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The Bonds of Community

What people around the world are doing for a clergy family in need
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Baby Irene meets her mother for the first time
Baby Irene meets her mother for the first time

UPDATED to highlight a photo Anna Harrington has just posted to Facebook, and which is being shared far and wide. Beautiful. This is what — this is who — you have all been praying for. They are both still in the ICU (NICU for the baby), so please don’t stop your prayers and good wishes.

Father Matthew Harrington writes to us in the congregation:

I wanted to say how important the prayers of the our loved ones have been during this. God has granted us grace to endure and not lose our peace and for that I am so thankful to all the wonderful people who have been praying for us…literally around the world. To be part of the Body of Christ and a community of the faithful means above all else we pray for one another. What good is a life without God and prayer.

I just came home for a quick tune up and will be heading to the Lady of the Lake for a blood contribution and possible set up for a blood wagon to come to St. Francisville in the future. Having been the recipient of life-saving blood for my wife it would be nice if we could make a contribution once a year…and be able to help others who are in need.

Here is a photo one of this blog’s readers in Baton Rouge sent me this afternoon. It’s him at Our Lady of the Lake’s blood donation center, giving blood in Anna Harrington’s name. He’s never even met the Harringtons, but he went in to donate, out of love and solidarity:

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Thank you, reader. And thanks to all of you who have given. The GoFundMe appeal has taken in over $40,000 so far. Please be as generous as you can. Anna is still in ICU, and Baby Irene will be in the NICU for weeks to come, Father reports. The need is tremendous.

UPDATE: It just occurred to me that y’all don’t know something important here. The Harringtons have known for a number of months that Baby Irene would have severe birth defects, and that both the pregnancy and the delivery would be life-threatening for Anna. But they told the doctors in no uncertain terms that terminating the pregnancy was not an option, and would not be discussed. This is what it means to be deeply and authentically pro-life. You readers who are pro-life, please do what you can to help this struggling clergy family bear the weight of our shared conviction about the sanctity of life.

 

 

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