How I Came To Work For The Good Counsel Network

I came to work for the Good Counsel Network about 6 years ago.

Up to 12 years ago, unfortunately, I had been a lapsed Catholic since my late teens. I always believed in God but I had not been to Mass or confession in many years and did not really think it mattered as long as I believed in Him. My parents and a couple of my sisters were good practicing Catholics and they had been praying for me and my other two sisters who were lapsed. They would often give me prayer books including 'The Divine Mercy Handbook' and prayer cards. I didn't really take much notice I put them away in a draw and forgot about them.

There came a time in my life when I was very unhappy. My family knew I was troubled and kept praying for me. I decided to start going to church again when I was at my lowest. Two of my sisters invited me to go to a 'prayer house' not long after I had been to confession and started going back to church. At the prayer house I was listening to some speakers and they were strongly against abortion. I felt that the Holy Spirit was talking through them and that Jesus was calling everybody there to do something to help him and calling us to conversion.

During the talks I felt that I wanted to offer reparation to Jesus, I felt I had been very selfish for most of my life and blind to the truth and now the veil was being lifted from my eyes. Now I wanted to answer that call from God in some way and help others in need.

But what was it that God was calling me to do? As I left the prayer room that day I was not fully sure but it became evident within the next 20 minutes.

I picked up some leaflets and a booklet on the way out. One of them was from 'The Good Counsel Network' and the other was a booklet about abortion. When I read the articles in the booklet I was very sad for the aborted babies and I wanted to do something to help and to stop it happening. It was at that moment I realised God was calling me to fight against abortion. I had a full time cushy job at the time in beautiful modern building, just minutes from my home. I didn't want to carry on with that work; they were working alongside the pharmaceutical companies and testing new drugs around the world, including contraceptives. People were polite and friendly there but nobody even spoke about God there and it was like He didn't exist. That hurt me and it hurt me a lot. I didn't want that anymore, I wanted to be able to pray and be with people who loved God and work for Him instead. I had a strong urge to do this.

When I got home I wrote to the Good Counsel Network telling them that I would love to work with them. It was the week before they opened the new centre that I started work with them. I know that Jesus healed me since I started going back to Mass and receiving Him in the Holy Eucharist. I know that the prayers of my family brought me back to God and that He had answered them. I can honestly say I'm more content and a lot happier these days.

Lorraine Coyne