Project Andrew and Life Chain

Yesterday was a great day as a priest. I had the 9am Mass at St. Lawrence on a crisp October Sunday morning, followed by giving spiritual direction and some personal prayer. Then in the afternoon I went to the Lawrence life chain at 23rd and Iowa with about 75 others to witness to the beauty of life and against the evil of abortion. It was a great hour to be outside with such courageous people. 23rd and Iowa is such a busy intersection, and we received almost exclusively honks and almost no jeers for our witness. Many prayers were said as life chain is primarily a silent and prayerful witness, with the 'links' in the chain spread out five feet apart, so it's not easy to talk to the people around you. I prayed a rosary for the change of many hearts. Fr. Brandon Farrar from Baldwin was also there with some of his parishioners, looking sharp in his cassock as always. As I said in my 9am homily for Respect Life Sunday, we are in this for the long haul. We are going nowhere. And we will never be discouraged. I have a sense after visiting with friends that the battle against abortion is going to be moved slowly but surely from the abortion mills (many of which are closing) to the pharmacies. God forgive us for the choices we give to women, and the way in which we have abandoned women in need. In addition to preaching and witnessing against the evil of abortion, I pray that our Church is also the leader in showing mercy to those affected by this worst of scourges in the history of humanity, and in helping those who are desperate and unsupported. Let's have a great pro-life month, helped at every moment by our patroness of life, Our Lady of Guadalupe!

After the life chain I went to Topeka to give spiritual direction again and to help Archbishop Naumann host his annual Project Andrew dinner. Fr. Jerry Volz at St. Matthew's was our great host, and the staff there prepared a great pork loin meal, with cherry cobbler for dessert. We had a holy hour in the chapel with about 15 men and with some of their parents. Msgr. Mike Mullen led the guys in evening prayer as he always does and the Archbishop gave a reflection during the holy hour on St. John Vianney, Fr. Emil Kapaun. Fr. Maximilian Kolbe, and Fr. John Rossiter in Topeka. After the meal, we watched Fishers of Men, heard a little bit about discernment, and then ended with some discussion and a Q&A with the Archbishop. We entrusted our vocations to Mary, Queen of our Vocations, by offering a decade of the rosary at the end of the program. Thanks to all my brother priests - Fr. Shawn Tunink, Fr. Bill Bruning, Fr. Brian Schieber, and to John Hynek, who all brought men for the program. And a special thanks to Tom and Jeanne Doyle, whose son Luke entered seminary this year and who led the parents in a discussion! On to Project Andrew KC next Sunday!

When I got home, I popped into the St. Lawrence Center and chatted up some KU students who were at the Center for evening classes. I stayed near the cookies and chips so there was a lot of traffic, and I thanked God for all the students were learning about their faith on that Sunday night. Fr. Steve had the 9:30pm Mass, so I was able to say hello to him and hit the sack early!