The Women Affirming Life event began with a Mass, celebrated by Father Ed Riley, dean of men and director of Pastoral Planning at St. John's Seminary and homeschool liaison for the Archdiocese of Boston.

In his homily, Father Riley made note of the uniqueness of the event's attendees.

"It's not that you're just a group of women, it's not you're affirming and being very positive about life, as if life were a state or a condition or a moment in time, you are women captivated by life with a capital L who's a person, who is the Christ child," he said.

"You are women who not only support pro-life as issue of concern so important, especially in our country, you, by your very intuitive gift, as women, as feminine, created to be a lover, a servant of life himself. And that's what makes the difference," he continued.

By being women and mothers, Father Riley added, "you have said your yes, as Mary said her yes. You give your life to be able to receive and be open to life."

"Your yes is in the fabric of your very person, the gift of your femininity is the consent to give all that you are," he said.

Speaking to The Pilot at the end of the event, attendee Stephanie Groskulsky said she was "blown away" by Sister Maria's talk.

With tears in her eyes, she said she had lost her best friend from breast cancer. Before she died, she had traveled to the Marian shrine at Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and brought back a gift for Grokulsky.

"She brought me back Our Lady of Guadalupe that was blessed in Medjugorje and I wear it every day," she said, touching the necklace around her neck.

"So when I think of the Blessed Mother, I think of [her]," she said.

Sister Maria's talk was "just really beautiful. Emotional, but beautiful," she added.