A new mobile ultrasound van got a ride down Fifth Avenue on Sunday, January 26, as it was driven to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan for blessing by Cardinal Timothy Dolan following the annual Right-to-Life Mass.

The vehicle is the first of its kind in the Archdiocese of New York. Owner Gianna’s House, under the auspices of the parishes of St. Lawrence O’Toole and Sacred Heart in Brewster, together with Save The Storks, raised more than $280,000 to make the purchase, with the van hitting the road in the last quarter of 2024.

The unit can serve Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester counties, and even parts of the Bronx. Being able to go where pregnant women of limited means may require services such as testing, and ultrasounds would help Gianna’s House demonstrate the full range of support available to the mothers and help them to choose life, Gianna’s House Executive Director Julia Noce told The Good Newsroom in a 2024 interview.

On Sunday, Cardinal Timothy Dolan emerged from the cathedral following the Right-to-Life Mass to bless and tour the vehicle.

“Make this van a place of blessing, a center of love and care and tenderness, where physicians practice healing wisely, nurses and aides and counselors serve pregnant women and the sick, with love and care, where the faithful see Christ in the person of their brothers and sisters,” Cardinal Dolan said as part of his blessing. He then sprinkled the van with holy water to the applause of those assembled for the event, which included parishioners and donors of the parishes of St. Lawrence O’Toole and Sacred Heart in Brewster, Sisters of Life, and representatives of the New York State Knights of Columbus and Columbiettes leadership.

“It’s fully equipped, and we’re on the road already,” Father Richard Gill told The Good Newsroom. “We’ve been blessed to work with Save The Storks; they gave us a lot of help and support in how to use it most effectively. We’re hoping to expand throughout the archdiocese,” he said, thanking Save The Storks for a grant they provided toward the van, Siobhan Fitzpatrick and her family for their donation, along with his parishioners who helped raise the remaining funds.

Gianna’s House is named for St. Gianna Beretta Molla, who died in childbirth in 1962 at age 39, rather than terminate her pregnancy to save her own life. Save The Storks is a Colorado-based organization that specializes in the construction and distribution of the vans.

An ultrasound, or sonogram, is used to see an image of a baby growing in the mother’s womb. It allows a pediatrician or ultrasound technician to monitor a baby’s health and development.