40 Days for Life
“As Catholics, we are people of Life, because Life is a gift from God… Let’s not give up and pray for a change of heart”.
With these words, Bishop Philip Egan opened the 2026 Lenten edition of 40 Days for Life (40DFL) on Ash Wednesday, 18th of February 2026.
Livia Tossici Bolt, leader of 40DFL Bournemouth and now in her 14th edition of the initiative, recently shared her thoughts during a workshop titled “Communicating Hope”, organized for the 40 DFL. “Prayer is the bedrock of 40DFL,” she explained. “In our prayers, we send intense pleas for a change of heart in mothers, fathers, families, clinic staff, and the government, so that lives may be saved and the scourge of abortion may end”.
On Ash Wednesday, you have opened the Lent 40 Days for Life Vigil, with Bishop Philip Egan, under the pouring rain…
Yes, the inauguration of the 40 DFL Vigil with Bishop Philip, at the border of the BPAS buffer zone in Bournemouth, has been a blessed time… and the rain has certainly contributed to make the even more memorable. All present – around 35-40 volunteers – were touched by the enthusiasm of the Bishop who welcomed the discomfort of the relentless rain as a perfect start of Lent!
We were all deeply moved by his words of comfort and encouragement “As Catholics, we are people of Life, because Life is a gift from God… Let’s not give up and pray for a change of heart”.
What will you do in these 40 Days?
This is exactly what we will do in these 40 days: we will not give up. We will continue to be present in the place of our town where prayer is most needed, in the proximity of the BPAS abortion facility.
In view of the national law, out of an abundance of caution, the 40 DFL Vigil takes place outside the buffer zone surrounding BPAS. But this is not an obstacle to our prayerful witnessing and our mission do defend Life. It does not stop our efforts to reach out to mothers and fathers in a pregnancy crisis, to send out the message that abortion is not the solution to their problems, rather the start of new ones. That, despite what the society wants them to believe, the choice of Life (with capital L) is the best one, for everyone. And concretely possible: we will be there for them, to offer hope, solidarity and practical support.
And we will be there for the general public, to listen to them, to their life stories. Over the years, during the many 40DFL vigils held, we have been approached by so many women and men wishing to share their regrets for having aborted or coerced to abort their child. The anguish is still there, 20 or even 30 years later. We are there for them too, we can provide information of amazing charities helping with the trauma of abortion.
Prayer is the bedrock of 40DFL. At multiple levels. We are acutely aware of the sad reality that many voiceless innocents will lose their life so violently through the abortion procedure – we keep them dearly in our hearts, we hope that our prayers will comfort them.
In our prayers we send intense pleas to our heavenly Father for a change of heart – do you remember the Italian hymn “I will give you a new heart, I will put inside you a new spirit”? A heart of flesh, in mothers, fathers, families, BPAS staff, legislature, government, society – we spare no one in our prayers! That lives may be saved, that the scourging of abortion may come to an end.
What do you expect this year?
Difficult to say. We put our trust in God – we are His hands and there is no limit to what He can do through us. It is inevitable that the 150 m distance from the BPAS entrance will make more difficult for us to know the fruits of our labour. But we offer our prayers in full trust that God will make them fruitful. We have a motto that describes well the spirit of the 40DFL volunteers: “we do our best, God does the rest”.
Why bring together Prayer, witnessing & culture in the 40DLF?
I feel that today we are living through a pivotal moment in human history and God is calling us to action. In this country and across the western world, the attacks on Life and human dignity are unprecedented. As you know, in the UK the Lords Upper Chamber is scrutinising two laws assaulting life at its start and end points – abortion up-to-birth and assisted suicide. It’s very concerning that these laws have been passed by our MPs without a political mandate. There are powerful lobbies behind these egregious attacks to the very foundations of our Christian culture, aimed to degrade the human being to a mere commodity.
We, citizens of supposedly democratic countries, may feel powerless at times. But, in reality, we have infinite power. Yes, infinite dignity and infinite power: the power of Prayer. God gives us this power and God calls us exercise it, to be ‘salt of the earth’ and ‘light of the world’ in our times.
What is the power of prayer for life?
Prayer is indeed formidable. It never ends to surprise even us, believers. It’s a constant marvel to see how God listen and responds to Prayer in His “style” of attentive care for the individual… we have seen hope restored on faces oppressed by anguish, we have seen hearts softening and conquering doubt and fear… we have seen mothers and fathers changing their mind.
I think that the attack launched against Prayer by the abortion lobby is very concerning in a Country, like ours, founded on Christian values. On reflection, I think that the most dystopian aspect of the now expired Bournemouth PSPO-Public Space Protection Order was lumping together prayer with criminal acts, such as harassment and intimidation. Why, what is the rationale behind this?
Furthermore, in the absence of any evidence substantiating illegalities of this kind, the abortion lobby has resorted to portray the peaceful and prayerful presence of Pro-Lifers as ‘detrimental’. In their twisted mindset, saving baby’s lives is detrimental, saving mothers and families from the trauma of abortion is detrimental, listening to the local community is detrimental. Really? Rather, it is detrimental to the finances of the abortion industry and to the image they want to present themselves!What is your experience as a 40DLF volunteer?
The public opinion is confused and polarised. With my 40DFL volunteers we experience practically every day contrasting reactions – opposition and support, verbal abuse and praises. God sends to us all kinds of people and calls us to exercise consistent kindness to expose what the truth is. And it is very rewarding when a confrontational approach changes into a meaningful conversation and respectful understanding.
On Ash Wednesday we have entered our 8th Vigil since the buffer zone imposition; It has been beautiful to see, with every successive vigil, a change of attitude in the public. A gentle change, ever so gradual.
With my volunteers, we share this beautiful sense of purpose in the belief that our sustained prayer, public witness, and community outreach are contributing to a change in cultural attitudes. And, over time, bring social change!
We do our bit, with joyful simplicity and love.
What are the next appointments of these 40 days?
The 40DFL Vigil is planning to have a sustained presence during the opening hours of the BPAS facility, Monday to Friday. Volunteers are organised in pairs, up to a max of 4 people, to cover shift of typically one hour.
We also have two “special” events involving a larger number of people.
On Saturday 14th of March (the day before Mothering Sunday), there will be a “Walk celebrating magnificent motherhood”. This is a festive walk across the street of Bournemouth, with adults and children, prams etc, in recognition of the marvellous gifts of motherhood and family. The actual organisers are the “Christian Action Dorset” and the 40DFL group is delighted to take part in it.
On Saturday 28th of March (the day before the conclusion of this Lent Vigil) we will hold the “40DFL Youth Event”. Gen Z are great ambassadors of Life and is important to give them space. In the morning, the young will lead the group in prayer in the same spot where we started the 40DFL Vigil with Bishop Philip. In the afternoon, they will give their testimonies of their involvement in pro-life events and school experiences, in a conference especially dedicated to them.