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Get to know our new Respect Life Coordinator · Beyond The Beacon

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Beyond the Beacon with Bishop Kevin Sweeney, a production of the Diocese of Patterson here in Northern New Jersey.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Brian Hansberger, filling in for Jay Agnish, and here I am with Bishop Kevin.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: How are you, Bishop?
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: I'm good, Brian.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: How are you?
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Doing very well.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: And let's introduce our guests here.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: We have Annie Hansberger, my beautiful wife of 16 years, mother of three.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: What else?
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Master of theology, director of family life for the Diocese of Patterson.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Great athletes.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_03: It's been a while.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_04: As you reminded us on uh Saturday, um an un, I think, um appreciated sometimes gift of the spirit uh is being able to choose a good team, right?
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_04: That uh so uh we could talk about that with how we did on, we were all together on Saturday for a wonderful Jubilee of Families.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_04: Uh but uh yes, any thanks for being here.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, thank you.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, and we also have Alyssa Renavales, our newly minted coordinator of Respect Life Ministry.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: She is a product and a beneficiary of Cotta Zimporo, which we'll we'll talk about later.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then and I also want to mention that she's off to a great start, a torrid start.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's been a heated, a heated couple of weeks ago.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Really puts you in right in the thick of it.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: So so welcome to the both of you.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll start with a prayer.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_04: And thank you for filling in for today today.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_04: And uh uh great to be together.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_04: And uh this will come out a little bit after uh Pentecost, even then, I think maybe just after the Feast of Corpus Christi, but beautiful days in the church.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_04: We're recording um these days leading up to Pentecost, and uh so we'll um we'll ask the help and and gifts of the Holy Spirit as we place ourselves in God's presence in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_04: Amen.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_04: Amen.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_04: Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful, enkindle in them the fire of your love.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_04: Send forth your spirit, and we shall be recreated, and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_04: O God, who has taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_04: Grant us in that same spirit to be truly wise and always rejoice in your consolation through Christ our Lord.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_04: Amen.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_04: Our Lady, seed of wisdom, Mother of the Church, our Lady of Hope, pray for us.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_04: Saint Joseph, pray for us, Saint John the Baptist, pray for us, Saint Charles the Wanga and Companions, pray for us, all holy men and women, pray for us.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_04: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_04: Amen.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_04: Amen.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_04: So we're recording a little a little before it'll come out, but it's today.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_04: We're recording on June 3rd, which is the uh feast of Saint Charles the Wanga and Companions, the uh Uganda martyrs from Uganda.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Pope Paul VI gave a beautiful homily uh when they were canonized.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_04: Uh and uh Catholic and Anglican Christians that um uh mostly uh younger uh teenagers and young adults uh but witnessed uh and gave their lives on behalf of Christ.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_04: So um we thank God for those who give us that example over the centuries, and we thank God for those who uh pick up that mantle uh uh uh as um witnessing on on behalf of Jesus, in behalf of life, behalf of God's gifts, and uh and so um um we uh happy to have this opportunity to uh introduce Celissa um to our team.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_04: Welcome.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_04: Uh but maybe just before that, uh since we were all uh this past Saturday at the Jubilee of Families, I was praying the um Holy Holy Spirit prayer.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_04: We'll get back to we still have uh uh Brian has been leading our efforts for the Jubilee, and uh we still actually have um uh seven months, right?
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Of the We're halfway done.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Here we got the the right sign of the column here.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_04: That's the new poster.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_04: Um but uh um so I think as we looked at the Jubilee year, one of the highlights we hoped would be the Jubilee of Families.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_04: And did it turn out to be a highlight?
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_03: It sure did.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it was uh a beautiful day.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, one the weather, we were so scared.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_03: Not gonna lie.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_04: We had uh torrential rain that forecasted the night before that night.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_03: I couldn't sleep because the rain was just beating against the window, and I said, Okay, Lord, but we're doing this.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_03: So um, yeah, we had over 350 people at the event.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_03: We had about 200 walking the pilgrimage.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: And Joe, can you show some footage from that?
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I was the three boys.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_04: And we did the next one, then that's with the reason for the good weather.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, look at that.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_04: And we thank Father Hernan Seely and the people of St.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_04: Vincent de Paul Parish in Sterling, where we met.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_04: And then, as you see, walked uphill uh and uh on the sidewalk.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, but we also thanked the local police department, Sterling, and other police officers who were there to keep us safe.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_04: And then as we got up that uh uh hill, we made the right turn, and the street was was half the street was open for us.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_04: Um what'd you think, Alyssa?
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: It was amazing.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: I was we were ready for everyone to come in, and then we're just applauding and cheering, and they're like, Wait, everyone's here, we need to register everyone.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_03: It was the arch of the balloons, like to see everyone coming through.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_03: And like here we are, like cheering, and then like, oh wait, we have to check in this crowdhouse.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_03: It was um everything was just spectacular, really.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: And Alyssa, you were in charge of the the reconciliation lines.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: What was that like?
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: I guess over a hundred people went to confession, and that was such a joy.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I as soon as I thought the line was ending, no, another 50 would come, another 20 would have come.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_04: Some of the priests, Father Chris Barghouse, and some of the others, um, it seemed like they were uh hearing confessions the whole time.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, pretty much, and a lot of them didn't get to eat, and it was just such a joy to see them be there and so willing to serve.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_04: That was great, it was great.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_04: And we had a little pizza miracle, right?
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: So Annie did a very good job planning.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: She had an excellent team.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, and it reminded me of our wedding and other weddings where to the guests it was very a very nice day, but to the people running it, it was a real mess.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: And uh like like some caterers that we were counting on, like dropped the bigger.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: Cancel the morning off, cancel the day off.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_04: Those of little faith.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_02: That's right, exactly.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: So we worked it out.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: We worked it out.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it was a great day.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_04: Throughout the day, there's a line years ago.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Paul um Paul Simon, Simon and Garfunkel did a concert in Central Park in Manhattan, and uh uh there's a line towards the beginning where he says, um, it was a rainy morning and a cloudy afternoon, and now it's a beautiful day at that point in New York City, and and and and it was a beautiful day in in Sterling in our diocese.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_04: Uh as the even as we were leading up to the Mass at four o'clock, um, there was just some clouds coming in the forecast.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, there was some forecast for heavy rain and storms in the afternoon.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_04: And uh so we were looking at the skies a little bit and the wind was so we said, and we would have had a tough time fitting in the chapel, as you pointed out, Brian.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_04: I realized when I saw the crowd at mass.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_04: Uh so we were ready to make a game time call in the or mass time call in the middle of mass and just have everyone process in.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_04: If it's but by the time, even the entrance procession, yeah, by the time I got to the altar, I said, What we don't need to uh it was great.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_03: We were planning on having a tent if it was gonna be sunny, so we were like, we don't need one, right?
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_03: But you guys were hot.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_04: I never thought today I'd say I couldn't use some sunscreen.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: There's there's great social media coverage of this event if you go to our diocese in Facebook, Instagram, in English, or in Spanish.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: We had different people covering the event and providing different perspectives of the crowds and the the beauty of the day.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: So check it out.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_04: Um and um any how many years now as director of marriage and family life the diocese?
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_03: Twelve and a half years.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_04: And uh um how long did it seem like you've been running the Respect Life office as well?
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_03: Ten of those years ago.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_03: Uh it it felt like a a while, but uh honestly, it's been a gift to me though, to be able to jump into that component a little bit more because you know the previous uh Respect Life coordinator, Dr.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_03: Mary.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_03: After serving for so many years, uh so it was really, you know, um a beautiful gift to me though to also minister in in that um ministry.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_04: Salange Rodriguez with us for a time, building up the with Annie and many others, uh the Walking with Moms in Need initiative.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_04: And uh and now we're great grateful that we have a uh new coordinator of our respect life effort, this Alyssa.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_04: Uh so maybe tell us a little bit about yourself and uh what led you to um uh be interested in in this we say work and it is work, but it's it's ministry, right?
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_04: Uh um so maybe give us a little background.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I'm originally from the Bronx.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: I live in Bergen County now, and it was really um I didn't come from a practicing home, but my great-grandmother really uh tried to instill the our father, right?
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's all she pretty much knew, and that's what she instilled in us.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: And that's what I remember.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_04: Praying from a heart of faith, I'm sure, right?
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_04: Exactly.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: And every night we would pray, and most of the times I will be, I would fall asleep and she would just nudge me nicely.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but it was just that feeling of peace that I recall.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: And when you lack formation, I think you truly rely on feeling, right?
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: And that's all I needed to continue my formation.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: And she planted seeds, she planted seeds that I didn't know back then, but definitely now looking back, just super grateful for her.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um and then I came across Corazón Puro, which is a young adult chastity ministry.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_04: Um, they speak about And just to say that Corazón Puro, um a pure heart, right?
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_04: Is the Spanish right uh and a wonderful name for uh uh a movement for to help youth and young adults um try to keep that pure heart in a world where it's not so easy.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_04: So tell us about Corazón Puro.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: So Corazón Puro, um like I said, it's a young adult chastity ministry, and you don't really hear this much in the world, right?
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, people talking about chastity, and it's the first time I was being exposed to it, not just chastity in the physical sense, but also emotional chastity and modesty, not just physical modesty, but modesty in the way you speak, the way you act, the way you carry yourself.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: So they really taught me most of my adult formation on the dignity of being a daughter of God.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I have so much, um, so so many graces have come from that ministry that I'm just super grateful.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, the um the beauty of our Catholic faith and um the spiritual traditions and the lives of the saints, and uh, you know, we uh are excited for our newly elected uh Pope Leo, and um we give thanks for Pope Francis before him and Pope Benedict.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_04: Uh but the before Pope Benedict was the now Saint Pope John Paul II.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that's uh uh he gave um a gift to the church that Brian and any of you are very familiar with, and I think Alyssa threw Corazon Puro, theology of the body, right?
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_04: Uh when we speak of formation um in our in back to the scriptures and tradition, right?
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_04: The the from the Bible in and the tradition of the church.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_04: So maybe uh in in Corazon Puro for formation uh brought introduced for theology of the body as well.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, of course.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: So theology of the body, it's pretty much what we base.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um I say we because now I've been a missionary with CP for over three years.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's what we base most of our teachings on, JP2's teachings.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: And it's been uh such a privilege just to be able to talk and connect with other young adults who um were going through similar things and just letting them know that Jesus paid the price.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_04: Right, right.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_04: Right, right.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_04: And that's been a lot of the work here at St.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_04: Paul's and certainly in the marriage ministry of something Brian and any you're familiar with, right?
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_04: In terms of uh theology of the body.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, any is the theology of the body expert of the diocese for sure.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: But we've been very involved with Kodasan Poro for many years as well.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: I know uh weren't weren't you in uh where were you?
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_03: I I traveled to Honduras with them many years ago.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_03: When I first started working here, actually.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and and Father Augustino Torres, the leader of this, it's an international organization.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we went to Madagampa in Nicaragua together for a CP.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_03: And um yeah, we actually um yeah, TOB, Theology of the Body is really important to not just family life, but just understanding who you are, who God has created you to be.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_03: And um, so we actually started a certificate this past uh fall, a theology of the body certificate that is seven over seven months, and we had a great turnout, and we're gonna repeat it again starting in the fall.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_03: So we'll get information on that.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_04: But well, this that's right.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_04: There's a number of things we wanted to pro promote in in this episode, but that we can add that to the last joint club because there may be people out there that um are you know they might have heard the algae body or even just listening to the conversation, might say uh they want to learn.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_04: So we can put some information there, right?
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_04: About um if they might be interested in.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: Let me s let me say my take on TOB, if you don't mind, Bishop.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I I think that the church gets a really bad rap in in its teachings.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: The the thought is that the teachings of the church on marriage and sexuality constrain people.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: It's my experience in my marriage of 16 years and before that the teachings of the church are actually quite liberating and they allow you to be more human, to live a life that's integrated with God, with your spouse, with other people.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's a very holistic way of seeing the world.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's a seamless garment.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, it's not a patchwork of all these random philosophies, but it's it's a it's a cohesive lifestyle.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: It actually brings a lot of joy.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_04: And uh this time of year, uh celebrating confirmations, uh, getting spent a lot of time, quality time with the Holy Spirit, and that one of those seven gifts, uh, sometimes translated as uh fear of the Lord, but or more recently translated as awe and wonder in God's presence, right?
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_04: And the way that theology of the body can help us see the beauty of creation, right?
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_04: And God's mysterious plan in creating us male and female in God's own image and likeness and the gift of life, and uh um how that calls for us to be respectful of the the uh and and if we do that, then freedom not um not constrained, not being a constraint.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_04: Right, right, right, right.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_04: Um so Alyssa, uh tell us a little bit about um uh so Corazón Puro, uh re-energized faith.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_04: Uh all three, I think you mentioned that um in it's not just the Corazon Puro gives uh retreats or talks or formation, but there there are Corazon Puro missionaries, as you said, you've been, right?
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_04: And uh and uh yes, Father Augustino does a great job.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_04: Uh our new again, Holy Father Pop Leo described as a missionary Pope, right?
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_04: Um uh yes, grew up grew up born and raised in the United States, but spending so much time in Peru.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_04: Um and uh so maybe talk a little bit about the what it's like to be a CP missionary.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, so um I went through the different stages that we have at Corazon Puro, and shortly after he's like, I want you to be a missionary for us, and it's only been a few months.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: I'm terrified at this point.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I I served in Indiana, I did a mission in Texas, Mexico, and now I'll be going on pilgrimage to Rome, and I'm so excited.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_04: You'll get to go to the Holy Door.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_04: Exactly.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_04: And um uh in terms of uh other interests, uh your studies, uh Stony Brook?
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: I yes, Stoneybrook.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_04: Uh and uh the medical you've worked in the medical field, right?
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, for over seven years.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, yes.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_04: Uh and uh uh and something led you to say, uh I want to apply to be the Respect Life coordinator.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_04: Uh could you talk a little bit about uh how that discernment happened?
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: For sure.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: So it's not a singular moment that necessarily brought me to Respect Life Ministry, right?
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's like a series of events that led me here, and I'm just so grateful for them.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um first I am the oldest of six.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: Let's start there, and that keeps me busy.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um my youngest sister is six years old.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, exactly.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so my youngest sister is six years old, and it's been um it's really been witnessing the joy and struggles of raising little ones that has uh just allowed my my love and understanding um of the grace it is to have children.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: And that's where it really was deepened, and it is still, right?
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: Because I have a six-year-old sister and she knows if we hear an ambulance siren, we're seeing the Hail Mary now.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so it's just been such a joy to be around her and around all my other siblings who are just growing in faith and they don't understand what's going on, but slowly um that passion is growing in their hearts.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_01: So that's one, it's just my family.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: And two, like you said, I do have a medical background.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_01: And with that, um, I worked in the majority in the in the emergency department and the observation unit.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: And not much it felt like there wasn't much I could do there besides radiate his joy and provide a smile.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: But one thing that I did do was that um I would round on my patients right before going to mass during my lunch.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_01: Just during my 30-minute lunch, I'll run to Mass and I'll tell them, So, hey, I'm I'm leaving, but I'll be back in 30 minutes.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: Let's let's put the channel to the hospital chapel.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: And when I come back, let me know which seat I was in.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: Was I in the far right?
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_02: Far left.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: You let me know, right?
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like I'm right here with you.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll go to Mass and then um, if I see the camera, I'll wave quickly, right?
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_01: Knowing that they're watching.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: And I'll come back and like, so where was I?
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: And they're like, oh, you were at the far left.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, exactly.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: And it was those little opportunities that opened the doors to having the conversations of the gospel of the day, of hope, of um finding God in that suffering, right?
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's the most vulnerable moments that they're in.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_01: And that's something else that just continued to guide me towards respect life.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: And I didn't know in the moment, but being with people, right?
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: At the end of life, because I worked in the emergency department, and it's just so real.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, being able to be with them in their last breath.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: That's what really um just showed case that natural death death is so important.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_04: And um and I would say in an emergency room, um, so much life saving.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, and we thank God activity takes place, and we thank God for doctors, nurses, um, technicians, all those um who allow those places to be places where lives are saved.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_04: Um but in our big uh secular uh culture and context, um uh not every life is seen in the same way, or not the presence of uh the human person is not always respected from the moment of conception to natural death, right?
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_04: Um sometimes out of an understanding of uh attention of compassion, um, but um uh I would say it's a struggle you you saw up close, huh?
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for sure.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and um and the beauty of like from conception, right?
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's when it all begins.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um it wasn't recently until I was in this position that I'm like, wait, my mom was 15 and pregnant with me.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I've never asked her why.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like, why did you choose life, right?
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: Especially being in this ministry.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: So recently I called her up, like, mom, why at 15?
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_01: How did you have the courage?
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like, please like share the story.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: And she simply shared that she just wanted someone to be with her forever.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: And it was like that profound desire of love and connection that's what led to life.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: And it was just such a beautiful story, and it was it's like a continuous confirmation of God telling me you are what you're supposed to be, right?
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and that's why I'm just so excited to be here, especially having Annie by my side walking with me.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's been such a joy.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: You have uh high expectations to live up to.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: Good for her.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_00: Good for her.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_04: And uh um Annie, as you said, you Alyssa started hit the ground running, right?
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_04: And um uh we've had the opportunity um last year to help to um get the word out and invite participation in what last year was the first ever New Jersey State March for Life, right?
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_04: Um we're coming, we're now in the month of June, and June twenty fourth, I think it'll be three years since the Dobbs decision uh returned the Um question of legality of uh when life is protected and uh to the states uh overturning the Roe v.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_04: Wade decision.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_04: So the wonderful people that have been uh uh uh organizing the right uh March for Life in Washington since 1974, year after Roe vs.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_04: Wade are now encouraging states to come together and witness on behalf of life.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_04: And um, Annie, you got to work with um the New Jersey Catholic Conference with people from the March for Life.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_04: We had them on the podcast last year this time last year, I think.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_04: And uh um, but also the uh the respect life coordinators from the five dioceses.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know if Alyssa's had a chance to connect with them yet, but uh I know that's on the agenda.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_04: Um so maybe um uh you can talk a little bit about those each of you can talk a little bit about how those plans are going to invite people to to participate this year.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so as you said, last year was the first um New Jersey March for Life.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_03: And so all the decisions now are in the state's hands, so they decided we need to bring this to, you know, this should be done locally.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_03: So uh again, it was the first one, and it was so beautiful, so well attended.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_03: One, it's a it's an ecumenical event, right?
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_03: So it's not just the Catholic Church.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_03: It's you know, our Jewish brothers and sisters who, you know, believe in the dignity of life, um, Muslims were there, uh non uh different other Christian denominations.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_03: So it was really a beautiful opportunity to gather um, you know, with one heart, one mind.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_03: Uh the most beautiful aspect of the day, I must say, was the mass that the Catholic Church had before the march and the rally.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_03: And um it was so beautiful, it was filled.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_03: There was no standing room.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_03: I think there was space downstairs.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_03: And it was it was just amazing.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_03: Such an and Bishop actually this year, September 2025, will be the homilist for I missed the meeting and they're gonna be well.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_04: They told me, but uh I was I had to go to a funeral day at the Bishop's meeting and they said so but uh I'll be happy to do it and I'll uh just try to come close to Bishop David O'Connell, the Bishop of Trenton, that incredibly powerful homily he gave last year.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_04: And uh it really is, I think, patriotic.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, it's it's who we are as a country that what does our founding document say?
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_04: Um God gives us inalienable rights, not from the state, but from God.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_04: We have certain inalienable rights, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_04: And and so um uh Bishop O'Connell highlighted that in such a beautiful way.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_04: And uh we believe as as citizens of this country, we have the opportunity to raise our voices to be part of the public conversation.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_04: And we're not imposing our beliefs on anyone, but we're trying to witness on and and ask people to uh take a an objective look at when does life begin.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_04: And uh and we it it um the Walking with Moms in Need program, uh, you know, uh sometimes a misunderstanding, I think, or um we didn't communicate enough that we're not just concerned about the child in the womb, but we're concerned for his or her mom, who's in the position that Alyssa's mom was in, right?
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_04: And uh and and we we want to do everything we can to help those moms uh to be able to say yes, yes to life and then be with them, walking with moms in need, not only before and up to birth, but after birth as well.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_04: Um and uh uh Alyssa, what have you heard about the march so far?
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_01: I've heard that it's going to be amazing and I'm so excited.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it's just it's so powerful because here in the state of New Jersey, um, you can still have an abortion up to nine months.
• 26:34
  unknown: Yeah.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_01: So we're just saying that saying the very next day you could have had this child, right?
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: So that's why it's so powerful for the youth, for young adults, it was great.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_01: For elders.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my gosh.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_03: I was stunned.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, we really pushed hard to get students there.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_03: I just didn't realize how many would actually come.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_03: And they were active and participating.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_03: So this year we plan um the New Jersey directors and coordinators are trying to do something specific for the youth.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_03: So we're still working out those details, but once those we solidify them, we'll let everyone know.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_04: But there will be a youth aspect that happened over many years at the March for Life in Washington.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_04: When I was a seminarian in the late 80s, Cardinal O'Connor was the bishop, Archbishop of New York and head of the USCCB committee.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_04: And he used to do a seminarian's mass before the March for Life, and that became a youth rally, and they would rent the Verizon Center and fill it.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_04: And then for a few years up be up until COVID, they would have to rent uh uh have alternate sites.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_04: So and and I think uh that being at that March for Life every year over 50, I've I I was there many years from the 90s and 2000s and and more recently, but that the march has gotten larger and younger every year.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_04: And I think part of the realization of young people is that living in a post uh, you know, which in the time of Roe, that um their their life could have been in danger in the womb and their mom made the choice.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_04: So those young people I think are out there saying um thank you for your yes, right?
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_03: Right, right.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: And there'll be uh easy accommodations and and uh transportation to this rally, right?
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, we'll be having busing in all three counties um with a short fee.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_01: That's right and um to and from.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_04: And uh, you know, uh God bless those who many years left early in the morning in January and did the five-hour drive to uh Washington, DC and did the march and then the five-hour drive back.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_04: Uh the the trip to Trenton is a little bit.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_04: Hey, exactly.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_04: This is a no-brainer.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, it'll be uh a great day, uh really a half a day.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_03: So you you know, you get on the bus, you head down, there's mass.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_04: Mass around nine or ten, nine thirty.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_04: Right, right.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_03: Then we have the uh rally and then the march, and again, some youth aspect.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_03: We'll get more details on that.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_03: But and then you're you're back home.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_04: You can have lunch and head back or head back into that bunch of it.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_04: Um Alyssa, what else um have you been getting up to speed on?
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_04: Uh I know um maybe you say a word about what you've learned about uh walking with moms in need and some who who are out there providing um services for moms in in crisis situations.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so um just realizing it's really a team effort, right?
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_01: When it when they say it takes a village to raise a child, they mean it.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_01: And here I'm able to see all the different resources that we have um to help a mother that is in need, right?
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_01: Going from Catholic charities to pregnancy, um, shelter directors, and so many other different people who are contributing to helping a mother in need with diapers, with food, with formula, with um shelter, right?
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_01: Because so often we forget.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes they need a place to stay.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_04: Sometimes the mom wants to keep her child and um her family unfortunately is not supporting that decision.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_04: And um, or uh, you know, maybe the spouse is pushing towards an abortion and she she needs a safe place to stay.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_04: Um uh um Chris Bell and and um Good Council Homes provides that.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_04: And uh I'm just remembering that one of your first events uh was uh we were together on the day that Pope Leo was elected, right?
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_04: When uh on May 8th, uh when there was a mess and uh and and reception for the renaming of um a new house um uh by several sources, right?
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, Kathy's House Now, which is uh the original founding founder of uh several sources.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_03: So Kathy Di Fiori, they named um the renovation of her home, and they're gonna name it uh Kathy's house.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_04: And you got to meet some of the leaders uh in at that at that event, right?
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I was able to meet Kathy there, and I'm excited to continue to meet them with more meetings that we have coming up shortly.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_04: Um Brian, you said we'll be able to uh have information about registering for the um uh New Jersey Marshall.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_04: We think did we give the date?
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_01: September 25th, 2025.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_01: The Mass starts at 930 at the Cathedral of St.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_01: Mary of the Assumption.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_01: Cardinal Joseph Tobin will be the celebrant of the Mass.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_01: As he was last year, Cardinal Tobin.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yep, and our own Bishop Sweeney will be the homeless, like we said, rally at 11, Mass at 12.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, and we can't.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_01: March at 12.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_00: Mass 9:30, rally at 11.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um and March.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_00: And we could put a registration link in this, in the the description of this YouTube video, and that'll send you to the registration page.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_04: Great, great.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_04: And uh we have some Jubilee events.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_04: Uh this might come out after, but we're looking forward to the Jubilee of Christian Unity, right?
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Jubilee of Christian Unity, that's June 22nd at the Cathedral of St.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_00: John the Baptist in 20 in uh at 3 p.m.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_04: 3 p.m., right.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: So this is the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the Creed, the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_00: So lots to celebrate.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to be talking about both of those things.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I have a personal friend, an Armenian Orthodox priest who will be giving the sermon or homily or whatever you want to call it that day.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_00: So uh really excited.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_04: Your uh your uh um um your co-host is uh is Freddie on the Paul Street Journal.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_04: Um the co-host of Monsignor Kupke is Father Manning, and um Monsignor Kupke uh of Coffee of Cup Coffee with Kupke Fame uh and many other pastor of St.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_04: Anthony's in Hawthorne about to retire, um, but still uh teaching his uh history, church history uh at um at Seton Hall uh at the seminary.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_04: Um but uh he and Monsignor Hunt have been working so hard.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_04: We had these Christian uh unity roundtables uh in three weeks in March and one in each county.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_04: And uh um I know that they're working hard on the plans for that gathering at the cathedral.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_04: And it's great to hear a friend of yours is gonna be one of the speakers, huh?
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and it it it seems to be, I don't know, divine providence, because Pope Leo in his ecumenical work seems to be looking east.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_00: And and he there's all this news stories about him meeting with the Patriarch of Constantinople or Jerusalem.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_04: Because um Pope Francis was hoping to get to Nike Nicaea, uh, which is um it's in Turkey, right?
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_04: It's in modern day Turkey.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: Not not far from Constantinople.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: I just think it was like you know, a suburb.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_04: Right, okay.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_04: Back then.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_04: And uh and uh but Pope Leo has said he's gonna go.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_04: I don't know if they've announced the date of the trip yet, but uh but yeah, you're right.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_00: He's so I I think uh a lot of people they when they think of ecumenical work, they might think of of uh Protestant churches, which is good.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, there are brothers and sisters and and we share the creed and things like that.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_00: But uh yeah, the this this look towards the ETH East uh in liturgy, in creed, in doctrine, I think that that's that's worth rethinking.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_04: Right, or Orthodox brothers and sisters, right?
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_00: It's been a thousand years.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_04: Right, right, right.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_04: Um fulfill the Jesus' prayer that they all may be one, right?
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_03: So uh and everyone shows up, right?
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_04: There you go.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_04: There you go.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_04: Um so um uh any um uh closing words about um the respect life work or the um March for Life?
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_04: Well um we're planning also a Respect Life convocation as we've had for the last few years.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_04: That'll be uh end of October, I think.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um25th.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_04: We might do another episode about that as it's getting closer.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_04: But uh uh um any uh closing thoughts or remarks?
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, just I'm super happy to be here.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_01: What's been inspiring what's been inspiring me for the vision and mission of Respect Life, it's just Matthew 25, right?
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_01: We can always lean back on that.
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I believe you gave the homily where you said um the five words were Jesus, I trust you.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_04: You did it for me, Mother Teresa.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_04: Mother Teresa, yes.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_01: You did it for me, and after I heard that, it's just been on my heart, and as well as Jesus, I trust in you, right?
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_01: As a form of prayer and just trusting that he will guide me in this mission and serving the poor is serving him, and that's all we can expect.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_04: And you're not in an alone, right?
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_04: Uh no, I have any.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_03: And Melissa has been great to work with.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um, when Father Paul and I were interviewing her, when she left the room, we looked at each other, we knew like she she was the one after a long search.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, the longest search.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_03: But we were waiting for her.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_03: That's right.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_03: That's right.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_00: All right, all right.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining us, and thank you, Bishop, for joining us in the St.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_00: Paul's studio.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, thanks for hosting us.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks to Joe Janeksy for production and filming today.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_00: And thank you all at home for joining us.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: Please subscribe, comment, like, do all the stuff.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, get to know us better better by following Beyond the Beacon on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our other podcasts.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_00: We got Coffee with Cup Key and we got the Paul Street Journal.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_00: So thanks for joining us.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_00: See you next time.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_04: God bless.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_04: Bye bye.