NEW YORK -- Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, issued the following statement to mark today's “International Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Terri Schindler Schiavo, and All of Our Vulnerable Brothers and Sisters,” or "Terri's Day”:
“Twelve years ago, I sat and prayed with a woman who had been denied food and water for two weeks. I saw the light fading from her eyes, and just minutes after our time together, she died. Terri’s death was the perverse wish of her murderous husband and carried out by order of a court.
“With the killing of the sick and disabled expanding across our nation, it’s important to remember Terri and the increasingly callous way our society judges a person’s right to life. She was not hooked up to any machines. She was able to smile and kiss her parents and siblings. Her family saw her as a blessing, not a burden. Terri didn’t insist on any 'right to die,' and I am certain that if she could have spoken up for herself, she would still be with us today."
Although Terri died on March 31, the annual memorial is taking place today, April 7, when EWTN will remember Terri's Day with various specials, including Mass by Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput (see EWTN.com for details).
To find prayers and activities for today's observance, go to www.TerrisDay.org. You will also find there Fr. Frank's eyewitness account of Terri Schiavo’s death, his homily at her funeral, and much more.
Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.