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From LifeSiteNews.com:

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 12, 2012 – Seminarians from the only Pontifical College in the U.S. have an awe-inspiring approach for confronting abortion head-on. Dressed in full regalia of a black cassock, a traditional red sash, and armed with a rosary, the seminarians descend in a powerful show of force every Saturday on a local abortion facility to confront with prayer what the seminary’s rector calls the “poison of abortion.”

Father James Wehner, rector of the Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, says he believes that seminarians need to “see visibly the forces of evil at work, and respond with an act of faith in which prayer becomes the greater force.”

“American culture is a blessing, but it is also poisoned,” he said. “The clergy, particularly priests, need to be able to confront that poison, not run away and hide from it. That means we have to confront it head-on.”

D:

Yeah, I’m sure the women walking in sense nothing but brotherly love and empathy from these guys in their fancy cassocks, in a line to show their “powerful show of force”, “armed” with rosaries. 

Who on earth thought this was a good idea?

Sigh. Maybe it’s because my priest friends were the kind who went barefoot in seminary to make a statement about poverty, but this doesn’t seem the best way to “witness” or do whatever they aimed to do.  

Call me crazy, but there are other poisons more prevalent in American society (like hated, ignorance, poverty, etc) that I’m sure these future priests could be witnessing to. 

As you noted Natalie, this entire article is couched in military language. Regalia, armed, confront. These are methods for an age past; we as Christians will only alienate our population if we continue in the mode of confrontation.

Hmm.

The purpose of this display is marking the line between the world and the Church, a statement of unity with the Pope and bishops.  It may not be the best pro-life move (counseling and ultrasounds are far more immediately effective), but it is a great moment for the seminarians in formation and the strength of the Church.

The confrontational language has a great appeal to a certain segment of the population (ie, most men).  It makes clear what has been lost for a generation or two, that the Church will stand against the spirit of the age.  That Her priests, to the man, will fight and die for Christ (red in clerical garb is a reminder of martyrdom).

Most importantly, the spiritual worth of hundreds of rosaries prayed for a single intention, is bound to have some effect, on the seminarians, the workers at the ‘clinic’, the women entering.  But these results only show in God’s own time. 

I recognize all of this, but one must realize that this act is reaching no one at all. It’s a masturbatory act, if you’ll forgive the word, that pleases and speaks to only the devout and serves to alienate the Church from the people on the outside, reestablishing hardened boundaries that so many Americans have against organized religion. People will walk past this, roll their eyes and get annoyed, and move on. The clearly militaristic imagery purposefully on display here is unhelpful at best, damaging at worst.

Not only alienate those on the outside. Not all members of the church are pro-life.

Imagine if they spent every Saturday running a free child care facility, or volunteering at a women’s shelter, or spending time with kids in the foster care system. Imagine if they stood like this outside their congressional rep’s office, demanding accountability for childhood disease and poverty. Imagine if they cared about people who were already born, instead of being judgmental of people exercising their legal and medical right.

-Jess

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS (bolded for emphasis)