Cedar City parish marks Respect Life Month with memorial

Intermountain Catholic

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The Knights of Columbus and the people of Christ the King Parish in Cedar City mark Respect Life Month with a monument to the unborn and an appreciation of life. IC photos by Barbara S. Lee

CEDAR CITY — There is no doubt about the stand the people of Christ the King Parish in Cedar City take on the issue of abortion, now that a dramatic memorial to the unborn, more than six feet tall, was unveiled on Oct. 8 in the 20-foot circular drive outside the front door of the church.

Pastor Msgr. Michael J. Winterer and Grand Knight Bill Lund spoke to the Intermountain Catholic Oct. 7, and explained how the unique monument came to be.

Carved out of natural, rugged sandstone from a remote area on the Arizona strip, the monument weighs an estimated 2,200 lbs.

"We looked at dozens of pieces of stone," said Lund, a geologist for the State of Utah. "Of course, I would have preferred a piece of Utah sandstone, but we couldn’t find just the right piece."

The simple memorial has an image of the Holy Family created by Parishioner-artist Peggy Green in one corner. Below the drawing the words of Pope John Paul II’s prayer from his document, "Evangelium Vitae" are carved:

"O Mary,

Bright dawn of the new world,

Mother of the living,

To you do we entrust the cause of life.

"Grant that all who believe in your son

May proclaim the Gospel of Life

With honesty and love

To the people of our time."

The back of the monument expresses a prayer of the people of Christ the King Parish: "May all the innocent victims of abortion intercede for us. We pray to the Lord."

The logo of the Knights of Columbus is also on the back of the monument, with the words: "Knights of Columbus Father Valine Council 11246" and "Christ the King Catholic Community 2006 A.D. Two praying children, a girl and a boy, are the monument’s finishing touches.

It took a crane from the Cedar Sign Company to lift the monument up and into its place inside the circle, where it is anchored with concrete, said Msgr. Winterer. "We wanted our memorial to the unborn to be unique; unlike anything you’ll see anywhere else. This was no accident. The Knights of Columbus worked with the parish building committee, the parish council, and the artist. The artwork itself went through from three to five major renditions."

The project turned out, "better than we’d hoped," Msgr. Winterer said. "We didn’t want something that looked like a tombstone.

The stone, the transporting and the carving, as well as the concrete base and the placement of the monument will cost the parish and the Knights of Columbus approximately $2,500, Lund said.

The unveiling of the monument on Oct. 7 was appropriately slated for Respect Life Month.

"I’m proud of this memorial because it suggests that victims of abortion don’t just disappear," said Msgr. Winterer. "They take their places in heaven, just like other children who die. We need to honor them, pray for them, and ask them to intercede for us."