The Ulster Deanery Respect Life Committee (UDRLC), which coordinates the pro-life activities of various Catholic parishes in Ulster County held its annual Respect Life Mass on the evening of Friday, October 25, at St. Augustine’s Church in Highland.

With a mix of 150 English and Spanish speakers in attendance, the Mass was followed by the UDRLC’s Annual Respect Life Dinner later that evening at Novellas Restaurant in New Paltz, which welcomed more than 160 guests.

“Our Committee sponsors a special Mass every year to ground the advocacy of Catholic pro-lifers in our county in deep prayer,” said Father Arthur F. Rojas, moderator and spiritual director of the UDRLC, who served as primary celebrant and bilingual homilist of the Mass. Accompanied by clergy from Ulster and Orange counties, Father Rojas further expressed thanks to the pastor of St. Augustine’s Church, Father John Lynch, for lending his church and choir for the occasion. Deacon John Carr, who serves both at St. Mary’s parish in Kingston and as UDRLC deputy moderator, served as bilingual deacon at the Mass.

The dinner featured Chaplain Ayesha Kreutz, campaign director of the Coalition to Protect Kids-NY, as the guest speaker. Chaplain Kreutz explained the risks of Proposal One to parental rights, the integrity of girls’ sports, and the right to life of preborn children.

Also at the dinner, the UDRLC honored Anthony Pinque, a parishioner of St. Mary-St. Andrew’s Church in Ellenville, as its honoree for 2024. The chairman of the dinner and journal teams of the UDRLC, Robert Smith of Our Lady of Fatima in Plattekill, was surprised with a special recognition plaque for his contributions to the committee.

Serving the Ulster Deanery of the Archdiocese of New York, the UDRLC coordinates the prayerful and practical pro-life activities of various Catholic parishes, along with its cooperation with non-Catholic social actors such as the Bruderhof Communities, which sent a delegation to the annual dinner.