Rosary Walk participants pray for ‘culture of life’ in N.Y.

Catholics across the Albany Diocese were invited to celebrate the gift of life at the fifth annual diocesan Rosary Walk for Life, held April 28 in Albany (see accompanying photos).

The day began with an 11 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, led by Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger. Afterward, at 12:30 p.m., participants processed up Madison Avenue, ending on the steps of the New York State Museum, facing the State Capitol.

The Rosary Walk’s goals are to draw attention to life issues and to promote a “culture of life.” In his homily at the Mass, Bishop Scharfenberger said the best way to bring that about is through love.

“There’s a lot of finger-pointing about hate, but we’re not here for that today,” the Bishop said. Hate “doesn’t accomplish anything.”

Bishop Scharfenberger added that doesn’t mean people can ignore the facts. The New York State Health Department’s most recent statistics cite 93,299 reported induced abortions in 2014 — which is down from the 118,381 reported in 2008, but still puts New York near the top of the list nationwide.

New York State has also been holding hearings on two “death with dignity” bills that would legalize assisted suicide. (See www.nyscatholic.org for more on legislation around life issues, or call 518-434-6195.)

Bishop Scharfenberger said in his homily that “we are not here to condemn anyone,” but that “we have to choose life; we have to choose love, have to choose God in our lives.”

Letting God into one’s life can be hard, he continued, since God sometimes wants to “rearrange the furniture” of people’s lives in ways that make them uncomfortable. However, he said, it’s important to be open and trust God, “because Jesus saves us through us.”

As people exited the cathedral after Mass, rosaries and song sheets were distributed. The crowd sang the hymn “Litany of Loreto” as they processed up Madison Ave in the Rosary Walk. A statue of the Virgin Mary was carried at the front of the procession.

Michael Walker of St. Mary’s parish in Ballston Spa said he’s attended Rosary Walks before. This year, he especially wanted to “give support to life issues and pray for the unborn, their mothers and the elderly.”

The walk, he noted, was also a great way to get his kids involved in their faith.

Eileen Harso of St. Pius X parish in Loudonville said that faith has played “a big part in my life.” Respect for the unborn is especially important to her after having gone through a miscarriage, she said, recalling “the feeling of sadness” she faced when she lost her child.

She told The Evangelist that she prays for the “respect [and] dignity of life.”

Philip Fraterrigo of Christ the King parish in Westmere, Albany, said he has attended all five of the Diocese’s Rosary Walks. He wants “to pray for the sanctity of human life” and to “give testimony” to God.

During the procession, Bishop Scharfenberger took turns with other participants in reciting decades of the Rosary on the steps of the New York State Museum.

Cathedral parishioner Adam Giangreco said he enjoyed the “element of community” in the Rosary Walk and “getting to make a public witness” to his faith.

Rosary Walk participants then returned to the cathedral for a talk by Sister Pia Jude of the Sisters of Life, a religious order whose mission is the protection and enhancement of the sacredness of every human life. At their offices in Manhattan and in Toronto, the sisters minister to around 800 women per year who are dealing with a crisis pregnancy or unplanned pregnancy.

The Rosary Walk concluded with a reception and an invitation to college students and young adults to attend a “Catholic young adult cookout” later on St. Pius X parish in Loudonville.