Story by Lois Rogers, Correspondent

Since American Women’s Services opened as an abortion provider nine years ago, people praying for life near the 651 Route 37 West office in Toms River have been a familiar sight to countless motorists traveling between the Ocean County seat and Route 70.

Scores of faithful from at least 20 parishes across the region, have devoted themselves with remarkable consistency to prayerfully pray for an end to abortion and to change hearts and minds outside of the clinic.

Those prayers were answered when American Women’s Services ceased operating April 9, said Mario Minervini, a 92-year-old member of St. Joseph Parish, Toms River. It was Minervini, all those years back, who felt called to respond with prayer to the frightful new addition to the neighborhood he knew so well as a former resident.

There’s no way to even begin to estimate how many faithful have gathered to witness there over the years, Minervini said. Nor is there any way to accurately calculate the lives that might have been saved because people were willing to reach out to mothers in crisis pregnancies, he added.

“For nine years, we have all these people to thank for their time, for the special days they gave us. For their participation in the 40 Days for Life; for the times when Our Lady of Guadalupe missionary image was here; for the life chains,” Minervini said.

“We’ll never know how many changed their minds just seeing us there,” he said. “We know our prayers reached inside. Workers have said to us, ‘you guys just change minds.’”

Minervini was on the grounds April 18, when dozens of his prayer partners gathered once again to encircle the building as Father Jerome Guld, parochial vicar of St. Joseph Parish, walked the perimeter, blessing the building with holy water.

Father Guld, Minervini and Deacon Frank McKenna, moderator of the respect life ministry in St. Joseph Parish, all said that there had been a lot of watchful, prayerful waiting since the reports earlier this year indicated the clinic would close.

When it became clear that the clinic was empty, the group felt a prayer service was called for, they said.

“We wanted to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for God and for the pro-lifers, who, all these years, worked so hard. We did a blessing for a medical center,” with the new tenant – a chiropractor – in mind, Father Guld said. “This was a certain, human celebration for all of the people who worked so hard.”

Deacon McKenna estimated that more than 40 people attended the blessing of the buildings “and as we were leaving at 1 p.m., a whole contingent came up from St. Mary Parish in [Barnegat] to have a prayer service.”

According to a NJ Advance Media report, the clinic was one of seven managed by Steven Brigham, who was required to sell the facilities after being stripped of his license in 2014 for committing “gross negligence” while performing late term abortions.

Brigham had reportedly transferred ownership to Vikram Kaji, the clinic’s long time-medical director, after Brighan’s license was suspended but continued to act as manager. The state’s physician disciplinary board said true ownership of the clinics ought to be determined by a judge.

The word has gone out to the parishes which sustained this effort over the years that there will be a Mass of Thanksgiving on April 30 in St. Joseph Church, Toms River at noon, Deacon McKenna said.

“Everyone is welcome. All faiths are welcome. Over the years, we have had a lot of people from all faiths come and pray with us. This has been a long time coming and it’s the result of a lot of prayers.”

“It’s not the end of abortion but it is a local victory. We are celebrating knowing there is a long road ahead of us.”