What Will You Do To Mark The 58th Anniversay Of The Passing Of The Abortion Act?

Monday 27th October 2025 is the 58th anniversary of the passing of the Abortion Act in the UK. There have been well over ten million children lost to abortion here since 1967. If you order a badge to wear on the day, I'll post it to you first class, no extra charge, there are more badges listed than are shown in this photo, https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?sid=stuartmcc1927

Monday will be a National Day of Prayer and Fasting for Life.National Day of Prayer and Fasting for Life.

There are also events on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. And one in Scotland on Thursday.

The 10th Annual GK Chesterton Pilgrimage Will Take Place

The 10th Annual GK Chesterton Pilgrimage will take place on Saturday 25th July, in spite of Covid-19. There are several ways you can join us, either in prayer, or by joining us in walking a short section of the pilgrimage or even in walking the whole 27 miles! To be involved and maybe help members of your Family into the Catholic Church you can;

A. Send prayer intentions for us to pray for along the way, we will not make the intentions public; catholicgkcsociety@yahoo.co.uk
And/or

B. Join us on the day of the Pilgrimage, Saturday 25th July, for a Low Old Rite Mass, 2.30pm at The Grotto Altar outside The Bridgettine Convent, Fulmer Common Road, Iver, SL0 0NR, email us if you need a lift from West Drayton or Uxbridge to get to the Convent. BRING A PACKED LUNCH.

C. And if you like you can walk 6 miles after Mass to GK Chesterton's Grave. If you leave your car at the Convent the minibus can take you back for it at the end of the day.

D. Or meet us at 9.15am outside Ealing Town Hall to walk on to Mass (approximately 12 miles).

E. Or, to do the whole 27 mile walk, meet us at 7.30am outside St George's C of E Church, Aubrey Walk, London, W8 7JG where GKC was Baptised as a baby, to walk 21 Miles to Mass. And 6 miles after Mass if you want.
The minibus will drop Pilgrims back to Uxbridge Station, after popping to GKC's pub after the prayer at the graveside.

F. And say the GK Chesterton Prayer on the day wherever you are. Find the prayer in a number of languages here; https://www.catholicgkchestertonsociety.co.uk/Printable-Prayercards.html

G. Invite friends to join us. The best way to do this is to click, Going or Interested/Maybe on this Facebook event and them click on Share and on Invite Friends and select those you wish to invite to join us for any of the above.

H. Sponsor Stuart as he raises funds for Good Counsel; https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gkcwalk20

Social distancing will take place. Follow on Twitter @CatholicGKCSoc

Say a Litany for Bishops on Easter Sunday, or whenever you see this.

A LITANY ON BEHALF OF BISHOPS

Lord have mercy on us.
Christ have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy on us.
Christ hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Queen of Heaven and earth, pray for us.
St. Joseph, Protector of Holy Mother Church, pray for us.
St Michael, all Archangels, special servants of Bishops, pray for us.
St John the Baptist, Herald of the Lord, pray for us.
St Peter, pray for us.
St Paul, pray for us.
St Andrew, pray for us.
St John, pray for us.
St Thomas, pray for us.
St James, pray for us.
St Philip, pray for us.
St Bartholomew, pray for us.
St Matthew, pray for us.
St James, pray for us.
St Simon, pray for us.
St Thaddeus, pray for us.
St Barnabas, pray for us.
St Matthias, pray for us.
O Holy Apostles, our first Bishops, we beg your intercession on behalf of your successors;

St Thomas Becket, pray for us.
St Blaise, pray for us.
St Boniface, pray for us.
St Cyprian, pray for us.
St. Ignatius of Antioch, pray for us.
St. Irenaeus, pray for us.
St John Fisher, pray for us.
St. Polycarp, pray for us.
All martyred Bishops; pray for us.

St Athanasius, pray for us.
St Alphosus Liguori, pray for us.
St Ambrose, pray for us.
St Anslem, pray for us.
St Augustine, pray for us.
St Basil and Gregory Nazianzen pray for us
St Bonaventure, pray for us.
St Cyril of Alexandria, pray for us.
St Cyril of Jerusalem, pray for us.
St Francis De Sales, pray for us.
St Hilary, pray for us.
St Isadore of Seville, pray for us.
St Peter Chrsologus, pray for us.
St Peter Damian, pray for us.
St Robert Bellarmine, pray for us.
All Bishops-Doctors of the Church, pray for us.

St Albert the Great, pray for us.
St Ansgar, pray for us.
St Charles Borromeo, pray for us.
St Ildephonsus, pray for us.
St Methodius, pray for us.
St Nicolas, pray for us.
St Norbert, pray for us.
St Patrick, pray for us.
St Richard, pray for us.
Sts. Timothy and Titus, pray for us.
St William, pray for us.
St Wulfran, pray for us.
All Bishops who have spread the light of Christ; pray for us.

St Leo the Great, pray for us.
St Pius V, pray for us.
St Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.
St Pius X, pray for us.
All Saints who have helped further the Faith through teaching, pray for us.

That all bishops will maintain complete obedience to the Holy Father, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will remain faithful to the Magisterium of the Church, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will defend the Faith and moral teachings of the Church, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will uphold the true teachings of the Ecumenical Councils, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will allow and defend all duly authorised Rites of the Mass, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will staunchly defend the unborn, the elderly, the sick and all defenceless people, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will provide for true and complete education of the Faith for all souls in their care, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will exercise the powers of their office to defend the faithful against heretics, apostates, and false prophets and teachers, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will use their authority and powers to correct errors and falsehoods, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will stand up for the rights of the Church when infringed upon by the State, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will develop a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will be living examples of the virtues, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will look to their saintly predecessors as examples of how they should carry out their vocations, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will encourage true vocations to the priesthood and religious life, we beseech Thee, hear us.

That all bishops will boldly proclaim the message of Our Lady of Fatima, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will concentrate their energies more on the spiritual than on the material needs of the faithful, we beseech Thee, hear us.
That all bishops will teach and preach the truth of Humanae Vitae and Familiaris Consortio.

O God, look with favour on Thy servants, Thy bishops, whom Thou hast appointed as teachers and defenders of Thy faithful here on earth. Grant that by word and example they may assist those over whom they have been placed, so that shepherds and flocks may together attain everlasting life, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

And share it on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/events/210951693670250/

GK Chesterton Prayer

Please say the #Chesterton Prayer in English, #Igbo, Latin, #French, Hungarian, #Croatian, Portuguese, #Urdu, Lithuanian, #Irish, Welsh, #Maltese, Spanish, #Polish, Romanian, #German, Latvian, #Russian, Slovakian, #Catalan or Italian https://t.co/RVAPTsmjQ3 #GKCWalk

Read The Convert by GK Chesterton on his anniversary.

After one moment when I bowed my head
And the whole world turned over and came upright,
And I came out where the old road shone white.
I walked the ways and heard what all men said,
Forests of tongues, like autumn leaves unshed,
Being not unlovable but strange and light;
Old riddles and new creeds, not in despite
But softly, as men smile about the dead

The sages have a hundred maps to give
That trace their crawling cosmos like a tree,
They rattle reason out through many a sieve
That stores the sand and lets the gold go free:
And all these things are less than dust to me
Because my name is Lazarus and I live.

Today is the 97th Anniversary of GK Chesterton's reception into the Catholic Church, a good day to say his prayer for the Conversion of someone you know. The prayer is below, or you can print copies of in many languages here; https://www.catholicgkchestertonsociety.co.uk/Printable-Prayercards.html
And a good day to buy the book; https://www.chesterton.org/shop/my-name-is-lazarus/

God Our Father, Thou didst fill the life of Thy servant Gilbert Keith Chesterton with a sense of wonder and joy, and gave him a faith which was the foundation of his ceaseless work, a charity towards all men, particularly his opponents, and a hope which sprang from his lifelong gratitude for the gift of human life. May his innocence and his laughter, his constancy in fighting for the Christian faith in a world losing belief, his lifelong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and his love for all men, especially for the poor, bring cheerfulness to those in despair, conviction and warmth to lukewarm believers and the knowledge of God to those without faith. We beg Thee to grant the favours we ask through his intercession, the end of abortion in this Country [and especially for……] so that his holiness may be recognized by all and the Church may proclaim him Blessed. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen. Catholicgkchestertonsociety.co.uk

Say the GK Chesterton Prayer to close an abortion centre

Please start saying the GK Chesterton Prayer each day until Christmas Day, asking him to intercede with God to close down one or more of the five abortion centres in Ealing, Twickenham, Whitfield Street, Edgbaston or Cardiff, by the end of 2017. Feel free to add any local centres to your prayer.

You will find the prayer below or you can print a copy off in a number of languages here;

http://www.catholicgkchestertonsociety.co.uk/Printable-Prayercards.html

In September 2012 we asked Chestertonians to support 40 Days for Life by praying the Chesterton prayer each day, asking that an abortion centre in England would close down.  http://ecumenicaldiablog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/gk-chesterton-supports-40-days-for-life.html
The abortion centre in Bedford Square London has since closed down. 

God Our Father, Thou didst fill the life of
Thy servant Gilbert Keith Chesterton with a
sense of wonder and joy, and gave him a faith
which was the foundation of his ceaseless
work, a charity towards all men, particularly
his opponents, and a hope which sprang from
his lifelong gratitude for the gift of human
life. May his innocence and his laughter, his
constancy in fighting for the Christian faith in
a world losing belief, his lifelong devotion to
the Blessed Virgin Mary and his love for all
men, especially for the poor, bring
cheerfulness to those in despair, conviction
and warmth to lukewarm believers and the
knowledge of God to those without faith. We
beg Thee to grant the favours we ask through
his intercession, the end of abortion in this
Country [and especially for one or more of the five abortion centres in Ealing, Twickenham, Whitfield Street, Edgbaston or Cardiff to by the end of 2017 so that his holiness may be recognized by all and the
Church may proclaim him Blessed. We ask
this through Christ Our Lord. Amen

Photograph of Shawn Carney of 40 Days for Life with the leaflet for this year's GK Chesterton Pilgrimage 

Spot The GKC Pilgrimage Leaflet Competition

All you need to do is spot the GK Chesterton Pilgrimage Leaflet in this photo of the excellent 40 Days for Life Conference in London. And you will receive a free GK Chesterton Prayercard in the post. Just email your address to; catholicgkcsociety@yahoo.co.uk

A winner will be chosen on next weeks Pilgrimage. Not sure what the leaflet looks like? Here's Shawn Carney of 40 Days for Life giving his copy the thumbs-up. Shawn often quotes Chesterton and I'm sure here says the GKC prayer, but he doesn't pray outside his local abortion centre anymore....because it closed down!

6th Annual GK Chesterton Pilgrimage Report And Photos

On Saturday 30^th July 2016 my brother-in-law Stephen agreed to give me a lift to the starting point of the Annual GK Chesterton Walking Pilgrimage. This allowed me to stay in bed slightly longer than normal, for which I am grateful. Hooray! While waiting outside St George’s C of E Church in Aubrey

Walk, to see if anybody else would arrive for the 8am start, Malcolm wandered around the corner, went into the Church grounds and promptly announced on social media that I wasn’t there! At 8am we read the paragraph from Chesterton’s autobiography, said the prayer and started marching off in the direction of Ealing. Hooray! We bemoaned the fact that many people had said they would come if the pilgrimage was ever on a Saturday as two is the smallest number that we have had start the Pilgrimage since the first year we walked. Upon arriving outside the abortion “clinic” at 87 Mattock Lane in Ealing 5 minutes ahead of schedule, we prayed for the closure of the “clinic” with the hardy souls who go there each Saturday to pray and offer support to the women tempted to abort. We were joined by three more pilgrims at this point, the five of us headed off, joining the canal just before Hanwell Hospital by The Fox public house. We now had to pick up speed as we needed to arrive in Uxbridge for the 1.30 Mass.

The Sung Old Rite Mass started shortly after our arrival and thanks to Fr Schofield for allowing us to use his parish.  To Fr Michael Cullinan for being the Celebrant, Gordon for being MC and Peter, Steven, Nathanael and Jerome for serving and a special thanks to Matthew Schellhorn who provided the excellent musical accompaniment to the Mass. And thanks to the Latin Mass Society for helping to cover the expenses of the Mass. Hooray! There were more than 50 people at Mass, which was offered in thanksgiving for the Conversion of GK Chesterton, whose reception into the Catholic Church had taken place 94 years ago to the day. After a brief lunch we were off again to walk the last 12 miles through the countryside to the grave of GK Chesterton in Beaconsfield. There were now more than 30 of us for the last leg of our journey. Hooray! A couple of American film-makers joined us for the afternoon, filming proceedings to be part of a documentary that they are making about GKC. We said the Rosary on the way, sang a few bits, said the Angelus twice and even stopped in one pub.  Upon arriving at Chesterton’s grave we said the Prayer for the Beatification of GK Chesterton in English, Welsh, Gaelic, French, Maltese, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Latvian, Hungarian, Portuguese and Latin, Hooray! 

Half the Pilgrims were dropped back to Uxbridge station in a minibus while the rest of us patiently waited in Chesterton’s local pub, The White Hart, for the minibus to return and take us back to London. Thanks to Ken who patiently followed us in the minibus during the day, to provide lifts to anyone who needed a break or was having trouble keeping up. Our youngest walking Pilgrim was 5 years old and we have no idea how old our oldest Pilgrims were as we were too polite to ask them but we are fairly sure they were septuagenarians.

Please say the Chesterton Prayer and print copies off. Please email Canon Udris (Chesterton (at) oscott.org) and tell him that you say the prayer even if you haven’t received any favours yet as at this time, Bishop Peter Doyle just requires evidence that there is a cult of prayer and devotion to GK Chesterton so that his cause for Beatification can be opened. Please like and follow the Catholic GK Chesterton Society on Facebook and Twitter (@CatholicGKCSoc), Read GK Chesterton’s books and essays, many of which can be read here for free  and watch ‘The Apostle of Common Sense’ on EWTN (Sky 589 or online) Tuesdays 5pm or Wednesdays 7am or Thursdays 10pm each week. (30 minutes long) and do give Chesterton books to friends and family for birthdays, Christmas and etc, ensuring that you put a GK Chesterton prayercard in the book, which they can use as a bookmark.

Chesterton once said, “You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.” If each time we open a book we find a Chesterton prayercard marking our page, we could say the prayer before we read.
And £4,735.68 was raised for the wonderful Catholic Pro-Life work of The Good Counsel Network and you can still donate here.

3rd Annual GK Chesterton Pilgrimage Tuesday 30th July!

Today is GKC's Birthday! So the 3rd Annual GK Chesterton Pilgrimage will be held on Tuesday 30th July. After the first Annual GK Chesterton Pilgrimage, someone pointed out that we couldn't call it 'annual' as we'd only had one! Well we can now, as we are into our 3rd year! (Report, with photos, of the 2nd GKC Pilgrimage can be read here)

"Why on a Tuesday?" Well. William & Lucy, of last year's Annual GK Chesterton Pilgrimage, are getting Married on the nearest Saturday. And Fr Schofield couldn't do that Saturday. And Bishops are not often available on Saturdays. And the Metropolitan Police force said "it is to be hoped that less people will attend on a weekday, and thus we will be able to control the crowds........"

As Tuesday 30th July is the 91st anniversary of Gilbert Keith Chesterton becoming a Catholic, the theme and prayer intention of this year's Annual GK Chesterton Pilgrimage, will be the Conversion of my Mum. Oh, and the Conversion of anybody you would like us to pray for along the way! You can leave names of people to be prayed for in the comments below (they will not be published) or you can send me a DM on twitter (@Stuart1927).

Dale Ahlquist of The American Chesterton Society has a list of over two hundred people Converted by GKC. You can read Dale's Conversion story here. The result of GKC Converting Dale to the Catholic Church is amazing, hundreds of thousand of people, or maybe millions, have seen him promote Chesterton on EWTN. You can learn a lot about GKC by watching Mr Ahlquist each week on www.ewtn.co.uk or sky 589, on Tuesdays at 5pm, Wednesdays at 6.30am or Thursdays at 10pm.

BRING A PACKED LUNCH! After Mass last year we had to go back to the shops to buy lunch for 75% of those attending the Pilgrimage! We will not be doing this again. BRING A PACKED LUNCH! Some unkind sorts last year blamed this on the organiser (who had bought a PACKED LUNCH) as they claimed that LUNCH had not been mentioned in the posters, blogs, etc! BRING A PACKED LUNCH!

Plan for the day; Meet outside St George's C of E Church, Aubrey Walk, London, W8 7JG, where GKC was Baptised as a baby. Then at 8am start walking to Uxbridge (15 miles approx).

1.30pm Old Rite Mass (which will be a Sung Mass due to the support of The Latin Mass Society), in thanksgiving for Chesterton's Conversion, which took place 91 years ago on this day. Our Lady of Lourdes and St Michael, Osborn Road, Uxbridge, UB8 1UE. You are welcome to attend the Mass even if you are not doing the walk. Walk on to Beaconsfield (10 miles approx) where Chesterton lived, converted, died and is buried. Then we will say the prayer for the Beatification of GK Chesterton at his graveside. You can find the prayer here; http://www.catholicgkchestertonsociety.co.uk/

For more details or to join the pilgrimage email catholicgkcsociety@yahoo.co.uk or DM on Twitter and/or follow on the day, @Stuart1927 or sign up on Facebook.

"Have we now, [seventy-eight] years after Chesterton's death, reached a kind of tipping point in his reputation, of the same kind that Newman's reputation reached, leading to the opening of his cause in 1959, seventy-eight years after his death?" Dr Oddie

Cardiff, Wales, 40 Days For Life, Wales!

This Lent, from February 13th - March 24th, our community will be one of many cities joining together for the largest and longest coordinated pro-life mobilization in history -- the 40 Days for Life campaign.
40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life effort that consists of:

• 40 days of prayer and fasting
• 40 days of peaceful vigil
• 40 days of community outreach
 

We are praying that, with God's help, this groundbreaking effort will mark the beginning of the end of abortion in Cardiff -- and throughout Wales. Here are the details of the vigil beinf held in Cardiff this Lent. Go to the website of your local vigil and click on the vigil schedule to sign up to cover some of the hours needed. 6,749 babies saved ... 27 abortion centers closed by God through 40 Days for Life, World wide!

Cardiff

http://40daysforlife.com/cardiff/

Clare Jackson 07580275698

Email: clare40dfl@gmail.com

Oh, it does seem that some vigils will also take place in England and elsewhere, details below.

London Whitfield Street

http://40daysforlife.com/london-whitfield/

Eddie 07932105696 or 02077231740
Email GCNVigil@yahoo.co.uk

London Ealing
http://40daysforlife.com/london-ealing/
Justyna 07540286688 or 02077231740
GCNVigil@yahoo.co.uk

London Bedford Square
http://www.40daysforlife.com/london/
Robert - 07947698195
Email - 40daysforlifelondon@gmail.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/40-Days-for-Life-London/114071638700765

Birmingham
http://www.40daysforlife.com/birmingham-uk/
Isabel - 07773501721 or Aline - 07861005895
Email - 40daysforlife.bham@gmail.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/?sk=events&ap=1#!/event.php?eid=158146297591490

Brighton
http://www.40daysforlife.com/brighton-uk/
40daysforlifebrighton@gmail.com

Leamington Spa
http://40daysforlife.com/leamingtonspa/
Eera 07801819855
40dfl.lspa@gmail.com

Manchester
http://www.40daysforlife.com/manchester-uk/
John 07909 920 739
E-mail: 40d4l.mcr@cathfell.co.uk

Milton Keynes
http://www.40daysforlife.com/miltonkeynes/
Andy Burton 07765 884791
ajlburton@gmail.com

Southampton
http://www.40daysforlife.com/southampton/
Email: souuk40dfl@yahoo.com

For America, Australia, Canada, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, South Africa and Spain see here.

A Very Pro-Life Parish

God bless you Father. To print a copy of the poster on the right see here and to have a copy of the 40 Days for Life one e-mailed to you contact GCNVigil@yahoo.co.uk (Help end abortion here; http://www.40daysforlife.com/london-whitfield/)

One Million Rosaries, One Weekend, Countless Unborn Babies

The Saint Michael the Archangel Organisation, based in Memphis, Tennessee, CSA, has launched a drive for one million rosaries for unborn babies between this Friday 4th May and this Sunday 6th May, from people all around the world. I urge all Catholics to join this wonderful pro-life campaign and spread the word among their contacts. For more details visit http://www.saintmichaelthearchangelorganization.org/

HT John Smeaton

Abortuary Staff Tell Catholic Bishop To Stay Away

NO BISHOPS WANTED. BY ORDER OF BPAS.

The following comment appeared in The Evening Standard on 14th March. My comments are in bold.

"A major protest is now planned for March 30 at the clinic and campaigners claim it will be led by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Westminster, Alan Hopes.
BPAS said there was “no moral justification” for bishops to get involved in such a campaign."
BPAS talking about moral justification? The mind boggles.
"Abigail Fitzgibbon, policy manager for the 'charity' [my inverted comma's], warned that “vocal” anti-abortion MPs were also stirring up protesters.
She told the Standard:

“I can quite understand that people want a debate on abortion but it’s another matter when they’re haranguing and intimidating women and staff.“If bishops are getting behind this then I can’t see how it’s morally justified especially when women have already made up their minds.”

While it's nice of Abigail to be so understanding. I don't want a debate on abortion personally. I want every woman considering abortion to be given really good other options. I also want abortion to be made completely illegal.
Regarding her belief that there is no moral justification for a Bishop to support his flock in rescuing those who are being dragged to death, try Proverbs 24:11-12 Alison, it may clear this up for you somewhat.

Since January 2011, over 40 women who "had already made up their minds" according to BPAS were given leaflets outside abortuaries and came to Good Counsel to talk about keeping their babies and to obtain the help and support necessary to do so. Many of them complained about having the help leaflets taken from them by abortuary staff if they went into the abortuary and had to ask pro-lifers for new copies when they came out. Groups like The Helpers of God's Precious Infants and 40 Days for Life would be there if 1 woman had turned around, or indeed if none had.

Does anyone get the feeling that BPAS and their hoards are still reeling from the shock of about 200 people - yes that's 200 people - turning up to pray at the new Stratford abortuary a week ago with over 10 priests and religious joining them? No wonder they are desperate to stop Bishop Hopes attending.

The Guardian and it's pro-abortion cronies as well as the Standard were raging at 40 Days last week when someone turned up at the Vigil and filmed parts of it. The pro-death lobby were concerned that any woman may have been filmed. Yet a few days before this a group turned up to film Good Counsel's peaceful prayer vigil at Marie Stopes abortuary in Whitfield St. Volunteer, Justina, was actually filmed while speaking to one of the expectant mums approaching the abortuary. Those doing the filming went in and out of the abortuary and chatted with the staff. Strange that the abortionists think that was ok.

Please pray for Bishop Hopes and please support the 40 Days vigil especially on 30 March when the Bishop attends. Please pray for Good Counsel's Whitfield St Vigil too and attend any day if you can Mon-Fri 9-1.30 and Wed 1.30-5.30 also.

Deerstalker Tip to Good Counsel, Photos of Bishop Hopes leading prayers at another abortuary(report) & Bishop McMahon at another(report).

Today Is A 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.

Week Of Prayer For Christian Unity

Prayer for Wales

O Almighty God,
Who in Thine infinite goodness
has sent Thine only-begotten Son into this world
to open once more the gates of heaven,
and to teach us how to know, love and serve Thee,
have mercy on Thy people Who dwell in Wales.
Grant to them the precious gift of faith,
and unite them in the one true Church
founded by Thy Divine Son; that,
acknowledging her authority and obeying her voice,
they may serve Thee, love Thee, and worship Thee
as Thou desirest in this world,
and obtain for themselves everlasting happiness
in the world to come.
Through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

Our Lady, Help of Christians,
pray for Wales.

Saint David,
pray for Wales.

Saint Winefride,
pray for Wales.

Prayers for Scotland & England

There, that should do it!

SSPX Superiors To Discuss "Doctrinal Preamble" On October 7-8

SSPX Superiors to discuss "Doctrinal Preamble" on October 7-8 in Albano
From DICI:

Italy: Meeting of Superiors of the Society of St. Pius X

As announced in the interview given to DICI on September 14, 2011, following the meeting with Cardinal William Levada, Bishop Bernard Fellay will consult the Superiors of the SSPX about the doctrinal preamble, given to him by the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Society’s Superiors will meet together behind closed doors at the Italian District Headquarters, in Albano, on October 7 and 8, 2011.

I know this is not news anymore, but do say a few prayers this week that all goes well.

Prayer for Wales

O Almighty God,
Who in Thine infinite goodness
has sent Thine only-begotten Son into this world
to open once more the gates of heaven,
and to teach us how to know, love and serve Thee,
have mercy on Thy people Who dwell in Wales.
Grant to them the precious gift of faith,
and unite them in the one true Church
founded by Thy Divine Son; that,
acknowledging her authority and obeying her voice,
they may serve Thee, love Thee, and worship Thee
as Thou desirest in this world,
and obtain for themselves everlasting happiness
in the world to come.
Through the same Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

Our Lady, Help of Christians, pray for Wales.

Saint David, pray for Wales.

Saint Winefride, pray for Wales.

Prayers for Scotland and England.

Please Pray For Father Williams

"Poor Fr. Mike has fallen unconscious with a mysterious lump on his brain. We visited him last night - he has been in critical condition on a life support machine since Thursday. Basically we need a miracle - if he is to survive he has to open his eyes in the next couple of days and then he will still need brain surgery.

He is also the only priest (that I know of) in this Archdiocese who goes to lead the Rosary outside the BPAS. He has brought souls back to God through his work as a full time hospital chaplain and is regarded in the Archdiocese for his maturity and virtue.

We are asking people to pray for a miracle to Blessed Cardinal JH Newman and as Fr Mike has devotion to St. Philomena - Powerful with God, to ask for her help too! A priest last night also suggested Blessed Pope John Paul II."

We recieved this from friends in Liverpool and having met Fr Williams a couple of time would ask your prayers for this very good Priest.

Deerstalker tip to Good Counsel

Fast 4 Life, Prayer 4 Life

Join Us in Prayer and Fasting for the End of Abortion, Euthanasia and all attacks on the Sanctity of Life.

The next National Day of Prayer and Fasting for Life is tomorrow, Wednesday September 28th, please pray for an end of abortion and euthanasia. Your prayer and fasting is urgently needed. This is an opportunity for everyone to make a real difference in the pro-life struggle.

Join us in:

•Fasting: Fast from all food except bread and water for the day or fast from a particular food or luxury, e.g. chocolate, alcohol, cigarettes, TV. Fast from whatever you can given your state of health etc, but make sure it is something that involves a sacrifice to yourself.

•Prayer: 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. You can even pray before a closed tabernacle if Adoration is not available near you.

(Photo Benediction at Good Counsel)

COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE HOLY SEE: MEETING BETWEEN THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH AND THE FRATERNITY OF SAINT PIUS X

On September 14, 2011, at the office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a meeting was held between His Eminence, Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of this Congregation and President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, His Excellency, Archbishop Luis Ladaria, S.J., Secretary of this Congregation, and Monsignor Guido Pozzo, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, and His Excellency, Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, and Fathers Niklaus Pfluger et Alain-Marc Nély, General Assistants of the Fraternity

Following the petition addressed on December 15, 2008, by the Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X to His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, the Holy Father had taken the decision of lifting the excommunication of the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and to open at the same time doctrinal conversations with the Fraternity, aiming to overcome the difficulties and the problems of a doctrinal nature, and to achieve a healing of the existing fracture.

Obedient to the will of the Holy Father, a mixed study commission, composed of experts of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X and of experts of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, assembled eight times for meetings that took place in Rome between the month of October 2009 and the month of April 2011. These conversations, whose objective was that of presenting and examining the major doctrinal difficulties on controversial themes, achieved their goal, which was that of clarifying the respective positions and their motivations.

Given the concerns and requests presented by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X regarding the integrity of the Catholic faith considering the hermeneutic of rupture of the Second Vatican Council in respect of Tradition - hermeneutic mentioned by Pope Benedict XVI in his Address to the Roman Curia of December 22, 2005 -, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith takes as a fundamental basis for a full reconciliation with the Apostolic See the acceptance of the Doctrinal Preamble which was delivered in the course of the meeting of September 14, 2011. This preamble enunciates some of the doctrinal principles and criteria of interpretation of Catholic doctrine necessary for ensuring fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church and to the sentire cum Ecclesia, while leaving open to legitimate discussion the study and theological explanation of particular expressions and formulations present in the texts of the Second Vatican Council and of the Magisterium that followed it.

In the course of the same meeting, some elements were proposed regarding a canonical solution for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, which would follow the eventual and hoped-for reconciliation.

Deerstalker tip to Rorate Caeli for this. So lets keep praying, see my last post and see the Litany on behalf of Bishops.

Fasting & Praying 4 Life, Today Or Tomorrow

On Tuesday 6th September(moved to 7th after we sent this out as an email!) in the House of Commons there will be a debate regarding Health and Social Care Bill. A number of amendments regarding the counselling of pregnant women in relationship to abortion will be debated. With the details that we currently have it is not clear what would be the long term outcome of these amendments. Although there are some serious concerns that pro-lifers have raised. The Good Counsel Network has therefore called for an extra day of prayer and fasting for life with the intention that God’s Will, will be done and that the bill and any amendments to it, will do nothing to hinder the pro-life movement and that it will also not lead to an increase in the number of abortions.

Therefore on Tuesday 6th of September (or on Wednesday 7th)please:

Fast

Fast from all food except bread and water for the day

Or

Fast from a particular food or luxury, e.g. chocolate, alcohol, cigarettes, TV.

Fast from whatever you can, given your state of health etc, but make sure it is something that involves a sacrifice to yourself.

Prayer

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. You can even pray before a closed tabernacle if Adoration is not available near you.

(Photo of Benediction at Good Counsel on the eve of the Fast Day.)