Washington D.C., Apr 23, 2019 / 12:30 pm
The National Catholic Prayer Breakfast heard an uncompromising call to holiness and the defense of every human life Tuesday, with speakers calling for a "Catholic great awakening."
A total of 1,400 gathered in Washington, DC for the 15th-annual prayer breakfast, where keynotes were delivered by Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix and Curtis Martin, founder and director of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.
Leading attendees in the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Sr. Bethany Madonna, S.V., vocations director for the Sisters of Life, told the nation's assembled Catholic leaders to be undaunted by their own failings and limitations. Christ "loves you, and wants your weakness," she said.
"You can be strong with his strength," she told the audience, "and you will be able to endure the insults that come with defending every human life."
Pro-life activist Abby Johnson also addressed the crowd, urging them to work towards a society in which abortion was "unthinkable" and its legality became irrelevant.
In his keynote address, FOCUS president Curtis Martin noted that human history was punctuated by periods of renewal, sparked by a return to God in a spirit of atonement. But instead of doom and gloom, he said, the coming generation of young Catholics has the potential to do great things.
The current generation, he said, are "survivors by God's design" having been born after abortion was legalized and are poised to "wake up" and "vanquish the devil in this generation."
The United States has experienced ebbs and flows in religious devotion before, and has seen two "great awakenings" among Protestants that resulted in renewed faith for believers. Perhaps, said Martin, this is what the Church in America needs.
"Wouldn't it be a great time for a Catholic great awakening?"
Also among the speakers to address the the pro-life cause was acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who assured the audience of the president's personal commitment to protecting the unborn.
Trump was frequently criticized during the 2016 presidential campaign for his past statements in support of abortion. Since his election, the administration has made efforts to block state funding for abortion a consistent theme, renforcing the Mexico City policy preventing U.S. from going to organizations which fund or promote abortion.
Mulvaney told the crowd that uncompromisingly pro-life language in the 2019 State of the Union address was expanded at the president's personal insistence.
Trump used the speech to condemn the newly-passed Reproductive Health Act in New York, which widely expanded abortion access. He was also critical of efforts to pass a similar law in Virginia. According to Mulvaney, these comments were Trump's own last-minute additions to the text, made by hand as he reviewed the final draft.
Despite political battles and increased polarization in national political life, Mulvaney said that was "comfortable" serving in the Trump administration and with its priorities.
"The principles of our [Catholic] faith are alive and well and well-respected in this administration and are driving many of our policies," Mulvaney said.
