‘It’s A Wonderful Life’

Guest blogger Sean Miller

Guest blogger Sean Miller

It’s not how successful we are in our careers, the amount of cash we accumulate in our bank accounts, or how popular we are. What matters is how much we love and are loved, says guest blogger Sean Miller. And that’s the theme of that beloved Christmas classic, “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

It’s A Wonderful Life

The movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” is shown on TV every year, right around Christmas time.

The main character, George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, is down on his luck, filled with despair, and on the verge of committing suicide. Bitterly, he tells his “guardian angel” he wishes he’d never been born.

The angel decides to grant him his wish. And he shows George what the world would have been like without him, if he never existed.

250px-It's_A_Wonderful_LifeAnd through the alternate world the angel presents, George comes to realize how much he has impacted others by the love he has shown them – and how the lives of his loved ones, friends, and entire community would have been so sadly diminished if he hadn’t been there. Continue reading →

Night of Prayer for Life — Dec. 8-9

imagesPlease come join in prayer for the protection of all human life during the National Night of Prayer for LIfe, Dec. 8-9.

During the Hour of Unity, 12:00 a.m. to 1 a.m., EST, we will be united with churches across the country in prayer to end abortion.

This event is sponsored by the Rockland County Catholic Coalition. In Rockland services will be held at:

St. Francis of Assisi in West Nyack
Dec. 8 — 9 p.m. until 1 a.m., with closing Mass at midnight. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament starts at 9 p.m.

St. Gregory Barbarigo in Garnerville
Dec. 8 — prayer from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. (Dec. 9) in the Adoration Chapel

Birthright of Rockland Celebrates 40 Years of Helping Pregnant Women and Their Babies

Lillian Dobson, Msgr. James Cox, former Vicar of Rockland County, Karin Lancellotti, Executive Director of Birthright of Rockland, Eileen Francis, Secretary of Birthright, and Cathy Baker at the 40th anniversary gala luncheon.

Lillian Dobson, Msgr. James Cox, former Vicar of Rockland County, Karin Lancellotti, Executive Director of Birthright of Rockland County, Eileen Francis, Secretary of Birthright, and Cathy Baker at the 40th anniversary gala luncheon.

Lillian Dobson and Cathy Baker, the founders of Birthright of Rockland County, were honored at a gala luncheon celebrating the crisis pregnancy center’s 40th anniversary at the Clubhouse at Patriot Hills in Stony Point on Saturday.

Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, was the guest speaker. Other guests included over 200 friends, benefactors, clergy, and volunteers – past and present — of the organization in Rockland as well as representatives of Birthright chapters throughout the state of New York. Continue reading →

Garth Brooks Sings “Mom”

You’ve got to listen to this — a prolife ballad from beginning to end. A baby about to be born is scared and wonders if it wouldn’t be a bad idea to just stay with God. But God tells him there’s “somebody down there waiting for you.”  And watch the audience reactions!

Life Is Good

Guest blogger Sean Miller

Guest blogger Sean Miller

A people of hope, says guest blogger Sean Miller, must respond to the suffering of others with compassion and solidarity — and reject the solutions of abortion and euthanasia.

Life Is Good

In 1989, brothers Bert and John Jacobs began selling designer T-shirts out of an old van in the streets of Boston.

At first, they were not very successful. Then, one day they put a smiling stick figure on a shirt with the phrase “Life Is Good.” Bingo! They sold 48 shirts in under an hour. That was only the beginning of their adventures that made their company an international success.

One day, my co-worker Jack – a good-natured guy with a sunny disposition — came into my classroom wearing a “Life Is Good” T-shirt. We started to joke around about the message on the shirt. But I noticed that whenever he wore it, it seemed to give rise to good feelings in us, and those around us. I think it subliminally made us aware of how much we had to be thankful for. Yes, it reminded us, life is very good! Continue reading →

Yep, There Are Some Prolife Dems

imageAnd here’s one of the best: NY State Sen. Ruben Diaz from the Bronx, who won the 32nd District Tuesday night, taking 96% of the votes.

Sen. Diaz is an outspoken opponent of abortion.

“I am a Democrat, but you know that the Cuomo agenda is a poison to me,” Diaz  told Newsday. “So as long as the Republicans need my vote to stop the Cuomo radical agenda, I will be with them.”

 

Balance of Power Shifts Prolife!

Election Night 2014 saw Republican candidates pick up enough votes to win control of the state Senate here in New York. And Republican victories across the nation have secured both the House of Representatives and the Senate in Washington!

While not all Republicans share our prolife views, the party has traditionally supported legislation to defend the unborn, so this bodes very well for the future.

The victory in Albany  — where the Republicans now hold the required 32-vote majority in the Senate — means that it is unlikely the controversial abortion plank of the Women’s Equality Act will advance anytime soon.

In Washington, the prolife margin in the House of Representatives was increased, while in the Senate, we picked up seven more prolife votes, with two more possible when the races are finally decided.

This means that prolife legislation that has already passed the House (like the bill that would prohibit abortions after the age that babies can feel pain or the bill that would stop taxpayer funding of abortion) will finally have a chance in the Senate at the next session of Congress.

Yesterday was an very important step forward as the right-to-life movement scored big gains in the mid-term elections.

Now, at first glance, it may seem that Election Night didn’t change things much in Rockland County.

After all the votes were cast,  Rockland still has only one prolife voice at the state legislature — Sen. William Larkin representing Haverstraw/Stony Point (Congratulations Sen. Larkin, and thank you for all you’ve done!!)

Yes, Gov. Cuomo and all the other proabortion supporters — Sen. Carlucci and Reps. Jaffe, Zebrowski, and Skoufis — as well as our Congresswoman Nita Lowey, are still in office.

However, remember we’re from a very “blue” neck of the woods. We have to hang tough and keep working and never give up.  But keep your eye on the state and national horizon. The sun seems to be rising there. And don’t forget that wherever there’s a prolife victory, it’s a win for all of us.