A local youth ministry is taking a stance against abortion, and speaking out against violent anti-abortion protests, with a one-two punch through their “KOA: Knock Out Abortion” mission.
In the aftermath of the murder of late-term, Kansas abortionist George Tillis, members of the St. Charles Borromeo Fountain of Youth group protest abortion peacefully, stating that they strongly condemn murder.
“We, as Catholics, believe that abortion is murder, but that does not give us the right to turn around and murder an abortionist,” said Janeen Rodrigue, youth director for the group.
“God calls for all of us to stand up for all life. Murdering the abortionist is not the solution. We must pray for change.”
The KOA mission first began after St. Charles Borromeo youth missionaries traveled to Mexico ministering in two Catholic orphanages.
“The relationships that were formed with the orphan children touched the hearts of my teens and changed their lives,” Rodrigue said. “Returning heartbroken over having to leave the children behind, we talked about being thankful for the fact that their parents chose adoption over abortion.
“This led us towards wanting to do something to help them, and since we are so far away, in their memory we started KOA.”
After five years, the KOA mission has expanded to include “Praise and Worship” sessions at the abortion facility known as the Causeway Medical Clinic on Ridgelake Drive in Metairie on the first Saturday of each month.
“This particular part of the mission began when the parish was asked to take a day for the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ ‘40 Days of Life’ program,” said Rodrigue.
The date assigned to St. Charles Borromeo’s parish was Oct. 21, 2008 during the hour of 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“Joining over 100 people, the youth ministry took time to pray together for the mothers and fathers contemplating abortion – that they may have a change of heart – and for the babies that may not see the light of day,” added Rodrigue.
In January, 11 members from the group traveled to Washington D.C. to join thousands of others from around the world in attendance for the annual March for Life.
Returning from that trip and yearning to do more, the group began praying together once a month at the Metairie clinic.
“We go to the abortion facility as a witness for life,” Rodrigue said. “Hopefully our witness will encourage others to take a stand against abortion and our prayers will be answered by God for more parents to choose adoption as the better choice.”
Marching in a single-filed line, adorned with posters and rosaries, the youth group stands beside their beliefs at the Causeway Medical Clinic, but so do the doctors and nurses who work there.
“As we pray on Saturday mornings, the nurses at the facility sit outside waiting for doctors to arrive and some of our sidewalk counselors try to get them to listen to reason,” Rodrigue said. “But many times their responses are not nice and vulgar.”
But others from the community have welcomed the group’s efforts. During one hour of the “40 Days of Life” mission, a man stopped to thank the youth group for their efforts, citing his own personal experience.
“A young gentleman told us that he was thankful for what we were doing and told a story of how four years ago he and his wife came to the facility to arrange an abortion,” Rodrigue said.“Thanks to the prayer warriors doing sidewalk counseling that day, they chose not to have the abortion and today they have a beautiful little boy that they thank God for every day.”
Last month, the KOA members also met with 200 plus people to pray 20 decades of the rosary led by Archbishop Alfred Hughes for the Mother’s Day Rosary.
“This had been a great experience for our teens and young adults as witnesses of God’s love,” Rodrigue said. “Our KOA shirts quote Dr. Seuss, ‘Every life is a life, no matter how small,’ and we’re doing our part to make a difference and protect life.”
The group plans to continue to march, pray and worship outside of the Metairie abortion clinic each month and they hope to attend the “March for Life” in Washington D.C. in 2010.
“Every day 4,000 children die to abortion in the United States. That’s 4,000 hearts that will never know love,” Rodrigue said. “Our purpose is to pray for the end of abortion and hope that people will see adoption is the better choice.”
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