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Friday, 24 February 2012

Our Lady's Maternity Ward - A Birth At the Good Counsel's Mother and Baby Home




OUR LADY OF THE GOOD COUNSEL IS REALLY THE MEDIATRIX OF ALL GRACES!


Paraphrasing the sayings of St. Paul in one his letters to the Romans that for all those who love and trust in God, all things work for their good (see Rom.8:28), I begin this narrative about the miraculous birth of baby Moses inside the living room of Our Lady of Good Counsel Home for Mothers; another great sign of the powerfulness of the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary-Our Lady of Good Counsel.

Baby Moses' Mother went into labour about 3am on Sunday 19th and was sent to the hospital by ambulance by 6.30am. When the Nuns rang to know how she was progressing, they were told that this mother had been sent back home as the Labour was not very far along. By about 2.30pm, she was back at the house still in birth travail. She, with help of the Nuns and other mothers in the house went on strolling to help quicken the labour. Immediately after the supper, the labour seemed to advance as her waters broke about 7.40pm and hospital attention was called. The medic who answered the phone gave a conditional response saying that the woman could be sent in but would still be sent back if not found advanced in labour. And they said that the baby may not come in the next 24 hours. As the poor mother kept on screaming uncontrollably, we rang 999 for ambulance services. About twenty minutes after that came the ambulance with some paramedics. After examining Moses' Mother, they decided that she would not make it to the hospital and as they didn’t want him to be delivered inside the ambulance, they decided to deliver him in the Mother's House living room. What a miracle!
At about 11.50pm, there was a little bit of panicking as Moses' mother who is naturally a strong girl has started getting her strength exhausted. While the Pentecostal girls in the house continued praying in their Pentecostal manner outside the living room, the Nuns went before the Blessed Sacrament prostrating before the Lord, one of the Nuns said this prayer:
‘Beloved Mother Mary, God may not hear me instantly now as I want because of my sinfulness; but you our dearest Mother is sinless and therefore could be heard by God without delay. Please plead with your Son as you did in the wedding at Cana to loose whatever that is holding this baby, to let him come out so that we may hear this baby’s cry now.’
The Nun just had time to say Amen, and the next thing heard was "Waa! Waa! Waa!" Thus baby Moses’ cry that weighed 3.64kg at birth was heard at exactly 12.15am on a Monday in February. Moses became the first recorded baby born inside Our Lady of Good Counsel Home for Mothers. To God be the greatest Glory and Honour.
People may question why the Hospital exposed baby Moses Mother and her carers to such a big risk. It is only God who would give an appropriate response to the why. As for we the children of the Blessed Virgin Mary-the Mother of the Good Counsel and the Holy Family, the reason for all this is for all those who doubt the powerfulness of the intercession of the Mother of God to know that they are missing a lot by their failure to recourse to her.
Oh Mary conceived without original sin continue to pray for those who have recourse to Thee. Amen.
Donate to support this Catholic Pro-Life Home.


Mary Joseph J Ogbuokiri, HFSN.

Feed A Mum on Fridays



Choosing what to give alms to this Lent?

Why not give what you can each Friday in Lent to help Good Counsel feed destitute Mothers and Babies?

We spend £40,000 per year on feeding Mothers. And we give this help when a Mother has no wage, no right to benefits and no other means of support.

Some of our Mothers were sleeping on buses or on the street as late as 7 months into their pregnancies.

Many others considered abortion because of their devastating poverty when their baby's father chose not to support them in having their baby.
Those readers who have been pregnant and who know the awful hunger pangs you can endure in pregnancy even when you have plenty to eat will understand how terrible real hunger in pregnancy can be!

We always deliver the help that we promise an expectant Mother. We don't provide luxuries, but we do provide the basics. But at the moment funds are at an all time low.That's why we need your support especially during Lent.These women that we support witness to other women who are considering abortion - showing that there is real hope and real help for those in poverty who continue their pregnancies.


What does it cost?

It costs us £35 to feed an new Mother for 1 week.

It costs us £25 to feed an expectant Mother for 1 week.

It costs £15 to pay for baby milk each week when a Mother cannot breastfeed.

It costs us £7 a week to buy nappies for a baby.

It costs about £3.60 a day to feed an expectant Mother.

Can you donate any of these amounts weekly through Lent as part of your Lenten almsgiving?



Wednesday, 22 February 2012

Juventutem Mass for Good Counsel



"If we only knew how God regards this Sacrifice, we would risk our lives to be present at a single Mass."~ Saint Padre Pio

Join Juventutem London for Solemn High Mass (Old Rite) on the Friday.

Friday, 24th February, 6.30pm
Saint Mary Moorfields Catholic Church, 4-5 Eldon Street, London, EC2M 7LS

After Mass there will be a social downstairs for those aged 18-35 with an exception for priests and religious.

The Mass is open to anyone of any age. It is only the social events that are designed for 18-35 year olds.

This Mass and all our monthly Masses are offered for the work of The Good Counsel Network, a pro-life pregnancy centre that reaches out to mothers in desperate need of support, who would otherwise feel they have no other option than to have an abortion. Their work is founded on prayer and the teachings of the Catholic Church.

If you plan on coming to the social please RSVP either by emailing me, or by clicking 'Attending' on our Facebook event page.

Please let others know about this Mass by forwarding on this email, by inviting your friends on Facebook or by word of mouth.

If you are receiving this email but don't live in London or anywhere near it, I have sent it to you to keep you up to date with what we're doing and to request your prayers for Juventutem London and its members. If you'd like to be removed from this mailing list just send me an email saying so.

"Whatever we do in the political and social order, the indispensable foundation is prayer, the heart of which is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the perfect prayer of Christ Himself, Priest and Victim, recreating in an unbloody manner, the bloody selfsame Sacrifice of Calvary."
~ John Senior


Monday, 20 February 2012

National Day of Prayer & Fasting for Life




And He said to them; This kind (of demon) can go out by nothing but prayer and fasting.


Gospel of Mark 9:29.


Since the 5th July 2008 The Good Counsel Network has organised monthly National days of prayer and fasting for life, the first was to prevent the passing of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. Although the bill was passed some of the more damaging anti-life amendments were not added to it, including an attack on pro-life counselling and the extension to Northern Ireland of the Abortion Act. There had also been 40 days of Prayer and Fasting in Northern Ireland to ensure that this law was not extended. This only confirmed what we already knew; it is clear from the work that we do at Good Counsel Network, advising women who are strongly set on abortion, that the struggle to end abortion is a spiritual struggle and not merely one of practical concerns or politics.



February 22nd, Ash Wednesday is the next National Day of Prayer and Fasting for Life. Please join us in fasting. You could fast from all food except bread and water for the day or fast from a particular food or luxury, e.g. chocolate, alcohol, cigarettes or tv. Fast from whatever you can given your state of health etc, but make sure that it is something that involves a sacrifice to yourself. We are asking people to say a Rosary (or an extra Rosary if you say it daily already). You could also offer an extra effort such as going to Mass, or an extra Mass, on the day, or going to Adoration.


And the people of Nineveh believed in God; they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least...God saw their efforts to renounce their evil ways. And God relented about the disaster which He had threatened to bring on them, and He did not bring it. Jonah 3:5,10.


For more information and a printable poster click here.

This Lent come and pray with us at an abortuary, there is our daily vigil in London, 40 Days 4 Life will start on Ash Wednesday in London, in Birmingham, in Brighton and in Manchester. For details of others vigils around the Country see here.

Friday, 17 February 2012

Any point praying outside an abortuary?




Good Counsel just had a call from "Susan" who is a turnaround from our daily vigil at Whitfield Street abortuary. She has just had a "beautiful baby girl". We first met her outside the abortuary, and after speaking to her for over 30 minutes managed to convince her to come to our centre instead of going into the Abortion 'clinic'. She had two children and was living with them in one room in a hostel, with no permanent job and no future prospects. Having another baby seemed impossible, to her. In the months since then we have been able to help her to find a three bedroom home, full-time employment (She is now on maternity leave) and convince her to keep her unborn child. She is now extremely happy to have her new baby. She is also determined to pay back all the financial help we have given her. This is a great success story and we must thank God and ask Him to continue giving "Susan" the grace to continue!


Please come and join us if you can. For details of weekend vigils and for ones outside London see here. Pray for the Mothers that we help. Donate so we can offer the help these Mothers need to keep their children.

Thursday, 2 February 2012

I thank God, that my Mother did not abort me



I once wanted to makes stickers that said this in a speech bubble, to stick on adverts on the Underground. Nick Cannon was asked after he made this video, if he was Pro-Life, he said he was just Pro-Nick! Today is my 11th Wedding Anniversary, so I also thank God for my beautiful Wife's Mam & Dad.

Strange, but if my Mother chose not to have me, then my son would not be here, all of my nieces and nephews would have missed out on such a great uncle!

It may be a bit long, but please use this; #IthankGodthatmymotherdidnotabortme on twitter on you Birthday, Anniversary or whenever!