Interfaith pro-life service calls people to prayer, action

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
January 19, 2006

Hundreds of people gathered Jan. 15 at Central Baptist Church in Sioux City for the Siouxland Pro-Life Interfaith Prayer Memorial to mourn the loss of an estimated 45 million babies in the 33 years of legalized abortion in the United States.

In the opening prayer Deacon Bill Berger, a permanent deacon of the Diocese of Sioux City, prayed, "Strengthen our determination to defend the defenseless. Almighty king of all creation, may we grow in your love this day, united as Christians ... who pray together and fight together for the lives of your children."

Dr. Don Cork of Central Baptist Church, master of ceremonies for the prayer memorial, introduced the keynote speaker for the prayer memorial, Father Thomas Euteneuer, president of Human Life International that is based in Virginia.

Father Euteneuer explained that as a newly ordained priest, he became involved in the pro-life movement through a fellow priest who was dying of cancer.

"I knew that through some mystical connection that we had, that he was offering his suffering - which was very significant - for an end to abortion and a conversion of abortionists," said the keynote speaker. "As I was drawn into this charism, this process of dying was so beautiful when one dies with faith. I was given a great gift."

On the day his priest friend died, he said he felt as though the senior priest had passed on the torch of bringing light into darkness through the pro-life ministry. The very day of his friend's funeral, Father Euteneuer stopped by an abortion clinic.

From that point on, he explained that he knew a significant portion of his ministry would be dedicated to the pro-life cause - "to counter this great evil and bring that torch, the light of Christ, to the darkness - the culture of death. To the very institution that performs the evil and to the people, who probably in themselves are not totally evil but they are totally misguided. They need a light. If we don't bring that light, who will?"

Each week thereafter, he would go to the abortion clinic to pray. Others joined him. He stressed the fact that the parishioners hungered for that type of leadership in the church.

"I have learned something about institutions that perform evil. I learned that evil - because it wants to be totally unaccountable to God and man - always backs itself up off the main street and it always walls itself up so that you can't get at it," said Father Euteneuer. "Those of you who have ever been out to the Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa know that. This is a fortress out there."

He mentioned that the abortion clinic that he had visited weekly didn't have any walls when he first went there. This allowed him to have more conversations with people going in and to speak to guards.

"Some of the guards left because they couldn't stand the moral pressure we were putting on them," said Father Euteneuer.

Soon, a wall went up.

"Evil walls itself up. Evil institutionalizes itself," he said. "Sometimes we think because of that, that we can't penetrate that evil. Humanly speaking, we probably can't but that's not the point - God can. God can do anything, but he also throws the ball back to our court and says, 'Why don't you join me in this business of overcoming evil.'"

He stressed the point that while individuals must fight evil in their own lives, when fighting institutional evil - a larger authority, the church is needed.

"Because we are fighting the principalities and powers of darkness, we have a protected influence when we stand together in fighting evil," said Father Euteneuer. "We must come out as a church to the place of death and we must stand in solidarity as a church with one another and in solidarity with the victims of evil."

One day, he noted, all people will stand before the judgement seat of God - individually and collectively.

"Christ will ask us, what have you done for the least of these my brethren. That had better be a question we are prepared to answer because we can do something and we must do something. God-willing we will do something," he said.

Part of the successful formula to overcome evil, he noted, includes faith, strong church leaders and people of goodwill coming together - a unity of purpose.

Drawing from the book of Joshua in the Bible, the speaker urged the people to bring down abortion mills in the same way that the walls of Jericho came down.

He stressed the need to pray for conversion of hearts because "it would make no sense to knock those walls down, to close that abortion clinic if all of the women just went to different clinics."

Father Euteneuer called the people to a faith - a proclamation of the Gospel of life - that can overcome the evil in society.

The memorial service also included a presentation of 33 roses, carried to the front of the church by persons age one to 33. Larry Walsh, one of the organizers of the event, read reflections during the procession. The reflections included a mix of Scripture references and quotes from historical and religious leaders that stress the importance in supporting a culture of life.

The Knights of Columbus, Garrigan Assembly, 4th Degree, provided an honor guard for the clergy of various denominations and special guests. Msgr. Roger Augustine, diocesan administrator, was present at the assembly.

Following the prayer memorial, Central Baptist Church hosted a reception. The service concluded at 3:45 p.m. with the Final Destination of Roses. The roses were taken to the Circle of Life and placed upon the Tomb of the Unborn at Trinity Heights where they were left out in the cold to die.

It was announced that the Helpers of God's Precious Infants would lead a 6 p.m. candlelight prayer vigil on Jan. 22 outside of Planned Parenthood on Stone Ave. in Sioux City. Everyone is invited to participate in that vigil.