Those were tears of healing (I)

Last winter, while in jail (in Vanier, Quebec), I heard from a friend, a priest in Poland, that there was the possibility of a visit to Vanier by a priest who was on pilgrimage with a replica of an icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa, or, “the Black Madonna.” Father Peter West, of H.L.I., had begun the pilgrimage two years earlier and was making his way around the world for the intentions of Life and Family.

The authorities at Vanier accommodated the unusual request of the icon visit and facilitated arrangements for Mass in the chapel. Twelve inmates were permitted to be invited and staff were also invited. About 20 employees came, mostly medical staff.

I knew all the inmates who had been invited, and I also knew that at least eight of them were post-abortive.

Father West gave us a history of the icon and he also explained how the “Black Madonna” had become a symbol of hope for post-abortive women: throughout history, attempts had been made to destroy the icon – hence the scars or slashes on her face – yet the icon remains intact, though evidently scarred.

Father spoke of God’s boundless love for each person from the moment of conception and of the grave harm of abortion and of the need for God’s mercy and forgiveness if one has been involved in an abortion. He spoke the truth in love to women – mothers – whose children had been killed in the womb. I saw tears in the eyes of the women, but I knew they were tears of healing.

Mary Wagner, December 2014.

From Ocean to Ocean