Fr. Paul Marx, OSB: Rest in Peace, Good and Faithful Servant of God

Pro-life warrior Fr. Paul Marx died today. I first met Fr. Mark in the 1970s when I attended his Marriage and Family Life Workshops at St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN. What an experience. Those were opportunities to meet some of the pioneers in Natural Family Planning as well as many laity and religious fighting for the unborn. It was a real encouragement to my own commitment in working for life.

Later on I had other contacts with Fr. Paul when he started Human Life International in a warehouse in Maryland. I went over one day with some friends and he invited us to have lunch in his spartan apartment right there in the warehouse. He gave us a tour of the facility which was a lot different from the current HLI building in Front Royal.

Fr. Marx was one of my heroes. His book, The Death Peddlars and his long article, The Mercy Killers, were two early works that exposed the abortion/euthanasia movement in all their demonic ugliness. Reading his well-researched writings was essential to understand the scope and nature of the culture of death here in the United States.

I have no doubt that this giant for Life was escorted to his Master by Mary, the Mother of God, "terrible (to Satan) as an army dressed in battle array" and a whole army of angels, the guardians of the little unborn babies he worked so hard to save. No doubt Father will continue his powerful work on earth through his intercession in heaven. We need you, Father, please pray for us.

Please pray for Fr. Marx today. None of us, even the holiest, is guaranteed a pass from Purgatory. He was so faithful to us; let us pray faithfully for him. May the Divine Assistance be always with us, and may the souls of the faithful departed, especially Fr. Marx, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.