The Real War on Women Just Lost a General

Posted on April 10, 2014 by rocklandrtl

New York State Right to Life Response to the Resignation of the State Commissioner of Health, Nirav Shah

The NYS Right to Life Committee is relieved that the State Commissioner of Health, Nirav Shah, has stepped down in the face of criticism from pro-life groups and from the Republican candidate for Governor, Rob Astorino that the safety of women has been sacrificed to protect the abortion industry.

According to the records obtained by the Chiaroscuro Foundation by a Freedom of Information request, only 17 of the 225 abortion clinics in New York State were inspected over the last 13 years. And the names of the clinics that have been inspected are not available to the public.

The silence from our Governor and other Democratic leaders has been deafening. With few exceptions, like Sen. Diane Savino and Sen. Rev. Ruben Diaz, there has been no sense of outrage from those who claim to be the great defenders of women. Continue reading →

40 Days for Life — Week 5

Posted on April 9, 2014 by rocklandrtl

253 communities across North America and around the world are hosting 40 Days for Life campaigns this spring.

The purpose of the 40 Days for Life campaign is to pray to end abortion. But how? Those people you see down by Route 59 — what exactly are they praying for?

Rev. Ben Sheldon, President Emeritus, Presbyterians Pro-Life, reminds us of the words of Thomas Jefferson, inscribed around the inside of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.: “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.”

Intention: We pray for the conversion of abortionists and all abortion advocates.

Prayer: O God, our heavenly Father, give us courage and wisdom as we seek to eradicate the evil in our society. Help us to realize that your divine Spirit alone can change hearts and minds so that all your human creatures may enjoy the fullness of life you intended for them.

(If you click on any photo below, a slideshow will appear, and you’ll be able to scroll through the enlarged images one by one.)

Can you help carry the message? You never know whose heart you may touch as they drive by. Or whose life you may save, because someone remembers a sign they once saw on the side of the road.

Only one hour this FINAL WEEK to witness in public and pray for an end to abortion.

We are on public property from 9 am until 6 pm on Perlman Drive, in Spring Valley, and from 6 pm until 9 am at the St. Gregory Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel on 21 Cinder Road in Garnerville.

God Bless You! For more information, click here.

Day 1 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

Grace Anna Sings the National Anthem

Posted on April 7, 2014 by rocklandrtl

Grace, a little girl whom doctors thought wasn’t worthy of life, is singing her way into America’s hearts and hearts around the world. Read the story here.

We Are AM, We Stand For Life

Posted on April 6, 2014 by rocklandrtl

On Tuesday, April 1, the students and teachers of Albertus Magnus High School in Bardonia held their first Life Chain on school grounds along Route 304. Standing with them were Sr. Nancy Richter, Prolife Club moderator, Joe Troy, principal, and Fr. Frank Samoylo, AM graduate and now pastor of St. Columbanus in Cortlandt Manor.

The Our Lady of Guadalupe Rosarians and others came to show their support. Here is a slideshow.

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One Quiet Morning

Posted on April 3, 2014 by rocklandrtl

Guest blogger Sean Miller

On almost any quiet morning — often far from our notice — there is a life and death struggle taking place in the hearts of women considering abortion. Guest blogger Sean Miller considers what our response might be.

One Quiet Morning

One quiet morning, a man walking along the street noticed smoke rising above some buildings a few blocks away. He headed toward it merely out of curiosity. But as the smoke became thicker and darker, he picked up his pace.

At the corner, he could see flames coming from a house. Was there no one else around? Had no one reported this? As the seconds ticked by, he realized that he might be the only hope for anyone who might be trapped inside.

As he approached the blaze, a piercing cry from a woman shook him to the core. It was a cry of desperation. “Please help me and my baby … please!”

The man quickly moved into action. There was no time to spare! He charged into the house whose upper stories were already engulfed with flames, and, following the cries of the baby and the coughing of the mother, made his way through the smoky hallway.

He found them on the first floor, picked up the mother clinging to her infant, and with determination and unrelenting courage, carried them to safety.

Then he helped them to the ambulance, which had just arrived at the scene, and accompanied them to the hospital where they got the medical attention they needed.

The mother was deeply grateful and thanked the gentleman for saving her life and the life of her baby. The man knew that the Lord inspired him from the beginning, as it all happened so quickly.

The above story is fictious. However, it’s a parable — meant to illustrate an important point.

A woman considering an abortion is like the mother in this story, trapped in a burning building. Usually, she feels very alone. A smoke of confusion clouds her ability to see love. All she can do is cry as the flames surround her and her baby.

She desperately needs help! The smoke that billows out of the building is a sign to all of us that there are women in great need. Although they may be only quietly crying, inside they are screaming for help.

They don’t know where to turn for support. We need to be proactive and help them. And that may require all our courage, strength, and selflessness, the same qualities needed to run into a burning building.

Sometimes the call to save a life requires us to get out of our comfort zone. And if we’re able to that, we can greet the unknown — whatever we might encounter on “one quiet morning” — with hope and love.

For more blogs by Sean, just search for “Sean Miller” in the box in the upper right corner of the home page.

40 Days for Life — Week 4

Posted on April 2, 2014 by rocklandrtl

The snow has melted in Rockland, but not in Achorage, Alaska -- as the 40 Days for Life moves into its fourth week.

The snow has melted in Rockland, but not in Anchorage, Alaska — as the 40 Days for Life moves into its fifth week.

The purpose of the 40 Days for Life campaign is to pray to end abortion. But how? Those people you see down by Route 59 — what exactly are they praying for?

Dave Brandao, Communications Director of 40 Days for Life and author of this week’s prayer intention, encourages us to go humbly before God as we seek His will, bringing God’s Good News — not condemnation — to all at the abortion centers and Planned Parenthood offices where we gather.

Intention: That we may use these 40 Days for Life to plead for God’s mercy and grace upon all those involved in the sin of abortion.

Prayer: Lord, we ask for the strength, courage, wisdom, determination and stamina to carry out this mission according to Your will. Guide us, we pray, as we go forth and proclaim Your truth, always doing so with a spirit of love and compassion, as was demonstrated to us through the work of Your Son, Jesus Christ. In His name we pray, Amen.

(If you click on any photo below, a slideshow will appear, and you’ll be able to scroll through the enlarged images one by one.)

Can you help carry the message? You never know whose heart you may touch as they drive by. Or whose life you may save, because someone remembers a sign they once saw on the side of the road.

Only one hour each week for the next 2 weeks to witness in public and pray for an end to abortion.

God Bless You! For more information, click here.

Day 1 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3

Life Chain — A First for Albertus Magnus

Posted on March 28, 2014 by rocklandrtl

This week, the epicenter of pro-life action in Rockland will be Albertus Magnus High School in Bardonia, as the students hold their first-ever Life Chain on Tuesday, April 1.

The Pro-Life Generation will be standing up for Life on the lawn of the school that fronts Route 304 from 3 to 5 p.m. If you’re driving by, be sure to give them a big smile and a thumbs-up.

The Life Chain movement was started over 25 years ago as a way for communities to witness to the respect for life and pray for an end to abortion.

Each year the first Sunday in October — designated as Respect Life Sunday — Life Chains are held across the nation. In Rockland, several hundred people come each year to line the sidewalks at the interesection of Route 59 and Middletown Road.

Although the Albertus Magnus-based Life Chain this spring is something new, the students are not strangers to the program. For years, their Pro-Life Club has attended the Rockland Life Chain, and last autumn they were the largest group in attendance. You’ll find some photos of them at that event here.

Albertus Magnus High School students and the Pro-life Club moderator, Sr. Nancy Richter, at the October 2013 Life Chain in Rockland.

Albertus Magnus High School students, with the Pro-Life Club moderator, Sr. Nancy Richter, at the October 2013 Life Chain in Rockland.

40 Days for Life — Week 3

Posted on March 26, 2014 by rocklandrtl

On March 20 — Day 16 — Steven Karlen, Northeast Coordinator of the 40 Days for Life, visited the Spring Valley prayer site.

The purpose of the 40 Days for Life campaign is to pray to end abortion. But how? Those people you see down by Route 59 — what exactly are they praying for?

In his commentary accompanying this intention, Fr. Terry Gensemer, National Director, Charismatic Episcopal Church for Life, suggests that the closest we can come to describing how God feels about us is to contemplate the thoughts of a mother as she gazes for the first time at her newborn child.

Day 20 -- March 24 -- The Sisters of Life come to pray

March 24 — Day 20 — The Sisters of Life come to pray.

Intention: May we absorb the truth that God is paying attention to us, and to each human life, personally and individually.

Prayer: Lord, you are the creator of all things. Guide my thoughts to consider your creation in all of its majesty, beauty and holiness. Guide my heart especially to your creation of precious human life. Help me to comprehend how essential life is in your own heart. Teach me to appreciate, love and protect all human life through your son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(If you click on any photo below, a slideshow will appear, and you’ll be able to scroll through the enlarged images one by one.)

Can you help carry the message? You never know whose heart you may touch as they drive by. Or whose life you may save, because someone remembers a sign they once saw on the side of the road.

Only one hour each week for the next 3 weeks to witness in public and pray for an end to abortion.

God Bless You! For more information, click here.

Day 1 Week 1 Week 2

The Giver of Life

Posted on March 25, 2014 by rocklandrtl

Guest blogger Sean Miller

A few familiar words from the Mass stop guest-blogger Sean Miller in his tracks and lead to a reflection on the power and love of the Holy Spirit — especially for those in crisis pregnancies.

The Giver of Life

As Christians, we say the Creed every Sunday, and midway through the prayer we acknowledge the Holy Spirit as the Lord, the “Giver of Life.”

When we recite familiar prayers, it’s easy to say them by rote without thinking. But the “Giver of Life”! These words can stop us in our tracks, when we realize what they really mean.

God is so generous that He allows us to partake in the process of creation. We become co-creators with the Lord, sharing in the dignity of creating our very own children.

As a couple unites, they share an expression of their love that may bring forth fruit, a beautiful baby. And this process of creation — with the power of God — brings forth the creation of a soul, which is more precious to Him than all the stars of the universe. What an honor and what a deep responsibility!

This reality is often lost on modern man. And that perhaps is why he has also lost his reverence for life.

Life has become disposable. If somebody is inconvenient or looked on as a burden, then we take the liberty of simply discarding them. Is life so cheap? Can we just get rid of somebody because we don’t want to be bothered with their needs?

If so, what has become of us? For a country with some of the finest educational institutions in the world, it seems as if we’ve lost our minds collectively as a society. Have we become so smart that we’re stupid?

Well, maybe stupid is too harsh, but selfish seems to fit. We are the “me” generation, and we want what we want when we want it. And I think that mentality is what has led us so far from the human touch, the times when people seemed to genuinely care for one another.

What happened? Why is there such a deep hatred running through society? Perhaps we need to implore the Holy Spirit more fervently to replace the fire of hatred with the fire of His love — the true fire that will transform the entire world.

The Lord not only wants to give us life, but to give it to us abundantly. This requires trust, which can be scary at times.

But the Holy Spirit reminds us that the Lord will not give us more than we can handle, that he will strengthen us to do whatever He inspires us to do. We only need to call upon Him so that our despair can be turned to hope and our eyes will be opened to see the beauty of the gift of life.

For the Lord is the giver of all good things. Let us remind every woman who finds herself pregnant and discouraged that the Lord, the Giver of Life, will embrace her with His love and His promise to hold her and her precious little baby in the palm of His hand for all eternity.

For more blogs by Sean, just search for “Sean Miller” in the box in the upper right corner of the home page.

A Great Day for the Irish

Posted on March 23, 2014 by rocklandrtl

A little chilly and gray, but nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of the marchers in the Rockland Ancient Order of Hibernians’ 52nd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Pearl River — or the thousands who came to celebrate and cheer them on.

Here are some photos of the Respect Life group. (If you click on any photo below, a slideshow will appear, and you’ll be able to scroll through the enlarged images one by one.)