Dear Friends,
The Holy Father has announced a worldwide vigil of
prayer for unborn children and invites your participation!
On Saturday evening, November 27, 2010 I will join him in
St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome for an evening prayer service that will begin
the season of Advent. During that prayer service, he will lift up in prayer
all the children living in the womb, and call God’s protection on them.
The Pope has invited all the bishops of the world to
join in this event by having their own prayer services.
But, of course, when he invites the bishops to do so,
that is simply a way of inviting
all of us to do so.
And so, whether your diocese or parish is having a
special vigil or not, I invite you to join with me, and with the Holy
Father, in praying for the protection of all children in the womb and for an
end to abortion worldwide!
I ask you, furthermore, to continue this prayer
throughout Advent, using the special prayer we will provide for you.
You can also send me your special prayer intentions,
both related to pro-life and to any other concern, and I will bring those
intentions with me when I travel to Rome next week to take part in this
historic event. I will remember those intentions while I am praying with our
Holy Father at the tomb of St. Peter!
So here’s what I am urging you to do:
1. Go to
www.priestsforlife.org/novenas/advent-novena.htm and sign up. Let me
know you are saying the Advent Prayer for Life, and leave with me your
prayer intentions to bring to Rome!
2. Order your free copies of
the Advent Prayer Card on that same page. Ask your pastor if he would hand
them out at your parish, and if he agrees, we will send as many as he needs
for all the parishioners.
3. If you use Facebook, go
also to www.prayercampaign.org
and join our “Pray to End Abortion” cause, so that you can join with tens of
thousands of others each day in well-informed prayer for the pro-life cause.
4. Finally, pass this
information
along to everyone you know who may be interested in sending me
their prayer intentions and joining this great Advent Prayer for Life!
Also, please note that EWTN will broadcast the Papal
vigil live on Saturday, November 27 at 12 noon ET and will repeat it at 6pm
ET. Be sure to tune in!
If you are a priest or deacon, or have responsibility
in some way for organizing prayer vigils in union with the Pope’s event, you
may find the following resources helpful:
Homily hints and reflections on the Pro-life dimensions
of Advent and Christmas:
www.priestsforlife.org/preaching/advent-christmas.htm
Various pro-life prayers and rosary meditations:
www.priestsforlife.org/prayers
God bless you!
Fr. Frank Pavone