Story by Reagan Scott
LINCOLN (SNR) – This year marks the 20th anniversary of prayerful presence outside of Planned Parenthood in Lincoln during the season of Lent, a tradition that started in the year 2000 with Lindsay Boever, a member of St. Teresa Parish.
When Boever was a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Father Robert Matya asked her to be the chair of the Newman Center’s pro-life outreach group. She said that as the second of 10 children she’s always been passionate about the pro-life movement.
While praying outside of Planned Parenthood, then located near 37th and South streets, had been a long-standing tradition for Newman students, Boever read an article about a physician in Ohio who took a sabbatical to pray around the clock at an abortion facility and she was inspired to do something more.
“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s what we’re doing,” she said.
Since Lent was approaching, Boever came up with an idea to have people pray outside Planned Parenthood 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the entirety of Lent.
“I like beginnings and ends,” Boever said. “It makes the task seem not so gargantuan.”
In fact, when she first called Sandy Danek, a member of Cathedral of the Risen Christ Parish and president of Lincoln Right to Life (LRTL) at the time, Danek thought to herself that the idea seemed like a huge undertaking. But when Boever called her again later, expressing doubts about the scale of what she was trying to do, Danek was on board, and agreed to have LRTL partner with Boever for the project.
Boever said the students at the Newman Center that year were incredible, going out in teams to all the parishes in Lincoln to promote the prayer vigil and encourage participation. Danek said the students covered hours throughout the night and the parishes embraced the project.
“The churches did a great job at trying to get their parishioners there,” she said, “and the students were incredibly devoted and dependable.”
The Lenten Prayer Vigil opened at midnight on Ash Wednesday in a torrential downpour, but Newman Center students were out in force, one kneeling in the mud for seven hours.
“I can’t explain the joy; it was so beautiful,” she said.
Throughout the 40 days the goal was to have at least two people outside of Planned Parenthood every hour, and every hour was filled that year. There was even a Protestant church that heard about the vigil and brought 300 people in charter buses.
“I remember saying to the students how essential the team aspect was to get a project of this size done,” Boever said.
Reflecting back on the fact that this is the 20th anniversary of a Lenten prayer vigil Boever said, “Usually when we’re fighting a spiritual battle we need to dig in for a long time.
“This is a reminder that most things take a while,” she said, “and that abortion is still prevalent.”
In September 2008, Lincoln Right to Life joined the National 40 Days for Life movement for a fall prayer vigil and has participated with it ever since for the Lenten vigils.
Lincoln Right to Life is a secular organization with which Catholics share a goal of respecting and protecting life. The organization has been in existence since 1974.
Today LRTL tries to get coverage for 40 Days for Life from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day during Lent—and can still use help getting coverage for hours this year.
Jeanne Kee, a member of St. Teresa Parish, is organizing 40 Days for Life in Lincoln for the third time this year and encourages people to sign up if they are able.
“We always need people and even if everything were covered, we can never have too much prayer,” she said.
Pam McCabe, who helps with the 40 Days for Life program, said that over the years thousands of people have come to pray and four abortionists stopped performing abortions in Lincoln during the 20 years since the vigil started.
“The prayer aspect is critical to everything we do in the pro-life movement,” Danek said. “Even though the hours are less, the vigil still continues 20 years later. The prayer presence of pro-lifers is evident every Lenten season.”
Kee said that in recent years she has seen more fervor and prayer outside of Planned Parenthood, especially with the Right to Life Center now located across the street. Mass is offered at the center every Tuesday — the day abortions are performed — and the space will be transitioned into the Women’s Care Center this summer, according to McCabe.
Anyone who is interested in praying outside of Planned Parenthood can sign up at www.40daysforlife.com/lincoln. Kee said that, while anyone is welcome to stop by and pray spontaneously, it’s helpful to sign up because it helps other people know someone else will be there.
“If you go out there to pray, you will save lives,” Kee said. “We don’t see them all the time, but those graces really have a powerful impact.”
