DENVER. “Every Life if a Gift” was the theme for the 2020 Celebrate Life Rally and March in Denver on Jan. 11. The Respect Life Apostolate for the Diocese of Colorado Springs chartered a bus and took 51 devoted pro-life warriors from around our diocese and Pueblo to celebrate the gift of life.

COLORADO SPRINGS. “What happened to the strong man?”

     “I’m sorry — but what strong man? What are you talking about?”

     “You know,” she said. “The statue of the muscular, demonic figure that used to be perched on the roof. I walk by here all the time, and I always see it. It’s not there today. What happened to it?”

     “There never was any statue.”

This conversation, as shared in the book “40 Days for Life” by David Bereit and Shawn Carney, really happened. No one else had seen that demon, but this woman had seen it on the roof of the abortion clinic time and time again as she walked past the clinic. After the abortion center was closed and the building was prayed over, the physical representation showing a spiritual reality was gone.

COLORADO SPRINGS. The Benet Hill Community is holding a lecture series on the prevention of human trafficking on Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. at Library 21C, 1175 Chapel Hills Dr.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Several events will take place in the Diocese of Colorado Springs in commemoration of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Father Jim Baron will celebrate the annual Mass of the Holy Innocents at 11 a.m. on Dec. 28 at Holy Apostles Church in Colorado Springs.

COLORADO SPRINGS. A ballot initiative that would ban abortions after the 22nd week of pregnancy has been approved by state election officials in Colorado. A group called the Coalition for Women and Children, which is based in Englewood, filed the proposed initiative.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Fear of suffering and a lack of appreciation for the dignity of each human person are two of the driving forces in the culture of death, said Sister of Life Maris Stella, who was the keynote speaker at the Bishop’s Respect Life Dinner on Oct. 24 at The Broadmoor Hotel.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Out of the proceeds of the 2017 Bishop’s Respect Life Dinner, the Salida Pregnancy Resource Center (SPRC) received $10,000 to help them expand their hours and add professional staff in support of their mission to help women during pregnancy.

“Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Gen 2:7)

The phrase “breath of life” took on a whole new meaning when, at seven months pregnant, I found out our preborn son may or may not be able to breathe once he was born.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Save the Storks, a pro-life organization based in Colorado Springs, will sponsor its first ever “Storkfest” on Aug. 31 from 1-9 p.m. at Glen Eyrie. The family event will include music, a petting zoo, kids’ fun run, food vendors, and a laser show to end the evening. Proceeds will benefit Colorado Springs Pregnancy Centers and the purchase of a mobile pregnancy center, or Stork Bus. For more information, visit www.storkfest.com.

Project Rachel, a healing ministry for men and women seeking forgiveness and peace in the aftermath of an abortion, will offer eight-week groups beginning May 8. For more information or to register, contact Father Greg Bierbaum at 720-348-9700, ext. 209; Sarah Bidon at 719-866-6426; or Rhonda Miller at 719-649-6198. All calls are held in strict confidence.

NEW YORK. The hard-hitting, fact-based drama “Unplanned” (R, Pure Flix) dares its viewers to confront the reality of what happens when a baby is aborted.

That’s an effective strategy on the part of co-writers and directors Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon, not least because the peculiar institution of our day thrives on  concealment, muddled thinking and Orwellian euphemisms. But it also means that this emotionally unsparing film is not for the casual moviegoer of any age.