(LifeSiteNews) — Today I had the tremendously beautiful opportunity to meet and pray with Mark Houck, the pro-life Catholic father of seven who was arrested in front of his family by the Biden administration’s FBI stormtroopers last month.
Getting to meet the Houcks in person was incredible. I’d never met them before, but had seen Mark’s talks for his organization The King’s Men, which helps men live lives of virtue. It’s beautiful evangelism.
Mark has such a big heart. Though I’d never met him, as soon as I arrived he came up and gave me a hug like we were long-lost brothers. In fact we are, because we’re brothers in Christ.
READ: FBI raids home of Catholic pro-life speaker, author with guns drawn as his terrified kids watch
It was such a blessing to meet with this godly, courageous man and his beautiful family, who have been cruelly targeted and harassed by the pro-death Biden regime’s federal law enforcement.
Mark and I prayed the rosary together, and I spent a beautiful time with him and his amazing family. They’ve all suffered so much, but I know that suffering will bear a lot of fruit for God’s glory.
LifeSite co-founder @JHWesten met and prayed with Mark Houck today following the #FBI raid of his house. pic.twitter.com/pkbbPgJBoi
— LifeSiteNews (@LifeSite) October 6, 2022
During my time with the Houcks, I could understand why Mark’s wife Ryan-Marie, in an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson late last month, described the FBI arrest of her husband as “devastating.”
READ: Mark Houck’s wife describes the ‘devastating’ FBI arrest of her husband to Tucker Carlson
I got to meet the family’s seven beautiful children, who Ryan-Marie told LifeSite reporter Patrick Delaney have been “traumatized” by the FBI’s uncalled-for arrest of their father. It’s heartbreaking to think that such innocent young children should have had to experience the terror of that day.
Being in the family’s home I could picture the FBI agents surrounding the family home that day, as Ryan-Marie described to Delaney in our report last month. I could see where the family’s innocent children stood at the top of the stairs watching the dozens of heavily-armed FBI agents behaving like a SWAT team as they swept through the house with their guns drawn.
What on earth were they expecting? It must have felt surreal.
These are people of prayer. They have images of Our Lord and Our Lady and crucifixes all throughout the house.
As Ryan-Marie recounted in our previous reports, Biden’s FBI goons wouldn’t even let Mark get dressed before dragging him away from his home. He was gone before his wife could even bring him the sweater and rosaries he had asked her to bring.
It was just a nightmare.
This might be the beginning of a dark time, as the Biden administration seems adamant to continue using its law enforcement muscle to crack down on pro-life moms and dads just like you and me.
READ: FBI raids continue targeting pro-life activists as outrage on DOJ rise
UPDATE (01/30/23): Mark Houck has been AQUITTED on both charges!
Thanks be to God LifeSiteNews can report that Mark Houck has been found "Not Guilty" on all counts today.
In a statement to LifeSiteNews, Pro-Life Coalition of Pennsylvania spokeswoman and Houck family friend Ashley Garecht said “We rejoice and celebrate that Mark Houck has been found not guilty on all counts.”
“This case was always about a father’s right to protect his son, and never had anything to do with the FACE act,” she said. “We are grateful to the judge for his integrity, and to the jurors for their thoughtful deliberations. We are grateful to Mark’s attorneys who labored so diligently in his defense. And we are grateful for all of those who surrounded and supported Mark and his family in prayer through this challenging ordeal.”
“Most of all we praise and thank God for his protection and provision,” Garecht added. “To Him be all the glory.”
The Thomas More Society is set to hold a press conference today on the 6th street side of the James A. Byrne U.S. Courthouse, 601 Market Street, Philadelphia.
Monday’s verdict came after a tense weekend wait following a deadlocked jury on Friday.
Several hours into Monday’s deliberations after the jury reconvened, an alternate was chosen to replace one of the jurors. Just before 3:00 p.m. EST, the jury delivered its verdict, acquitting Houck on both charges.
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Mark Houck, a pro-life Catholic father of 7, became the latest victim of an FBI raid and arrest on the morning of Friday September 23 — for supposed “FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act” violations — at his rural home as his children looked on “screaming.”
The arrest and raid stems from an altercation with a Planned Parenthood worker.
According to Mark’s wife Ryan-Marie, a “pro-abortion protester” would verbally harrass Mark's 12-year old son — hurling vulgar and derogatory statements.
When the protestor encroached in the boy's space, Mark defended his son. At that point, “Mark shoved him away from his child, and the guy fell back,” Ryan-Marie recounts.
The protestor was not injured, but he tried to sue Mark Houck for the assault but his case was thrown out of court in the early summer.
WE CANNOT ALLOW THE LEFT TO HARRASS PRO-LIFE ADVOCATES THIS WAY!
It's vital to stand in solidarity with a pro-family and pro-life man being unjustly persecuted - please SIGN & SHARE our message of support now.
In case you hadn't caught on already, the satanic Biden administration is waging war on Christians. https://t.co/E6ChpZVDYW
— Michael (X) Knowles ✊ (@michaeljknowles) September 24, 2022
The description of this arrest sounds like it took place in a totalitarian state. A tragic unraveling of Justice in America. https://t.co/e3vEID7E39
— Bishop J. Strickland (@Bishopoftyler) September 25, 2022
If convicted, Houck faces up to a maximum of 11 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines of up to $350,000, according to the Justice Department.
Additional conservative pro-life leaders have weighed in — this is why we need your support ASAP.
“Just in the last few days we’ve seen some pretty glaring examples of what appear to be instances of DOJ [Department of Justice] overreach. You’ve got a Catholic father of seven who formed a group designed to encourage young men to be faithful to their commitments, arrested in front of his seven children just recently. You’ve got all these instances of overreach. It’s deeply concerning to us all. These are all things we’re gonna be looking into.” — US Senator Mike Lee
Tell the Houck family that you stand by them!
SIGN: We stand with pro-life Catholic dad of 7 raided by Biden’s FBI
Please share this petition widely. Let's stand in solidarity with Mark Houck and his family.
Thank you.
Let’s not forget, Joe Biden himself suggested pro-lifers posed an existential threat to the “very foundations of” America in his ghastly speech in front of Independence Hall last month. It seems like with the FBI’s raid on Mark, Biden is deliberately going after the God-fearing people he’s decided are his enemies.
But I can tell you, the courage of Mark Houck and his family is already bearing fruit. His kids are proud of their dad, and they know this is all part of the battle.
Just this week, a couple announced in a touching video that they chose life for their preborn baby thanks to Mark’s fearless ministry.
I pray that Houck’s family and all of us, will always hearken back to the example Mark has set whenever we’re tempted to do something amiss from God’s plan in our own lives.
In his suffering and persecution, Mark has shown what it means to be a true Christian. I invite you all to pray for him and his beautiful family.
