We are now well into the Advent season. I am enjoying reading daily reflections from the wisdom of Pope Saint John Paul II. At Sunday Mass when Father Bud Roland lit the first candle on the Advent wreath he talked about Advent being a time of waiting and watching in preparation for the coming of Jesus. He also talked about memory, mystery and majesty – each of which is a part of the celebration of the miracle of Christ’s birth.
As my article often focuses on the work of the St. John Paul II Life Center (“JP2”) and its importance in recognizing the dignity of women and each human life, I believe the following heartfelt description of the Center’s work by Denise Cook, a sonographer and Catholic, conveys the love and joy delivered at the Center and hopefully felt by many during the Christmas season.
Denise Cook’s story, in her own words:
I came to the JPII Life Center in January, 2014 with a dear friend, her young daughter and a rosary. Her daughter was facing an unexpected pregnancy and a heavy decision. At that time, the young lady saw abortion as her only way out. But, in the 12 hours before her visit to JP2, Dr. Kalamarides and Kimberly Guidry-Speirs bestowed a “Minute Man” mentality. They gave up their Saturday plans and opened the Life Center doors at the push of a button.
As a sonographer, it is part of the job to greet each woman and have her as your sole focus for the 15-30 minutes you’re performing the sonograph scan, navigating the waters as an educated tour guide. I often think of it as a womb with a view.
After visiting JP2 with my friend, I became a volunteer sonographer. Ever since, I have seen many a scared woman and although each one always stays with me, there is one in particular that captured my heart.
In February of this year, a crisis pregnancy was in need of a sonogram, and a miracle. A young woman battling a drug addiction arrived at JP2 in between appointments at abortion facilities from San Antonio to Dallas with her mother. Before her appointment in Dallas, an ultrasound was needed, but the abortion facility only offered a cash-pay option. She was told that JP2 offers ultrasounds free of charge, and that’s why she came into the center.
When she and her mother entered the ultrasound room, it was made clear that this pregnancy was to have a quick ending—her mother had only flown into Austin to see her daughter through her post-abortion recovery. Hearts were hard and set, but something else was yet to happen.
More than 60 minutes were spent in the ultrasound room that day.
We actively watched the baby as he was old enough to see the lens of his eyes shift, he could turn, practice breathing and, yes, proudly show us that he was a little boy. The room remained silent and antiseptic, as if it were only a pre-abortive procedure. However, in this hour, the young woman fell asleep.
In those moments, her mother seemed to soften. She began feeling comfortable asking questions and watching the screen from a slightly different perspective. Although she was not completely convinced, the air in the room began to change. When the young mother woke from her sleep, the clouds began to lift. She began asking her own questions, genuinely showing concern for the baby’s health and development and, like many mothers, inquisitive as to whether the baby was a boy or a girl.
Often I wonder what happened while she slept. Did she have a dream? In the calm of sleep, did she hear God’s voice and accept his grace and love?
In September, these questions were answered when a text came across my phone. The text was a photo of a perfect, beautiful newborn along with the words “you saved his life.”
But, I beg to differ with this accolade. While this young mother has stressed again and again, and repeatedly credited the ultrasound as the single cause of her life-giving decision, it was a combined effort.
For, you see, the machine was a donation from the Knights of Columbus, the volunteer client advocate spoke to her for hours and made herself available 24/7, the dedication of Dr. Kalamarides, Kimberly Guidry-Speirs, the board of directors, volunteers and countless others brought the JP2 Life Center to life. And most importantly, that February day, while pressing the right buttons on the ultrasound machine, the Holy Spirit took over and did all of the hard work.
Words alone cannot describe the feeling inside of the ultrasound room each time a woman has come across the threshold with her JP2 client advocate. It feels as if a heavenly box encapsulates the room, puts things on cruise control, and takes over every action, emotion and thought.
Often I have imagined what it must have been like to have been a disciple shut in a room on the day of Pentecost. How electric the energy must have been on that day! So electric that, from there, the disciples set out to spread God’s word and change the world.
This same event happens each moment at the JP2 Life Center. The descending of the Holy Spirit must have been similar to the sense that envelopes the ultrasound room. Today the disciples, each of you who support the mission of the John Paul II Life Center whether financially, spiritually, through donations or your volunteerism, speaks your own language that we each can understand as each of us is called to set out and change the world.
Merry Christmas to all.
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Timothy Von Dohlen is the founder and president of the John Paul II Life Center and Vitae Clinic in Austin, Texas. (www.jp2lifecenter.org), a center that can be duplicated anywhere in the country. Talk to Mr. Von Dohlen to discuss this. For a more robust bio, click here: www.catholicbusinessjournal.biz/content/tim-von-dohlen. Mr. Von Dohlen may be reached at Timothy@CatholicBusinessJournal.biz