BLOOMINGDALE, Ohio January 15, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – Fr. Stephen Imbarrato, leading pro-life activist with Red Rose Rescue and co-host of EWTN’s Defending Life, will celebrate a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn at Catholic Familyland in Bloomingdale, OH, headquarters of the Apostolate for Family Consecration (AFC), on Tuesday, January 22, 2019.
Basil Dannebohm, AFC vice president of advancement and evangelization, emphasized that this day of prayer is AFC’s response to the USCCB’s appeal for all the faithful to offer prayers and acts of penance on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade —asking for an end to the scourge of abortion in America.
“The spiritual weapons of prayer and fasting are our most powerful means of overcoming the culture of death with a culture of life,” remarked AFC president, Theresa (Coniker) Schmitz. AFC “recognizes the need for a ministry in support of families to be devoted to prayer in order to build a culture of life in our nation.”
Fr. Stephen Imbarrato agrees. “Christ has conquered death and has prevailed over the gates of hell,” he said. “What better way to be reminded of this reality on the infamous anniversary of the legal mass murder of the preborn than to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, process with Jesus, and adore Him in the Blessed Sacrament.”
AFC’s day of prayer will begin at St. John Vianney Chapel with 8:15 a.m. Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (celebrated by Fr. Imbarrato), followed by a 9:00 a.m. Eucharistic Procession to the nearby Holy Family of Fatima Prayer Site. At 9:15 a.m., the Rosary will be said with a return procession to Vianney Chapel. Eucharistic Adoration and Confession will be offered from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., with a keynote presentation from Fr. Stephen Imbarrato at 10:15 a.m.
All faithful are invited to attend the event. They are also invited to pray at the crypt of Servant of God Gwen Coniker, who chose life when doctors advised her to abort her baby, warning her that she would not survive the delivery.
“I thank God that Gwen Coniker chose life,” said Dannebohm. “Without her, this ministry, which has touched the lives of so many families, would not be here today. We are grateful for her example of choosing life and following God’s will, even when it is incredibly difficult.”
The Apostolate for Family Consecration was established in 1975 by the Servant of God Gwen Coniker, with her husband, Jerry. The ministry’s primary focus is to sanctify and consecrate families in the truths of the Catholic Faith. Catholic Familyland, located at 3375 County Road 36 near Bloomingdale, Ohio, is a multifaceted retreat center engaging families in a broad array of fun faith-building and recreational activities.
For more information, call 1-800-FOR-MARY