Members of several Davis churches and fellowships will join with others to form a Life Chain from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday along both sides of Fifth Street to pray for an end to abortion.

This yearÕs Life Chain is being held in honor of the late Monsignor Andrew Coffey, who was both a longtime supporter of the project and one of the founders of Priests for Life, a national organization of pro-life Catholic priests.

In the 23 years since the first Life Chain was formed in 1987, tens of thousands of churches and hundreds of thousands of people in more than 1,000 American cities have taken part. The national Life Chain movement started in nearby Yuba City and Marysville.

ÒThis is a prayer event and a community event to help raise awareness about the value of human life,Ó says the Rev. Jonathan Zachariou, pastor of Davis Christian Assembly, who organized the first Life Chain in Davis in 1992.

ÒIt is not against anyone, and does not purport to be a simple solution to a complex problem.Ó

Adds Vincent DiCarlo, one of the Davis organizers, ÒFor many Catholics in Davis, Life Chain was their first foray into pro-life activism.

One Sunday, Monsignor Coffey, after preaching a heartfelt pro-life homily, asked us all to meet him outside the church, where he led the congregation in a body on a walk down to Fifth Street to join other Davis churches in that yearÕs Life Chain.Ó

After his retirement, Monsignor Coffey continued to participate in the annual event.

ÒWhen he could no longer stand or kneel … he sat in a chair between the street and the sidewalk,Ó DiCarlo remembers.

ÒMany people who would like to do something are hesitant or afraid to get involved, and Life Chain is a peaceful, nonconfrontational way to make a difference,Ó DiCarlo says.

ÒSome people bring their whole families, including their children. It is a great way to educate them about the great moral issue of our time.Ó

Participants in the Life Chains will stand or kneel on the sidewalk out of the way of both foot and vehicular traffic and 50 to 100 feet apart, silently and prayerfully hold signs urging an end to abortion.

The signs do not portray images of the violence of abortion, and instead carry one of several messages approved by the national committee and that are intended to provoke thoughtful contemplation.

The organizers are asking people wishing to participate in the Davis Life Chain to meet at 1:45 p.m. Sunday on the northwest corner of Fifth and C streets. Signs will be distributed then.

ÒThe Life Chain participants are urged to forego casual talk and remain prayerful for a full hour,Ó DiCarlo says.

Prayer topics are printed on the back of each sign, along with the Life Chain Code of Conduct, which asks participants to respect all motorists and all other pedestrians on the sidewalk, including those who oppose the chain.

According to the national Life Chain office, as far as it is aware, no participant in any Life Chain has ever been cited for an illegal act in connection with the event.

Further information and a map are available at http://www.sacramentolifechain.org, or call DiCarlo at (530) 753-1324.

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