Bishop joins hundreds at Christmas Eve rosary

By Joyce Coronel | January 15, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

In what has become an annual event, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted joined with more than 300 Catholics to pray the rosary in front of a central Phoenix Planned Parenthood clinic Dec. 24.

While many Valley residents were busy with last-minute shopping, wrapping and baking, Catholics from across the diocese gathered at noon in front of the abortion clinic to pray the rosary. Phoenix police officers stood nearby as the faithful assembled, flanking a large image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the unborn.

A half-dozen priests were on hand as well and organizers carried walkie-talkies to coordinate the prayerful event.

“We come here on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Christ, Who just 24 hours before His birth, had no legal protection,” Bishop Olmsted told the crowd prior to commencing the rosary.

The bishop prayed that the mothers who entered the clinic and were seeking an abortion would find instead “the support they need to live out the vocation of motherhood.” He also prayed for the conversion of “those who make political decisions in opposition to human life.”

Hundreds of Catholics of all ages lined the crowded sidewalk at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Roma Street, many of them bearing signs or pushing strollers. One woman held a sign with an image of an unborn baby that proclaimed, “I’m not just tissue.” Another family held a banner that read, “Stop abortion now.”

Debbie Gambert of Chandler said she was there because “the killing never ends and it’s important for us to stand against it.” Gambert, who also helped organize the “40 Days for Life” prayer campaign last year, said that the Christmas Eve rosary was “where Christ would want us to be.”

Many of the participants came as families to the event and stood facing the busy traffic along Seventh Avenue.

Angela Winston, from Queen of Peace Parish in Mesa, was accompanied by her husband and seven small children. Winston, who is eight months pregnant with her eighth child, is one of the coordinators for the respect life ministry at the Mesa parish.

“For me, the meaning of Christmas is life,” said Winston. “God became man to give life and we are here to support life for all from conception until natural death. So this is a birthday present for Jesus.”

Jim Arreone, one of the organizers of the rosary, said the clinic was damaged by an electrical fire two years ago and closed for 15 months. It reopened last spring.

Planned Parenthood is one of the largest providers of abortions and performs them through the 23rd week of pregnancy.

Motorists who drove past the site often honked in support of the prayerful event, though a few hurled angry words. As those gathered meditated on the mystery of the crucifixion, they prayed that “we never turn away from those in the abortion industry… let us pray for them and for our own conversion.”

John Jakubczyk, a local attorney and past president of Arizona Right to Life, said it was important to gather on Christmas Eve in support of human life.

“We come here to remind ourselves that even through the joy and the excitement and the anticipation of Christmas, there’s always the shadow of the cross,” Jakubczyk said.