A vigil held June 1 at Boston’s St. Paul’s Cathedral in memory of slain abortion doctor George Tiller was not only an opportunity to grieve his death and celebrate his life; it was also a huge evangelism opportunity, according to the Rev. Katherine Ragsdale, president and dean-elect of Episcopal Divinity School.
 
Dean Ragsdale, who led the service of prayers and hymns, told The Living Church most of the 400-500 persons who attended the vigil at the cathedral were probably not regular church goers. During the service a number of letters were read from women who Dean Ragsdale said had been helped by Dr. Tiller, who she described as “a martyr.”
 
“He gave his life in the service of others,” Dean Ragsdale said. “He did work that was demanding and dangerous and not nearly as lucrative as other fields he could have pursued, and he did this under constant unremitting harassment and terrorism for decades.”
 
Dean Ragsdale noted that the clinic where Dr. Tiller worked was destroyed in a bombing in 1985 and he had been shot in both arms in 1993 in an attempt to prevent him from performing future abortions.
 
In remarks during the vigil at the cathedral, Dean Ragsdale called Dr. Tiller “a saint” whose work was consistent with the teachings of The Episcopal Church.
 
“What is a saint except someone who gives his life to care for others in the service of God,” she said. “He was a deeply spiritual, prayerful man.”
 
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