PORT EWEN — At 10 sites along the roads of Ulster County, eight Catholic parishes cooperated with the Ulster Deanery Respect Life Committee (UDRLC) to remind motorists and passers-by prayerfully and publicly  of the need to respect God’s gift of human life from conception until natural death.  

These prayer chains and similar demonstrations take place across America on the first Sunday of October as part of Respect Life Month. 

“As part of our coordination of the pro-life activities of various parishes in the Ulster Deanery of the Archdiocese of New York, the UDRLC encourages parishes to broadcast a prayerful and public pro-life message via prayer chains on Respect Life Sunday,” explained Father Arthur F. Rojas, moderator and spiritual director of the UDRLC. 

The largest demonstration of pro-life witness took place at Ellenville, where St. Mary-St. Andrew’s Church held its prayer chain on Route 209 with the support of almost 60 people of various ages, in addition to a smaller prayer chain in front of its mission Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel at Kerhonkson, several miles to the east on Route 209.  

“Our parishioners have grown in their commitment to the pro-life cause not only with prayer but also to volunteer their personal and public witness,” said Father Kenneth L. Riello, pastor of St. Mary-St. Andrew’s parish. 

In addition to the prayer chains at Ellenville and Kerhonkson along Route 209, prayer chains were held in Ulster County by participating parishes in Plattekill, Highland, Esopus, Port Ewen, Kingston, Lake Katrine, and Rosendale. At some of the prayer chains, in addition to the usual pro-life messages, there were signs urging voters to reject the controversial Proposal One on the New York state ballot on November 5th.  Out of concern that the proposed amendment to the New York State constitution would **enshrine abortion-on-demand as well as gender theory, thus further encroaching on the right to life as well as parental rights and the integrity of girls’ sports, the UDRLC encouraged parish-based prayer chains to urge voters to vote no on Proposal One, as shown recently with its bilingual billboard for the month of October on Route 9W southbound in Ulster Park.   

On Friday, October 25, the UDRLC will hold its annual Respect Life Mass at 5:30 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Church in Highland. At 7 p.m., the UDRLC will hold its annual Respect Life Dinner at Novella’s restaurant in New Paltz. Prior reservations are required.  The guest speaker will be Ayesha Kreutz, executive director of the Coalition to Protect Kids-NY, which is the statewide opposition campaign to Proposal One with whom the UDRLC is cooperating. Anthony Pinque, a veteran pro-life activist from Ellenville, is the scheduled honoree. 

For more information, please visit the UDRLC’s website or inquire via Robert Smith.