The Fatima Center attended the March for Life in Ottawa on May 8, 2025. This year’s theme was “Protection at Conception”. It was a cool and cloudy day, but that didn’t stop thousands of people from attending this life-affirming event.
Speakers at the rally emphasized protecting the unborn from the moment of conception, as well as protecting the elderly, the sick, and the destitute, all of whom are targets of the Medical Assistance in Dying (M.A.I.D.) program. The Canadian government even wants to extend M.A.I.D. to children and the mentally handicapped. Proper health care for the most vulnerable in society is needed – not the termination of their lives. Most Reverend Marcel Damphousse, Bishop of the Diocese of Ottawa and Cornwall, explained how the parable of the mustard seed applies to the protection of human life.
We know that there is a deep connection between the Message of Fatima and the fight to end abortion. Our Lady warned against the ‘errors of Russia’ being spread. Atheistic communism, which has made huge inroads into western societies, is anti-life in addition to rejecting God. (Please see The Fatima Crusader Issue 133 for more details or a talk by Mr. Joseph Doyle titled ‘The Attack on Marriage and Family’: video | audio).
This March for Life had a powerful historic element. Providence decreed that it take place on the same day a new Pope was elected. As the Apostolate’s statue of Our Lady of Fatima was made ready for the procession, we heard the ringing of church bells from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, heralding the election of St. Peter’s apostolic successor. They rang again once the new Pope made his first appearance on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica and the faithful received his Papal blessing.
For the fifth consecutive year, the National Pilgrim Virgin statue was once again carried through the downtown streets of Canada’s capital city. (It is only five consecutive years because the March for Life was cancelled in 2020 due to the government’s forcible shutdown of all activities during the COVID scare.)
The cool weather kept Our Lady’s red and white roses fresh. These two colors are not only the national colors of Canada, but more importantly, they represent Her Queenship over Virgins and Martyrs, eminently fitting as we defend children in utero. The young men from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy were honored to carry Our Lady amidst the pro-life crowd. These young Catholics evoked smiles and hope as they prayed the Rosary and sung hymns such as Ave Maria and Christus Vincit.
Marchers were drawn toward the Statue and some devotees of Our Lady recognized the statue as being from The Fatima Center. The Pilgrim Virgin statue is becoming a recognized part of the annual Canadian March for Life, and many people look forward to seeing this beautiful statue of Our Lady there.
This year, there was hardly any resistance from the few anti-lifers, many of whom were dressed as women from “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The joy of the pro-life marchers, and their numbers, far surpassed the counter-protest. The March concluded at Parliament Hill, where many people continued to join Our Lady. They prayed with the young men and their school chaplains, who were kneeling on the damp grass. At the completion of the Rosary, prayed in Latin and English, one of the priests stood and blessed the praying crowd.
That same evening, two of our Fatima Center staff members joined hundreds attending the Rose Dinner (the pro-life gala). Emily Stimpson Chapman (Catholic wife, mother, and author) spoke heartbreakingly about her inability to conceive and her all-consuming desire to have a child of her own. She powerfully described resisting the siren call of in vitro fertilization (IVF), knowing it was wrong, but still feeling sad – even angry – that she couldn’t somehow conceive a child of her own.
Far too many Catholics have been misled into thinking IVF is “pro-life,” “pro-family,” and blessed by God. Quite the contrary; it is a grave mortal sin. IVF is a horrific attack upon God and humanity. It involves violations of the Sixth Commandment (e.g., self-abuse and pornography to name a few), eugenics, the commercialization of a woman’s body, the inhuman treatment of embryos, mass murder of discarded embryos, and prideful men acting as if they were gods. Emily stressed how many fertilized eggs are discarded and how many are sold for profit. Her words included a moving testimony about God blessing her with three adopted children. She encouraged people to support birth mothers to bring babies to term so that they could be adopted into loving homes.
Carol Crosson (age 60) and Albertos Polizogopoulos (age 42) were honored at the Rose Dinner. Both were valiant pro-life warriors, involved in both the legal system and pro-life advocacy, who recently lost their lives to cancer. They packed so much purposeful living in such short lifespans that their touching tributes were as inspiring as they were sad.
On the following day, May 9, our Fatima Center staff participated in the Youth Day Conference. Many different organizations had booths which promoted the truth and the protection for life. Among them were Campaign Life Coalition, Silent No More Awareness, Delta Hospice Society, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, St. Joseph’s Centre for Hope for Women, and many more. The youth, their chaperones, and the general public visited the booths in the convention hall.
People who visited our table wanted to learn more about the Fatima Message, and several of them were aware of the errors of Russia spreading throughout the world – including Canada. A lot of people wanted to learn how Our Lady gave us the warning and the solution to fight these errors. We explained how reparation for sin is necessary and encouraged them to pray the Rosary, practice the First Saturday Devotion, and offer extra sacrifices for the conversion of sinners.
Many of them expressed the desire to be enrolled in the Brown Scapular by a Catholic priest, so we gave them copies of Our Lady’s Garment. (This booklet has everything a priest needs who is unfamiliar with how to enroll someone in the Brown Scapular.) Others made the resolution to complete the Five First Saturdays Devotion. May God grant them, through Our Lady, the graces to remain faithful to these holy – and life changing – resolutions.
We also introduced folks to the reparatory devotions to the Holy Face, as well as the act of simply making a good and thorough daily examination of conscience. Fortunately, we had many of the apostolate’s resources on hand which promote these Catholic practices. The support of YOU – our faithful donors – enable us to make this material available to everyone, whether they are able to provide a donation or not.
Many connections were made with people who shared our pro-life values. Together, we are all working to end the culture of death in society. However, The Fatima Center spreads the Message of Our Lady of Fatima to all of these groups because it is only once Her requests are heeded that Russia will be converted and a period of peace be granted to the world. We must pray for the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which will also bring an end to the culture of death.