I think it's too much...my 5 year old daughter doesn't need to know why those crosses are there at her young age...which every year I get asked "Mommy, why are those crosses in the grass?" and I reply "those represent every person that went to Church there, sweetheart..." so I too avoid the drive by if at all possible.

Separating all of the religious affiliation and positions taken by these organizations, it boils down to one argument. Do woman have the right to have an abortion based on the fact that the child is hers. I conclude that other than extreme cases that would cause the potential death of the mother or cases of rape, that the termination of life is not acceptable. Extend the logic of this and any mother who tires of motherhood would have the right to eliminate her children, as they were born by her. I guess that would be pro-choice.

These crosses are not different than Veterans memorials and 9/11 memorials. They are a visual reminder of the lives lost and say much.

In general, I am somewhat liberal but on issues of ethics and values I tend towards conservatism.

We live in a times of too much narcissism and self indulgence.

Let's put up a cross for every child who has been sexually abused by a priest.

Best Halloween display EVER!

If the crosses do not represent the narcissism of self-righteousness, I don't know what does.

Finally, God, I believe, is Pro-choice. He invites us to "come, follow Me." He doen't command, He doe not threaten, He does not judge, all He does is love and comfort. The people who put up the crosses do not get that because they believe they are exclusive and in that exclusivity, they judge and command, and threaten other with the fires of hell.

Let us be clear: If you believe in scientific causation (as I do), then abortion is murder. But so is the death penalty. However, I believe God is pro-choice because He calls us to make the right choices and in our Faith, Christ will save us. He gave free will to people, no other creature - The cross layers wishe to eliminate that very gift out of their own sense of moral judgment.

The vocal minority of the Church is so one-issue (anti-abortion) that they vote conservative (i.e. Republican), the very party who are make it their mission to elimnate social programs and destroy the poor,working class - to remove the very safety net that Christ compels us to advocate.

It is very sad the hypocrisy of Visitation. Christ compels a community of all for all, but that the parishinors of Visitation seemd to miss that message.

I've noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born." ~Ronald Reagan, quoted in New York Times, 22 September 1980

Why does it immediately follow that the crosses are ""Holier then Thou" displays", or a "message is to alienate not accept"? I appreciate and completely agree with Jim Court, these are the same as Veteran's memorial displays in that they remember those no longer with us, the difference being that the Vetrans new the dangers, new the risks and were allowed to CHOOSE to risk their lives and dye for their country, for our freedom... sadly that 'freedom' to choose is not extended to those innocent babies murdered daily by those who should be first to protect them.
And secondly, why is it that the nasty, violent scary Halloween decorations of decapitated people, or realistic lifelike dummy's hanging from trees, blood soaked/knifed dummys and scary monsters that are strewn across the city this time of year are ok, but the tiny, innocent white crosses get so much criticism?

I find the crosses annoying and unsightly. I think everyone who finds the crosses annoying should park on York during the masses so the parishioners have to park somewhere else.

Isn't a certain amount of freedom of speech part of the logic that allows those who do not support abortion to make a visible statement about their beliefs? You would censor it by parking in the parishioners spaces.

The spaces belong to everyone they are on a public street.

Technically you are right but your reasoning in one of anger and punitive.

Of course you can speak these words because no one aborted you.

I think I'll wait for rain on a Sunday then organize a park-in on York by Visitation, if God loves you he won't let it rain.

If that is what makes you feel powerful, go ahead. Why the anger? Can other people have a different opinion and have a right to express it? It is on Church property that the crosses are displayed.

I always think it is misguided to protest against abortions. Abortions are the effect, unwanted pregnancy is the cause. Wouldn't it make more sense to try to reduce unwanted pregnancies?

It's like protesting the national debt vs. protesting excessive government spending.

Whatever the comment or position Visitation certainly gets their message across. When I drove by it yesterday, my 12-year-old daughter asked me what it was about, and I told her. Didn't know what else to do. Everyone can decide for themselves, and I don't want to pass judgement on that; the church has its problems too.

But as a Dad...I hope and pray my daughter never has to make that decision.

Liberal Democrats: Brave enough to kill our babies, too cowardly to fight our enemies.

I find the crosses offensive, and it stirs anger, not at those women who chose to abort fetuses (not children), a heart-rending but private decision, but at the self-righteousness of the officials of the church that displays them. One could consider the crosses to represent the lives of young, vulnerable children sexually abused by priests and the millions of dollars used for reparations, or you could think of them as the Jews of Italy who were not defended by the Vatican during WWII in return for protection of Italian Catholics by the Nazis and Fascists. How about all the Muslims killed in the Crusades to reclaim so-called Christian sites in the Middle East. However, when all is said and done, the crosses appear on church property and, thankfully, freedom of speech in this country is protected. Those of us who disagree with the crosses and the church's position have the right also to speak freely in opposition.

Interesting how on the front of the Patch today is Mr. Eric Gilford, a Downers Grove resident who was convicted of killing his wife, AND the unborn child in Villa Park in May of 2010; TWO murder convictions. Seems a strange juxtaposition in our American society. For one gender and their Doctor it is a choice and a procedure, in another circumstance it is considered murder, carrying the most severe punishment.

I would not support making it illegal. Seems it would create chaos. But on the other hand if it is so benign, why do the crosses anger Pro-Choice supporters so? It probably bothers all of us, as it reflects and shines light on something we are, that none of us REALLY like, or want to admit.

I think this display is a wake up call to all who pass by. Abortion is wrong, period! It takes a human life and the only way to let people know is by the visuals. I am proud to be a member of Visitation, and I hope and pray more churches in Elmhurst and around our country would do more to stand up for life! We protect whales, eagles and seals, but not babies!!!!! Something is definitely askew in a culture that values the life of an animal over the life of a human.

Please do some research and have an informed view of what the Church teaches and has stood for throughout time. My life and countless other lives have been blessed by the Church Jesus founded...Visitation is pleading passersby to do something to alter this climate in America that leads women to feel compelled to murder their own children. Mother Teresa said a society that murdered its own children would not thrive.

I wish us Catholics could stop fighting amongst ourselves and do things the old fashioned way....Go after the Lutherans!

Who's with me?!?

Just kidding....or am I? Seriously just kidding, (we really should be going after cats and their smug, feed me, faces...)

For those of you who have called the Church hypocritical, I would just like to point out that there are many women who have aborted a child, repented, and attend the Catholic Church because of the love and support they receive from the parishioners and the clergy. I know a few of these women myself. No one in the Church has ever looked down on them or condemned them for their actions. In fact, they are admired for their courage to admit their mistake and ability to speak out about their shame and the emotional damage the abortion(s) have created. So though we Catholics denounce abortion, we love every woman regardless of her choices because Jesus does, and we try to help them heal from physical and emotional scars that almost every woman experiences from these procedures.

In my single opinion, the souls that need our nelp most, are the people that either have faced unplanned pregnancy or will face it. This time in a, typically, young woman's life is the single most soul threatening thing that could ever happen to her. It will shape her future forever. Help these girls and women. Love them, hold them while they cry, share their humiliation, sadness, embarrassment, and likely the loss of their moral innocence. They are so completely lost, they cannot see a recovery. You may call this a weakness and you would be correct. Options for them are limited. Generally in the middle of high school and/or college ages, kids have been taught that covering up a mistake will cause less grief to themselves and to those around them. We have caused this ourselves, gentlepeople. Let's all take responsibility and stop the mudslinging. It is embarassing to all of us. Mistakes are what teach the greatest of lessons. It is also my single opinion that these decisions are between the person and God only.

As someone who has been unable to have our own children, we adopted a baby who, if things had turned out differently at the time, would have been another 'statistic' to abortion. This child has brought only joy and love to our families and friends and has been a beautiful reminder of how precious each and every life is. Adoption is truly a loving option. And please know that there are MANY families waiting to adopt and open their hearts to these children :) Let's focus on choosing life and helping these women who need our loving support :)

I do not support the death penalty because of the many flaws and the premeditated approach taken by the State, yet I detest many of the people who commit these crimes. I find it hypocritical for those who are religiously oriented to be so in support of state violence, whether it be war or the death penalty. I do concur with them in general opposition to abortion. I cannot help but notice the inconsistency. The taking of innocent life is almost always wrong. I am not a pacifist though. Should anyone ever hurt someone and I could do something, I would not turn the other cheek. I am not that perfect.

Abortion is not wrong because the Catholic Church says so. Abortion is wrong because it violates the most basic human right of all: the right to life. It is contrary to the law written deep in each human heart, regardless of religious affiliation, if any. This is why post-abortive women suffer from abortion in so many ways: elevated suicide levels, mental helath problems, drug and alcohol abuse, violent behaviors, broken relatinships, on and on. They must deal with the regret and guilt of participating in the wholly unnatural act of killing their own children. As for freedom, abortion is an abuse of the term. Freedom is only a means to pursue the truth. We are not "free" to steal, lie, cheat, or kill each other. We are certainly not free to kill an innocent and defenseless unborn baby.

Visitation's display calls to all of us to work to end the killing. It calls those hurt by abortion (mothers, fathers, and anyone else) to real healing. And it calls society to love and respect all human life.

Forty years ago, no one would ever consider abortion a right. We have steered ourselves well off the course of a civilized culture to think that is is.

i can only say this from my own, personal belief and life experiences, as well as the many true stories i have either seen, heard, or read - it's very easy to be critical and judgemental when that decision has never, ever had to be made by you. how many of you that have commented here deciding that a decision that a woman has to make, which, she knows, deep down, will change EVERYTHING in her life, from the ability she has to make a decent living, support those that are already here, and to perhaps, have any way of moving on in her life, have actually BEEN THERE, DONE THAT????? when you can tell me that you have, and the choice that you made, whichever one it was, then, and only then, will i allow you to argue your position. otherwise - you have no idea at all what you are talking about. the belief that i personally have, that christ was crucified, put to an innocent death, in order to forgive all of our transgressions. those crosses to me represent the ability that god has to forgive, not to condemn. each cross represents a woman that struggled with a decision that changed her forever - and the forgiveness that christ's own innocent death represents.

talk to your mom, gramma, aunt - anyone that was of child-bearing age prior to roe v. wade. have them tell you the stories about what their generation did - and the consequences (infection/permanent sterility/death are just a few). while i would never wish that decision on anyone, i am much more in favor of there being a choice that is legal, not to mention having less risk of complications and death.

God gave us free will so that we would be free to do not whatever we want to do, but to do what we should do. The former is license; the latter is true freedom. He also asks us to love one another. Love does not mean closing our eyes when an innocent's life is being taken. "Judge not lest you be judged" does not mean we are not to make moral judgements about actions being right or wrong; but to leave the judging of a person's soul to God. "An unborn child is not a potential life, he or she is a life with potential". None of the signs raised with the crosses condemns anyone nor do they threaten with hellfilre as has stated by one poster. The name-calling and condemnations of the postings have been very one-sided if you read them all. A mother-to-be does have the right to control her own body, but there are two bodies involved and she does not have the right to end the life of the living baby in her womb. Certainly we must, and do, help the mother as well. Numerous religious and other charitable organizations offer assistance to pregnant women in need. The DNA of the baby is similar, but is uniquely his or her own. If he is a baby boy, his chromosomes are XY which are not found in a woman's body unless they reside in a separate individual there. None of us were dead in the womb before we were born; we were alive, moving and growing, in the womb, of course. Why would an abortion need to end life if he or she was not alive? Consider adoption; a loving choice. God bless all!

Like it or not, it is abortion is legal. It should be legal until the delivery, and stop with all this nonsense about life begins on such and such month. Life begins when you exit a woman's body. Until then, it is the WOMAN's body and her decision all the way up to the delivery.

Inconveniences aside, these stolen lives count in the eyes of God and in the eyes of our Church. Call me if you'd like to discuss the matter further.

Carl Scheeler, 279-7058, ext. 502
Visitation Parish Director of Religious Education

It take courage to stand for what is right when everything is based on being politically correct.

Prayer is still powerful!

There are individuals of every religion and every political persuasion who oppose abortion just as there are individuals of every religion and political persuasion who embrace it. All individuals, political parties and even churches have history and skeletons in their closets. All have disappointed us at times. Focusing on history and skeletons distracts from the discussion of the national tragedy that abortion is. I believe that even those who favor a right to abortion wish that it wasn't the chosen option as frequently as it is. The cross display calls us, not to stand in judgment, but to do something to reach out to women in crisis and to assist them in their need.

Indeed, both women and their men in this situation are much better off in the care of those who love them rather than left solely to an industry desiring to consume them. "Do what is right and just. Rescue the victim from the hand of his oppressor. Do not wrong or oppress the resident alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood."(Jeremiah 22:3) The Lord will judge the whole world with justice. He will render to all peoples their just award."

It's bad enough that your neighbors had to look at the ugly construction forever of the new digs at Visitation ,now they have to look at those crosses.I am glad I am not your neighbor.

The book "Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-Opening Journey across the Life Line" by Abby Johnson is an eye-opening read on what really goes on behind those closed doors.

Bravo to Abby for recognizing the sanctity of human life in such a powerful way!

Yes, Super Concerned Citizen (LOL), Obama's only enemy is the Catholic Church. They are the only ones totally opposing homosexual marriage, abortion, his health care bill (because it impacts Catholic hospital policies) and his pro-Islam push. His money backers (Jewish billionaires, lobbyists, and press) are standing right in the middle as they always do because they stand to gain either way and don't care about the moral or religious make-up of the country, just the green backs.

I attend Visitation and I am a highschool student. I understand that some people dont understand why those crosses are displayed but i understand why. I have known since i was a little girl. I am disgusted with the fact but i love to see the display in hopes that people who are uneducated will realize what is really going on. A second Holocaust is starter and no one is willing to stand up and say it. All these deaths are murders. You are killing a human being and it already has been proven they are alive. I dont understand why people put aside the fact that it is not a big deal. That baby could have found a cure to cancer. I also know an "excuse" that states if you are raped it is okay. Well my teachers and parents always told me to never fight fire with fire or that two wrongs dont make a right. This is murder and this display is showing the world. Visitation does not judge. We think it is not right to kill, homicide. But these 4,000 per cross victims are being killed every year! I wish i could go on my highschool without knowing the disgusting idea that killing is now okay. Expessially babies. Its sick. Yes, the display is strong, but i dont know what else will get through these peoples head... Its killing.

When I was helping women in crisis pregnancies, they said they felt unloved, rejected, were kicked out or abondoned by their boyfriend and sometimes even spouse. People close to them pushed them towards abortion, what they called a woman's choice. Darkness set in and the pro choice soon felt like No Choice.

It's not a solution, it's a trap. A trap that haunts, torments and physically harms them. Where do you think that comes from??????

But, there were people willing to stand in front of the trap offering support, help and hope. Many chose life for their children because they saw another choice and they could do it with help. For those that didn't, there is still hope. There's always hope... and there are many people willing to help after the trap to bring healing.

The crosses are what they are. So, are you someone who pushes into the trap or stands in front of it? If you push, step aside, we have work to do. Choose life!

Marikay
It is true the Catholic Church has among her members sinners. It is also true that the Catholic Church had among her members one Judas Iscariot, who betrayed our Lord. Pedophile priests, who are in the great minority of Catholics, do not make the Church. We are all sinners and only Jesus saves any one of us. We cannot save ourselves from God's wrath and we cannot obtain God's mercy by our own merits. All is GRACE and any sinner who believes in the Son of God, repents of their sin and does HIS WILL shall LIVE. CHOOSE LIFE!

I stand with all those who see the crosses as a reminder of life destroyed. The effect on me has been a call to acttion. Why the outrage?

May everyone's hearts be opened upon viewing this beautiful video of when life begins...

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=life+begins+at+conception&mid=B72E3C5C8A5618F3E230B72E3C5C8A5618F3E230&view=detail&FORM=VIRE4

And, please know that God is a merciful God and He loves ALL of us, even though we are all sinners -- He's just waiting for us to open our hearts to Him :) Come, find PEACE and HEALING in His love...

there was a young couple i attended college with - when they ended up pregnant, they both agreed, after much soul-searching, to give the child up for adoption. they thought this was the best at the time. he stayed with her throughout the pregnancy and delivery. they remained a couple even afterward, very much in love. however, despite all the support in the world, after giving up that child, life for neither one was ever the same. she ended up dropping out of school and later committed suicide. ever since then, i was never the same either. i can't see this as the only "choice" is to have a child and give it up for adoption.

It's 1943. A German officer has a gun pointed at you. He wants you to get into a bulldozer and drive it forward. In front of the bulldozer is a pit in which there are 300 Jews who have just been shot. Some of them are still alive. He wants you to bury them alive! If you don't do what he says, he is going to kill you and do it himself. Would you drive it forward?

This question comes from a new video called, "180". http://www.180movie.com/ Please watch it? It just breaks my heart seeing all of you who are offended by the church, the crosses, etc. I visited a Nazi concentration camp site in Germany ... it needs to be there so we will remember killing was legal and carried through very efficiently in a highly advanced western country... and look at ours! These crosses at Vis. will be up for a few weeks and then forgotten about until next year. The killing will still continue day after miserable day. If only we didn't need all these crosses!
I am a member of Visitation and my family helped erect the crosses. Inspired by my faith, I have manned homeless shelters overnight numerous times before having children. I befriended a homeless women at a laundry mat and took her out to dinner/Walgreens. It's all about serving the least among us and loving God (Matthew 25:40). If you are angry at the Catholic church, please try listening to Relevant Radio a.m. 950/930 for a few weeks. Please come back to Our Lord and Our Lady! They really love you! I wish I could help you!

I abhor this display and the message it represents. It is a political statement, not spiritual. I wonder whether this type of political message puts the tax-exempt status of the church in jeopardy...

My question is a simple one. When does life begin?

I asked the question, "when does life begin", because I want this discussion to get to the basic morality issue about abortion. The hatred for the Catholic Church expressed in some of these comments shows that bigotry is alive and well in Elmhurst. Catholics aren't the only people that oppose abortion. Other religious groups also oppose abortion. If abortion on demand is OK, then the ethical debate continues with abortion for gender selection of babies, termination of the unborn with handicaps as demonstrated by prenatal testing or if missed in the testing after they are born, mercy killing of the terminally ill, and the list continues. I have spoken to handicapped adults that refer to abortion as the 'slippery slope" that insurance companies would like to push them down.

Huh? I almost drove off the road. Is abortion a problem in Elmhurst? I don't think abortion is a pertinent issue there, is it? How about something more meaningful to the community, like having local teenagers help/give a helping hand/soup kitchen to other people or communities who are here, on earth?

So weird they let somebody sign off on that. What a blip!
-Molly Hayes

Yes Molly, abortion is a problem in Elmhurst and for Elmhurst, Just read the local school news about the new push for more students in the STEM subjects. Only God knows for certain how many STEM scholars lives have been snuffed out from the abortion holocaust, and it does not stop at our borders. Abortion is or should be every persons problem, especially every person who says they care about others.