Monthly Archives: February 2013

The Rockland Right to Life Committee — 40 Years of Leadership for Life

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rose 2On this 40th anniversary, among the many thousands of Rockland County residents who have fought for life over the years, we’d like to remember those who served in leadership positions in our organization, The Rockland Right to Life Committee. The people below were officers, board members, key committee heads, or contributed in some special way to our mission. We thank them – and everyone whose sacrifices have kept the Right to Life movement alive throughout these 40 years.

Terry Anselmi    Cathy Baker    Jane Barry    Tina & Paul Bell    Mary Bentley    Peg Beirne    Betty Braun    Richard Bruno    Richard Byman    Geraldine Caifa    Catholic Daughters of America     Richard Caunitz    Gene Commerford    Ronald Cortazzo    Ann Costello    Peggy Coughlin    Betty Cunningham    Jack Donaldson    Tom Duff    Viola Duffy    Bob Ellsworth    Terry Gartner Escobar    Janet Botto Fenton        John Ferrao    Sr. Christine Ferrar O.P.    John Paul Fitton    Margaret Fitton    Peter Fitton    Lynn Gannon    Charles Gargiulo     Kathy Gartner    Mary Gartner    Eileen Gesner    Ginny Gulezian    Jeanmarie Grahn    Rev. Brendan Gormley    Ed Green    Assmblymn. Harold Grune    Msgr. John Harrington    Regina Fitton Hendrickson    Sally Holland    Marion Hoke    Kathy McSweeny Hornberger    George & Dorothy Kelly    Jo Kelly    Kathy Kelly        Joyce Kineke    Knights of Columbus    Nick La Bruno    Mary Loftus    Bob & Ann Loughman    Brendan & Betty Lynch    Julia Magnone    Jim Maloney    Bill Martin    Margaret McCabe    Marion McPhillips    Don Mellon    Kathy Melville    Marianne Modafferi    Sen. Tom Morahan    Dave Moynihan    Io Mura    Clarke Najac    Margie Najac    Rev. Ed Netter    Jim Niblo    Michael Niblo    Tom & Inez Niblo    Frank Orlando    Pat O’Brian    Liz O’Brien    Ann O’Connor    Mary Parisi    Peter & Mary-Anne Partridge    Eileen Peterson    Nancy & Joe Reeves    Sr. Helen Regina O.P.    Eileen Reninger    Jean Romano    Dorothy Roth   Rev. Frank Samoylo    Eileen Shine    Kathy Skae    Ellen Skelly    The Spear Family    Anna Stellwag    Ann Upton    Michael & Mary Walker    Bonnie Walsh    Msgr. Edward Weber    Leslie Weber    Margaret Whalen    Kenneth Zemsky

March for Life 2013 — Banners in the Sky

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DSC09732DSC09812As we come to the end of our March for Life 2013 coverge, we’d like to thank a group of unsung heroes – the Right to Life banner pole assemblers.

For 30 years, our iconic ‘I ♥ Life’ banners have flown bravely over many Marches for Life, St. Patrick’s Day parades, and prolife events. Designed and constructed by the late Tom Niblo, they are miracles of home-made ingenuity.

And they are also somewhat pesky when it comes to assembling them – an operation that challenges you to figure out how to fit together all those crazy telescoping poles of various lengths and how to secure them the odd collection of screws, washers and assorted hardware that Tom provided.

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This can only be done barehanded  and  — with the March for Life temperature usually below freezing,  the wind blowing, and fellow marchers impatient to get the show on the road  — it takes good circulation, a steady hand, a keen mind, and stout heart to be a banner pole assembler.

Then, after the March, the poles have to disassembled, collapsed, wrapped up in plastic bags, and transported by cab to the Basilica (long, pointy things are not allowed on the Metro), and eventually lugged to the bus for the trip back home.

In all their many public appearances over the years, the banners have never come crashing down on their wranglers or nearby marchers — no matter how hard the rain fell or the wind blew – nor have they ever been lost or damaged.

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All this is a tribute to the many of you who have assembled them with care and carried them with pride – this, the symbol of the prolife community of Rockland.

Thank you everyone!

We’ll see you at the March next year!

 

MARCH for LIFE 2013 — Hope Springs Eternal

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BasilicaexteriorCarolyn Pappalardo of Pomona describes how the reverence of college students at Mass in the Basilica after the March for Life brought her the consolation of continuity and the blessings of hope — both for the Church and the prolife movement.

After the awesome and inspiring Right to Life March up Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court Building in Washington DC last Friday and our trek back to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception to catch our bus, a few of us went inside to see if there was a Mass we could attend.

Sure enough, there was a Mass starting at a side altar in the Crypt of the Church at 4:30 p.m.. A few of us sat in the back of the little chapel so as not to interfere with the group that scheduled the Mass. In they came, college students. About 30 of them. They quietly and reverently took their seats.

No talking, no laughing, no texting, no looking around. They seemed to be from the University of Pittsburgh because one was wearing a sweatshirt with that name. They assisted the priest, proclaimed the readings, sang, and when it came time to kneel, since there were no kneelers, they knelt on the stone floor the whole time.  As they processed up at Communion Time, they bowed low or knelt before rising to receive. Back in their places, again  prayerfully kneeling and the same when Mass was over.

Tears flooded my eyes and my heart flooded with Hope. The Church will go on with these beautiful people and the thousands of young men and women that marched that day chanting, “We are the Pro Life Generation.”