Entertaining Angels Unaware: 40 Days of Celebrating Mums Choosing Life Day 40!

Danni came to Good Counsel some years ago. She found us through heading past Buckhurst Hill abortion centre on her way to book an abortion somewhere else! As she walked past, a man called to her and said "Hey that man wants to speak to you!" Danni stopped and looked across the road where she saw Michael, one of the Helpers of God's Precious Infants, who were holding a regular vigil there.

She went over to him, not knowing who he was, or what he was doing. "That man told me you wanted to speak to me." she said and Michael said "What man?" they both looked around, the quiet street was empty. "I didn't see anyone. And I didn't tell anyone to call you." he said bemused. Danni was confused but they got chatting and he told her what he was doing there and showed her the help leaflet. He asked if she was there for an abortion. "Well, I'm not having an abortion here, but I am on my way to book one!" 

Danni accepted Michael's offer of help. She came into our office and sat in our reception area with a Rosary beads- given to her by Michael - around her neck. Another young woman from a similar background was there too, she had walked in from another abortion centre after being offered help. She too had accepted a blessed Rosary and was wearing it around her neck too! They soon became friends!

After we helped her make a plan for herself and her baby, offering lots of support, Danni kept her baby. She told us "It must have been the Archangel Michael that called me over to speak to Michael". She also sent in more than one friend who kept their babies too. Several years later, she came back to us pregnant again, this time with a supportive husband, but with a disabled baby. "I'm keeping my baby." she said. "It's a life. It's a human being."

This is the work that is done outside abortion centres. This is the work that reaches out to mums in desperate situations and saves lives, like the 5 lives that we know of that have been saved in the Brixton and Ealing 40 Days for Life Campaigns this Lent. Make no mistake, this is the work that buffer zones are intended to stop.

You can donate to help us support our work here or here.

When Someone is Praying Before Our Lady: 40 Days Celebrating Mums Choosing Life Day 39

Today we are re-sharing a blog post from 2010 which showed us the power of Our Lady's intercession.

One Saturday recently, I went to our Centre to speak with a woman who had come to us looking for abortion. She had come back to us a second time still asking us to help her get an abortion and it was my job to speak to us on her 3rd visit. A fairly unpleasant job I thought.

This lady, let's call her Monica, knew she could go elsewhere and get an abortion, but she had a certain trust in us. We had talked through all the risks of abortion with her. The dangers, possible side effects, the reality of what would happen to her baby in an abortion. We discussed why we thought it was wrong. All these things let her know we really cared about her health and wellbeing. 

But they didn't "move" her in her resolve to abort one tiny bit.

If we got an abortion for her, she felt, it would be at least as safe as it could be. So she came to see us for the third time in the hope that, maybe, she could persuade us to arrange her abortion.

Monica had a toddler already and her husband has serious psychological problems. They have not been together for many months. She has separated from him for her child's welfare as much as her own. He has used physical violence against them before. His family think she is crazy for ever being with him. Her own family think so too. They say to her "It's lucky you only have the one child with him!"

On her previous visits she had told us "I never wanted children - I don't want his child - I don't want this child. Get it out of me!"

This is the language women often use about their baby when they are victims of abuse, rape, violence, or other issues where they are left to feel - as Monica did - stupid, guilty, shamed, hurt and used.

The problem is with the father, not with the baby. But the problem of the father gets reflected onto the baby by the poor woman who carries the child of man who has wounded her.

Can I in the short time we have together diffuse all that hurt and anger and suffering? - I asked myself this as she sat before me. She was very hardened into her choice to abort. Had the doctor been standing in the room ready to abort the child she would have said "yes". I whispered a quick prayer and set about trying to crack the hardened heart. I hadn't spoken for long when suddenly something happened. I hadn't said anything striking but I felt the weight of a huge burden lift in the room. Suddenly she began to say "I think I should keep the baby, What do you think?" She watched a video showing the abortion process at her stage and she said "You know, I have seen this before but it made no impact. I have heard about what abortion does when I came here before, but while I heard the words it didn't affect me. But now, something has changed. All of it has just now become clear to me. It is all affecting me now."

We sat together for 2 hours talking about the help she would need making a plan together. It was light and joyful and suddenly - though she still knew raising this second child - alone - would be hard, she embraced the child as hers - a sibling of her beloved toddler and - she could admit it now - the second child she had always wanted!

After she left, I went to the chapel and afterwards I asked the other staff and volunteers "Who was praying here about half an hour after I went in to see Monica?" no-one they thought. I was mystified. I really felt the power of prayer at work.

Cardinal Nichols Praying before the Image of Our Lady of Guadelupe 2012. Photo provided by Edmund Adamus who facilitated @WestminsterCath hosting "relic" image of Our Lady of Gaudalupe closing a 9 month "novena" national tour for papal visit

I pottered round to Westminster Cathedral that afternoon to see the relic replica image of Our Lady of Guadelupe. It struck me when I arrived that the service of prayer before this image had been led by Archbishop Nichols exactly half an hour after my meeting with Monica started and I couldn't help but feel that it was very much connected. Thank you our Blessed Lady. Monica is now awaiting the birth of her child in April. 

You can donate to help us support mums like Monica here or here.

Clare McCullough

You Are Called to be A Sign From God : 40 Days Celebrating Mums Choosing Life Day 38

 

Standing outside an abortion centre for hours on end, in all sorts of weather, is not very glamorous; having the occasional encouraging comment from a passing member of the public, as well as a number of disparaging comments, varying from "Get a job" to "**** off",  from others.

I remember counselling Bea in our Centre, who earlier that day had stopped outside the abortion centre in Ealing to talk to a pro-life volunteer, Rebecca. She described Rebecca as a sign from God and even went on to laugh and say "A strange sign maybe, but a sign from God nevertheless."

After many counselling sessions and lots of ongoing, practical support, Bea kept her twins. Had Rebecca the "strange sign from God" not been there that morning, the outcome of this story would have been far from positive. 

Whoever you are, wherever you are, if you can give some time peacefully to pray for Mothers and unborn babies, please come to a pro-life vigil.

You can donate to help us support our work here or here.

Stuart McCullough

40 Days Celebrating Mums Choosing Life Day 37

 

One of our most faithful volunteers is an atheist.

She was quiet surprised we were glad to work with her. She is extremely reliable and regularly attends our vigils and helps in any way she can. This lady has had many "turnarounds" over the years and she always follows up with us to make sure they get the help and support we offered them.

One young woman we saw said she felt such love and care from this woman, that it gave her the confidence to come in and seek our help. She kept her baby and she looks forward to the day when she can meet up with the volunteer who signposted her to us for help.

Prayer is our greatest resource in this work.

But a good-hearted and a constant volunteer is also a priceless gift.

You can donate to help support our work here or here.

Appeal to help us continue our life saving work.

I'm very grateful that we don't often need to make an extremely urgent appeal for funds. But today is one of those occasions. 

We are able to make and plan for the foreseeable, but so often in the lives of the women that we help the unforeseeable presents itself. 

A good example of this is "Lydia" who spoke at the Brixton 40 Days for Life half-way event. She told us,  “I went to Brixton abortion clinic for a consultation and they thought I was only carrying one baby when I arrived. They gave me a scan and told me there was more than one heartbeat. I was totally shocked. They told me they thought it was twins and I thought straight away at that moment I cannot go ahead with an abortion. They said they could not proceed because I could sue them because I was not mentally prepared to abort more than one baby so I had to have time to think about it and return for the abortion at a later date but I had already made up my mind that I was not going to return. I went for my first antenatal scan at the hospital and they told me that I was expecting quadruplets. I nearly collapsed. I was very shocked.” [You can read the rest of Lydia's talk here]

She kept her quads and is very happy. We had to arrange to get a pushchair that could carry four babies! Day in day out we see women considering abortion because they have real practical problems and we need to find real practical solutions to those problems, so that they feel they can continue their pregnancies. 

At the moment our funds are as low as they have been for at least the last 5 years. There are more than 20 women that we are currently providing ongoing help and assistance to, as well as many others who we provide a range of support to. This week we have given out almost £500 worth of food vouchers to women who have no recourse to public funds. But we do not have the money to be able to do this or anything like it next week.

It is Lent, a time of almsgiving, a time when Catholics are asked not just to fast and abstain, but to use the money saved to help those in need. I would ask you therefore at this time to please make a donation towards our work, so that we can continue to help these mothers and their babies, who don't qualify help elsewhere. 

You can donate here or donate through our Just-Giving appeal [Justgiving has started to ask for an extra bit of money to fund their website etc, but you can change the amount that they suggest to as low as zero] and we are now able to take donations over the telephone 020 7723 1740.

Please join us for 9 days in saying this prayer to St Philomena, for help with our financial situation.

NOVENA PRAYER TO ST. PHILOMENA

O FAITHFUL VIRGIN and glorious martyr, St. Philomena, who works so many miracles on behalf of the poor and sorrowing, have pity on me. Thou knowest the multitude and diversity of my needs. Behold me at thy feet, full of misery, but full of hope.  I entreat thy charity, O great Saint! Graciously hear me and obtain from God a favourable answer to the request which I now humbly lay before thee, that Good Counsel will raise the funds they need and that as many lives as possible will be saved through their work, [& add your own petitions.] I am firmly convinced that through thy merits, through the scorn, the sufferings and the death thou didst endure, united to the merits of the Passion and death of Jesus, thy Spouse, I shall obtain what I ask of thee, and in the joy of my heart I will bless God, who is admirable in His Saints. Amen

Women Choose Life Because YOU Help Us Support Them: 40 Days Celebrating Mums Choosing Life Day 36

 

"You believed in me when I didn't believe in myself" said the card we received from Amanda. 

When we met her, she was alone, without legal status, not entitled to benefits or support, about to become homeless, unwell and struggling to cope with one child.

Now, 2 years down the line, she was rejoicing that she had been able to keep her baby.

Thanks to the support of our benefactors, we were able to support her and keep a roof over her and her children's heads until they got their legal situation sorted out and could move on with their lives and their plans.

This is what we do. But we can only do it because you support us to do it. So this is what YOU do when you support our work.
You can donate to help support our work here or here.

God's Amazing Grace: 40 Days Celebrating Mums Choosing Life Day 35

 

When Aurelia was walking into the abortion centre outside she met Alina who had come to pray and offer help because she had recently been helped to keep her baby. It was a moment of real grace and healing for both women.

Alina's own story persuaded Aurelia to come and see us. And we were able to support her to have her beautiful daughter. Aurelia's little girl had some physical disabilities, which meant Aurelia was put under plenty pressure to end her pregnancy. But with support, and with God's amazing grace helping Aurelia through college, she was able to finish her course AND have her beloved baby.

Aurelia and her daughter.

You can donate to help us support mums like Aurelia here or here.

The Simplest Stories Are the Best: 40 Days Celebrating Mums Choosing Life Day 34

 

As you can see, we see a wide range of mums and situations. Sometimes very complex situations.

But sometimes it is very simple.

Sometimes we show a mum to be one picture of the developing baby and she says "Oh. I had no idea! Oh! That is it for me! I'm keeping this baby!"

Unborn baby 9-10 weeks old

Sometimes the simplest stories are the best of all!

Have a look here to see the developmental stages of the baby in the womb.

You can donate to help us support mums here or here.