Hundreds of faithful in the Red Bank area publicly professed their love for life during an Oct. 19 Mass and march to a nearby abortion clinic.
Father Richard Osborn served as principal celebrant and homilist of an 8 a.m. Mass celebrated before roughly 470 souls in the town’s St. James Parish. The parochial vicar in St. Mary Parish, Middletown, and chaplain for the Monmouth County Respect Life Committee, Father Osborn was joined at the altar by the clergy of St. James Parish (Msgr. Philip Lowery, pastor, and parochial vicars Father Daison Areepparampil, Father Vicente Magdaraog and Father Ariel Robles); Red Bank’s St. Anthony of Padua Parish pastor, Father Alberto Tamayo, and parochial vicar, Father Nicholas Dolan; Father Silvano Amora, parochial vicar, St. Dorothea Parish, Eatontown, and Father Jarlath Quinn, administrator, Our Lady of Perpetual Help-St. Agnes Parish, Atlantic Highlands.
Following the Mass, nearly 300 men, women and children of all ages took to the streets to show their support for life. Beginning at St. James Parish on Broad Street, marchers held signs proclaiming “Love Life, Choose Life,” carried the papal and American flags, prayed the Rosary, and peacefully traveled along the mile route to Newman Springs Road and the Planned Parenthood of Shrewsbury.
The wide variety of individuals made the walk a diverse representation of those who continue to fight for life, asserted Knights of Columbus District Deputy Colin P. Casey, one of the event’s organizers. Members of the Hispanic community, Rosarians, men’s group, evangelizers and representatives from 20 Knights of Columbus councils were vocal in proclaiming the sanctity of life.
“We need to continue our efforts to make it clear that only the Good Lord can decide life or death,” said Casey. “Simply put, this is not a political issue, it is a moral issue.”
The event was slated within the “40 Days for Life” campaign, this year from Sept. 25 to Nov. 3, which advocates those who respect and value life to hold round the clock vigils, prayer and fasting and community outreach in the quest to stop abortion.
Passersby and the traffic along the busily traveled road were mostly positive, Casey reported, but nonetheless, the presence of the faithful kept the issue in the public eye.
“Abortion is an issue a lot of people don’t want to talk about,” the organizer said. “[Many] people hold no opinion about it. The battle is only beginning – we need to educate the younger people, and we all need to get involved. The only vocal ones are pro-choice.”
Following the Mass and march, Father Quinn reflected upon the event.
“It is very important to pray for life, to celebrate its greatness and preciousness,” the priest said, “especially of the unborn life who have no voice. Even a condemned prisoner gets automatic appeals.”
The issue encompasses more than the lives of the unborn, Father Quinn stressed. The lives of those at every stage from conception to natural death must be protected.
“We are also fighting for the elderly, those with terminal illnesses,” he added. “The value of any life affects all of life. This will further erode unless there is a turnaround.”