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Hero Award - FATHER NORMAN WESLIN, O.S.

Father Weslin was arrested twice at the University of Notre Dame during the 2009 commencement week. He was first arrested as he carried a cross and prayed aloud while walking onto the campus. He was arrested a second time days later while praying the rosary and carrying a banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe onto the campus. But Father is a hero not only because of this. He has indeed led a heroic life in the fight for the unborn.

Father Norman Weslin is a missionary priest of the Oblates of Wisdom. He was ordained in 1986.

Prior to ordination, Norman Weslin served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army and retired after twenty years of active military service. He was a paratrooper, commander and chief of a war plans division on the General Staff. While in the Army, Norman Weslin married. He and his wife, Mary Lou, adopted two children. He currently has two grandchildren and one great grandchild. Upon the advent of legalized abortion, Mary Lou and Norman Weslin became involved in pro-life work. Together they prayed and picketed in front of abortion mills and worked hard to save lives of unborn children. Mary Lou became aware of a need for 'Safe Haven' homes for pregnant, unwed mothers in crisis pregnancy.

Mary Lou died in a tragic car accident in 1980, and in her honor her family decided to fulfill her dream of establishing homes for pregnant, unwed mothers all over the country. Norman converted his home to "The Mary Weslin Home for Pregnant, Unwed Mothers." Since then, over 300 mothers have lived in his Homes, many of whom were reconciled with their families before giving birth.

After his wife's death Norman took Holy Orders and became a missionary priest. One of his assignments was working with Mother Teresa in a nine-month learning experience counseling alcoholics and drug addicts in the slums of New York. Father had himself been an alcoholic for twenty years prior to this assignment but he has been recovered for more than thirty years now.

In 1998, Father formed The Lambs of Christ, a team of "non-violent victim souls" working to stop Satan from killing Jesus Christ's babies while they are still helpless in their mothers' wombs. The Lambs of Christ never react to physical provocation. They unite themselves to our Leader, Jesus Christ, in an effort to awaken the conscience of society to the horrors of abortion.

Father has been imprisoned over 60 times as a result of peaceful, non-violent attempts to place his body between the killer and Jesus' babies. His longest stint in jail was over 60 days. He demonstrated some of his skills in passive resistance during his first arrest at Notre Dame, raising concern for his health by onlookers.

Jim Fritz

Note: Parts of this article were taken form the “Lambs of Christ” Website.