(Oregon Right to Life) — Three members of the Sisters of Life, a Catholic religious order dedicated to promoting the inherent dignity and value of every innocent human life, shared powerful words of encouragement for pro-life Oregonians during the sisters’ Oregon mission trip last month.
Sister Ann Immaculée, Sister Israel Rose (the religious order’s first member from Oregon), and Sister Catherine Joy Marie traveled to the state for a three-day mission trip beginning in the Portland area and concluding in Eugene. During their stay, they gave talks, led prayers, and engaged in one-on-one conversations with Oregon’s pro-life advocates. They also led a large, peaceful crowd in praying outside Portland’s notorious downtown abortion facility, “Lilith Clinic.”
“We would just want to tell pro-lifers ‘thank you,’” Sister Ann Immaculée, SV, told Oregon Right to Life after her talk at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake Oswego on Friday, February 21. “We are so moved – truly – by the authenticity and willingness to stand in the fight.”
“We’re so encouraged by you standing as lights in the darkness,” she said, adding that, even in a place like Oregon where abortion is legal up until the moment of birth, “there’s always hope.”
She urged pro-life people “to never doubt that Jesus Christ is fighting this battle in you, and with you, and for you, and has a plan for Oregon. He has a plan for victory.”
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Based in the New York area but with mission locations nationwide, the Catholic Sisters of Life provide emotional, spiritual, and tangible resources to help abortion-vulnerable moms choose life, including at their Manhattan maternity home. They also provide healing and support for women who have had abortions.
In her talk for the Our Lady of the Lake audience, Sister Immaculée emphasized that every life has “inherent and infinite dignity.”
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The Catholic sister told audience members the story of a mother named Raquel, who had stayed at the Sisters of Life maternity home and who took it upon herself to spread the pro-life message to others in her own unique way.
According to Sister Immaculée’s retelling, Raquel once met another pregnant woman in an elevator and began talking with her, congratulating her on her new baby. When the woman responded by saying that she would be getting an abortion, Raquel answered, “You’re not going to have an abortion. You’re going to have a girl.”
Raquel, who was then pregnant with a boy she described as a “linebacker” for his energetic activities while still in the womb, told the woman all about the little girl she believed she would have. She regaled her with talk about ponytails and other girlish accoutrements, and even suggested she could name her baby girl after herself: Raquel. “And my middle name is Jasmine,” she added.
Two years later, the women met again by chance. The woman who previously said she would be seeking an abortion was pushing a stroller with not one, but two, little girls inside. After a warm greeting, the proud mother expressed deep gratitude to Raquel for talking with her that day, and introduced her to her two daughters: Raquel and Jasmine.
For the Sisters of Life, Raquel’s story underscores the everyday miracles that illuminate the gift of life.
“There is always hope in life,” Sister Immaculée told pro-life Oregonians. “There are no dead-ends in God’s kingdom.”
READ: Catholic Sisters of Life to Promote Joyful Pro-Life Message During Oregon Mission Trip
The day after their visit to Our Lady of the Lake, the sisters spoke at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Portland. The same morning, they went to the Lilith Clinic, an abortion facility in downtown Portland that performs abortions up to 25 weeks gestation – past the age when most unborn babies are considered “viable,” that is, able to survive outside the womb.
Accompanied by a large number of Portland’s pro-life advocates, the sisters demonstrated a peaceful pro-life presence outside the facility as they prayed for abortion-vulnerable mothers and babies.
“We desire every human heart to know that they are good, sacred, irreplaceable,” Sister Catherine Joy Marie, SV told Oregon Right to Life.
“No one can replace you, in God’s heart or in the world,” she said. “Your love matters, your love is important… There’s nothing in your life that is too big or too small for His love or for His mercy.”
The Sisters of Life have become one of the most visible and well-known religious orders in the Catholic world today, with over 100 members. In addition to providing a safe space for pregnant women to receive life-affirming support and resources, the sisters frequently travel to spread the pro-life message.
Oregon Right to Life Education Foundation is actively involved in creating and distributing localized resource guides to ensure that abortion-vulnerable moms and families throughout Oregon have access to life-affirming options.
Oregon Right to Life believes in the sanctity of all human life from the moment of conception to natural death. Abortion ends the life of a genetically distinct, growing human being. We oppose abortion at any point of gestation. Read the complete statement and all of our position statements here.
