Mapping Out A Pro-Life Canada: Part 1: The West.

Dear friends and supporters,

Here are some reflections on our experiences in the great Canadian West.

First, some thoughts on our great country's heritage. Canada is a Christian nation. By this I do not mean that this country was or is governed by theocrats, nor do I mean that all its citizens are on fire for the Christian faith. I mean that this land was claimed for God by the first explorers, and He blessed them in their adventures and missions by allowing this land to grow up in a thriving Christian culture. Conversions were made. Churches were built. Schools and hospitals founded. Canada was explored and built by Christians. We on Crossroads aim to revive Christian culture, especially with regards to respect for the dignity and sanctity of all human life. This land was claimed for God, and yet the light of faith has been dimmed. A simple look at abortion statistics (around 100,000 a year in Canada) shows that we have to turn on the lights again, as it were. 

The Canadian West was explored by such men as David Thompson, who was the first man to cross the Rockies. Everywhere he went, he proclaimed the Gospel. He mapped over 3.9 million square kilometers in his lifetime - an unimaginable feat accomplished by one man. Thompson read the Bible to Indians he met. He spoke of Christianity as "giving force to morality." This great man literally walked and canoed West, spreading the Gospel as he made his maps. Our Crossroads team started where he left off, and we are heading East towards the secular wasteland of Quebec and the battleground of Ottawa where abortion laws were struck down in 1988. Using GPS and atlases, we are trekking for life, like Thompson did.  

The western provinces have been very good to us. The response to our mission in British Columbia was moderate, though still more positive than negative. The mountains gave our legs and feet trouble but once we emerged from Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains into Alberta, we felt much better. The instant peace and quiet provided to us by our evening walks in the fields provided a refreshing change from the mountain air. The reactions of drivers were immediately more positive than in BC. We received many thumbs-up and honks. People stopped their cars and talked to us and gave us donations. Saskatchewanians were very generous, and the amount of positive responses topped Alberta's. Manitoba was good to us as well. While we were only there for a week, reactions were mostly positive. While praying at the abortion clinic in Winnipeg, things were much more confrontational than on the road, but we still got many honks and well-wishes. 

We are now in Ontario, walking out of Thunder Bay. We are almost one month away from reaching Ottawa, my hometown. This is the longest walk home I've ever experienced!

In conclusion, I am comforted by the fact that God willed Canada to become a Christian nation through explorers missionaries who quite literally walked and boated across the land. They went West. We are going East. A Christian culture, a culture of life, can happen again because it happened before. God is on our side. 

God bless you all. Please keep the team in your prayers!

Ian Gallagher

Walk Leader 

Life And Death - by Amy MacInnis

It is better to die than to live. There is some truth to this statement, in the sense that our heavenly life will be better than our earthly one. But our culture's infatuation with death does not seem to be motivated by a longing for union with God. Instead, death is seen as an escape from the excruciation of life, whether into bliss or nothingness.

The crux of the problem with the culture of death mindset is that suffering has been deemed to outweigh the joys life has to offer; life in and of itself isn't good enough to surmount poverty, disability, illness, or loneliness. Therefore, many people rationalize their choice to abort or euthanize: it is the loving and merciful thing to do because death is better than being poor, being disabled, being sick, or being lonely. It is better to die than to suffer.

But can we really put a quantitative value on one life experience and weigh it against another? An hour of tears versus a minute of laughter, blindness versus warmth, confinement versus imagination, a handicap versus a hug...? I do not think the suffering in each case outweighs the joy because there is such an inestimable abundance of goodness in even the most mundane things in life. If people saw life for the astounding gift that it is, they would realize that love is greater than death. Love wins, hands down, every single time. 

The culture of death has lost sight of the profound goodness and beauty inherent in each human life, regardless of condition. If we really stop and think about the miracle of our existence, it's easy to be overwhelmed by how full-to-bursting this life is with glory: the colours of a sunset, the sound of music, the smell of vegetation, the refreshment of water, a loved one's embrace...

Can you feel the weight of it all?

watching

feeling

remembering

dreaming

imagining

listening

longing

embracing

speaking

playing

crying

praying

eating

smiling

laughing

sleeping

searching

loving

living

being.

 

Just to exist. How wonderful!

And yet there is suffering in this life—agony, torment, pain—suffering for which there is no satisfactory explanation. We must look to the Cross to find that suffering can be answered only by the compassion of another, by an enduring love that does not seek to eliminate the sufferer, but to restore him or her to fullness of life.

To be pro-life is to know that love triumphs over suffering and death. With our own appreciation of the staggering goodness, beauty, joy, and glory of this life, we need to share with our culture that it is better to live. 

Walking on Crossroads has rekindled my appreciation for life, through the beauty of my surroundings, the simple pleasures of exercising, eating and sleeping, and especially through the people I see at Mass and those who have hosted us in their homes. All I can do is thank Life Himself that despite the culture's current captivation with death, love has already won.

 - Amy MacInnis

The Saskatchewanian Hits The Manitoba Border - By Kelly Aalbers - June 25th, 2013

The trip has been a journey.  The road is long, the days are fun, and we are all growing closer to Christ. As I have journeyed into Manitoba for the first time, I am really getting a feel for the province and I wanted to share some of my thoughts. I was really impressed as we crossed the border from my homeland (Saskatchewan) to see the gentle peace of the province east of us. There is a stillness that covers the land here… I am trying to discern what it is; it seems to be brought about by a deeper respect for the created order and a love of all that God has given us. I would say that I didn’t expect this much of Manitoba. I had very few expectations, but the province has shocked me for the short 7 hours we have been here. The people are the friendliest that we have encountered and almost everyone slows down, and honks or waves. The west side of this province has been so good to us. I feel that my homeland is becoming polluted with riches-seeking gold miners who want a get rich fix. Manitoba seems to be still ever in tune with the divine. I feel that the support of our cause is very strong and the people seem to be amazing. I look forward to the rest of the journey ever onward and upward.

We are always amazed at the generosity of the people we encounter and we continue to be ever aware of the generosity of God, of His Love and His Providence. Our time in Carlyle and Manor, Saskatchewan last night was truly blessed for me personally, because I got to see family for the last time of the trip and the parish and Knights of Columbus treated us so well in Carlyle. We continue to pray for all those we encounter and once again ask for prayers as I know that the gift of those prayers is what gives us the grace to take the next step, to do the duty of the moment, and to love.

He Has Vanquished Sin and Death? by Mariana Mazzarolo

We have encountered so many lovely people and experiences along our journey thus far. The presence of God is manifested to us daily in all that we see—beautiful skies, butterflies, and yes, even mosquitoes!  Crossroads is an adventure of so many seeming contradictions, much like the adventure of life and the inner journey towards God. For, we say that Christ has conquered sin and death, and yet, why do we still see so much suffering, selfishness, and hurt around us?

Throughout the past week we have encountered the theme of hope in so many little ways. At one of our host homes this past weekend, our hostess shared with us a story about a man who had a vision of aborted babies as he grappled with the horror of it all. The babies told him to not be afraid and sorrowful. While abortion is evil and they wanted to live their lives, the aborted babies rejoiced at the opportunity to offer themselves in sacrifice for their parents. Thus was revealed the tremendous power of God to bring good out of any evil, even abortion. For, by the power of Christ’s Cross, we are assured of victory.

But the battle is not over...

Christ invites us to enter into His suffering and death, that we may also enter into His resurrection. This is what it means to be pro-life. Crossroads really magnifies and reflects the reality that in order to come to the fullness of life in Christ, He calls us first to a personal encounter with Calvary. On Crossroads, there is much time to enter into oneself, to see things about oneself that were formerly hidden. This process is often painful, but it is beautiful to thus walk with Christ to Calvary. It is only when we recognize our own brokenness and lowliness that we can reach out to others. As we walk, it is not so much about getting publicity. Rather, it is about journeying with Christ through prayer and sacrifice, service to one another, and ultimately, love.

As Pope Francis said not too long ago, where there is no love, there cannot be truth. In Edmonton this past weekend, we really felt the spiritual warfare being fought around us. First, we were stuck in traffic right in front of the ‘gay pride’ parade, on our way to pray outside of an abortion clinic. Rather than being discouraged, we turned to prayer and offered up our suffering brothers and sisters. The hostility often received by such demonstrators illustrates their great need for love and healing, and so we love and pray for them, that they may come to accept the Truth of the Gospel of Life. After the parade passed, our RV suddenly overheated and we just made it into a gas-station parking lot to cool off. When we finally arrived at the abortion clinic, we were extremely late and Ian was waiting for us with his own adventure stories. While taking Lucy to the airport in the van, his GPS and phone both broke down and he got lost trying to find the clinic. But as soon as we came out of Saturday evening Mass, both started working again and the RV hasn’t malfunctioned since. These experiences serve to fill us with hope, for we know that we are fighting a battle—but in, with, and through Christ.

And so, we continue on in our days of seeming contradictions, but united in Christ. Hence, a horde of blood-thirsty mosquitoes become a gift when we see that God is giving us an opportunity to enter into His redemptive sufferings as we journey, one foot in front of the other, to Calvary—the ultimate sacrifice of Love. And thus we are faced with the amazing reality that our experience this summer is actually a micro-view of what God is calling all of us to in life.    

Blessed be God!

A Mother's Love - By Corinne Kelley

“My whole life, I have been looking for the mother-love that I missed.”

-Dr. Morgentaler, The Globe and Mail, 2003

In his crusade to legalize abortion in Canada, Dr. Morgentaler's anguished life does not deny, but only serves to demonstrate the complex and intricate relationship between a mother and her child—a bond he would later make a living by destroying.

As a young Jewish boy growing up in Poland during WWII, he became convinced that his mother loved his younger brother more. These feelings of rejection only amplified when he was exiled in the infamous internment camp of Auschwitz, the place where his mother was murdered. For five years, he struggled against the atrocities of the Nazis beneath the watchful sign, “Arbeit Macht Frei” (translated: “Work will set you Free”)—a euphemism concealing the fact that the prisoners were not working towards freedom, but were rather being worked to death in the form of slave labor. Sadly, Dr. Morgentaler would relive this message in his life's work of abortion, procuring the death of a child under the guise of 'reproductive rights' to give 'freedom' to the mother. By victimizing the unborn child, Dr. Morgentaler sadly continued the victimization he faced from the Nazis and the neglect from his mother.

In a sick and twisted defiance of Canada's protection of life laws, Dr. Morgentaler televised himself performing a live abortion on Mother's Day. His flagrant disregard for the law also translated into a profound disrespect and mistrust of women. Championed as a “woman’s rights” advocate, he was at the same time known for having multiple extra-marital affairs.

His rationale for supporting abortion as a professed humanist: “If I help women to have babies at a time when they can give love and affection, they will not grow up to be rapists or murders. They will not build concentration camps.” Yet, although he did not experience the “love and affection” he wanted from his mother and grew up during a horrendous time, he could reflect on his life and remark that he was “tremendously satisfied.” He defied his own justification for abortion when he examined his own life.

As Our Lady picks up the pieces of the orphaned three million plus unborn Canadians torn from their mothers' womb in the wake of Dr. Morgentaler's violence, we pray that she cradles him with the same compassion, enabling him to experience the love he never knew—the love of a mother.

Saving Face

Beside an empty Vancouver bus stop on Crossroads Canada's first official day of walking, I found a DVD of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Even though someone forgot it, the movie features the problems we face as humans when trying to remember. For those who have not seen or heard of the film, the plot centers around Joel (played by Jim Carrey), as he struggles to undo a procedure that erases his ex girlfriend, Clementine (played by Kate Winslet), from his mind by hiding her throughout his memories.

As we survey Joel's desperate scurry through memory after memory to safeguard the last remnants of Clementine, an interesting phenomenon reoccurs that reminds me of what we as walkers encounter on the road: The faces of the characters warp and disappear when a memory deletes from Joel's mind. Just as Joel could not hold onto a memory when the faces slipped from recognition, so not having a face to place on the abortion debate creates a challenge when proposing that people should care about the issue. While ultra sound technology gives us a window into the womb and an opportunity to view the unborn child in her secret secure habitat, these pixelated portraits can sometimes portray the child as something more alien than human. This challenge of placing a face on the issue could stem from the fact that the human brain has developed a specialized area for recognizing faces and extracting them. Interestingly enough, every human face you see when you dream is a face that you have seen before, although you might not have known the person.

Trekking through Canada, many people stop to simply ask us, “What is pro-life?” They do not understand the issue of abortion or the humanity of the unborn child. Therefore, our mission as walkers involves not only spreading awareness and education, but being a representation of the faceless unborn child. In becoming the face of the unborn child, we hope people may recognize the dignity and respect the unborn deserve as members of our human family.

Joel identifies Clemintine on the beach even when the memory erasing was deemed a success and falls in love with her once more. Much like how Joel instinctively draws himself to the beloved through her image, perhaps the reason why the human brain places so great an emphasis on the recognition of face foreshadows the experience of one reuniting face-to-face with God. Whatever the reason for such strong facial recognition, we are now called to search out His face that we have forgotten by remembering that each human being provides a glimpse of His expression of love for us, no matter what they look like.  

 - Corinne Kelley 

Early Days in Beautiful British Columbia

Hello from Hope, BC!

We are at a campground under the shadow of snow-capped mountains covered by trees. BC is a great place to start our journey. The mountains, small farms, lakes and rivers provide excellent eye candy for us as we walk and pray! 

It is Day 3 of our cross-Canada walk. The team is getting along very nicely. There is much joy, laughter, and of course prayer! Our devotions include daily Mass, morning and evening prayer, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and many rosaries. We are praying for many intentions which we have brought with us, and also those intentions that come our way. 

We have met several individuals on the roads who support the pro-life cause. In Vancouver, we stopped on the sidewalk to chat with a doctor, who was ashamed of his colleagues who performed many abortions by day (even partial birth abortions).    

Please pray for us daily. This is a spiritual battle we are fighting which we are only just starting. There are months ahead of combat! 

Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CrossroadsCanada, and on Twitter at @CA_Crossroads. 

God bless you all,

Ian, Mariana, Amy, Corinne, Anthony, Lucy, Bethany, Anna, Kelly, and Michael. 

A Crossroads Reflection

Beautiful British Columbia --- The Best Place on Earth

 Provincial Flower:  Dogwood

Starting off the trip in Vancouver, the community life at all of the parishes was awesome---we often had coffee and donuts with parishioners after Mass.

There was lots of fine mist rain, snow in the mountains, and wild animals.  The trees were tall and beautiful, and the mountains were majestic.  We received a lot of apathetic responses on the road; although, many people stopped to see if we needed help.  One truck driver gave Steve a newspaper around 2 AM … we are still trying to figure that one out.  

Our group has pretty good dynamics.  We often sing the same songs over and over, including “Ben Dennison” to the tune of “Carol of the Bells.” We often speak full conversations in just movie quotes. Alex was given a Lord of the Rings “One Ring” at the beginning of the trip by Maria. We’ve pretended that it’s heavier for him while praying at the abortion clinics, and that it must be destroyed in the Eternal Flame in Ottawa on August 11th.    

St. Clare and St. Anthony are our amazing intercessors on the journey.  We began our journey in Vancouver at St. Clare of Assisi parish, and were informed that we end on her feast day, August 11th. She is the Patroness of media, television, and good weather.  We also live somewhat like Franciscans on this journey, which fits perfectly with St. Clare.  We’ve also asked for St. Anthony’s assistance when lost on the road, or with lost items in the RV.

At the first parish that Ben Dennison and I fundraised in, a woman wanted to donate.  She gave us everything she had with her----two pennies. It reminded me of the woman in the Bible who gave her two pence in the Temple.  When Lindsay was collecting after Mass, four little boys wanted to donate. They had no money, but they gave us the lollipops they had just received after Mass.  One gentleman accidentally soaked his donation in holy water, by placing the money in the holy water font, instead of in our basket.  As he noted, we now possess “a blessed $10 bill.”

Alberta --- Wild Rose Country

Provincial Flower: Wild Rose

Mountainous for the first part, and then very flat. The sky in Saskatchewan and Alberta is limitless.  Imagining the explorers discovering the Rockies and B.C. after experiencing Alberta and Saskatchewan’s prairies has intrigued a few of us, and has inspired me to read more historical fiction.

Walking through Alberta on night shift, I happened to look at the water in the field on our left.  I thought the stars were reflecting in the water, when Cesar noted that they were twinkling too much for stars.  We realized that we were looking at a field of fireflies.  Neither of us have seen so many fireflies in one place!  They were truly beautiful stars of the field.

The response on the road and at the abortion clinics in Alberta was often negative, but the host families and pro-life groups were great. We have stayed with many wonderful host homes on the weekends.  These families, who have opened their hearts and homes to us, have definitely made an impression, as their pro-life witness shines through their generosity.  During the weekends, we pray in front of abortion clinics and rest from the week.  The pro-life advocates in every city never cease to amaze me.  Many of these pro-life heroes have prayed in front of hospitals and clinics, a couple of times a week, for decades.

Saskatchewan --- The Land of the Living Skies

 Provincial Flower: Tiger Lily

 On night shift, the van would pull forward from the starting point, drive 5 km, and then pull over, all within sight. The Corner Gas theme, “So you tell me that your dog ran away…and then you tell me that it took three days!” does apply to Saskatchewan! Seeing so much of southern Canada has given me perspective on the ridiculousness of overpopulation. Canada is so vast, and there are long stretches without even small towns.

Night shift is a lot of fun, though very tiring around 4 AM.  Hearing the coyotes barking and yipping at night is an eerie experience.   Breakfast at 9 p.m., when we are on night shift, will forever boggle my mind.

Very Pro-Life---lots of support on the road, and at parishes.  We had two Barbeques by pro-life groups, one of which was hosted by youth.

Cesar and I invested in Tim Horton’s travel mugs, so we could refill with our own coffee, or Tim Horton’s if the RV was not plugged into a power source.   Cesar made the point that we would not confuse our coffees with other people’s coffee---while he was holding my medium mug, and I was holding his large mug!  We often joke that we could write an awesome Gas Station Coffee Guide for Canadian travelers. I personally enjoy Husky’s and Petro Canada’s coffee the best.

Friendly Manitoba

Provincial Flower: Prairie Crocus

Manitoba is the perfect blend between the Saskatchewan prairies, and the Ontarian hills and trees. The people definitely live up to their licence plate claim, “Friendly Manitoba.”

As the pro-life battle is very much a spiritual one, we often experience minor set-backs.  A flying object hit our van’s rear windshield and completely shattered the glass.  Bethany and my guardian angels worked over time, as the object narrowly missed our heads! We were delayed a couple of hours while it was being repaired.  Our van has various troubles; the battery dies, or disconnects, sometimes very often. Continually being on the run and camping is, for me, the biggest sacrifice----I have seen enough RV park washrooms, along with the complete absence of washrooms in the woods---to last a lifetime.  I have often experienced homesickness, and especially felt it when I endured the stomach flu.  I’m sure the other team members wished they were home, when they also caught the stomach flu the following week.   Ben and I ran into a bit of a marshy bog along the side of the highway.  I lost a sandal, but thanks to Stephen for his heroic search for my sandal, and to Becky for a replacement pair!  We all offer up different sacrifices, whether it is lack of sleep, camping, or suffering from intense blisters.  As this walk is in service of others, I’m sure we have all experienced redemptive suffering by uniting our sacrifices with Christ’s Sacrifice, in order to help others through Christ’s grace and merit. 

Ontario --- Yours to Discover

Provincial Flower: White Trillium

It is so great to have arrived in my home province.  The day shift included all of our Ontario team members when we passed the Ontario sign, so we took a picture of us all kneeling and kissing the soil. I had sorely missed the Great Lakes, the escarpment hills, and the trees.  Kenora was absolutely beautiful.

Recently at a BBQ, the guys were taken aside for an "annual tradition." A few minutes later, they returned with buckets of cold water, which they threw on us girls! Of course, a full-on water fight took place after that.  Despite our Niagara Falls experience at the BBQ, the guys on our team are seriously dedicated.  As there are only four men and six women on our team, on day shift or night shift, one guy has to walk with a girl the entire time.  So, for two guys per shift, one rests while the other walks, and they have to switch non-stop, while the girls get longer resting breaks.

We stopped on Thursday night and Friday in Barry’s Bay, ON, and had supper provided for us by Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, a liberal arts school which is faithful to the Catholic Church’s Magisterium.  7 members of our group are Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy current, past, and future students.  We “recruited” Lindsay to OLSWA, and Maria picked up an application form while we were at the Academy. 

Quebec --- Je Me Souviens

Provincial Flower:  Blue Flag

Quebec was beautiful.  We were fortunate to visit St. Anne de Beaupre, Blessed Kateri, and many gorgeous old churches in Quebec City.  In Montreal, we prayed in St. Joseph’s Oratory.  We almost did not see Notre Dame, but then a generous group from Massachusetts gave Alex and Adrian tickets for our group to see a lights show inside of Notre Dame.

The people in Quebec were very helpful and friendly---I truly enjoyed our time there.

We received various reactions to our peaceful, “Pro Life” t-shirts on the road.  We did receive positive feedback about how our message positively impacted individuals, but the main reaction we received was nothing at all.  Canadians are mostly apathetic towards this serious issue, and it was oftentimes hard for us to see the good that we were accomplishing.  However, I find the words of Archbishop Charles Chaput nicely sum up the hope we must have in this pro-life mission:

"Nothing we do to defend the human person, no matter how small, is ever unfruitful or forgotten. Our actions touch other lives and move other hearts in ways we can never fully understand in this world. Don’t ever underestimate the beauty and power of the witness you give in your pro-life work."

-  Eleanor van den Enden

On Monday, July 30 2012, we walked through Toronto, starting downtown on Shuter Street. All eleven of us walked, so as to get noticed as much as we could. I think we were expecting to get a majority of negative remarks as we walked through this large city, but we were surprised to find the opposite. Many people were apathetic, but those that did speak up were supportive. We walked by some construction workers who cheered us on, yelling, "Pro life! No Abortion!" from the building they were working on. People on the sidewalk told us they were proud of us, and others gave us the thumbs up. It was surprising and heartening to see.

In the last few weeks, our walking schedules have changed. Since the death of Andrew Moore, a walker with the Central Walk in the US, who was hit by a car during night shift, we have cancelled night shift and now only walk during the day. So now we are split into crews and walk a day on, then have a day off. We cover a bit less ground, but are still offering that up for the success of our Pro-life mission.

In the last few days since walking through Toronto we have been along Lake Ontario, which has provided us with the awesome swimming. The towns are really beautiful, and the parishioners are very supportive. Very welcoming and friendly, and happy to see us and hear about our journey.

So we continue to walk. I'm writing this from a McDonald's, somewhere between Brighton and Napanee. In a little under two weeks we will be done, so please continue to keep us in your prayers, and pray for the success of our witnessing and the hearts of the people who see us. God bless!

Maria Kalin

Ontario

Hello all,

Well, we've made it to Ontario, which means we have covered 4 provinces, and have 2 to go. Who would have thought that nearly half the trip would be spent in these last two provinces, and primarily Ontario? This is not to complain, however - I think many of our Ontarian team members are excited and happy to be back in our home province, myself included. We are happy to have lakes, trees and rocky hills surrounding every turn in the road, and for those of us who are or have attended Our Lady Seat of Wisdom in Barry's Bay, ON, it feels like home. It is incredible how fast and dramatically the landscape changes as soon as one crosses the border into northwestern Ontario from Manitoba. Manitoba has trees, certainly, but the Ontario border dramatically brings the Canadian Shield with it. Unfortunately, it has also brought a plethora of mosquitos and black flies with it as well. Something else for us to offer up…though the sheer number of them does make for a good laugh when one looks at the interior roof of our minivan after a night shift, where our swatting walkers create a suspended graveyard for the mosquitos. The front grille on our white Dodge minivan doesn't fare much better…makes for a good laugh from onlookers when we pull into a gas station after night shift! Some of them have actually congratulated us for getting so many of the bloodsuckers.

This trip has not been without its interesting run-ins, and many of them have been very inspirational. One of the most memorable occurred in Winnipeg, when I was driving with two other teammates to our host family. We were sitting at a red light when a pristine '68 Impala convertible pulled up beside us. I had my window down, so I commented to the dude that he had a nice ride. I wasn’t expecting much conversation to happen after that, but he asked what we had written on the other side of our van (Walk Across Canada) so I told him we were doing a pro-life walk. "Pro-life?" He asks in a slightly elevated tone. The light had since turned green, but he kept pace with our van. "As in not pro-choice?!," he continued. Great, I thought. Here comes a verbal tirade. Turns out to be quite the opposite. "I'm adopted," he says, "and if it wasn't for people like you, I might not be around today." We carried on a conversation between our cars for about a kilometre down a busy Winnipeg street. Once again, it's these experiences that help boost our morale when it seems like most are against us.

Another thing that is encouarging, and reminds us of just how great of an undertaking this trip is, has been talking with those who don't agree with our cause. This might sound strange, but some of the most inspiring encounters have been with those who vehemently oppose our cause, but deeply and truly respect us for standing up for the pro-life cause. First of all, I actually prefer it when people take a confrontational stance when we tell them we are walking for the pro-life cause. It is annoying to tell people our cause, and, when you can tell that they are pro-choice, they still just ignore the issue and half-heartedly wish us luck on our journey. None of that! I know that I am probably guilty of the same crime with standing up for my faith, but you can tell that these people just do not care, which, as I have discussed previously, is typical Canadian apathy and is slowly rotting this country away. On the other hand, I have gotten into some heated discussions with pro-choicers I have met along the way, and at the end of each of those conversations, they still congratulate us on our mission to walk across the country. And the difference here is that they truly mean it, and you can tell. I have been thinking that this is where this walk can truly make a change in the hearts of Canadians. If we can get people to respect us for what we are doing, then they are much more likely to consider our cause or mission with at least a more positive eye than beforehand. And if we can do that in the hearts of enough people, then who knows how many hearts can be changed on this walk?

We are currently in Marathon, ON, and heading towards Sault Ste. Marie. Though we spent this past weekend in "The Soo", the distance between the northwestern Ontario border with Manitoba and Sault Ste. Marie is definitely the longest and most isolated stretch of this walk. It is beautiful country, but we need to make it to more populated southern/central Ontario in order to be in cities large enough to host our weekend visits. Though this stretch is isolated, we have still managed to receive great support! In the span of a couple of days last week, we met two different individuals who were members of the Thunder Bay Right to Life group, who were both previously unaware of our walk, but we very impressed to see us and our mission. Another man, Doug, was driving home to Mission, BC from his holidays in Cape Breton, and happened to know a couple of my close friends and had walked with last year's Crossroads team for a few days. Small world! It is hard to believe we only have 4 weeks left before we finish off, but I'm sure our witnesses and interesting experiences will only increase as we get closer to the final and most populated stretch of our walk.

Thanks for reading, and we'll try to keep you posted!

Pat Wilson

Saskatchewan!

Hello all,

I'm sure you all understand, but I feel obliged to apologize on the lateness of this post once again. I hate being kept in the dark with things such as this, so I understand your situation. I started writing this post nearly two weeks ago - but the reason I didn't finish it until now is because it has been two crazy weeks. Saskatechwan has been quite the province, and has also managed to destroy every stereotype I've ever had about it. Yup, it's not even that flat. But one thing that is straight in this province is its unchanging pro-life stance. I think it is safe to say (since I am from Ontario, and I think we can all agree on how Quebec stacks up) that Saskatechwan is this great country's most pro-life province. Being from the East, this walk has really helped to dispel some stereotypes that us Easterners typically have of Western Canada. Perhaps the most surprising is that, through our observations, it seems that SK takes top baby-defender status over Alberta. While Albertans are certainly economically conservative peoples (though even that seems to be increasingly questionable), they are not the torch-bearing social right-wingers I once took them to be. Or at least they aren't anymore. I can't help but feel, with the growing oil economy and prosperity of the West, that maybe Alberta is trying to prove itself as the yuppies of the West…Calgary as the new Toronto, so to speak. I'm probably offending quite a few Albertans here, so I'll stop. We still love you Alberta, and the pro-life community in places like Edmonton was phenomenal. Drumheller is pretty cool too…

Anyhow, Saskatechewan. The pro-life community in Saskatechewan has been too good to us, particularly in the (likely) hundreds of burgers and other meals that have been cooked up for us in Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Davidson, Regina, and last night, Redvers. I'd love to thank everyone by name who put these awesome events on, but for sake of brevity, I'll cover the highlights. In Moose Jaw, the pro-life community gave us a generous donation, and threw on a great event in which we were joined by a local Moose Jaw MLA, Warren Michelson, who is pro-life, and brought the local media to cover our walk. [Check the article here: http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/Local/News/2012-06-20/article-3012689/Young-abortion-opponents-stop-in-Moose-Jaw-on-cross-Canada-walk/1 ] In Davidson, we were given a huge banner by the pro-life community to put on the back of our RV. They have had these banners in past years so we were all elated to have one of our very own for our walk. Once we wash the three inch-thick prairie dust and dirt off the back of our RV, we'll be throwing the banner on. I'll try and post a photo as soon as it's on.

Redvers was a special experience for us. It's just a tiny town in SK near the border with Manitoba, but the pro-life community in this town felt like our biggest welcome yet. About 15 youth showed up with some parents, and after sharing food and chatting with them, we had about a 6 km walk through town with them. It was a great experience, and so awesome for us to see the youth who look up to us. For us to meet some young pro-lifers was also encouraging to us. Not only did these young people walk with us, but they had even raised money for us at a freezie sale at one of their schools, raising over $200. One of them had even written a song for us on piano, which she performed for us. You guys were amazing! I wish we could have these kids along for the whole way - we had a ton of fun!

Right now, we are getting close to the Manitoba border, and will be in Winnipeg next weekend. It will be our last city-stop before the way-too-large Ontario, where we will be heading towards Thunder Bay. We will be sorry to see one of our walkers, Cesar, leave in Winnipeg as he has other commitments to attend to, including going to work with a religious community in Belgium. We'll miss you Cesar!

I'll end this post with a little insight I had the other day when I was walking with one of our team members, Becky. We were thinking about how many steps we must take in a single shift, and we decided to figure out how many we take, roughly, in our summer of walking. We concluded it was around 2-2.5 million steps for each walker…obviously, a huge number! Thinking of large numbers, I decided after to look up the number of abortions in the US per year. This was also huge: 1.37 million - per year. To put it into perspective, this means that for close to every second step we take on the walk, a child is aborted in the US. This really and truly shocked me, but it also gave me encouragement as to why I am spending this crazy summer on this crazy walk. It is sometimes easy to want to just want to skip out on a PR event, or sleep through the knock on the window calling your turn for night shift. But we're doing this for something greater. And anything that can be done to stop this genocide is worth the sacrifice.

Lastly - we like our followers to know that we make sure to unwind from time to time. Also, the craziness of the night shift schedule, and accompanying lack of sleep, often leads to some pretty interesting, but hilarious scenarios. Here's one of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x0v9nAN9o0

God bless,

Pat Wilson

Entering the Prairies

Hello all,

It's week 4 and we've hit the plains! Update in a flash: After descending the Rockies into the plains of southern Alberta, we have since jumped north and continued walking east from the Calgary area. We are now in mid-western Saskatchewan heading to Saskatoon.

While BC was incredibly diverse and interesting in its wide-ranging terrain, our experience on the Prairies has not been so plain as one might expect. Yes, while the terrain is largely unchanging, we have had some of our most powerful and varied encounters on the plains of Alberta and Saskatchewan. This week has brought some interesting encounters that I have to share. Firstly, this past weekend in Edmonton proved to be yet another great weekend for our team. Not only was our mission extremely well received at the parishes we visited, but we were fed too well - two barbeques were held for the team, one at one of our host families (Diane Middleton) and the other at the house of last-year walked, Nelson Morris. Thank-you to both, and to our equally generous host family, the Maddens! Also, one religious, (her name escapes me at the moment - my apologies!), bought our entire group lunch on Saturday afternoon. Needless to say, our stomachs were looked after this weekend! I never thought that I might gain weight by going on Crossroads, but if people keep feeding us like this…

This week has also brought some special encounters for our team. On Monday morning, we were hoping to go to Mass at the chancery office in Edmonton before heading out 5 hours south to Drumheller to continue walking. However, because of traffic and our over-reliance on the unreliable GPS, we missed the Mass. However, I figured I would ask the office if there was a later Mass anywhere in the area. I couldn't find the office, but the Western Catholic Reporter newspaper office was there, so I thought I would ask them. They weren't able to find a Mass, so we turned to head out. Just before pulling away, one of the newspaper reporters stopped us and asked us to do an interview. We had a great discussion and some action walking shots. Good to see that some good comes out of these less-than-good situations! I just found out that the article has been printed - check it out here: http://wcr.ab.ca/WCRThisWeek/Stories/tabid/61/entryid/2634/Default.aspx

The following day was even more eventful. The only Mass in the small Albertan prairie towns along Hwy 9 was in Hanna, AB at 7 PM. Hanna also happens to be the hometown of Nickelback, and so I wouldn't be too surprised if this grave misfortune was also responsible for the fact that Mass was cancelled that night, as the priest was on holidays. We were just about to leave the locked church when a dude riding a Harley pulled into the church. This man also happened to be Fr. Ian, the parish priest, just arriving back from his holidays in BC. He was more than happy to offer us a private Mass. He also let us use his facilities to cook and get washed up. But it doesn't end there. Just before we were about to leave, a few of us were hanging outside the church with our PRO-LIFE shirts on. A couple walking a dog were looking at us somewhat curiously, so we started chatting with them. It so happens that the woman, Delia Girard, was adopted and struggling that very day with friends who were being hostile to her pro-life views. We chatted and prayed together, and it strengthened both her spirits and ours to have such a providential encounter on the street.

So far, our experience in this province of Saskatchewan has proven to be most supportive overall, judging by the amount of positive response we are getting from passing cars and those we meet in the towns along the way. We have even got some donations on the road! We were also given a royal treatment last night in Kindersley, SK, from Fr. Cooper at St. Joseph's Parish, who swamped us with food and gave us much-cherished beds and showers to use last night. Such hospitality has really made me appreciate the generosity of others, as there has been so many who have laid down so much to accommodate us, particularly our weekend host families. Thank you to all, and

Now to enjoy the night prairie sky…it really is as phenomenal as  they make it out to be.

Pat

Week 2

Another week has cone and gone! I think the entire team can agree that our second week has passed much more quickly than our first week. Getting into the routine of walking 25 km each a day, irregular sleeping schedule, the whizzing cars, and the constant PR that accompany the trip, you could say that we have achieved some degree of normalcy in the trip at this point.

I am also happy to report that we have sustained no real injuries as of yet - despite some fairly bad blisters for some - but everyone is more than happy to walk, even though it may at times be painful. In that vein, the phrase "offer it up!" has already become a bit of a joking cliché term - and though we joke about how frequently we say it, there is still much truth in the idea of offering up any pain in our walking for the unborn and the intentions we receive along the way at parishes.

The general response we have received so far along the road has been interesting. While the majority of actual response we visibly receive has been so far positive - friendly horn blasts, thumbs up and waves - it is still tough to gauge exactly what the majority of those who drive by us actually think. Looking into the cars of passerbys (we do not try to make it look obvious!), nearly all drivers notice us, and with some degree of interest. It is easy to notice the turning heads, or the glance, and the averted eyes. We very rarely get middle fingers, angry yells, or any negative response. It is interesting to note, because I think it is sadly indicative of the typical Canadian tendency towards apathy on topics such as abortion. I feel that many of these people likely do not disagree with our cause, or respect us for standing up for it, but might feel that since abortion is not directly their problem, then they should not be concerned or excited about the movement. How do we reach these apathetic Canadians? This is not an easy question to answer. But I only hope that our shirts have at least got these apathetic passerbys to think about the issue a little more, and maybe open their minds to consider that maybe there is something wrong with the genocide that we are inflicting on our future generation.

One of the things which has surprised me the most on Crossroads - in a good way - is the importance of the parish mission on the weekends. Visiting local churches, we share with parishoners what our walk is about, and ask for spiritual and financial support. I was initally reluctant to do this part of the walk, but have since found it extremely rewarding for both the parishoners, and our own motivation. For one, while many of these parishoners are deeply concerned about the pro-life movement, many feel that there is no hope for the future of the cause, resigning like many other Canadians to the lie that legalized abortion has become a closed issue in Canada. For them to see young people active and engaged in the mission, who care deeply enough about it to want to walk across the country for the cause, is very encouraging for many of these people. Their encouragement, in exchange, is very encouraging for us. To feel and receive this abundant support on weekends has helped to strengthen our resolve to walk with purpose this summer. Thank-you parishoners!

As I write this, we are currently marching east towards Fernie, BC, headed for the Crowsnest Pass and the Alberta border. While the mountains are beautiful, our legs are looking forward to some flat walking on the plains, which we should reach later this week. We spent this past weekend in Calgary - thank you to Anne Engel for hosting us in Calgary, and to the parishoners there who were very hospitable as well! We spent a few hours praying outside the Kensignton Abortion Clinic in Calgary on Saturday, and were met with our most hostile response yet - a number of fingers and yells were shot at us. It was sad to see, but also good, in some way, to actually receive some response rather than the apathetic blank stares we have often gotten so far in BC. Last weekend, we prayed outside the hospital in Kelowna, BC, where abortions are performed, and actually got some positive responses - great to see!

On the 5 hour drive back to Cranbrook, BC from Calgary, we were fortunate enough to see a great deal of wildlife! 3 black bears, 1 wolf, and a plethora of deer and elk. We have seen a great number of deer while walking as well - luckily, no black or grizzly bears have been spotted during walking. I guess our bear bells at night are working…

Continue to pray for us on our walk, and we will keep you posted on our progress!

Pat Wilson

Check out our pictures from the walk!

We've uploaded our first set of pictures from the walk. Head over to this link to check them out:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/crossroadscanada

Save the link because we'll be uploading more regularly!

The feet are moving!

Hello all!

Firstly: I'd like to apologize for not posting until now. It has been a crazy, but rewarding beginning to our trip. We are just now getting settled into our routine, as crazy of a routine as it is proving to be!

Secondly: Wow, what a start! After five nearly 24 hour days of collective walking, we have covered over 300 km through beautiful and widely diverse terrain. It's tough to know where to start writing about our experience so far - it feels like we have been on the road for a month! So I may just begin by outlining exactly what Crossroads does, and move into how we are doing.

Many of you are probably wondering - how does this Crossroads operation work? 24/5?! Do you guys walk the whole thing?! Yes and no. As a group - collectively - we will be walking all the way from Vancouver to Quebec City. Individually, we will be walking probably anywhere from 1/4 to 1/3 of the entire distance. This isn't because we are weak and only somewhat care about the cause  - but merely for the fact that we have time constraints. It would take us more than twice as long to all walk the entire distance - which would make our mission at least a 6 month operation. As college students, this isn't exactly feasible. Furthermore, our mission isn't for selfish reasons - ie. being able to boast at parties that we walked the entire country, or to achieve the best suntan possible. Rather, we are walking to witness to the pro-life cause. This is done just as effectively with our walk being done in rotating shifts, as there is nearly always someone on the road, witnessing to the cause.

With that sorted out, let me inform you of how we organize the walk itself. Firstly, the team is divided into two groups every week: day shift and the (in?)famous night shift. Each shift aims to cover about 50 kms a shift, totalling 100 km over a 24 hour period. When one group is walking, the other is resting or sleeping. The transitioning point between the shifts is daily Mass in the weekday morning - if it is available remotely near where we are camped out or walking. This is an important time for our team, as it is one of the few times during the weekdays that the day and night shifters can see each other, catch up, and have a bit of team-building, before the shifts move off to either the road or bed. It is great that the team is able to recoup and regather around the Mass, which emphasizes our community of shared faith.

As far as our walk itself, our team has so far covered nearly 400 km over the first week, which I am very impressed with considering the fact that none of us are used to 25 km of daily walking! We have been relaxing with an incredibly generous host family - the Ziebarths - in beautiful Summerland, BC. (They live right beside one of the oldest vineyards in the province!) We are currently speaking at parishes in the Okanagan region this weekend. While we are all physically and mentally exhausted after our first week, it has been extremely rewarding. One of the most uplifting things in our first week on the road so far has been the support and kindness we receive at the churches we attend and speak at. During our training in Vancouver, the team got especially close to the parishoners at St. Clare of Assisi parish in Coquitlam, BC (a suburb of Vancouver). The priest, Fr. Craig Scott, was incredibly accomodating and supporting, inviting the entire team down for coffee after every morning Mass! It was our experience at this parish where our patron saint for the trip - St. Clare of Assisi - was chosen. We were informed by the parishoners here that St. Clare's feast day is on August 11 - the exact day we will be concluding our walk in Ottawa on Parliament Hill! Being the first parish we visited as a full team, it only made sense to choose St. Clare as our patron, as her namesake both commences and concludes our trip.

The hospitality has followed us down the road. We visited a gorgeous little parish in beautiful Hope, BC for two days, and were welcomed with much support there. I have to say a few words about Hope itself - as the scenery surrounding the town is incredible, even by BC standards. Lush green, with the mighty Fraser River running through the town, and surrounded by impossibly steep mountains, I felt like I had stepped into a fantasy movie. For those Stallone fans, it might also be remembered as the town where Rambo: First Blood was filmed. To the delight of the male contingent (all Rambo fans!) present on the trip, we were delighted to find that our campground was located right adjacent to the bridge where the opening bridge scene of the film was shot! It was a nice little treat for us movie buffs, despite the fact that Rambo might not be the most ideal role model for our cause (though he certainly wasn't apathetic about his beliefs, so we can respect that!)

There is so much more to inform you all of, particularly regarding our walking itself, and the varying backgrounds of our team members, so I will be posting more as soon as I have a chance. Stay tuned for picture updates as well.

In the meantime, I have also been posting semi-regularly on Twitter for the walk, as it is easier and faster to do on the road from my smartphone, and I don't need to find a WIFI signal and a power outlet for my laptop in order to post. So, if you want to check out our Twitter, you can find it at this address: https://twitter.com/#!/CA_Crossroads. You don't need to sign up in order to see our posts, but make sure to check back regularly to see our updates. You can also like our page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrossroadsCanada

Please inform any of your friends or family of this blog address as well. All team members who wish to blog will be doing so here, so expect many more posts and pictures from myself and others!

Please also keep us in your prayers! We will keep you, and all the unborn in our many prayers on the walk as well, and you can forward us any prayer requests, which we will make sure to pray for as we walk.

Pat Wilson