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