St. Mary's Church and Academy, located in Hudson, will present "Priests for Life" weekend Saturday and Sunday at the church, sponsored by The Alight Center of Hudson, and featuring the Rev. Walter J. Quinn, O.S.A. The weekend schedule will include, on Saturday, from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m., Mass at St. Mary's Church, where Rev. Quinn will preside and give homily; and, from 6:30-9 p.m., a buffet dinner at St. Mary's Academy with introduction by Dr. Anthony Levatino and presentation by Rev. Quinn.
On Sunday, at 8 and 10 a.m., there will be Mass at St. Mary's Church. Rev. Quinn will preside and give homily.
"Priests for Life" was founded in 1991 to help priests around the world spread the Gospel of Life. "From the heart of the Church, it is a movement of priests seeking to help the rest of the Church to use her full strength against the most devastating attacks on human life in our day." They embrace the consistent ethic of life as it is explained in the Bishop's Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities: A Reaffirmation (1985).
Rev. Quinn brings to "Priests of Life" his 38 years of experience as an Augustinian priest, having served in many parishes. He has been actively involved in the pro-life movement since the late 1960s and is the founder of pro-life groups still in existence at the parish level. He joined "Priests for Life" in September 1999. He will speak about "The American Holocaust" and will illustrate the parallels of the anti-life movement in the United States today and the Holocaust during the Second World War.
Levatino (a doctor and lawyer) is a consultant for the National Right To Life Committee and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops; a medical advisor for "Priests for Life" and for the Pro-Life Infonet. He also sits on the Board of Focus on the Family's Physicians Life Alliance.
The Alight Center Inc. is a non-profit pro-life organization serving Columbia and Greene Counties. Established in October 1991, the Center offers free life-affirming assistance to women in need. The Center is located at 454 Warren St., Hudson, NY.