When support is given to an unborn child or a woman in a crisis pregnancy, they become like spiritual children of those who support them, Auxiliary Bishop Michael Izen said during the Annual Prayer Service for Life at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul Jan. 22.
During the service, which brings to prayer efforts to end abortion, the lives lost to abortion and parents affected by the aftermath of abortion, Bishop Izen pointed to Mark 9:37 in which Jesus said, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”
Bishop Izen said the reading reminded him of St. Teresa of Calcutta, who would preach about Jesus’ message in Matthew 25:40: “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these lesser brothers of mine, you did for me.”
“Mother Teresa would say that the least is actually the unborn, as they can do absolutely nothing for themselves,” Bishop Izen said. “They rely on another person for everything. When we receive them, when we do what we can to promote life, then we’re living both (Mark and Matthew) those Gospels and we’re receiving not only a child, we’re receiving Jesus himself.”
Bishop Izen reminded the congregation that there is no sin the Lord doesn’t want to forgive. He commended pregnancy resource centers for assisting with unexpected pregnancies and walking with women who have had abortions in the past.
“As Christians and Catholics, we want to promote that as well: the dignity of life, but also the opportunity for God’s mercy,” Bishop Izen said. “There’s no sin that the Lord doesn’t want us to turn away from and come to him and receive his forgiveness.”
Sonya Flomo, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’s Life Fund Grant administrator, spoke at the prayer service, which is sponsored by the archdiocese’s Office of Discipleship and Evangelization. The Life Fund provides emergency financial assistance to pregnant women and mothers of children up to the age of 1 to help with pregnancy-related expenses.
Flomo said in 2024, donations provided grants to more than 76,000 mothers needing financial help. The grants can help with “rent, mortgage payment, medical and utility bills, daycare expenses, prescription formula and other necessities,” Flomo said.
Parishioners from across Minnesota, including the Diocese of St. Cloud and the Diocese of New Ulm, packed the Cathedral for the prayer service. Bishop Chad Zielinski of New Ulm and Bishop Emeritus John Levoir of New Ulm were present with Bishop Izen at the Cathedral.
Bishop Izen thanked and welcomed all ecumenical attendees, including a group from the Eastern Orthodox Church. Paisio Hemsersky, an Eastern Orthodox Christian with the group, said he was there because “Life begins at conception, and if we stand in the way of that, we’re standing in the way of the word of God.”
Pro-life signs lined the aisles, and some parishioners, including members of St. Patrick in Oak Grove, wore commemorative scarves to better find each other in the crowd as they prepared to march several blocks to the Minnesota State Capitol for the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) MCCL March for Life.
Also joining the MCCL March for Life were about 700 students from Catholic schools in the archdiocese who marched to the Capitol from St. Agnes School in St. Paul. They marched in a Eucharistic procession that was part of a day-long series of pro-life activities called the Students for Life March and Rally, sponsored by the archdiocese and Students for Life of America. Father John Ubel, pastor of St. Agnes, was the first to process with the Eucharist. Several other priests took turns along the way.
Bishop Izen encouraged those present at the prayer service to support pregnancy resource centers through prayer or financial gifts and urged others to not forget organizations like Rachel’s Vineyard or Project Rachel, which support women and men in the aftermath of abortion.
After severe funding cuts to pregnancy resource centers in Minnesota, Bishop Izen said Guiding Star Wakota in West St. Paul scaled back its employees from 17 to eight. Despite this, the resource center continues to provide life-affirming care to pregnant women and families.
“Even though Roe v. Wade has been overturned, Minnesota abortions have increased, and our government hasn’t really helped with that,” Bishop Izen said. “These eight employees do great work not just proclaiming the truth, which of course is very important, but meeting these women where they’re at and often meeting the fathers as well. … it’s not enough just to tell them the truth and say, ‘Good luck.’ You have to walk with them.”
