Thursday 21 February 2019

Meeting Colleen Bayer and Elizabeth

21 Feb 2009:  Ali with Colleen Bayer and little Elizabeth
The audience with Pope Benedict had an unexpected and very welcome bonus.  While waiting to be admitted to the audience hall Ali and I met, for the first time, Colleen Bayer, who was to become a dear friend.  Colleen is the founder and Director of Family Life International (FLI) in New Zealand, and was in Rome with 3 year old Elizabeth.  Elizabeth was born with Down's Syndrome and is also profoundly deaf.  Her young mother was unable to support her, so Colleen and her husband Terry welcomed Elizabeth into their own family - as they had with other children before Elizabeth.

Shortly after returning from Rome Ali received a call from Colleen asking if she would speak at the FLI conference in New Zealand later in the year in October.  She was delighted to go, even though she was very unwell for most of the trip.   Apart from a pilgrimage to Lourdes six months before died, it was Ali's last overseas' trip, and was the occasion of her last major talk.  Ali did not generally speak publicly on religious topics, but in New Zealand she spoke (among other things) of her conversion from atheism to Catholicism, and how suffering with Christ is "the greatest privilege possible in the world." 

The friendship with Colleen and her family developed not only in New Zealand , but on subsequent visits to our home in Dorset when Colleen was in the UK.  Colleen even came over from New Zealand solely to be present at Ali's funeral in December 2013.   Clearly,  Colleen had much regard for Ali, but it was a mutual regard, and a friendship that Ali treasured.  Ali was impressed not only with what Colleen had done to promote the cause of life through FLI, but that she embraced the cause personally, at considerable cost, within her own family, by her selfless dedication to those with particular needs.  There are many great people in the pro-life movement, and Colleen Bayer (with her husband Terry) is among the best of them.  

Colleen Bayer with Elizabeth and one of the Tyburn Sisters based in Rome.
Ali with Elizabeth
Elizabeth

No comments:

Post a Comment