Chris Bell, Executive Director of Good Counsel Homes, with honoree Margaret Hamilton, and Rev. Thomas Madden, Pastor of St. Peter’s Church in Haverstraw

Music lovers gathered on Saturday, Dec. 6, for the annual Concert for Life, held to benefit Good Counsel Homes, a crisis pregnancy center, which has been helping single mothers and their babies for nearly 30 years. Good Counsel operates four homes, one of which is in Spring Valley.

The master of ceremonies for the concert was Steve Possell, co-host of Radio Rockland’s WRCR AM 1300 “Steve and Meredyth Morning Show.” The event was held at Albertus Magnus High school in Bardonia. 

MC Steve Possell, granddaughter Traci Ann, Margaret Hamilton, and Chris Bell

This year’s honoree was Margaret Hamilton of Haverstraw, teacher and principal. Margaret served for 30 years at St. Peter’s in Haverstraw and was also principal of St. Catherine of Genoa School in Manhattan. She is the wife of Deacon Gene Hamilton. Her son is Thomas Hamilton, principal of St. Gregory Barbarigo School in Garnerville.

When Margaret’s older son, Eugene, became terminally ill with cancer as a seminarian, Margaret visited him every day at the hospital, praying with him and comforting him. Three hours before he died, Eugene was ordained a priest through the dispensation granted by Pope Saint John Paul II.

Eugene’s story was told in the book “A Priest Forever, the Life of Father Eugene Hamilton,” by Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R.  Fr. Benedict was the co-founder with Chris Bell of Good Counsel Homes in 1985.

Musical artists who contributed their talents this year were: The St. Gregory’s (of Garnerville) Children’s Choir; the St. Peter’s Junior Jammers, under the direction of Ed Luisi; vocalist Toni Lynn Moore; Catherine Ramirez, Ann Quatrocchi and John Festa of No Boundaries, Catholic music and praise group; the St. Joseph Regional High School (Montvale, N.J.) Broadway Musical Theater Workshop; Grammy nominated Catholic singer and songwriter Marty Rotella, and mezzo soprano Monica Peterson-St. John.

Eileen Peterson of Stony Point was the producer of the show and accompaniest for several of the performers.

(To enlarge a photo, click on it and then you can use the arrow to the right to advance thru the slide show.)