Listen to this article now
BRAINTREE -- Almost 180 people attended Women Affirming Life's Mass and Brunch at the Archdiocese of Boston Pastoral Center in Braintree on Dec. 7, making it the most successful in the organization's history. The annual event celebrates the work of the pro-life group, which was founded in 1990 by a group of Catholic women professionals and merged with the archdiocesan Pro-Life Office this year.
"Women Affirming Life strives to provide training, resources, and encouragement for pro-life women to make their voices heard in the classrooms, boardrooms, neighborhoods, churches, and in the media, where the life issues are being discussed," Pro-Life Office Director Sylvia Fernandez del Castillo told The Pilot on Dec. 11.
Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Richard Henning in the Pastoral Center's Bethany Chapel. Following Mass, guests were treated to remarks from Katie Elrod, the afternoon's keynote speaker. Elrod is the principal of the all-girls Montrose School in Medfield.
"As the head of the Montrose School, she tries to impart to the girls that she mentors a sense of purpose and identity," Fernandez said. "She reminds them, as she reminded each one present, that we are all an unrepeatable and unique daughter or son of God, with a unique and noble purpose."
In her remarks, Elrod referenced "Dilexit nos," Pope Francis's fourth encyclical, published in October. In the encyclical, Pope Francis writes that God is within the heart of every person and that when a person tries to understand themselves and God, they find fulfillment from love. Pope Francis writes, "It follows that in contemplating the meaning of our lives, perhaps the most important question we can ask is, 'Do I have a heart?'"
"The answer to that question lies deep within our own hearts," Elrod said in her remarks. "We know the world needs more women who affirm life, who work toward the common good by fulfilling their duty of every moment. In this room I am confident that the answer to this question will be 'yes.'"