St. Anthony Church Hosts Luminaries for Life

St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church hosted their annual display of “Luminaries for Life” this past weekend, January 22 and 23. The display marked the January 22, 1973 anniversary when the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion on demand in America.

St. Anthony Junior High and High School students decorated almost 300 paper bags with Pro-Life images and messages like “Save The Babies”, “A Child Not A Choice” and “Take My Hand, Not My Life”. The bags were luminated on the front steps of the church on Saturday and Sunday from dusk until dawn for the community to view. This year’s display was especially important considering that forty-nine years after its landmark inception, Roe v. Wade’s status is being questioned as the Supreme Court mulls over a decision on a Mississippi law that bans nearly all abortions after 15 weeks. 

Abortion is a leading cause of death in the United States and Worldwide. In the USA, where nearly half of pregnancies are unintended and four in 10 of these are terminated by abortion, there are over 3,000 abortions per day. 22% of all pregnancies in the USA (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion.

St. Anthony of Padua Church has been serving the Catholic community of Effingham for over 160 years. With 1300 families, St. Anthony of Padua parish also supports both a Catholic grade school (K-8) and high school; the only parish in the Springfield Diocese that offers Catholic education for students’ kindergarten through senior year in high school.