BIKE FOR BIBLES

Bike for Bibles, a yearly fundraiser for the Canadian Bible Society, will be holding rides across Canada this summer beginning with the South Alberta Foothills Ride from July 4-6. It continues in North Alberta (July 12-13), All Ontario (July 13-20), High Prairie/Peace River (July 26- 7), Mountain (Aug 2-10) and finishes on PEI on September 20.

The ride was started more than 15 years ago by Australian businessman Bob Forrest, who hadn’t been on a bike for more than 35 years, and three friends. Their ride raised funds – about $10K -- to bring the Word of God to those who hadn’t heard it. The first Canadian ride, shortly after that, raised $17K.

This year’s ride will be raising funds for orphanages in India and every kilometre of the roughly 120 km ride increases funding for this purpose. For more info, or to sponsor one of the participants, call the local Bible Society office: 416-757- 4171 or 1-800-465-2425; or email info www.biblesociety.ca. 

CANADA’S LARGEST MARCH FOR LIFE RALLY EVER

A massive crowd of pro-life demonstrators, the majority of whom were youth, gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to issue a call to legislators and Canadians as a whole to put an end to abortion in Canada. An estimate given by a police officer to Campaign Life Coalition president Jim Hughes was that a record-breaking crowd of 8,000 people participated in this 11th annual March for Life. Several other crowd-counters came up with almost identical numbers, making the 2008 March the largest March in the history of the pro-life event.

The day’s events began with a Protestant prayer service and a Catholic Mass, the latter of which was held at Notre Dame Basilica and celebrated by Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast. The Archbishop also later attended and walked in the March. The Basilica, which can hold a capacity crowd of 1200, was packed to the rafters, to the point where not only were all the seats filled, but even standing room gave out and people had to be turned away from the Church. www.LifeSiteNews.com