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Rally kicks off 40 Days

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
(Email Renee)

A light sprinkle fell on the crowd of about 60 people gathered in the Burger King parking lot on Gordon Drive in Sioux City just before midnight on Feb. 24, a day blessed with unseasonably warm weather.

This wasn’t a group of high school students meeting after a school activity, but a mixed age crowd of pro-lifers showing their support for the second 40 Days for Life campaign that officially began at 12 a.m., Feb. 25. The parking lot is located directly across the street from Planned Parenthood.

Mark Thomason, diocesan pro-life contact person, emceed the kick-off rally.

“Everybody welcome to the beginning of the end of abortion in our country,” he said and cheers followed. “We are starting our second Siouxland 40 Days for Life Vigil and I couldn’t be prouder of everyone here.”

Thomason extended gratitude to the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus who were present.

While the hours for this Lenten 40 Days vigil are quickly filling up, he urged those gathered to invite others to participate.

“Call your friends. Call your neighbors and get them out here to pray,” said Thomason, who noted that they are down to about 110 unfilled hours out of the 900-plus. He also requested for more individuals to become involved in the leadership of the campaign.

The kickoff included a witness talk from a young Catholic mom, Misty Streeter, who is a parishioner at Blessed Sacrament Church in Sioux City.

She told the story of how she became pregnant at a time when she was single and the father of the baby wasn’t in the picture. Her family, whom she described as anti-Christian, had tried to talk her into an abortion.

“When I made that phone call to my mom to tell her that I was pregnant, for whatever reason, I knew that she would tell me to go have an abortion and that was never an option,” said Misty, who noted that all of the women in her family had had abortions. “The mother who gave me life, was telling me to kill my own child.”

The speaker mentioned that as she looks at her beautiful 7-year-old daughter today, she can’t imagine the child not being in her life.

Life hasn’t always been easy, she acknowledged, but having her daughter has always been worth it.

Today, she is married. Misty’s husband adopted her daughter and they have since had another child and she is expecting her third child.

“God found me when I got pregnant with my daughter and this is my way of showing him thank you,” said Misty, who noted that she joined the Catholic Church three years ago. “Thank you for finding me. Thank you for bringing me my beautiful daughter. Thank you for showing me that my life is not over. I had my whole family telling me that my life was over.”

She thanked those gathered at the vigil for their efforts in the pro-life movement because some of the girls who go to Planned Parenthood may come from homes like hers.

“Keep praying for them – that God can find a way into their hearts as well,” said Misty.

The gathering consisted not only of a range of ages – from college students to senior citizens – but also a variety of faith denominations.

David Butler, a member of Cornerstone, offered words of reflection and prayer.

“Father, we come to you this evening and we pray for the elimination of Planned Parenthood. We pray for the innocent blood that is shed on our nation’s ground – it cries out for justice,” he prayed.

Butler called those at the vigil prayer warriors.

He asked for God’s protection of those gathered in prayer. “Father, we know you have your arms around us,
your protection.”

Father William Vit, administrator of the Cathedral of the Epiphany, led the Litany of the Unborn.

As the rally came to a close Deacon Mark Wyant of Sioux City offered the closing prayer.

Mary Stevens, the 40 Days campaign director for Sioux City, asked the Knights to lead the crowd in a procession to Planned Parenthood.

The Knights led the rosary and so the peaceful vigil begins for 40 days and 40 nights, Feb. 25 to April 5 – Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday.

To sign up go to www.vigilcalendar.com/siouxcity. The main Web page for the Sioux City Days for Life is www.40daysforlife.com/siouxcity. For questions, contact Stormy Poss at (712) 943-5550 or Mary Stevens at (712) 251-3063.