St. Patrick's holds service for lost children
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Agnieszka Krawczynski
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A memorial in Maple Ridge for aborted children had the gravity of a funeral.
About 120 people were in St. Patrick's Church for Scripture readings, prayer, a testimony, music, and lighting of candles June 10.
"All those who have died: today we come and we seek to remember them," said pastor Father Matthew To. "We say they are not forgotten. They are truly special and beloved in our eyes."
In his address, Father To said the number of children killed in the womb each year is tragic and "truly beyond reason." He also spoke about God's mercy for those who seek healing and forgiveness.
"Today, we hear in the Gospel of Jesus and the encounter with the woman, the prostitute, and we come to realize how truly our God looks at us," he said.
"We can beat ourselves up for our sins, and they are many, but let us look and understand how God looks at us, how He sees us. If He is willing to give His very Son for us, it means He is truly madly in love with us and wants to give mercy to us and to our world."
Elizabeth Sutcliffe, a peer counsellor at Hope for Women crisis pregnancy centre, shared her story of shame, regret, and healing after an abortion 15 years ago.
She and her fianc‚ had moved in together to save money for their wedding and were five months away from the big day when she realized she was pregnant.
"I felt like all my dreams and hopes were crashing down. I couldn't be pregnant in my wedding dress. What would my parents think? How was I going to tell them?"
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