THIRTY YEARS AGO, ST. Mother Teresa said, “The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion.” She called it a tragedy, not only for the child, but for the mother.
If that was true then, how much more urgent is her message today when misinformation surrounds women’s healthcare, and abortion pills are being mailed directly to the homes of our sisters and brothers in Christ?
The devastating reality is that we live in a culture of death. Abortion doesn’t just take the life of a child; it leaves behind a broken family.
Praise the Lord that amid confusion and pain, God’s grace triumphs, and because The Life Center of Santa Ana has been firmly rooted in the Catholic faith for over 50 years, the Lord hears our prayers and provides in His perfect timing.
And the Blessed Mother intercedes, her name is on every door at the center, Mother of Good Counsel, Queen of Heaven, Cause of our Joy, Pray for us. The Life Center’s board has been prayerfully discerning how it can do more.
JARITZY MARQUEZ IS PICTURED AT HER COFFEE POP-UP, A CUP OF FAITH. PHOTO COURTESY OF JARITZY MARQUEZ
Yes, having families build Christ-centered relationships with faithful Catholic mentors matters. Yes, material help matters. But real support must go further. It must mean personalized care plans that meet a mother’s challenges head on, so that when she has the courage to say yes to life, she knows she won’t walk alone. Staff and volunteers will mentor her every step of the way, help identify and ease her financial burden and educate her in basic life skills, so she can feel capable, secure and supported in her decision to choose life.
And then, when the baby is born, she still has a healthy and good choice she can make, with the support of her mentor, she can choose to gift her baby for adoption, or she can choose to parent her baby.
Almost one year ago the center took the bold, courageous step to launch the St. Mother Teresa Benevolence Grant, a grant that families at risk for abortion can apply for, it was born out of that prayerful discernment of what “real support” must look like today, it was born out of love.
That love is reflected most beautifully in the story of the very first Benevolence Grant recipient, Jaritzy Marquez.
JARITZY MARQUEZ AND HER PARTNER SEBASTIAN (BACK ROW, STANDING) PARTICIPATE IN THE LIFE CENTER OF SANTA ANA’S REGULARLY SCHEDULED WALKING WITH MOMS & DADS PARENTING PROGRAM. PHOTO COURTESY OF MEGAN MORRIS
“At 14 weeks my abortion was scheduled just one day after my 18th birthday,” Marquez shared, “It’s hard to even say those words now but looking back they were true, knowing I had a relationship with God, knowing I had a loving and caring partner and the support of my family, I still scheduled the abortion. I was consumed with fear and solely focused on protecting the future I had always imagined for myself.”
She explained that she had always loved to plan graduating from a university, opening her own coffee shop, getting married and eventually having children, but her unexpected pregnancy filled her with fear.
“How will I finish school?” she asked. “How will I ever open up my coffee shop and how can me and my partner raise a baby when I still feel like a baby myself?”
Her partner, desperate to stop the abortion, reached out to The Life Center, at first Marquez wasn’t ready to listen, but after receiving a simple text,
“We would love the opportunity to invest in your healthy and bright future. Can we meet tomorrow so you have a sense of the real support we provide?”
Her heart began to soften.
“The next morning, God really touched my heart,” Marquez shared. “Rather than go to my 7 a.m. abortion appointment, I went to The Life Center.”
There, she met with a mentor who listened, encouraged and lifted burdens from her shoulders. She learned about adoption, parenting and the risks of abortion, but most importantly, she felt seen, heard and understood.
“That moment marked the beginning of my 18th year, not the day of an abortion, but the start of a new future,” Marquez said. “I was able to take a giant step closer to my dreams, not only pursuing school as a first-generation Hispanic college student but gaining the courage to launch my own faith-based coffee business. What began as a dream has become a small business where my family and I play an important role together. We not only serve coffee, but we use a percentage of the earnings to sponsor people who cannot afford to attend church retreats, giving them the chance to encounter God in a deeper way. My goal is to expand my business, Cup of Faith Coffee, not just to sell coffee but to touch hearts and to bring people closer to God.”
She continued, “I was heading toward a decision made from fear and lies, but God stopped me and reminded me that His plans are always better than mine.
“Today, instead of living in regret, I live in gratitude, for Him, for The Life Center, for my partner and for the community that continues to walk with me.”
Her words are a testimony to what real support can do. God’s plans are perfect and as St. Mother Teresa also said, “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world,” the Benevolence Grant is that love letter of real support for families at risk for abortion.