Providence, RI — Pro-abortion groups were absent yesterday amid a ground-breaking ceremony for a pro-life facility that will sit next to an abortion facility. After celebrating a noon Mass, which carried a special “celebrate life” theme, at the Holy Ghost Church, 472 Atwells Ave., church members, joined by area pro-life activists, marched a few blocks to a vacant lot at 400 Atwells Ave.
Here, David O'Connell, chairman of Cristo-Rey, an organization of Catholics statewide, explained the Mother of Life Center's purpose.
“This center is here for the many, many women who turn to the tragedy of abortion,” said O'Connell, who is the center's vice chairman. “We want to show them our love…we will be advocates for life.”
The ceremony drew about 100 church members and pro-life advocates, many of whom carried signs hailing the Virgin Mary. “Queen of all Saints,” “Queen of Apostles” and “Health of the sick,” read some of them. Two people held banner-size pictures of the Virgin Mary, also.
O'Connell gave special thanks to former Gov. J. Joseph Garrahy for helping support the facility and to Joanne McOsker, head of Catholics for Life, for taking a lead role in the project as chairperson.
Both McOsker and Garrahy joined O'Connell and another man in slicing into a chunk of earth with shovels for the official ground-breaking. Church members concluded the event singing “Our Lady of Guadalupe.”
The fact that the pro-life house is being built within feet of an abortion business called Women's Surgical Services at 386 Atwells Ave. was intentional, McOsker said.
“We've helped counsel women before who go into that clinic, and sometimes we get them to change their minds,” she said. “Now we'll be able to help more of them.”
The Mother of Life Center, which is slated for opening March 25, 2003, will offer more services than its current facility Problem Pregnancy of Providence, 151 Broadway. This includes sonogram equipment, counseling and emotional support, a library of pro-life literature and audio-visual sets and meetings to organize pro-life activities.
Coventry resident Elaine Pegnam, who attends S.S John & Paul Church and is active in the pro-life group Respect Life, said the Broadway center “was very inaccessible. It was on the second floor of a building and hard to find.
“But this one is much better. It has more information and an adoration chapel for prayer,” she said.
“Last week we got three girls to change their minds,” said church member Liliana D'Ovidio. “We haven't had that high a number in six years or more.”
D'Ovidio said in approaching the women, “we tell them their baby is alive and we show them a picture of a fetus at eight weeks.”
(This article courtesy of Steven Ertelt and the Pro-Life Infonet email newsletter. For more information or to subscribe go to www.prolifeinfo.org or email infonet@prolifeinfo.org.)
