TORONTO - This year’s 40 Days for Life campaign of prayer, fasting, community outreach and peaceful vigil kicks off on Feb. 17, Ash Wednesday, in 162 cities across Canada, the United States, Australia and Northern Ireland.

Toronto will be one of six participating Canadian cities for the pro-life campaign, running to March 28. Participants will gather at the intersection of Dufferin Street and Lawrence Avenue West near the Women’s Care Clinic to pray for an end to abortion, said Nicole Campbell, national director for 40 Days for Life. Other vigils will take place in Montreal, Guelph, Ont., Edmonton, Red Deer, Alta., and Kelowna, B.C.

The vigil will begin daily at 7 a.m. and end at 9 p.m. Ohio-based youth pastor Bryan Kemper of Stand True Ministries will lead the kickoff rally in Toronto Feb. 16 at the Good Shepherd Convent (25 Good Shepherd Court). On March 8 Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins will celebrate a mid-point rally Mass at St. Charles Borromeo Church.

Campbell said this year’s campaign is also reaching out to other faith groups. Letters have been sent to all denominations in Toronto urging participation.

“It’s not a protest. It’s a prayer vigil. It’s a safe place for people to come out and pray,” she said. 

Over the years, the prayer campaign has produced results. Campbell said women have turned around and not entered the abortion clinic where the participants gathered “because they see us pray.”

“It’s an outreach to women, hoping they’ll change their minds. We want to be Christ to all people,” she said.

According to Statistics Canada, there were 96,815 induced abortions performed in Canada in 2005, down 3.2 per cent from 100,039 in 2004.

See www.40daysforlife.com or call (416) 204-9749.

Sheila Dabu Nonato, The Catholic Register Sheila Dabu Nonato is a reporter for The Catholic Register. A graduate of the University of Toronto's international relations program (M.A.) and Carleton University's School of Journalism (M.J.),  she has worked at The Canadian Press, CBC Ottawa, The Toronto Star, The Jordan Times and IRIN Middle East. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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