Hope — A Message for the Feast of the Holy Family

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By Sean Patrick Miller, guest blogger and author of Full of Life.

Flight_to_Egypt_012.jpgHope Comes Disguised

The coming of Our Divine Savior is shrouded in disguises even though He is right before our very eyes.

Perhaps the Jewish people were expecting their savior to deliver them from slavery in a very dramatic and awe-inspiring manner. Yet, the Lord quietly decided to come to His people in an unassuming and obscure way. A tiny infant in the piercing cold winter night quietly and almost secretly entered the world without any fanfare … almost completely unnoticed. The Lord revealed Himself first to the humble as He came to the shepherds, the God-fearing Holy Kings, and, of course, Joseph and Mother Mary. Continue reading →

Jeanmarie Grahn Honored by Good Counsel Homes

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At the annual Concert for Life, Jeanmarie Grahn thanks Chris Bell of Good Counsel Homes for the organization’s recognition of her lifetime prolife work.

Dec. 3 — Jeanmarie Grahn, co-founder of the Rockland Right to Life Committee, was honored for her lifelong prolife work by Good Counsel Homes at their annual benefit Concert for Life on Dec. 3 at the Marian Shrine in West Haverstraw.

The award was presented by Chris Bell, president and executive director of Good Counsel Homes, which provides residential care and support for homeless expectant mothers and their children in the context of Catholic social tradition. There are six Good Counsel Homes, one of which is in Spring Valley, N.Y.

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Master of Ceremonies, Steve Possell welcomes the audience to the concert.

The program of Christmas and other music was hosted by Steve Possell, of the WRCR radio talk show, “The Morning Show with Steve and Jordan.” The performers were the Children of Mary Preschool Choir, Dick Eggers, Toni Lynn Moore, No Boundaries, Ted Simone, the Mueller Family Schola, and Monica Peterson St. John. Eileen Peterson was the producer and accompanist for some of the singers.

The audience, many of whom were longtime friends of Jeanmarie who have worked with her on many charitable activities, joined the Grahn family for a reception in Lomagno Hall, adjacent to the shrine church, after the concert.

Continue reading →

March for Life Bus Trip — What You Need to Know

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WHEN:  Friday, January 27   WHERE: Washington, D.C.

PROGRAM: 11:45 AM  Rally at the National Mall  near the Washington Monument;  1 PM March for Life, up Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court. (see route)

BUS DEPARTURE:  From St. Francis of Assisi Church in West Nyack, 10994 (see map) at 6 AM. Please park in the front of the lot, away from the church.

BUS RETURN:  The bus will leave D.C. at 6 PM, and we should be home by 11 PM.

COST:  $30 for adults; $15 for students

RESERVATIONS:  Call 845-735-4379,  845-492-6709, or 845-425-1322 (para espanol)

THERE WILL BE ONLY ONE BUS THIS YEAR, FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. Continue reading →

Trust, a Message for Christmas

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By Sean Patrick Miller, guest blogger and author of Full of Life.

mary-jesusWhy did the Lord come to us as a defenseless baby? It is so ironic, really. Here, the King of Kings, the King of the infinite allows Himself to be totally dependent on finite creatures that are full of weakness and fragility. He is placing a good deal of “trust,” in us despite our inclination to fall quite easily.

Was He sending us a message?

If the all-powerful God can place Himself in our frail hands then, perhaps in our difficulties, we can place ourselves in His forever faithful Hands. This can be true in any circumstance. Most especially, for the newly pregnant mother. This mother holds within her a most fragile human being that is reliant on her for everything. Yet, in many ways this new mother feels her own fragility as her body is constantly changing throughout her pregnancy in order to accommodate “her new little miracle.” Continue reading →

Jeanmarie Grahn to be Honored at Concert for Life — Dec. 3

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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 →

Prolife Victories at the Polls

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In spite of the nearly $100 million advertising campaign by Planned Parenthood, Emily’s List, and NARAL targeting prolife candidates, we emerged from last week’s election with a prolife majority still in place in both houses of Congress and, of course, a prolife president, Donald Trump.

This bodes well for the advancing of prolife legislation such as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would ban abortions after 5 months, and the Dismemberment Abortion Ban Act. And most important to our efforts is the appointment of a Supreme Court Justice to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, which is made by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

On the state level, two incumbent prolife leglislators were re-elected — Sen. William Larkin of the 39th NY Senate District and Karl Brabanec of the 98th Assembly District. Congratulations, gentlemen!

Unfortunately, the campaign of Wendy Long against Sen. Chuck Schumer was not successful, but Ms. Long never backed down and kept prolife issues on the forefront during the election, keeping awareness high. Thank you, Wendy for all you’ve done for the unborn, the handicapped, and the elderly.

NYS Right to Life Endorsements

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The New York State Right to Life  Political Action Committee has endorsed the following candidates who will appear on the ballot in Rockland County on Nov. 8.

President — Donald Trump

U.S. Senate — Wendy Long

NY Senate District 39 — William Larkin

NY Assembly District 98 — Karl Brabanec

No candidates from Senate District 38 or Assembly Districts 96 or 97 were endorsed. Either they do not hold prolife positions or, if they do, did not return the NYS Right to Life Candidate Questionnaire, the basis for making the endorsements.

For the  voting records of incumbents, just use the Search box on this site to search for their  names. You will find articles posted throughout the year about the various issues and votes.

Viva la Vida!

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viva-la-vidaThe 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 Named CDA ‘Woman of the Year’

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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.

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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.

She  told the audience, “I found out about the great need for the children of Haiti, and my heart has been in Haiti ever since; I have made 16 visits serving 2,500 in the village of my clinic.

Continue reading →

40 Days for Life Bus Comes to New York

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bus-in-newburghOn Sept. 30, the 40 Days for Life Bus Tour came to Newburgh, N.Y., stopping before the Planned Parenthood office on Lake Street for a 30 minute prayer service.

A group of fifteen 40 Days Life for volunteers were there and about 20 people from Planned Parenthood (wearing pink in the photo).

“The bus kept driving slowly between us ” said a 40 Days participant. “The PP people pretty much stayed quiet the whole time.”

The tour is making stops in more than 125 cities to hold rallies and prayer vigils across all 50 states. Its purpose is to share its prolife message with the public and encourage the local volunteers who have taken up the challenge to pray for 40 days outside abortion facilities and Planned Parenthood offices. Continue reading →