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March For Life: The powerful movement continues after 52 years · Beyond The Beacon

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Beyond the Beacon with Bishop Kevin Sweeney, a podcast of the Diocese of Patterson in the great state of New Jersey.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Join us for conversations about our Catholic faith, and together let's strive to live a life of faith, hope, and love.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Cecile Pagliarulo, and with me is Bishop Kevin Sweeney.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: How are you, Bishop?
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_03: Oh good, Cecile, how are you?
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_03: Good.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_03: Happy New Year.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Happy New Year.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's been a while since uh the podcast had last year.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, last year, so we celebrated the Jubilee at the Cathedral.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: On the Feast of the Holy Family.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_03: Russ was there.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_03: And a great crowd, right?
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_03: It was uh excellent turnout.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um uh Sister Teresa and Brian Hansberger um organizing all of our Jubilee events, and then uh Monsignor Silva and all his team at the cathedral with Father Jared Brogan and Scott Milliken to begin at the Father English Center and then process to the cathedral um was wonderful and to look back and see the streets filled um for the procession and the parishes with their banners, uh it was a great start to the to the Jubilee year.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: It was definitely nice to see like just to see a people in the city of Patterson.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I think even too, it gives the city of Patterson hope to see so many people come together for something so positive.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: And then after that, New Year's happened.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not big on New Year's resolutions.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not either.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_03: But uh but uh it's great to have this jubilee and hopefully it'll be a blessing for uh here, us here in the diocese and and and the whole church.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_03: So Okay.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: And uh you attended SEAK 2025?
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes, a lot of young adults or colleges.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_03: Uh Saturday and Sunday.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_03: Uh excuse me, I was there Friday and Saturday.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um it went from Thursday to Sunday, I believe.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but um Focus is the fellowship of Catholic University students that has been active, I think, for 20 years or so, and they have an annual conference called the C Conference, and they get over 20,000 um young adults.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_03: Uh they've had it in the Midwest, I think, you Indianapolis or St.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_03: Louis, but now this year they expanded to two sites.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_03: So the main conference was in Salt Lake City.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I think they had about 20,000 there, and then there were about 4,000 of us in um in Washington, D.C.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_03: And um Cardinal Tobin gave a beautiful homily and celebrated the Mass on Saturday, the feast of St.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_03: Elizabeth Ann Seton.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_03: So um it was great, great, great to be part of and sign of hope for the church.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_03: Uh church is alive and the church is young, as we'll hear.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_03: See so many.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yep.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: It looked it looked amazing.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of uh you got a lot of tags from the Sisters of Christian charity and the Salesians as well.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: They were both there.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_03: Wonderful to see so many religions as well.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_03: Right, yeah.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_03: And um, as if you I posted and um in our new our online beacon now, um uh I learned the story, had heard about her, but watched this incredible video of all or nothing, the story of uh Sister Claire Crockett.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_03: Uh highly, highly, highly recommended.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_03: You said you watched it last night.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: I did, I did watch it last night, and it was very have you heard of Sister Claire Crockett?
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_03: No.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_03: You'll have to see.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's really Irish priest who spoke Spanish.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: So because she served in uh she served in Spain and Ecuador.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: So I did see that.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yep, and joined a community that was founded in Spain.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, beautiful story.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so uh we'll start, we'll open in prayer.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_03: And we'll get to the guests with us who will introduce Russ Petroselli and um and uh Julie McGurn.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_03: Uh thank you for being with us, and we'll introduce you in a moment, but we'll begin with a prayer.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_03: So we'll pray the Jubilee prayer uh and um ask for blessings in this new Jubilee year.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_03: We'll place ourselves in God's presence in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_03: Amen.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_03: And we pray together the Jubilee prayer.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_03: Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us, your son Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit reawaken the blessed hope for the coming of your kingdom.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_03: May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the gospel.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_02: May those seeds transform from within both humanity and all cosmos into joy of creation.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_02: When with the power of evil language, your glory will shine eternally.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_03: Be blessed.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_03: Amen.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_03: Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_03: Amen.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_03: Please excuse my quaff.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_03: It's uh getting better, it was been worse, uh, and uh hopefully it will be gone sometime soon.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_03: But uh, until then, we'll do the best we can to muddle through.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: So uh today we're here to discuss the National March for Life.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: On Friday, January 24th, the National March for Life will be taking place at our nation's capital in Washington, D.C.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: For 52 years, pro-life advocates have been gathering together to rally and march for the unborn, marking the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: Wade.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: However, on June 24th, 2022, Roe v.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: Wade was overturned with the Dobbs decision.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: Even still, with all that, hearts still need to be changed.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: So here we have two frequent attendees of the March for Life.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: First, it's uh we have Russell Petreselli, who has been in education in for 33 years.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: For the last eight, he has served at Deepall as principal of Deepall Catholic High School in Wayne, and he is a retired public school administrator.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: For more than 20 years, he has been a Knight of Columbus, and he is currently serving as state treasurer representing our neighboring Archdiocese of Newark.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: He is married to his wife Elizabeth for 12 years.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: And here we also have Julie McGurn, a parishioner of St.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: Vincent Martyr Church in Madison.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: And she serves as the Parish Respect Life Coordinator, a member of the Rosary Altar Society, and she's also elector.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: She has been married to Bill McGurn, who is a Wall Street Journal columnist for 32 years.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: They have three daughters, Grace, Maisie, and Lucy, who are all adults.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: She is also a board of trustees of the Catholic University of Washington, D.C.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: So welcome to both of you.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks for being with us.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: And uh the theme is life, why we march.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I guess why do you march?
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Uh how did you get started in this March for Life journey?
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: Well, uh, I started as a college student.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: That was the so back in the late 80s, early 90s, a long time ago.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: And um I think at the time, you know, we're marching up Constitution Avenue, and I don't we always hoped and prayed that Roe would be overturned.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: I went to St.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: Jose St.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: Joseph's in Philadelphia.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: So um I joined, you know, the pro life group there and we went down to DC and um and then kept I just kept going as many times as you know since then.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um we always hoped that Roe would be overturned, but I honestly don't think we thought it would be so soon, honestly.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um and that was sort of a tremendous victory, um, a legal victory, I think, for life.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: But there's so much work that needs to be done still, and that that's why I think it's important that we continue to go, um, both in New Jersey in particular, um, because our state laws are so egregiously bad, so aggressively pro-abortion.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I I think there's something about the the wound of abortion in our culture.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's hurt so many people.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I mean, obviously, you know, it's snuffed out so many innocent little lives, but it's left such a wound in the culture, and I think that's why it's important to still go down to our nation's capital to to to stand up.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um there was some thought when um when Roe was overturned that well, would they keep marching on the anniversary?
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I think it just has become such a part of um the the certainly the church in the United States and our our our advoc advocacy on behalf of life and also as we'll hear uh uh an experience for young people in the church to um have that experience of traveling to Washington DC and seeing uh young and and and people of all ages from all over the country coming to um uh witness on behalf of life.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_03: And so Russ, uh you um uh have seen that in uh not only attending the march yourself, but in in in bringing students from the Paul Catholic, right?
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_03: How's that been for you?
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_04: It's been a great experience.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_04: It's funny because the first year I went, uh this is my eighth year, and the first year I went, there was a small group attending.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_04: And um you know, the students who had gone in the past spoke so positively though to the newer students that wanted to attend.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_04: And we get a full bus of students.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_04: We bring up we bring about 40 students down with us, and sometimes we have to turn them away because there are so many students interested in, you know, if and you'll remember that even the year of COVID when we couldn't go to Washington, D.C.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_04: And we staged our own little march around the oval at DePaul.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, because that's January of 2021.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, it was.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_04: You have a much better memory than I because the students were so intent on keeping that alive, even though they couldn't go to Washington, but you know, marching around our oval.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_04: Um that it's be you're and I think you're right, it's become ingrained in them, and and it really they really have become what I can say a pro-life generation that you know explaining the Dobbs decision to them, they're like, but but we still have work to do.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_04: You know, they're the ones that'll come back to you and say, Yeah, but but we still have to go, and we still have to, you know, may our voices heard.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that's the important message of all of this, that they're determined as a younger generation that they want to carry on this mission.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_03: And uh Julie, you've seen it grow uh for 30 plus years now, right, since you first attended?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it just seems to get younger and younger each year.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'm like an old fogey when I go down there now, but um absolutely the young people.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I I I it that's so encouraging.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I think for people who have never been, they maybe they they maybe because because the issue of abortion is so contentious in our culture that they assume it would be very rancorous and kind of ugly, and it's anything but it's the most uplifting, joyful experience to be with all these people, so many young people especially that want to stand up for life for something beautiful and it's a prayerful experience as well, right?
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_03: Often the Prain Rosary as we as we march.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: It almost feels like a pilgrimage, and especially we you know, we I joined uh St.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: Joseph's bus in Mendem a couple years ago and you offered mass right before uh on Capitol Hill, and then we all together went and marched.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_01: So there's an aspect of pilgrimage to it as well.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um and and also because it's so often so cold.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: I heard your bishop say one time, is there's something penitential to that.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's a good it's not a bad because it's it's kind of a weird thing because we're there to mark something that was you know awful and ugly, but but it is joyful because there is hope in life.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: And um when when when people come together like that, it's all I never worry about, you know, we used to take students as well from from our parish school, and you know, these are seventh and eighth graders, but this huge crowd of people, I never really worried about them because it was a peaceful, there's never any fights or commotion.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I think you know, for people who've never been, it it's it would be nice to go and see what it's really like.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: It's just so uplifting, so full of life and joy.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_03: And uh we have at least one bus that's gonna be going this year.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_03: Um Cecile, I believe you spoke with um Father Michael Rhode, Greg, who um a pilgrimage director.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so there will be a bus leaving from St.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: Paul inside the wall on January 24th uh Friday.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: But it's an early?
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, 6.45.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I I mean I think we're talking about pilgrimage.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's part of the experience for us in New Jersey because it's a five-hour trip down to Washington, four four and a half or five hours.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: And uh so yes, the bus is leaving at 6 45 a.m.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's an all-day thing.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: We get there about noon, there's mass.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I believe you'll be there celebrating this mass with Father Rodak.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: And and then it's the it's the rally, there's a march, and then I guess we'll just back on the bus.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, just back on the bus.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: It it goes fast.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's a long day, but at the same time, too, the event itself just goes very fast.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_03: Plus, uh you're able um to bring the students overnight, is that right?
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_04: We go on Thursday night and we attend the uh the youth rally.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, right, that's amazing, yes.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_04: Sponsored by the Divisions of Arlington.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_04: Last year we used to go to the and um and that's the beauty of it, is that and then it's funny you talk about a four or five hour bus ride.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_04: And then the the the they're in the the the walkway of the arena and they're talking to student, oh, we're from North Dakota, we're from the area.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_04: We've been traveling for like 17 hours on the bus, you know, like, yeah, my five hours doesn't look so bad all of a sudden.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_04: That they they understand other people's commitment to it.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_04: You know, that 17 hours and you know, sometimes on a yellow school bus and not so much, you know, a bus, you know, because the cost of buses has become so outrageous that um but they they recognize other people's commitment to it and and that becomes part of it.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_03: And uh it's educational for the students, right?
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_03: They the whole experience uh um uh often on the as we said on the bus ride down, there'll be um some history and uh um uh um some explanation of how we got here and um uh I like to talk to them about it some so much, and and and grant, you know, I I understand abortion being a major part of it, but understanding all of the aspects of life that we we're we're looking at.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_04: You know, I always and I always talk about you know Carnal Bernadine's seamless garment of life, and we talk about you know from from conception to natural death, and we talk about capital punishment, and we talk about um I guess we use the name of how do people die with great right, you know, when New Jersey was talking and debating the assisted suicide law.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_04: Like what does it mean to be pro-life?
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_04: It's not just one day in January when you go to Washington, it's pro-life in, you know, and and those of us who have older parents, we've confronted this, you know, with things like hospice care and palliative care.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, you you you talk to different people about what is your position if you truly are pro-life.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_04: There's so many different aspects to it, and that's the educational process.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_03: As as well as um uh being a faithful Catholic also means we should be a faithful citizen, and uh, and and that we uh you know have the rights and freedoms that we have in our country and are able to express it and participate um by raising our voices, by uh bringing what we believe into the public square, not imposing on anyone, but but um uh exercising our rights as as citizens, and uh and uh it certainly has been uh um uh uh a a blessing, I think, to see how the march has grown over all these years.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_03: Um similar to Julia when when I was in college.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_03: I mean when I'm uh in high school in the early 80s or mid yeah, early mid eighties, um uh to um when when I went for the first time and to see it grow and uh and and it has an impact, I think, uh when people go home and uh um and and think about you know uh voting and and and also um uh advocacy and um walking with moms in need as we have uh to to offer the help to, as you say, Russ, uh the importance of um uh uh um seeing that uh uh seamless garment of life, respecting life in from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_03: Uh Julie, you have a uh there's a respect life uh um club committee in the in the parish, right?
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_03: Do you want to share a little bit about that?
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: Sure, absolutely.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um we're really grateful for our pastor's support, Father Owen Moran.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: He's been really helpful.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um so we have a couple of things coming up.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: We're we're launching officially our Walking with Moms in Need um initiative.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's something that I think the church has always done.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um sometimes we don't there's a little bit of a stereotype that we only care about babies before they're born, which is absolutely not true.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: Anyone who's worked in the church knows that's not true.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um so but it it's it's walking with moms in need is just putting it out there that any mom or dad that needs help at any point, you know, during pregnancy or afterwards, that we will be there for them.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_01: And it's if we don't have the resources, we can connect them with people that do.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_01: So we're officially launching that.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: We've there's tremendous resources out there just in our area.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and there's so many people, so it's really connecting the people who need help with the people who can offer it.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_01: And um, so that's one thing.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_01: The another thing we're doing at the end of the month, um uh Monday, uh January 27th at 7 p.m.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: at our parish, we're having a special prayer uh service for people who've been wounded by abortion, either men and women and men, because so often men suffer as well from the experience of abortion, um, and then and also people who've experienced miscarriage or stillbirth.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: And we're we're inviting them in to a prayer service because the church wants to be there for them and offer hope and healing to them.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: You know, this is the great jubilee of hope.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: And to be reconciled, you know, I there's I I saw a statistic recently it said over 70% of women who've had abortions, if one person had been there for them and sub offered support, they would have made a different decision.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: And so we know a lot of people go into this, make this decision because they feel like they have no other option.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: And we want to tell those people that we're here for them.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: It could have been 10 years ago, 10 months ago, what 20 years ago, that that our Lord wants to be with them and wants to embrace them with his mercy and forgive anything.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: It knows nothing beyond God's mercy.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_01: And we really want people to know that because I I do think there's this, we know how many abortions have happened since it became legal in our country, and there's just so many people wounded by this, deeply hurting.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: And the church is there for them.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we don't condemn, I don't condemn anybody.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I've had I know people who've had abortions and they're they're wounded deeply by it.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so we we offer something beautiful, you know, that that there's nothing beyond God's mercy.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: And so we this we we invite anyone, men or women, to come to this um prayer experience.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's not a mass, it's a it's sort of a healing prayer service.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: We'll have adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there'll be opportunity for confession if people want that.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_01: But just to and and also witnesses from from a woman who had an abortion and also a woman who's miscarried and and has a ministry to other women who have miscarried because these these wounds are deep, and we we want people to know that the church is there for them, that we as their brothers and sisters are there for them, that we're not we don't condemn anybody and we want to embrace them um and help them in whatever way we can.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I I think that's a really important part going forward.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_03: If you can send us uh the information, Cecilia can put it on our own.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_03: You have it great, great.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_03: So um yeah, we'll make it available.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um uh Cecile, did you other questions?
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I I I I think it is important that we do have ministries like that because uh I think you were saying that a lot of people are like, oh, the church tends to be very pro-birth.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: But no, that means being very being pro-life is being there for all aspects.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: So I think this is an important thing to also note that the church is very forgiven.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I remember reading an article where a girl was talking about, or uh she was probably a college age student, like she was she felt more judged after having an abortion by those who said, get over it, you know, just get over, but then the church was there for her.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_00: So that really helped her.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_04: Our students do a lot of work with like several sources, the pregnancy resource centers in the diocese, several sources, and lighthouse.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_04: And you'll recognize that everything you donate doesn't have to be the newborn size.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_04: Right, that's right.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_04: You know, they need the two T's and the four T's and the six Ts.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_04: Because if we're going to continue that support, it's just not at birth, it's a lifelong commitment of support that we have to pledge.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_03: There's also Rachel's Vineyard and other resources that the church has for someone who might be suffering, whether it be after after an abortion or or after a uh a miscarriage.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_03: Uh and um uh Russ, uh you're also a Knight of Columbus.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, yeah.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_03: The knights um are great uh pro-life advocates as well, right?
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_03: And and a lot of their That's how I started getting involved in the march, nights.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, it was one of those things.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, what are you doing next, you know, next Friday?
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_04: We'll be on a bus at four in the morning.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_04: You know, we're leaving Ridgefield Park at four in the oh okay, sure.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_04: You know.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_04: Um and going down for the first time, and it's eye-opening the first time you go.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_04: You know, if you can recall the first time that you you attended the march.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_04: And you're taking so much in, and then you know, over time, you know, it's it's almost become mechanical.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_04: You know, you know, you go to the Washington Monument and the speeches, and then but it's that sense of every year of that growth, and and the knights are part of it, and the knights have have, I know, funded a lot of it, and it's great to be part of it.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_04: Even the march we had in down in Trenton this year for the first time.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_04: You know, taking that march from Washington and bringing it home that more people can participate in it.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_04: And that, you know, this is a comment you know about our legislators in in Trenton.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and it and it and it doesn't need to be a fight, it needs to be a conversation of where are we at as as Catholics, and we're not just Catholics in.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, the Knights of Columbus are there to be part of it, and the Knights of Columbus are are taking the lead and you see, you know, who's the marshals at the parade.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm really proud of what the Knights do across the country, even right here, because it's has become so expensive to run the trip.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_04: That I I ask my local councils here in in Patterson and in in Newark, you know, and they come across with tremendous funding so that it's affordable for the kids to go.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, a bus is almost a bus is a couple of thousand dollars.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_03: And the overnight stay too is um several thousand dollars.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_03: We're grateful for the generosity of many uh who make it possible.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_03: Uh uh also, you know, uh you mentioned the uh march in Trenton, and I hope um hopefully, unfortunately, it may have, you know, we it's gonna be a long fight here in our state.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um and uh but one of the things with the Dobbs decision is that it returned the question of legality to the state level.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_03: So um we had do in addition to on the national level and the importance of the the march um in Washington, uh we have to do work here on the state level as well.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_03: Um but I think um as both have referenced, uh uh going for um the first time can be a wonderful experience.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um so um uh maybe if you have a word to encourage someone who might be listening or watching that uh hasn't been and thinking, well, maybe I'll go, what would you say to uh somebody who's considering going for the first time?
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_04: I would tell you to pray on it and yes, it's a long day, but it it really is a pilgrimage.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_04: And if you've never you've talked about doing things that are, I want to try something different, I want to be a different part of the church I want to experience.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_04: This is a different part of the church that you're gonna experience.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_04: You're gonna be with people from across the country, um, and you're gonna recognize that we have so much more in common with people than what separates us.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_04: And when you see people marching, you know, hand in hand and chanting and and praying together and praying the rosary together.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_04: If you've never done a pilgrimage, if you talked it to yourself about I want to do something different, you know, I know Easter is a little bit away, but you know, between we there still is church between Christmas and Easter.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_04: That's right.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_04: You know, that this is something you can do to build yourself spiritually.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_04: And there's buses available, Amtrak's a great way to go down if you're going down for the day, you grab a little nap on the way down, especially on the way home.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_04: But it really is a great way to to to to reconnect spiritually with maybe a part of your life that might be missing it.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_04: And what you'll see there is eye-opening.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_03: And again, we have at least one bus.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_03: We may have an additional bus depending on the response.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_03: So we'll put up the uh contact information for those who want to register.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_03: Uh Julie, what would you say to someone who hasn't been before and is thinking about going?
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_01: I would say there's never been one time when I've gone to the March for Life that I came back saying, Oh, I wish I hadn't gone.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: I it's so often, you know, there'll be times when you're tired or it's just logistically it's tough, you know, you've got other responsibilities, you have to take off the day from work.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's it sometimes it requires a lot of maneuvering to get there.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, people are busy.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_01: But every time I've come back, think I'm so glad I went.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's Russ, you said it beautifully, it's it's so spiritually edifying to be with other people, to realize, you know, I think part of the culture, we they they want people to give up, you know, and give up hope.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_01: But we we we are people of hope, you know, and we we do believe that's right.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: And we believe good things can happen and and will happen.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_01: And so I I've never regretted going.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: So if you haven't ever been, it it I really do recommend it.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_04: It's amazing.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_04: There's a there's a million people at the march.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_04: And there's literally literally a million people, and we're walking down the street.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_04: And somehow, in that sea of a million people, oh, there are the kids from Morris Captain, oh, there's the group from Pope John.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_04: And the and and the three high schools get together.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_04: It's always an amazing thing.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_04: You bump into your neighbor.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_04: Like, what are you doing here in Washington?
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_03: It's uh it's a wonderful experience of the church, it really is.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_03: And uh so um thank you for uh taking the time and uh uh encouraging uh offering the invitation, and uh as uh you've said it very well, that um anybody thinking about coming um they won't regret it, right?
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely good.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: Very nice.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: Is there anything else, Bishop?
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_03: I think we're um uh we're in good shape.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_03: We'll it's certainly the please keep it in your prayers that uh we'll hope for as good a weather as possible, right?
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, not like last year.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_03: Let's hope for a little uh above 35 degrees, maybe that'd be nice.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_03: Uh but um whatever it is, we'll be there and uh and hopefully that many can join us.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_03: And please uh keep it in your prayers and and day by day we pray for a greater respect for the dignity and value of every human life from conception to natural death and um for expectant moms and dads um and uh without judgment, without condemnation.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um and if there's um someone out there who is pregnant and um is going through a hard time, uh you can uh contact us through our our respect life office.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_03: Um uh Annie Hansberger is um the acting director of our respect life office right now, and uh and there's help available through walking with moms in need.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_03: So um we're here to help in any way that we can um so that hopefully every mom and dad can say yes to that gift of life.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_03: So we we certainly pray for that.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, amen.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you for joining us.
• 28:00
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• 28:04
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• 28:09
  SPEAKER_00: Email questions and podcast topic ideals to be odd at partison.org.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: Discover our other podcasts, Coffee with Cup Key and the Paul Street Journal.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_00: See you next time.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you, Cecile.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks, Russ.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you, and Julie.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks, everybody.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_03: God bless you.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_03: Happy New Year, see you soon.