Our battle in Sault Ste Marie was short, but sweet. We started by going down to the local hospital where they do abortions. About 200 abortions are performed there every year. We met the most dedicated group of men, probably of our whole trip. The pro-life movement in Sault Ste Marie is small, but STRONG! Some of those men have been coming to protest at the hospital week after week for 17 years!!! Their dedication certainly empowered us as we gave them hope too. They efforts have not gone in vain. There are now no local doctors who perform abortions. They have to fly them in from Toronto!
As part of our speaking duties, I was lined up for something new, speaking at an Anglican church. The litrugy at the Anglican church was quite different. We found the service very lax and informal. The minister had to call up someone to do the second reading from the congregation. The minister also played the organ. There was a woman who read the gospel and the sermon. There was a healing service during mass. The whole liturgy was 2 hours! Needless to say, the minister and his wife were very welcoming of us. They wanted to run a story of us in the Anglican paper and they were very pro-life! There were also some very pro-life people in the congregation. However, there were quite a few that were very indifferent to our message and did not stop to look twice at us on their way out.
The rest of our speaking engagements were as expected. We also did something new, which was eat with the poor. We were invited to a "friendship meal" where we got to sit and eat with the poor. I was at a table with a very pro-choice person, who mentioned right away that she did not liked pro-lifers and that she aborted her daughter. It was hard to respond or even correspond with her as she was clearly not in the right state of mind. Outside the church, we came across a unique parking spot, which we think should be in more places and relates so much to do work we are doing, a parking spot for "pregnant and new mothers"!
Our walk to Sudbury can be summarized as hot and long, since we were only doing day walks and we were with only 5 members for most of the week. Br. Paul went to return the rental van and had the longest drive of 20 hours from Sudbury to Winnipeg!
We are staying with the watergate community here in Sudbury. They are some of the most faithful and hardworking people I have seen on this trip yet. The director of this community is handicapped and on a wheel chair. However, she is one of the smartest, determined and dedicated ladies I have ever seen. They are in the midst of defining the constitution for this community. However, this is a lay apostolate and they mainly deal with healing of people and also of the church. The whole place seems like a church with the statues, paintings and Christian reading material that they have got. Their mission is so important in today's broken church. Please pray a lot for their ministry!
We did not have many speaking engagements here in Sudbury, but the people and the priests overall have been very generous and hospitable, respectively. One of the most encouraging moments was meeting this young guy after mass who is on his way to becoming a teacher. He was filled with so much knowledge, zeal and passion for God. He knew himself well and you could tell he was open and searching for what God wanted for him. Meeting such enthusiastic young people really makes me want to work, support and pray for them. There are so few of them left amidst the darkness and disarray that today's youth seem to be going into.
Another blessing of us being here in this Watergate community is getting to spend time with and talk to a wonderful young priest. He was a great resource to bless us and our items, celebrate mass for us and just to talk to. He took us on a tour of Sudbury and treated us to dairy queen. What more can seminarians ask for than a great tour by an awesome priest and then a visit to DQ to finish it off?
Please pray for the diocese of Sault Ste Marie where a number of churches are closing down, there are a number of fairly liberal priests and very few young people attending mass. That's it from Sudbury. We are onwards to our most exciting part of the trip - Barry's Bay, Cumbermere and then Ottawa all in line for speaking in Hamilton next week. Adios for now....
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