The 40 Days of prayer and fasting to end abortion concluded at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 1, with a prayer service at the vigil site near the Planned Parenthood office on Perlman Drive in Spring Valley.

Eileen Peterson, co-director of the 40 Days for Life project in Rockland, welcomed the 30 volunteers who attended the closing ceremonies and thanked them for their faithful witness for Life. She noted the mainly positive response from the pedestrians and motorists who passed by during the long vigil.

Next on the program was Msgr. Robert McCabe from St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Haverstraw who led the group in the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy and the rosary.

Co-director John Ferrao — who was in charge of assembling and taking down all the signs each day — thanked all those present and the many others who had made the 40 Days of Life possible by praying at the site, at their homes, or through the night at the Eucharistic Chapel of St. Gregory Barbarigo Church in Garnerville. He assured them they had made a difference in the cause of Life by their spiritual warfare at this modern-day Calvary.

Ferrao said that thousands of  babies are tragically killed each day as long as Planned Parenthood remains funded and abortion remains legal. He begged for prayers for the Supreme Court that the Holy Spirit would guide the justices as they decide the constitutional issues regarding the Affordable Care Act.

Then Jose spoke of the case of an abandoned young pregnant mother and asked for prayers for her and all who are trying to help her.

Next, longtime prolife leader Richard Bruno  thanked Peterson and Ferrao for all they had done to keep the 40 Days going. He spoke about the need to keep praying and welcomed all to join the with Our Lady of Guadalupe Rosarians who continue to pray throughout the year at the prayer site on Perlman Drive. He also asked them to come back to the site on Good Friday, April 6, for a 24-hour prayer vigil.

Finally, Msgr. McCabe asked those present to recruit more members for the next 40 Days for Life. He suggested that each volunteer try to add one friend, neighbor, or family member to the effort so there will be fresh faces and a renewed spirit for the next 40 Days for Life in October.

The service ended with Msgr. McCabe giving the group God’s blessing and with the Our Lady of Guadalupe hymn and God Bless America, led by Peter Partridge and his singing group, that provided music for the event.

The Spring-2012 40 Days for Life in Rockland was one of 258 such vigils that recently took place across the nation and in several other countries.

For a review and photos of this spring’s 40 Days for Life in Rockland, please see the links below.

Day 1       Week 1       Week 2       Week 3       Week 4       Week 5