As the March for Life commenced in our nation’s capital on Jan. 29, more than 130 miles away in Palmyra, the Respect for Life Ministry at Holy Spirit Parish led a pro-life witness through the neighborhoods and streets of town. Nearly 40 people endured the cold and windy weather to share their message of the dignity of human life to passersby.
St. Teresa of Calcutta School in Adams County offered a glimpse of the future on Feb. 3, as students dressed as their future career during a Catholic Schools Week celebration of vocations.
The PreK-3 through third grade classrooms at the Conewago campus were enlivened with future pizzeria owners, construction workers, veterinarians, professional gamers, firefighters, writers and Disney characters.
Delone Catholic High School students participated in a “Virtual March for Life” on Jan. 28, during all three lunch periods. The school’s virtual activities were held in conjunction with the national March for Life, which moved to a virtual event this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Pro-life activities in conjunction with the annual March for Life are typically large-scale at Lancaster Catholic High School. Traditionally, school administrators and teachers accompany several dozen students to the nation’s capital, where their purple and gold garb stands out in a sea of pro-life proponents. In school, students who don’t attend the March assemble for a pro-life speaker delivering an impactful message on the value of human life.
“It’s a total effort of witness and evangelization,” Timothy Hamer, school President, said of the complementary events. The March is significant for Hamer, whose mother worked alongside Nellie Gray, the event’s founder in 1974. Up until this year, Hamer hadn’t missed a March.
Speakers at the 2021 March for Life rally on Friday called on pro-lifers to change the culture and not be discouraged at political setbacks.
“We need to live on a rescue mission of truly loving people well,” said Tim Tebow, retired NFL player and current baseball player.
Tebow was the keynote speaker at the rally for the 48th annual March for Life. The rally was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic and security measures, and featured speeches from politicians of both parties, former professional athletes, and religious leaders.
The Church celebrates World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life on Feb. 2 and in parishes over the weekend of Feb. 6-7. It’s a special time for the Church to celebrate the gift of consecrated life and pray for men and women discerning a consecrated vocation.
Bishop Ronald W. Gainer released the following statement today in celebration of National Catholic Schools Week:
As we celebrate National Catholic Schools Week, we are reminded of the important role our Catholic schools have in the lives of families throughout the Diocese of Harrisburg. This week is a time when we celebrate all that our Catholic Schools have to offer to our families, our Church and our world. We celebrate our strong academics, our focus on our faith, our athletic, music and other extracurricular programs, and we celebrate our students, faculty and staff members.
Despite the unexpected challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic throughout most of 2020, the Diocese of Harrisburg was able to continue its many ministries and programs on which people depend. Through the generosity of parishioners and parishes across the Diocese’s 15 counties, the 2020 Diocesan Annual Campaign (DAC) supported more than 40 programs that directly benefited people in our communities.
Responding to society’s deep division over the fundamental right to life, Bishop Ronald Gainer spoke in his homily at the Diocesan Respect Life Mass of the need for a vaccination of God’s grace and love against a culture of death.
Celebrating the Mass two days after the 48th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, the bishop celebrated the pro-life liturgy Jan. 24 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg.
Building on the momentum of the ordination of 35 permanent deacons this past September, the Diocese of Harrisburg is accepting applications for a new class of men for the Permanent Diaconate Program.
Candidates – and their spouses, if married – will be admitted to a year of aspirancy (exploration and discernment) beginning this fall. The program will culminate with ordination in 2026.