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The Knights of Columbus council at St. Henry's parish in Averill Park wants to buy an ultrasound machine for an Albany-area pregnancy care center - and a national program is helping the group meet its goal.

Mark Frost, a parishioner and K of C member who oversees maintenance and construction at Siena College in Loudonville, brought the idea to his council after he discovered the initiative in 2009. The K of C Supreme Council has matched funds to help local and state councils cover more than 334 machines since that time.

"They're saving thousands and thousands of babies' lives," said Mr. Frost, who has been a lector and eucharistic minister for many years. After completing the Albany Diocese's Formation for Ministry program for people interested in leadership, he decided he wanted to do pro-life ministry, too.

Mr. Frost said pregnant women considering abortions "in many cases change their minds" after they see their babies in a sonogram. He called the Church's pro-life stance "one of the most important things the Church does.

In utero, in need
"Abortion is harming our society [and causing] a reduction in the value of life," he said. "It's creating a callousness and indifference to the plight of the less fortunate. In-utero children are the most dependent individuals anywhere in the world."

Mr. Frost has shared these ideas with his parish community: He spoke at all four weekend Masses in the fall to advertise a parish breakfast that, combined with donations, brought in more than $3,000 for the cause.

St. Henry's is "not an especially large or affluent parish, so people really stepped up," he noted.

He's also been sending letters to other Knights of Columbus councils in the Diocese and speaking at Masses at Siena.

The Averill Park K of C has amassed about $8,000 for the project so far; the ultrasound machines Mr. Frost has been researching cost between $15,000 and $20,000.

A diocesan official who handles respect life issues, with Bishop Howard J. Hubbard's approval, helped Mr. Frost fill out the paperwork to apply for the national K of C matching fund. He then researched and approached a handful of pro-life pregnancy care centers to receive the ultrasound machine.

Representatives at some seemed hesitant - a result, Mr. Frost believes, of the current political climate surrounding abortion.

Alpha wins
Ultimately, he identified as the recipient the Alpha Pregnancy Care Center, which has offices in Albany, Amsterdam, Cohoes, Clifton Park and Schenectady. The facility offers pregnancy counseling, free clothing and baby supplies, parenting classes, support groups, abstinence education and more. It has partnered with a medical practice to train employees to use the ultrasound machine, which will be portable and used in all the different locations.

Mr. Frost hopes to raise more than the cost of the machine to cover an extended warranty and some of the training costs for the center. When this initiative is done, he hopes to raise money for other centers and participate in other pro-life activities, including sending Knights of Columbus to the annual March for Life in Washington.

Mr. Frost said he's gotten positive feedback from St. Henry's parishioners, who become "very quiet" when he speaks at liturgies: "Even the children crying seem to stop."

People realize the money they give directly saves lives, he said, and "they feel good about that." [[In-content Ad]]

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