Pro-Life Monument To Be Dedicated In Cathedral Prayer Garden
 

St. Peter’s Cathedral will add a new devotional dimension to its Prayer Garden with the addition of a Pro-Life Monument. The monument being erected by Cathedral parishioners and friends will be dedicated by Bishop Joseph F. Martino on Sunday, Nov. 18, in ceremonies following the 12:15 p.m. Mass. Sisters of Life Superior General, Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, S.V., will offer a reflection in the Cathedral prior to the blessing of the monument.

The monument, to be placed in the center of the garden adjacent to the rectory, will consist of a relief etching on granite depicting the “Madonna della Strada,” (Madonna of the Streets), which is the Blessed Mother carrying the Infant Jesus.

The illustration on the monument is the official logo of the Sisters of Life, of the Archdiocese of New York. The order, both a contemplative and active religious community of women dedicated to the protection and enhancement of every human life, was founded in 1991 by the late Archbishop of New York and former Bishop of Scranton, John Cardinal O’Connor. The mission of the order is to promote a “culture of life” that fosters reverence and gratitude for the unique and unrepeatable gift of each human life made in the image and likeness of God.

“The presence of a pro-life monument makes a strong statement on the parish level about our belief in the sanctity of human life in the midst of the culture of death in which we find ourselves in the 21st century,” said Father Charles P. Connor, Cathedral rector. “The purpose of the pro-life monument is to remind the faithful of the sanctity of life and each person’s duty to protect it.” 

Father Connor erected similar pro-life monuments during his pastorates at St. John’s Church, Susquehanna, and St Rose Church in Carbondale.

Mother Agnes is the daughter of the late Harold and Catharine Donovan, of Silver Lake, Susquehanna County, where a similar “monument to life” can be found in the churchyard of St. Augustine’s.

“The monument to be erected at the Mother Church of the Diocese of Scranton, is patterned after the oldest church in the Diocese,” said Father Connor. “Here at the Cathedral, we received a very generous response by so many people who contributed to the monument to memorialize deceased friends and family members.”

Cardinal O’Connor founded the Sisters of Life after he was deeply moved while visiting the remains of the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. The sisters, in addition to taking the traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, also take a fourth vow to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life.

The sisters live in community, centering their lives on the Eucharist. They have five convents in New York and a retreat house in Connecticut. Their work includes a pregnancy help Visitation Mission, a Holy Respite for pregnant women, the Stanton Library with pro-life resources, the Family Life/Respect Life office in the Archdiocese of New York, and retreat opportunities for youth, married couples, families, and Entering Canaan retreats for men and women suffering after abortion.

The abbreviation S.V. stands for Sorores Vitae, Latin for Sisters of Life.