40 Days for Life Countdown: 7 Days

Let us prepare ourselves in prayer for the start of 40 Days for Life (in 7 days!), asking for the Holy Spirit to inspire and strengthen us!

Let us pray,

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Thou, of all consolers best, Visiting the troubled breast, Dost refreshing peace bestow.

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle therein such a love for God, that I may find satisfaction only in His service, and for His sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority. Amen.

Thank you to all who signed up to fill the open hours today! We do have one open hour tomorrow, Friday (09/23/11), at 1:00 p.m. If you can help, please contact Laura Karlen immediately (608-445-2064 or laura@vigilforlife.org) or sign-up online at http://vigilforlife.org/calendar/monthview.

Countdown to 40 Days for Life: 8 Days

Let us prepare ourselves in prayer for the start of 40 Days for Life (in 8 days!), asking for the Holy Spirit to inspire and strengthen us!

Let us pray,

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Come. Father of the poor. Come, treasures which endure; Come, Light of all that live!

Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set you, my Lord and God, before my face forever, help me to shun all things that can offend You, and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Your Divine Majesty in heaven, where You live and reign in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God world without end. Amen.

We are in need of help with our "365 for Life" initiative tomorrow (09/22/11) and Friday (09/23/11).

Thursday (09/22/11): 1 person for the 3:00 p.m. hour, 1 person for the 4:00 p.m. hour, 2 people for the 5:00 p.m. hour

Friday (09/23/11): 1 person for the 1:00 p.m. hour

If you can help, please contact Laura Karlen immediately at 608-445-2064 or laura@vigilforlife.org or sign-up online at http://vigilforlife.org/calendar/. Thank you for helping out in a pinch!

Countdown to 40 Days for Life: Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Let us prepare ourselves in prayer for the start of 40 Days for Life (in 9 days!), asking for the Holy Spirit to inspire and strengthen us!

Let us pray,

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Holy Spirit! Lord of Light! From Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give!

Almighty and eternal God, Who has vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and has given us forgiveness from all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.

Friends, we also need help with tomorrow for "365 for Life," that's Wednesday, 09/21/11. We need 2 people for the 9:00 a.m. hour and 1 person for the 10:00 a.m. hour. Visit http://vigilforlife.org/calendar/ to sign-up online or contact Laura Karlen immediately at 608-445-2064 or laura@vigilforlife.org if you can help. Thank you in advance for helping with this day!

Sidewalk Counseling Training and 40 Days for Life Line-Up

In this issue:

• Are you ready for the sidewalk? Sidewalk counseling training Saturday (09/17/11), 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
• Open Hours for "365 for Life" next week
• 40 Days for Life Volunteer Line-up
• 40 Days for Life Sign-up
• Women's Care Center blog update: A Second Opinion
  
  

Have you received a call from a cheerful 40 Days for Life volunteer about the upcoming campaign? If you have, check out our online calendar at http://vigilforlife.org/calendar. If you haven't yet received your call, it should be coming soon, and don't hang up the phone -- we're not solicitors! Now is the time to sign up for 40 Days for Life. Have you signed up yet?

Are you ready for the sidewalk? Sidewalk counseling training Saturday (09/17/11), 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Our sidewalk counseling training is in time for 40 Days for Life so that YOU will be READY for the sidewalk. Join us this Saturday, 09/17/11 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at St. Peter's Church (5001 N. Sherman Avenue Madison, WI 53704) to equip yourself to reach out to men and women on the sidewalk. Take a step forward in faith to share the good news about life and helpful resources to those in crisis. If possible, let us know if you plan to attend so we can estimate attendance. Contact Laura Karlen at 608-445-2064 or laura@vigilforlife.org."

Open Hours for "365 for Life" next week

Tuesday (09/20/11): 1 person for the 9:00 a.m. hour, 2 people for the 10:00 a.m. hour

Wednesday (09/21/11): 1 person for the 9:00 a.m .hour, 1 person for the 10:00 a.m. hour

Contact Laura Karlen (see above) or visit our online calendar (see first paragraph) RIGHT AWAY if you can help!

40 Days for Life Volunteer Line-up

For our upcoming campaign, Laura Karlen will be overseeing 40 Days for Life as the campaign director. We are so grateful to have some other trustworthy and hard-working volunteers joining the campaign team in key roles. We want you to know the names of these volunteers in case you get a phone call or e-mail from them. In this case, please respond to them!

Bette Weisshaar is the vigil coordinator. She will be watching the online calendar closely throughout the campaign and assisting our 7 vigil captains (and 2 vigil captain assistants) in filling last-minute hours. If Bette sends out a urgent hours e-mail, please respond right away! Those e-mails mean that we are struggling with our campaign and need a boost!

Judy Hoffman is the church coordinator. Judy will be seeing that 40 Days for Life's message is getting out in the community. You can help her by promoting 40 Days at your church or with your organization. Contact Laura Karlen at 608-445-2064 or laura@vigilforlife.org to be put in contact with Judy.

Amy Lang is coordinating all the calls to past 40 Days for Life participants. It is important that we call you to invite you back to participate in the campaign: you are our base of support upon which we can build momentum and bring new people into the Vigil for Life "family."

Del Teeter is the events coordinator, putting together the kick-off, midpoint and closing events. These events are essential for growing the campaign, offering more opportunities to build the culture of LIFE. You can help us grow our campaign by attending these events and inviting others to attend with you.

A hearty "thank-you" to these volunteers for their sacrifices for the success of 40 Days for Life -- all glory to God!

40 Days for Life Sign-up

If you take a look at our online vigil calendar, we have one day filled for our campaign: the folks at St. Francis Xavier in Cross Plains have signed up for a full day! WOW! That's the great news and a challenge to all churches out there! Can your church match St. Francis Xavier?

The bad news is that our schedule looks bleak beyond that one day. Can you hop on the calendar and sign up today? Can you involve your bible study or men's group? All hands on deck! Sign up at http://vigilforlife.org/calendar or by contacting Laura Karlen (608-445-2064 or laura@vigilforlife.org).

Women's Care Center blog update: A Second Opinion

On the sidewalk, we pray for the conversion of the hearts of the people entering and exiting Planned Parenthood. We pray that they will find "another way." This week's Women's Care Center blog post discusses that other way. A second opinion. Women can leave Planned Parenthood and find options and resources across the street at the WCC. Check out this new blog post here or on Facebook. You can also find out how to support the Women's Care Center on the blog page by clicking on "Donate."

We look forward to seeing many of you on Saturday at the sidewalk counseling training and at our kick-off event on Tuesday, September 27! May God bless you in all things.

Join ConQuest Madison Boys Club!

Looking for your son to grow in virtue, character, and leadership?

Come try out the Madison ConQuest Boys Club!

What: ConQuest – First Meeting
Enjoy sports, formation and food for boys 5-15. Plus an Intro to Conquest for parents
Refreshments for everyone
When: Monday, September 12, 2011
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Where: Bishop O’Connor Center
702 S. High Point Rd., Madison

Open to all boys ages 5-16, ConQuest is a national network of Catholic leadership clubs and camps. Starting our 8th year, our club is led by dads who train the boys to become self-disciplined and confident Catholic leaders, who possess moral integrity and are committed to improving the communities in which they live. We meet each Monday evening at the Bishop O’Connor Center or Schoenstatt Heights for food, sports, fun, and a structured program focused on faith and virtues.

Come to our first club meeting to find out what ConQuest is all about!

For more information:
www.conquestmadison.com www.conquestclubs.org Ryan Gray (608-556-4276)Dave Yanke (608-843-9542)
Email: president@conquestmadison.com

Vigil for Life to host national civil rights speaker

In this issue:

• VFL to host national civil rights speaker Ryan Bomberger on Wednesday March 23
• Sidewalk counseling training leads to first turnaround at Madison's Planned Parenthood
• Help Needed for "365 for Life"!

Ryan Bomberger to speak on March 23

Ryan Bomberger, co-founder The Radiance Foundation and TooManyAborted.com, will speak in Madison on March 23 at 7 p.m. at the Bishop O'Connor Center (702 S. High Point Road, Madison), courtesy of Vigil for Life, Pro-Life Wisconsin and the Diocese of Madison.

Ryan is an adoptee and adoptive father, who has exposed the abortion industry's penchant for targeting minorities. Ryan's Black and Unwanted billboard campaign made national headlines in Wisconsin this year, drawing attention to the fact that with only six percent of Wisconsin's population, African Americans account for nearly a quarter of all abortions. His powerful multimedia live presentation illuminates the truth about pressing social issues, especially abortion and adoption.

This event is FREE and open to all ages. A reception will follow Ryan’s presentation.

Madison will also be hosting two other first-class events this spring:

• The Day at the Capitol (Thursday, March 10, 9 a.m.-noon) will feature Lieutenant Governor and Vigil for Life supporter Rebecca Kleefisch, top pro-life legislators, a full breakfast, and a comprehensive training on how to engage your legislators.
• Pro-Life Wisconsin's Annual Awards Dinner on Saturday April 10 will honor Juneau County District Attorney Scott Southworth, who risked his career in opposing the imposition of Planned Parenthood's explicit sex education curriculum on his community's public schools. The Event will be headlined by Joe Scheidler, considered by many to be the "Father of Pro-Life Activism."

Hope to see you there!

Sidewalk counselor training leads to first Planned Parenthood turnaround!

Vigil for Life and Pro-Life Wisconsin's February 11-12 sidewalk counselor training prepared more than 30 people (from all across Wisconsin and even Iowa!) to serve as the last line of defense for women considering abortion.

And we're happy report tonight that one of the newly trained counselors re-directed a couple from Planned Parenthood to the very pro-life Our Lady of Hope Clinic! Well done!

In the coming days, we'll be posting the sidewalk counselor training materials on the newly revamped Vigil for Life website.

Help Needed for "365 for Life"!

We need your help today for "365 for Life" in two ways:

1. We still have openings this week (9-11 Tuesday, 9-10 on Wednesday, and 1-3 on Friday). If you are not available for these times, please consider other open times in February and March, especially monthly commitments, to maintain and expand our perpetual presence. Sign up at http://vigilforlife.org/calendar/.

2. We need help your help in our outreach efforts for "365 for Life." A few of you have already volunteered to help with making phone calls to "recruit" prayer warriors. Thank you! We do need a THREE more volunteers. Contact Laura Karlen at 608-445-2064 or laura@vigilforlife.org if you can help!

365 for Life Update

Pro-lifers are on the move! The March for Life drew hundreds of thousands of pro-lifers to Washington D.C. while the Walk for Life in San Francisco drew a record 50,000 people.

Here in Madison, faithful prayer warriors braved sub-zero temperatures for a Novena of the Stations of the Cross the nine days up to the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Volunteer Mary Ann shared with us this encouraging story from the novena vigils: "I saw a 5 year old little girl come two days in a row during the Novena. She willingly got up at 4:45 a.m., got herself dressed, put her coat on and pulled on her boots. She walked to the car in the frigid weather. I saw her kneel in front of the fourth Station as she looked up at the image. The headlight she was wearing illuminated the picture and I saw her hands clasped in prayer. I will never forget that image."

On Saturday, the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, Fr. William Vernon led about 70 people in prayer as we remembered the 53 million babies lost to abortion since 1973. As Fr. Vernon prayed exorcism prayers, the temperature seemed to drop suddenly and, crows began making noise. Be assured that the powers of evil and darkness do not like our prayers, fasting, witness and faithfulness. Let us remain steadfast in Christ!

Sign-ups needed for next week for the "365 for Life" initiative

We are in need of volunteers for the "365 for Life" initiative on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood next Wednesday and throughout the month of February. We are especially looking for people willing to make a monthly commitment. If you do make a monthly commitment before our sidewalk counseling training on 02/11/11 and 02/12/11, you will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of Abby Johnson's fantastic book "UnPlanned"! Please contact Laura Karlen (608-445,2064 or laura@vigilforlife.org) or visit http://reitzinternet.com/vfl to sign-up.

Sidewalk Counseling Training: 2 Identical Sessions at St. Peter's in Madison

We have two identical sidewalk counseling trainings upcoming in Madison, both at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Madison (5001 N. Sherman Avenue, Madison, WI 53704). Please plan on attending one of these sessions:

Friday, February 11 at 6:30 p.m. (at St. Peter's)Saturday, February 12 at 10:00 a.m. (at St. Peter's)

These trainings will be provided by representatives from the Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Rachel's Vineyard. Free will donations will be accepted for the training.