Leanne's Story of Faith

Within the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation for Freedom, Family and Faith we have met many individuals and families of deep faith. Our foundation supports family life through catechesis, outreach, retreats, support groups and individual accompaniment.

We are all about outreach to families in crisis, and we are associated with the Mercedarian Religious Order. Our headquarters is in Philadelphia, PA at the Monastery of Our Lady of Mercy.

It is amazing to reflect on the lives of men and women of deep faith who have been through so much and have "survived" and have also helped others. There is one such woman I had an opportunity to speak with, and my own faith has been renewed through her testimony.

We will call her "Leanne", and Leanne's story is astonishing. Pray for Leanne in her ministry to women affected by abortion.

A Short Story of Leanne's Life

Leanne married young. She had married a man who had been divorced but had not ever gotten an annulment. She was torn and heartbroken at the same time because her Catholic faith was important to her. She referred to this time of her life as being "young and stupid", since she waited many years for husband to get the annulment, but it had never happened.

She wound up staying in this marriage and they had a son, but after 22 years of marriage, the marriage ended.

Here are some reflections of her life during a very difficult time:

During her time of waiting while she was still "married" and before this marriage ended she said, "With tears in my eyes as I was not able to receive Communion".

This time of her life was very difficult and she cried out to God since the Lord was always important to her. Since her then husband had not gotten an annulment, she was in a challenging place in her life not knowing what direction to take.

God would begin to open up doors of ministry as time progressed on in her life, and after 22 years, the marriage ended. Her one wish after the traumas of her life was to "do something to serve the Lord". She prayed on this.

During this time of prayer, she prayed from the Psalms "A Prayer in Time of Distress". This prayer would help her to communicate to God all she had been feeling in dealing during this family difficulty. She prayed God would lead her to whatever he wanted for her life after going through the traumas she had in her marriage.

With courage, Leanne was obedient to God, and she continued her prayers even during many transitions. She had realized fully that although mistakes were made early on in her life, God could still make something out of the mess she felt she was in.

As time went on after the divorce, she recalls, "I started going back to Church every day and in the evening I would pour over the Psalms with tears drenching my pillow".

She felt so sad about the mistakes of her life, and she was waiting on God. Nothing changed dramatically in her life regarding the past other than the end of the marriage, but in her spiritual life many changes were to come. The Sacraments of the Church gave her much healing to release the pains of the past and be forgiven, and soon the Lord would speak directly to her heart.

God Speaks to Leanne

After so much turmoil and hurt, the Lord came even closer into Leanne's life.

She continued the healing process after her divorce. Soon the Lord would lead her into prison ministry for six years where she says, "we ministered to young women and laid hands on inmates for charismatic prayer".

Leanne had read a book called, Aborted Women, Silent No More by Dr. David Reardon. This book about the affects of the abortion industry made a big impact on her heart and life in reaching out to women affected by abortion. When she was involved in prison ministry, she heard a great deal from many young women about their experiences and pains after having abortions.. Many prayers were said for the women she encountered, and these experiences would have an even greater impact on her future.

She commented on her experience in prison ministry, "Many of the women I ministered to had turned to drugs and ended up in jail and that really affected me as I saw so many beautiful women in prison and wondered how they ever got there".

God's Plan

One day walking down a street she noticed an abortion clinic while walking with a friend. They had seen on a glass building what looked to be an image of Mary, the Blessed Mother. Through prayer and discernment, she was led to pray on the idea of opening a crisis pregnancy center during that reflective moment.

Within about three years, she was able to open a center right next door to this abortion clinic. This was the same clinic she used to pray in front of and minister to the young women entering. God was truly at work.

As time progressed, her ministry expanded. She had even prayed for her good friend who was also interested in the same ministry work and wanted to open a center, as well. As it happened, both of their new centers on the same day! This was great news for the community with two new crisis pregnancy centers.

Eventually, she had to give up prison ministry due to time constraints, but she knew she was in the right place through this new ministry to reach out to women considering abortion.

She stated, "God chose the fools to confound the wise, and I knew I was a living example of that. We walk by faith and not by site". She has lived out these words very well in her life even to the present time.

A Special Prayer from Leanne

This is a special prayer Leanne shared with me which is a wonderful meditation to our Lord and can be said from the heart. This is a prayer that she shared with many of the women she has come across in her pro-life ministry in honor of the unborn.

"Lord Jesus, I come before you just as I am. I am sorry for my sins. I repent of my sins. Please forgive me. In Your Name, I forgive all others for what they have done against me. I renounce Satan, the evil spirits, and all their works, especially abortion. I give You my entire self Lord Jesus. Now and forever I invite You into my life.. I accept You as my Lord, Jesus. Cover me with Your Precious Blood and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I love you Jesus. I thank you Jesus. I shall follow You all the days of my life. Amen.

Please continue to pray for Leanne and her very special mission.

We are grateful at the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation to have met brave and holy women of faith living out their mission with Christ. Please pray for all individuals and families affected by divorce, since the initial mission of the foundation is to families and crisis.. We also wish to help strengten families through our efforts and with Our Lord's guidance and help. God bless you and your families. See our website at www.nonnatus.org.

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