Peace in the Womb
11 a.m., Dec. 16
Planned Parenthood, 1837 E Baseline Rd. Tempe, AZ 85283
Pro-lifers will be singing Christmas Carols outside of the Tempe Planned Parenthood.
Christmas Eve Rosary for Life
1-2:30 p.m., Dec. 24
Planned Parenthood, 5771 W. Eugie Ave., Glendale
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted will be leading a Rosary on the eve of Christ’s birth. Park along nearby streets and walk to the site; do not park in local business or medical parking lots. Bring water and shade.
GLENDALE — Singing the classic Christmas carol “Away in a Manger,” a gathering of about 50 men, women and children stood outside Planned Parenthood’s Glendale facility Dec. 9. The song was the first in an hour-long lineup of traditional Christmas hymns and carols that pro-lifers sang for the “Peace in the Womb” event.
The event was one of more than 70 scheduled around the country in the weeks leading up to Christmas and one of two taking place in Arizona, drawing the connection between the unborn killed at the facility and Christ in the womb, according to organizer Lisa Blevins. A similar event is scheduled for the Tempe Planned Parenthood Dec. 16.
“We try to be a peaceful, prayerful witness in front of abortion clinics. The idea is we would like to bring the light of Christ to a place that is surrounded by darkness because of abortion … and possibly transform hearts and make them turn toward reconciliation and see that God loves His people,” Blevins, a parishioner of St. Daniel the Prophet in Scottsdale, said minutes before the caroling began.
While predominantly Catholic in its makeup, the group included members of other faiths and residents from as far away as Wickenburg and Tucson, according to Jennifer Blackstad of Chandler, who attends Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Tempe.
“It is a real joy and blessing to participate in this,” she said.
Mike and Carol Kucik of Peoria came to support the pro-life cause with a biblical message based on Psalm 139:13, in which David said of God, “You knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
Speaking of how society dehumanizes the unborn, Mike said, “We choose to call them fetuses instead of a child, a living being, and we’re destroying their lives.”
Blevins said she was excited by the turnout. While Pro-Life Action League has been sponsoring Christmas carols outside abortion centers for 15 years, this was the first event outside the Glendale site, one of the busiest among the nearly dozen operated in Arizona by Planned Parenthood, according to Blevins. While no one was at the facility that day, Blevins said it was important to send a message to the area.
“We need to let the community at large know what’s going on here,” she said. “We’re not out here to shame anybody, but we are here to provide help and real resources for women, families and men; also praying that these individuals will return to their faith.”
The site will also be the location for the annual Christmas Eve Rosary for Life at 1 p.m., Dec. 24.
“We would love to have more people come and pray and stand witness and offer needed help,” Blevins said.
