Diocese of Venice hosts 40 Days for Life campaign

The Diocese of Venice has launched its fall 40 Days for Life campaign, featuring peaceful prayer vigils at abortion facilities in Naples, Fort Myers, and Sarasota. The campaign runs daily from September 23 through November 1, 2026.

A kickoff rally at the Fort Myers site drew about 60 people. Father Daniel Flens, a parochial vicar at St. Andrew Parish in Cape Coral, offered the opening prayer for the event. Paul Hellenbrand, who has led the Fort Myers campaign for more than a decade alongside her husband, Deacon Rick Hellenbrand, stated her hope that this will be the last year the group needs to hold the vigils.

These local sites are part of a national effort involving 650 locations across the United States. Participants stand in vigil to pray for unborn children, their parents, and an end to abortion in Florida and the United States.