Monmouth Coastal Respect Life Committee held its 23rd annual Champion for Life dinner on Dec. 2 in the Waterview Pavilion, Belmar. The event, which drew 165 guests, celebrated the lives of two special women, Angela “Ann” Hanlon and Georgette Henry.

Angela “Ann” Hanlon was presented with the 2012 “Champion for Life” award for her tireless work in defending the lives of the unborn. A member of the St. Catharine-St. Margaret Parish, Spring Lake, since 1989, Ann is one of the founding members of the Monmouth Coastal Respect Life Committee.

Known as the St. Catharine’s Pro-Life committee back in 1989, they started with a simple mission. They wanted to be a presence at the “modern day Calvary,” and they prayed the Rosary daily at the local abortion clinic. In 1997, the group expanded to become a regional presence.

Current members include the parishes of St. Catharine-St. Margaret; St. Mark, Sea Girt; St. Rose, Belmar; St. Denis, Manasquan; Holy Innocents, Neptune, and St. Elizabeth, Avon. To reflect the new makeup of the group, the name was updated to Monmouth Coastal Respect Life Committee. Today, they are involved in education, fund-raising and youth ministry.

Many of Ann Hanlon’s family members joined her for the momentous occasion. Her son, United States Air Force Reserve Colonel John Hanlon, honored his mother by saying, “There are some people who do nothing except give to others. That’s all my mom knows how to do. She gave me and my sisters the moral courage to always do the right thing.”

When presenting the award to Hanlon, Father Ray Hughes, parochial vicar of St. Catharine Parish, said, “You were an inspiration to me even before I entered the priesthood, as someone who listens to, embraces and lives out God’s Word every day.”

In honor of Georgette Henry, there was a special dedication of a “TruthBooth,” a free-standing, unmanned display center showing 3D and 4D ultrasound images of the child in the womb. According to a description from TruthBook.org, “It provides information about pre-natal development and pregnancy in a visual form for people to process without cumbersome words or confrontation.”

 Purchase of the TruthBooth was made possible by funds earmarked by the family of Georgette Henry, a longtime committee member who passed away earlier this year. According to Rachel Hendicks, president of the MCRLC, “This TruthBooth is a wonderful way to honor such a dedicated woman. It shows the incredible truth of what happens in the womb. Our booth has already traveled to the Right to Life Conference in Washington and the Catholic Family Conference in Trenton. We would like to establish a formal touring schedule, starting at the parish level. We think this could be very effective in the churches, the schools, even doctors’ offices. Other groups have displayed their TruthBooth in local malls. It offers us a lot of flexibility.”

The emcees for the evening represented two of the Monmouth Coastal youth groups. Matthew Foerst,  a member of St. Mark Youth Group, and Amy White, a member of St. Catharine Parish, are third generation representatives of this group’s pro-life initiative. They were joined by over 30 members of St. Catharine and St. Mark youth groups, which are led by Mark McNulty and Mary Reilly.

Ed Henry, Georgette’s son, said, “To see the spirit of the people who work on this committee, it’s contagious. When you see the youth out there marching, and yelling louder than anyone else, it’s incredible!”