VANCOUVER — After nearly three decades as a professional pro-life advocate, the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s retiring pro-life coordinator, Michele Smillie says she has learned to see meaning through the disappointments, and take the lessons as they come.
She is also proud of the accomplishments made by the pro-life community.
On the surface, her story could sound like pro-life work has been a constant downward spiral, but that would miss the point. Despite the setbacks and political defeats, such as Canada’s redefinition of marriage and the legalization of euthanasia, beneath it is a story of revelation and positive change. Smillie says she’s gained a deeper appreciation for individual experiences and a greater understanding of the power that stories have in changing hearts and facilitating healing.
Smillie is retiring on July 31, just shy of 29 years of service in November.
What started as volunteering with marriage preparation evolved into a job helping then-director of the Archdiocese’s Office of Marriage and Family Formation, Father Joseph Hattie, OMI, support families and fight in the political arena on key family and life issues.
Organization has always been one of her strengths—Smillie is trained as a cook and worked for Canada Place organizing large events, so initially she helped Father Hattie with educational initiatives and the organization of political pro-life efforts.
Decades later, Smillie said she proud of the work pro-lifers have done and their continued dedication in resisting political and social threats to the dignity of life such as same-sex marriage, abortion, and euthanasia.
“We fought the fight,” she told The B.C. Catholic. “We did what we could with what was available to us; I am proud of that.”
More than her political activism, the accomplishment she is most proud of is the establishment of Rachel’s Vineyard retreats in Vancouver. Rachel’s Vineyard offers support and healing for post-abortive women as well as men struggling in the aftermath of a partner’s decision to have an abortion.
The initiative has been essential to pro-life work in Canada, she said, but it was controversial initially because it meant accepting that abortion was a social reality.
There were also some critical voices unhappy that pro-life work was moving in the direction of healing and support for post-abortion women.
Smillie stands by her support for Rachel’s Vineyard. The culture had shifted and times had changed, she said.
When she was growing up, abortion was illegal and no one talked about it. But in the wake of decriminalization, the practice had become increasingly normalized. “Abortion is now the standard,” she said, and there were too many people being hurt by abortion who needed support and healing.
Most pregnancy centres and pro-life organizations now offer support for post-abortive women, but it took time to get there. Now she looks back and say it’s been during her work with Rachel’s Vineyard that she has particularly seen God at work as men and women acknowledge their pain and seek out healing.
More recently, Smillie’s work has focused on pastoral care for people confronting euthanasia, whether considering it themselves or dealing with the pain of losing a loved one to medical assistance in dying (MAiD).
Through the bereavement workshops she offers, she has come to understand another significant truth: stories are an important part of helping people heal, and people want to tell their stories.
“You can fight the fights in government,” she said, and there will continue to be court cases. “But if you don’t take it down to a personal level, convincing one person that this is wrong, or give people the tools they need to say ‘this is why I think this is wrong,’ things will fall apart.”
Events and rallies for life are important and motivate people, she said. “But the minute somebody says to you, “why do you believe that? Don’t you think that people shouldn’t suffer? Or ‘16-year-olds shouldn’t have babies,’ you need to be able to have an answer.”
Which brings up another significant truth. “The thing is trusting God, and knowing that God is there helps give you all the words you need.”
