8am until 8pm, seven days a week from Ash Wednesday until Palm Sunday 29th March. If you could spare an hour or more to come and pray with us, it would be a great help. The vigil takes place at the corner of Brixton Hill and Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 5BJ. For more details or to book to attend please call Gabriella on 07745711064 or 02077231740

English Archbishop Leads Public Pro-Life Witness

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live - Deuteronomy 30:19, The reading from the Mass today.

This morning we were blessed to have the Archbishop of Southwark The Right Reverend John Wilson celebrate Mass in Corpus Christi Church across the road from where the vigil takes place. He offered this Mass for the 40 Days for Life campaign in Brixton, London and all the volunteers involved, a beautiful reminder that the Church is with us, praying and offering Masses for us.

We were then joined at the prayer vigil by the Archbishop and three priests - Fr Matthew O' Gorman, Fr Godfrey Ogwang and Fr Philip Andrews who led us in prayer. As the vigil continues throughout Lent the opening of this morning’s vigil should give all of us hope that many graces and blessings will be given to all who volunteer in the pro-life movement. The reading from the Mass today reminds us why we attend these vigils, this verse shows that God calls everyone to protect life and future generations. By taking part in these vigils we are helping people to choose life for their children and therefore protecting future generations.

The vigil in Brixton will run for 12 hours a day, 8am until 8pm, seven days a week from Ash Wednesday until Palm Sunday 29th March. If you could spare an hour or more to come and pray with us, it would be a great help. The vigil takes place at the corner of Brixton Hill and Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 5BJ. For more details or to book to attend please call Gabriella on 07745711064 or 02077231740

Rose

Bishop David Waller also came to the vigil on Shrove Tuesday

Your Presence at the 40 Days for Life Pro-Life Vigil Matters!

This Lent we have a 40 Days for Life campaign in Brixton, London. 40 Days for Life is a global movement to end abortion through prayer, fasting and peaceful prayer vigils for 40 days held outside or near abortion clinics. At these vigils at least two people will always attend; one hands out leaflets offering help to mothers while the other prays. People unite all over the world in prayer during this time and countless lives are saved. With the current number of abortions sky high, it is time for us all to take action and be involved in the end of abortion in this country and the whole world. Attending a prayer vigil is a public witness to show we believe every human life has value.

Who knows, you may be the reason a mother chooses life for her baby; your presence matters more than you may ever see.

Just remember you are not alone. People are attending 40 Days for Life vigils worldwide and we are united to them in prayer. It is not meant to be easy, but we do it for the unborn babies, mothers and fathers. Let us ask God to close the abortion clinic in Brixton this Lent, for with God nothing is impossible - Luke 1:37.

The vigil in Brixton will run for 12 hours a day, 8am until 8pm, seven days a week from Ash Wednesday until Palm Sunday. If you could spare an hour or more to come and pray with us, it would be a great help. The vigil takes place at the corner of Brixton Hill and Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 5BJ. For more details or to book to attend please call Gabriella on 07745711064 or 02077231740

[Photo of Bishop David Waller leading the prayers on Shrove Tuesday]

Rose

Should We Bother to Pray Near Abortion Centres?

You might well wonder what is the point of attending a prayer vigil outside an abortion centre, especially since the buffer zone law came in a year ago. What purpose does it serve to stand 150 metres away from the centre? You’ll see so many people walking past and so few actually going into the centre. Would those attending the vigil receive a lot of abuse? These were all my thoughts as a new intern before attending my first vigil.

To answer my first question, yes, most of the people passing by are not heading to the abortion centre but it is 100% worth being there even though you may never know what good you have done. Attending a vigil really makes you realize the power of prayer as you can never change hearts without it. I admit it can be hard standing on the pavement in the pouring rain and everyone refuses the leaflets you try to offer but you never know what’s going on behind the scenes, it could be that a woman sees the sign we display at the vigil and realises someone cares for her and her baby and she might never turn up to that abortion appointment. It could even be that the leaflet that someone grabbed off you and threw on the ground further down the street might get into the right hands and help a mother in need! God has a plan with everything.

To talk about the abuse received, I find it is not nearly as bad as I expected, generally passersby just walk past and pay no attention. However there are always a few exceptions to this, a few people will hurl insults as they stride past. I find it helpful to remember in these cases that there is no knowing what this person has gone through in their life, many of these people have probably been directly affected by the horrors of abortion and they take their anger out on those of us who oppose it.                                    

Rose

WAYS TO DONATE TO HELP OUR LIFE SAVING WORK

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Moments of Grace: How Your Prayers & Financial Support Help Mothers Choose Life

As you can see in the picture,this little boy is about to receive the grace of baptism. His Mother came to us in her pregnancy when her son’s Father abandoned her and told her to abort him. Thankfully, she found Good Counsel through a friend, and she spoke to us on the phone instead. Although she was in a very distressed state, crying and wondering how she would survive without any support, she was eager to accept the basic help we offered: food vouchers and help to find accomodation through her pregnancy and beyond, while helping her to sort out her situation and gradually become independent again.

Thankfully this year we have helped over 50 Mothers do likewise.38 of them have had (or will have) their babies this year. Others are expecting their babies in 2026. Without your regular financial commitment, we cannot offer the help and support that some expectant Mothers really need.

Geraldine went for an abortion in 2021. Although she received a leaflet from us at that time, she was not sure we would be able to help her and she had the abortion. In 2024, her neice became pregnant in difficult circumstances and Geraldine found the leaflet we had given her offering help. She brought her neice to see us and she chose life for her baby instead of abortion. 6 months later Geraldine herself was pregnant again, this is not unusual for women who have already been through an abortion they did not really want, but which they could not see a way out of. This time she had decided that she would not have an abortion again for any reason. And so pulling out her Good Counsel Help Leaflet once again, she called us and chose life for her baby. Keeping this baby has cost Geraldine everything, she lived in a homeless shelter for part of her pregnancy but before the birth of her baby we were able to part-fund a place for her to stay. Now we are helping her get support to become independent and support herself as her baby grows up. Despite the tragic loss of Geraldine’s first baby’s life, it is a grace to see her change her mind forever on the issue of abortion. And two babies lives saved by one leaflet is also a grace. These are the kind of graces your prayer and financial support can help us obtain every day in 2026. Please consider committing to a regular (e.g. monthly) donation of whatever you can afford.                        Clare

WAYS TO DONATE TO HELP OUR LIFE SAVING WORK

Donate by Bank Transfer to: 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 10.30am-6pm

Via Paypal: Paypal.me/SaveLivesGCN

Serving Christ in the Mothers We Help

One of my tasks as a new intern has been to spend a day at the office shadowing our Mother’s Help Co-ordinator, Michelle. My role helping her, involves a wide range of things such as sorting through baby clothes, helping her with admin work, or sitting in on her counselling sessions.

My greatest privilege on these days is sitting in on Michelle’s counselling sessions with the women. Michelle works to provide practical support to the mothers, after they have decided to keep their baby.

Through these sessions, and learning more about the different women they currently help, I have been amazed to see the extent of the practical help which The Good Counsel Network offers to women.

They never just say no to someone. For example, even if the mother is not currently considering an abortion, they will not just turn her away saying, ‘We only deal with abortion-vulnerable women.’ Rather, they will carefully and compassionately assess every woman’s individual situation to understand exactly what help she needs and how they can best assist her. Even if they cannot directly help her on certain issues, they will try and direct her to places where she can receive support in the specific area, providing her with references if needed. No woman will leave the office without being offered real help (or being directed towards it) that will better her present circumstances.

The Good Counsel is charity in action. Here, I have witnessed how each woman is truly treated as Christ come knocking at the door. With every woman they strive to see how they can best serve Him through her.

The women arrive with visible distress written on the faces and in their body language but, as the session progresses and they are offered real, practical offers of support, they slowly begin to relax, sitting more comfortably in their chair and beginning to make more eye contact. By the time they leave there are smiles upon their faces and they thank you repeatedly – and you can see they really mean it. Through you, Christ has given them a glimmer of light in the face of such great darkness: ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ (John 8:12).                                                                                                                                                                           Jacinta

WAYS TO DONATE TO HELP OUR LIFE SAVING WORK

Donate by Bank Transfer to: 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 10.30am-6pm

Via Paypal: Paypal.me/SaveLivesGCN

Preparing To Receive Christ This Christmas

 Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in My Name,

receives Me.

And whosoever shall receive Me,

receives not Me,

but Him that sent Me. Mark 9:37

As we begin preparing our hearts and our lives to receive the Christ-child at Christmas, we are often preparing our homes to receive other guests to celebrate with us. We may have to clear up that pile of papers that’s overwhelmed the living room or find somewhere to hide all the stuff that has accumulated in the not-so-spare room! Even if no guests are coming, putting up the Christmas decorations makes us feel we should at least make some symbolic act of tidying or cleaning. Meanwhile, we might also be trying to buy presents for our loved ones, that terrible battle between making Christmas all about material goods and genuinely wanting to remember those we care about with something special at this time. For some, those times in life have faded into the past and Christmas may now feel like quite a lonely time. Yet for all of us, underneath all the worldly chores, there remains a real call to encounter Christ made vulnerable, Christ made man and Christ made child, in the care of Mary and Joseph and to prepare our hearts to meet Him and discover the real meaning of Christmas once more.

In the birth of every human baby, Christ comes again in a particular way. Although it is when we are baptised that we most carry the image of Christ upon our soul, each child is willed by God, created by Him to know, love and serve Him in this life and to be happy with Him for eternity in the next. No matter the circumstances of any child’s conception, we can be certain that we are doing God’s will when we welcome one of these little one’s for His sake. One profound way to prepare ourselves for Christmas is to give sacrificially so that others can live. Remembering Our Lord’s words that “Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in My Name, receives Me. And whosoever shall receive Me, receives not Me, but Him that sent Me.” we can participate in receiving Our Lord and God the Father, simply by welcoming a little child in His Name.

As St Teresa said, 'The child must be someone very special if God Himself became a child'. Please help us to welcome and care for the expectant Mothers and, later, their children, who approach us for help in 2026. Every donation helps us to keep a roof over their heads and food on their tables. In particular, regular donations allow us to commit to ongoing support for Mothers who may otherwise consider abortion. If you can help us this Christmas, please see below for ways to donate. If you can help us with a regular donation, please consider setting up a standing order/regular payment from your bank. You can download a standing order form on our website, ask us to post you one, or you can set up a regular payment online via online banking. You can cancel or amend this at any time via your bank.

May the Christ Child and His Mother make their home with you this Christmas, and may the peace of Christ be with you, your family & friends this Christmas and throughout 2026.

WAYS TO DONATE TO SUPPORT OUR LIFE SAVING WORK

Donate by Bank Transfer to: 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 10.30am-6pm

Via Paypal: Paypal.me/SaveLivesGCN

Join Our Advent Novena

This prayer is traditionally said from the Feast of St Andrew, 30th November, until 24th December, 15 times each day. Please join us in saying it, even once a day, for any part of the Advent Season for all our loved ones and for the end of abortion.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment

In which the Son of God was born

Of the most pure Virgin Mary,

at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.

In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God,

to hear my prayer and grant my desires,

through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,

and of His Blessed Mother.  Amen.

And share on Facebook by inviting others to join us https://www.facebook.com/events/1781457039201551/1781457045868217

Forgetting How to Remember the Dead

The 11th of November 2025 was a damp, dim, grim day. I was standing at the pro-life vigil in Ealing when at 11 o’clock my Rosary was interrupted by the sound of a trumpet coming from the War Memorial just across the road for  the two minutes of silence.

There was a crowd of about four people standing at the Memorial. At the end of the two minutes, they made the Sign of the Cross. It hasn’t even been a hundred years since the Second World War, and how much our country has changed since then. To have been born then and to still be alive now must be to have witnessed the most astonishing decline in morality and Religion. Is it only those of us who remember how to make the Sign of the Cross, and think it right to do so, that can remember how to remember the dead? Once upon a time this country was Catholic, and now being Catholic in this country is like being some kind of psychotic alien. 

 

What struck me in those two minutes was how little we appreciate the peace those soldiers fought so hard for. They laid down their lives so that we could have ours, and how little we value it. 

 

People were a lot more alive back then than they are now, perhaps because there was something

obvious to fight for. It might seem like all this peace and comfort they have won for us hasn’t done us much good at all. I can’t remember which saint said it and what they said exactly, but it was something about there being more danger in times when everything seems peaceful because we are less alert to the spiritual battle. What our country does not realise is, we’ve still got just as much to fight for. The reality is, we are not living in peace at all. 

 

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Our Lady has put the pro-life vigil in Ealing right next to the War Memorial. I once prayed a Rosary with someone at the Memorial and they said; ´it’s different here, people don’t get angry with us. They just think we’re praying for the dead.’ 

 

Everyone wears a poppy, I even saw someone’s dog wearing one, but the amount of lives lost to abortion is something public conscience is far from being able to face. 

Anna Maria

And you can  support our Pro-Life work by donating here,

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

Pray For The Holy Souls So That We And They May Meet In Heaven One Day

“It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins”

2 Maccabees 12:46

One thing that distinguishes Catholics form many other Christian churches is the belief that we can pray for our deceased brothers and sisters and can help speed their progress to Heaven by our prayers. The Holy Souls can pray for us too, as the “Church Suffering” they can help us by their prayers but they cannot help themselves.

Unless we reach the highest levels of sanctity before our death, we can, at best, hope that we will spend some time in Purgatory, where the joy of knowing we will eventually go to Heaven is tempered only by the unbearable pain of separation from God while our flaws and imperfections are purified.

While we are still part of the “Church Militant” – the souls still alive on earth, working and praying for our own salvation – let us lift the burden from our dear brothers and sisters in Purgatory by our prayers, especially in this month of the Holy Souls. And while doing so, we can ask for their prayers, so that we may all one day meet as the “Church Triumphant”, merrily in Heaven.

You are welcome to send Good Counsel names of your deceased friends and relatives who will be prayed for during November in all the Masses in our Chapel. Email them to info@GoodCounselNetwork.com

And you can also continue to support our Pro-Life work by donating here,

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