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Saint Ignatius Loyola Parish Participates in the
Annual March for Life in Washington DC
A cloudy, grey sky coupled with a chilly, early
morning air did not discourage Deacon George A. Mais
and 51 Saint Ignatius Loyola Parishioners as they
boarded a bus at 6:00 am enroute to Washington DC to
participate in the 37th Annual March for
Life on January 22, 2010. Prior to their departure, the group gathered
prayerfully together inside the church for the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass presided by Father Michael
Reid.
After an uneventful bus ride, they arrived in
Washington DC a little earlier than expected, so
they gathered their signs, took some group pictures,
and then headed towards the National Mall to rally
alongside more than 300,000 people in opposition to
the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized
abortion and has thus claimed the lives of more than
51 million unborn babies. As they were approaching
the area on the Mall where numerous speeches by
various political leaders were being held, they were
greeted by not one, not two, but three Bishops!
Yes, the Most Reverend William F. Murphy, Bishop of
the Diocese of Rockville Centre, and Auxiliary
Bishops, the Most Reverend John C. Dunne and the
Most Reverend Paul H. Walsh, were on hand to greet
all the parishioners who were arriving from Long
Island.
After the group listened to the speeches, they were
joined by Father Douglas R. Arcoleo, Pastor of Our
Holy Redeemer Parish in Freeport, and former
Associate Pastor of Saint Ignatius Loyola Parish,
along with his parishioners, and they all
participated together in a peaceful march through
the streets of Washington DC, which took them around
the Capital Building, ending by the Supreme Court
building. Throughout the event, they prayed together
with those committed to preserving the sanctity of
human life, from the moment of conception to the
moment of natural death.
Those of us who attended the March for Life would
like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our
Pastor, Monsignor
Donald T. Bennett, for his support and for
sponsoring our bus ride to Washington DC; to Father
Michael Reid who celebrated Mass with us so early
that morning; to Deacon George A. Mais, for leading
us together through the streets as we prayed for the
unborn; to Doug Quinn, for planning the trip, the
entertainment, and the wonderful packets of pro-life
information, to our bus drivers Steve and Alice from
Alert Buses, who ensured that we arrived and
returned safely, and to all our fellow parishioners
who remained behind but were united with us in
prayer for the rights of the unborn.
For those of you who were not able to join us this
year, please consider doing so in 2011. It truly is
an exhilarating experience to band together to speak
for the rights of the unborn babies who are not able
to fight for themselves. We are their voice; we
participate for them and more importantly, we
participate All for the Greater Glory of God!
For more information about the Annual March for
Life, please contact Doug Quinn at (516) 939-0421.
Below is the slideshow of the March. If the slideshow does not appear,
click here...
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