(The Lion) — Catholic students in Michigan celebrated the closure of three Planned Parenthood locations last week, calling the news an answer to prayer.

On April 2, Planned Parenthood announced it is shuttering clinics in Petoskey, Jackson, and Marquette by the end of the month. It will also consolidate its two Ann Arbor locations into one by May 5, all in response to funding cuts by the Trump administration.

Students and staff from St. Michael High School, a Catholic school in Petoskey, have prayed for just such an outcome outside their local clinic for the last seven years.

Headmaster Kevin Weed told CatholicVote (CV) every Friday a group of about 10 students and a few staff sacrificed their lunch hours to pray outside the abortion facility.

“Many people are attributing the closing to the Trump administration’s cutting of funds, which I’m sure makes a big difference,” Weed said. “Our students have been praying there, and those prayers have been answered. However that came to be, we’re just happy that this facility is closing.”

“This shows how vital and effective prayer truly is,” said one current student who wished to remain anonymous.

In an exclusive interview with CV, three graduates, Annie Mercer, Madilyn Wieman and Grace Broz, spoke about how those Friday prayer sessions became a labor of love.

“I became involved in praying outside of my town’s Planned Parenthood my freshman year of high school,” Mercer recalled. “Initially, I would go once or twice a month, but after a short while I began to go weekly. Since then, and until my high school graduation, I joined my friends and classmates in praying the Rosary outside the Planned Parenthood building every Friday, even if it was raining or snowing and even on days when only a couple of us went.”

“Throughout all four years of high school, I never missed a single opportunity to pray in front of Planned Parenthood,” Wieman said. “People yelled and cursed at us. Some folks even threatened to call the police.”

They also recounted the appalling resentment they faced while simply praying for unborn children and their mothers.

“Every day we kneeled in front of that awful building we faced opposition!” Mercer exclaimed. “At first it greatly bothered my friends, but after some time we grew used to it and prayed for every single person that opposed us. It truly is shocking just how many people took time out of their day to flip off or scream at a small group of high schoolers praying – for the end to the murder of millions of innocent children, no less!”

Despite the consistent backlash, Mercer says not every encounter was negative.

“One Friday during my senior year, a woman who had previously had an abortion approached us and began to ask all sorts of questions – who are we, what school or organization are we a part of, and how could we oppose abortion, when sometimes the woman’s life is in danger?

“My philosophy teacher, who at one point was the head of our Pro-Life Club, calmly engaged with her in polite conversation, brilliantly defending the pro-life positions, especially with regards to ectopic pregnancies. She seemed to take what he said to heart and walked away soon after. I hope that the witness my philosophy teacher gave changed her mind, even if only a little.”

Wieman recalled supportive exchanges, too.

“A few women even approached us to ask when we’d be out there next because they wanted to join us in prayer,” she said.

“I learned about the clinic’s closure a few days ago…,” Mercer said. “All praise to God for this victory!”