On Good Friday, April 15, pro-life citizens will participate in a “Way of the Cross for Victims of Abortion,” along with pro-lifers throughout the country holding similar prayer vigils on that day.
The Spring Valley event will take place at Planned Parenthood (25 Perlman Dr, Spring Valley) for 24 hours from 12 Noon on Good Friday until 12 Noon on Holy Saturday.
Contact: Eileen Peterson Helpers of God’s Precious Infants/Rockland County Catholic Coalition 845-492-6709, RachelMinister1@aol.com
This year Good Counsel Homes‘ Rockland Concert for Life fundraiser will honor Jeanmarie Grahn, one of the co-founders of the Rockland Right to Life Committee. Jeanmarie has been with Rockland RTL for over 40 years and now currently serves as secretary.
Many of you have known Jeanmarie over the years through her Right to Life work or perhaps have met her in one of the myriad of helping roles to which she so generously gives of herself.
Whether it’s coordinating nights of food and shelter for the homeless, consoling the bereaved by helping plan funeral liturgies at her church, or stepping up to assist neighbors, friends, or folks who may need anything from a place to stay for the weekend to a ride to the doctor or maybe a cup of coffee and some caring companionship — Jeanmarie is always there. Continue reading
The 8th annual Prolife Conference, a Spanish program by the Archdiocese of New York’s Office of Family Life/Respect Life, was held on Oct. 9 at John F. Kennedy H.S. in Somers, N.Y.
“The world needs mercy and we have to respect all forms of life. We need to fight for our children. The battle continues.” Those were some of the words of Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR, in his opening talks at the VIII Pro-Life Congress held on October 8th at Cardinal Hayes High School, Bronx and on the 9th at Kennedy Catholic High School, Somers. Continue reading
Mary Loftus, of South Nyack, has made 16 medical missions to rural Haiti providing medical care to Haitians in need.
Mary Loftus, Treasurer of the Rockland Right to Life Committee, was named Catholic Daughters of the Americas “Woman of the Year,” at the organization’s national convention in Pittsburgh this past summer.
Mary receives her Woman of the Year award from CDA National Regent Shirley Sefried.
Mary is the Regent of the Catholic Daughters of America Court St. Anne, #866, in Piermont, N.Y. For the past seven years, along with her other charitable work, Mary has been a fundraiser and on-the-ground volunteer with the Friends of the Children of Haiti (FOTCOH), an organization that brings healthcare and life saving support to over 15,000 Haitian patients of all ages at the FOTCOH medical clinic near Jacmel, Haiti.
At the convention — whose theme was Christ’s words “What you do for the least of my brethren, you do for me” — Mary, a nurse, gave a presentation on her medical mission work with FOTCOH.
Margie Fitton, co-founder of the Rockland Right to Life Committee, and her son, Michael, were among the worshippers at the morning of prayer for Life and America.
Starting the July 4th Independence Day holiday with a morning of prayer for our nation has become a tradition at the Mary Help of Christians Chapel at the Marian Shrine in Stony Point. With plenty of time left in the day for barbecues and fireworks, hundreds first come here to ask God for his blessing and healing for America, its leaders and its people, and to pray for a restoration of respect for the gift of Life.
The morning included mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and recitation of the rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet. The concelebrants were three priests who are known for their prolife efforts in Rockland: Fr. Nicholas Callahan, formerly of St. Catherine’s in Blauvelt and now studying canon law in Rome, Fr. Brendan Gormley of St.Anthony’s in Yonkers, and Fr. John Wilson of St. Gregory’s in Garnerville.
Fr. Brendan Gormley and Fr. Nicholas Callahan
Newly-ordained priest Fr. John Wilson gives Eileen Peterson his “first blessing.”
The main celebrant and homilist was Fr. Nicholas who spoke about why the prolife movement has reason for hope, even in the face of recent Supreme Court rulings against us. Drawing a comparison between the impact of death and horror on the battlefield and the response to the slaughter of millions by abortion, he said that there eventually comes a point of great “discouragement and exhaustion” against the familiarity of “blood, futility, suffering, and death.” That happens, he said, because we are made to love life, and it’s “what the human soul wants to have.” There will be a turning point where the cause for life will prevail.
And also, he noted, from a theological point of view, the battle against evil has already been won on the Cross, where we find in Christ the “grace to repair every heart and heal every wound.”
At the end of mass, the crowd lined up in the vestibule to receive the “first blessing” from Fr. John Wilson, who was recently ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of New York.
This annual morning of prayer, sponsored by the Rockland County Catholic Coalition and the Helpers of Gods’ Precious Infants, has become an occasion where many who have spent decades in the prolife movement get the chance to see each other again. Margie Fitton, co-founder of Rockland Right to Life and past president, was among the worshippers. Eileen Peterson was organist and led the choir.
Sean Miller, a guest blogger for this website, recently published his first book, Full of Life, a collection of prolife writings. It became available on Amazon last week.
The book is meant to celebrate the Gift of Life and to provide inspiration and encouragement for all of us to stand up for life and support those in need – both the unborn baby and the mothers and fathers of the child.
Many of you know Sean, who’s been active in the prolife movement since 1994. He’s from “over the border” in Bergen County, but frequently works closely with prolife groups here in Rockland.
His 21 essays originally appeared on this website, but Full of Life presents them in one source. The essays are not intended to be biographical, but if you read them all you’ll find insights into the heart of a man who journeyed from mixed feelings about abortion as a college student to the front lines of the struggle – the sidewalk outside the abortion clinic where he strives – with never-failing love, compassion, and gentleness – to be a “last lifeline of hope” for a desperate pregnant woman about to enter its doors.
Santa Claus was a welcome guest at the McCloskey #4565 Council of the Knights of Columbus’ Christmas party.
At their annual Christmas parties, two Rockland councils of the Knights of Columbus — Triune Council #2052 in Pearl River and John Cardinal McCloskey 4565 in West Nyack — continued their holiday tradition of presenting prolife and other charities with donations to support their good works.
At the Triune Council #2052 Christmas Party: Augustine Paul (accepting donation for the Fr. J.B.M. Upper Primary School), Peg Beirne (Rockland Catholic Coalition). Joe Quattrocchi (Good Counsel Homes), Liz O’Brien (Rockland Right to Life), Karin Lancellotti (Birthright), Cathy McGovern (COPS Barn), Kevin McGovern, Grand Knight, Dee DeFelice, Financial Secretary, Joe Jacob (Little Servants of Divine Providence), and John Rio (Salesian Missions) and Past Grand Knight. Photo by Frank Traina
The Triune party was was held at Toner Hall at St. Margaret’s Church in Pearl River on Dec. 14
Among the local prolife groups receiving gifts from the Knights were the Rockland Right to Life Committee, Birthright of Rockland, Good Counsel Homes in Spring Valley, and the Sisters of Life. Continue reading
Chris Bell, Exec. Director of Good Counsel Homes, presents award to Sr. Nancy Richter. Host Steve Possell at podium.
Sr. Nancy Richter, OP, a dedicated prolife leader, who is moderator of the Albertus Magnus High School Pro-Life Club, was recently honored at the annual Concert for Life, at the school on Dec. 5.
Sr. Nancy, a Dominican Sister of Sparkill, is currently in charge of the Albert Magnus Campus Ministry. She works to foster among her students an appreciation of the sanctity of life at all stages. The Pro-Life Club’s projects include a student-organized Life Chain outside their school on Route 304 in Bardonia, annual trips to the March for Life in Washington, D.C., and a Christmas fundraiser for Good Counsel. They’ve also been the largest single group in attendance at the Respect Life Sunday Life Chain on Route 59 in Nanuet for many years. Continue reading
A classic St. Patrick’s Day — brilliant, clear sky, brisk wind, a warm, early spring sun shining down on all! Members of the Rockland prolife community marched under the banner of “Respect Life” in the Ancient Order of Hibernians’ St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Pearl River on Sunday, March 22.
Representatives of organizations receiving checks at the Triune Council’s Christmas party (left to right): Chet Nawoichyk (The Fisher Foundation), Joseph Jacob (Providence Home), Peggy Beirne (Rockland Catholic Coalition), Liz O’Brien (Rockland Right to Life Committee), John Rio (Grand Knight), Karin Lancelotti (Birthright of Rockland), Nannette Morris (Good Counsel Home, Spring Valley), and Fr. Gerry Deponai (St. Anthony’s School). ~~ Photo by Frank Traina
At their annual Christmas party on Dec. 16, Triune Council #2052 of the Knights of Columbus in Pearl River again showed their commitment to protect all human life by presenting generous Christmas gifts to organization who work in behalf of the unborn, mothers and children in need of help, school children, the orphaned, the sick, and the disabled.
Grand Knight John Rio made the presentations to The Rockland Right to Life Committee, Birthright of Rockland, The Rockland Catholic Coalition, the Good Counsel Home in Spring Valley, the Fisher House Foundation, Providence Home, and St. Margaret’s and St. Anthony’s schools.
Providence Home is an orphanage run by the Little Servants of Divine Providence Charitable Society in Kerala State, India. Many of the children taken in by the sisters are handicapped or had been abandoned because they had birth defects.
Past Grand Knight Chet Nawoichyk described Fischer House as a Ronald McDonald House for the military. It provides nearby housing for military families when a loved one is hospitalized for illness, disease, and injury.
ROCKLAND RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE 