40 Days of Accompaniment: Week 5

Welcome to week five of 40 Days of Accompaniment.

I left my very first in-person Catholics for Choice event in tears. Not because anything went wrong, but because my spirit was touched in such an unexpected way during the service.

You see, two days after I accepted the role of Digital Media and Marketing Manager with Catholics for Choice, I attended CFC’s Green Mass, a counter-witness to the Red Mass that honors the legal profession and often includes U.S. Supreme Court justices.

I left the service buzzing with love, gratitude, and a renewed spirit. But what brought tears to my eyes was the Litany of Saints.

As expected, the litany began with asking powerful and important traditional Catholics saints for their prayers. Then I heard the name of transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson, followed by George Tiller and David Gunn, two abortion providers murdered by anti-choice extremists. Tears immediately filled my eyes as I realized we were asking for prayers from activists, everyday saints.

The Green Mass Litany of Saints completely changed my understanding of what a litany is and just how powerful it can be.

As one of the oldest forms of Catholic prayer, a litany simply is a prayer that calls on the communion of saints in heaven to pray for and help us on Earth. And the so-called “40 Days for Life,” which causes spiritual harm by harassing and intimidating patients in the name of these holy people, gives us an opportunity to reclaim our spirituality.

This week, your action is to create your own Litany of Saints who exemplify your commitment to reproductive freedom. You can find our worksheet and the litany from our Green Mass here.

I hope you find this simple practice meditative and meaningful to your spiritual life as we continue into the latter half of Lent.

Peace,

Emily Harrison

Digital Media and Marketing, Catholics for Choice