PARMA, Ohio — In commemoration of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States in 1973, Holy Spirit Parish held its annual Pro-Life Moleben and March to the Tomb of the Unborn in the parish cemetery Jan. 18.
New to the pro-life gathering this year was a Divine Liturgy before the moleben. About 70 people participated, among them numerous Roman Catholics as well.
Deacon Robert Cripps was the homilist for the Moleben, which began at about 12:30 p.m., following the Divine Liturgy. He expressed how the church’s position on abortion has been consistent since the very earliest days of Christianity. He quoted from the Didache, a first-century text given as instruction to the Early Christians, which says: “Do not murder a child by abortion or kill a newborn infant.”
This prohibition against the intentional killing of a preborn child has been and remains the Catholic Church’s teaching for more than two millennia, he said.
Following the Moleben, participants marched to the center of Holy Spirit Cemetery chanting the Jesus Prayer. Father Michal Bucko, assistant pastor for the Cleveland-area parishes, led the final prayer at the Tomb of the Unborn. A communal meal and fellowship followed in the parish hall.
St. Joseph Parish in Brecksville held its annual pro-life service Jan. 24. The evening began with a Rosary for the Unborn, led by the parish pro-life coordinators, Maria Lupia and Kathy Ulrich. Then Deacon Bill Fredrick led a pro-life Moleben, with a reading from Revelations about Satan being thrown out of heaven and down to earth. Deacon Fredrick preached on the evil of abortion. The prayers included a special litany of prayers for the conversion and forgiveness for those involved in abortion.
Darlene Hritz contributed to this report.
Caption: Participants at the annual pro-life event at Holy Spirit Parish march to the parish cemetery to pray at the Tomb of the Unborn Jan. 18. (Photo: John Jurcsisn)
As published in Horizons, Feb. 10, 2019. Sign up for Horizons’ digital newsletter.