If only there’d been some kind of prayerful presence outside the clinic the day Susan Gliko of Deer Lodge, Mon., went in for her abortion 16 years ago. Looking back today, she feels certain that’s all it would have taken to convince her to choose life for the son in her womb.

“If someone would have been there praying, I truly think that my heart would have melted, for I did not want an abortion,” she says, looking back. “I felt I had no choice.”

Gliko’s pregnancy was the result of acquaintance rape and, although she considered herself pro-life, she says all the counsel she received urged her to abort.

“My mother was very ill at the time,” recalls Gliko, who now volunteers as the state coordinator for Rachel’s Vineyard of Montana. “I had already put her through the wringer with a messy divorce. I couldn’t bear to hurt my mother, so I sacrificed my child for her.”

Brooklyn-based Helpers of God’s Precious Infants is there for just such cases as Susan Gliko’s.

Founded by Msgr. Philip Reilly, the Helpers routinely establish a prayerful presence at abortion businesses from Brooklyn to Seattle. Started on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary in October of 1989, the organization has spread to at least 40 states and several other countries, including Australia, Germany and Austria.

A veteran of the pro-life movement, Msgr. Reilly started the Helpers after realizing that demonstrations, imprisonment and rescues weren’t having the desired effect.

“It became clear to me that this was a spiritual thing before it was a civil-rights thing,” says Msgr. Reilly. “It also became clear that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, there really wasn’t a consistent presence outside of the abortion mills that was conducive to the people coming in.”

Telling the Truth

Msgr. Reilly describes the work of the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants as “going to Calvary.

“Our hope is for the salvation of souls rather than just saving the life of the unborn child,” he adds. “Jesus went to Calvary for the conversion of the people who were going to put him to death. Our reason for going to the abortion business must be the same as Christ’s reason for going to Golgotha.

“The importance of going to the place where the exploitation of women takes place is going there with love, in a peaceful, prayerful way,” says Msgr. Reilly. “We bring them the truth and try not to allow our presence to get in the way of that purpose.”

The organization’s approach is unique. There are no protests. There is no picketing. Members do not hold signs depicting words or pictures. They are there simply to pray.

“We do three things,” says Msgr. Reilly. “We go to pray, we go there to inform and offer real help, and we teach them to pray.”

As part of their ministry, the Helpers pass out rosaries to people leaving the clinics. Last year alone, they distributed more than 10,000.

Babies Saved

Another unique aspect of the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants is their regular prayer vigils for life, where bishops will often lead a procession of prayer from a local Church to an abortion business and back.

The vigils were started by Brooklyn Bishop Thomas Daily in June, 1990. After leading Mass and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the bishop or presiding priest begins the recitation of the rosary. Then he processes from the church with the Helpers following. Between each decade, the Helpers sing a hymn.

Prior to every vigil, the Helpers notify the police department and obtain a parade permit for their route.

 Msgr. Reilly says that more than 100 bishops, and at least five cardinals, have led prayer vigils around the world.

It’s an approach that volunteers find attractive.

Grandfather Mark Marino of Brooklyn prays at a local abortion business as many as five days a week, for as many as eight hours a day.

On a single day in late January alone, according to Msgr. Reilly, 40 women entered the abortion business where he was praying. No fewer than 12 turned around.

With the help of Ed White, retired sporting-goods retailer Matt Ulrich and his wife Georgene brought the Helpers to Seattle 10 years ago. Ulrich rotates between 10 Seattle abortion businesses five times a week for a couple of hours each.

“There are 30 different abortion centers within 50 miles,” Ulrich notes. “We have our hands full.”

He recalls once being approached by a woman while praying at Planned Parenthood in Everett, Wash.

“This lady came around the corner with a big smile on her face,” says Ulrich. “Normally you don’t see smiles.”

The woman thanked all those who were praying.

“She said, ‘My daughter, after seeing you praying here, decided to forego her abortion,’” says Ulrich. “’I’m the proud grandmother of twins.’”

Register staff writer Tim Drake is the author of

Young and Catholic: The Face of Tomorrow’s Church

 (Sophia Institute Press, 2004)