Mass for Life to Honor Four People

March 29, 2017, WORCESTER, MA --The public is invited to join Bishop Robert J. McManus and students from Worcester Diocesan Catholic Schools at the annual Mass for Life on Thursday, March 30 at 10:00 a.m. at Cathedral of St. Paul, 19 Chatham St., Worcester.  The diocesan pro-life awards, honoring individuals who have shown extraordinary witness to the sacredness of human life, will also be presented at the Mass.
The Mother Teresa Pro-Life Award, is presented to individuals whose efforts demonstrate heroic witness to the intrinsic value of each human life. It will be presented to Mrs. Nancy Clark and to Mr. Paul Tighe.
Mrs. Nancy Clark is a tireless defender of the sacredness of human life. A wife and mother of nine children, she has been involved in a variety of pro-life efforts over the years, including as a sidewalk counselor for nearly a decade. Mrs. Clark has engaged in pro-life ministry at the parish level, been an active presence with the 40 Days for Life campaigns, and was one of the plaintiffs in McCullen vs. Coakley, the U.S. Supreme Court case which challenged the constitutionality of the Massachusetts buffer zone law and was decided 9-0 in favor of pro-lifers’ right to free speech outside abortion facilities.
Paul Tighe has spent many years defending life as a faithful member of the Pro-Life Ministry of the Grafton parishes since its founding in 1999. He routinely assists with local efforts including the 40 Days for Life and has often travelled to Boston to show support at the State House for traditional marriage and to oppose physician-assisted suicide.  He is a constant witness to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy including visiting prisoners and taking care of elderly and handicapped neighbors by running errands and driving them to Mass.
The Ruth V. K. Pakaluk Pro-Life Youth Award, established in memory of one of the diocese’s great champions of the pro-life movement, will be presented to Margaret Dillon.  Margaret is a senior at Trivium School in Lancaster and a member of St. John, Guardian of Our Lady Parish in Clinton. She is active in her school community.  For the past two years she has been the president of Trivium School’s Pro-Life Club, organizing many pro-life efforts.  As the student coordinator for the school’s participation in the March for Life, she has been a strong advocate and tirelessly promoted the trip to Washington, DC. 
The Gospel of Life Award, named after the encyclical by Saint John Paul II on the dignity of the human person and on the intrinsic value of every human life from conception to natural death, is being presented to Most Reverend Daniel P. Reilly, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Worcester. Bishop Reilly has demonstrated a particular zeal for the pro-life cause throughout his ministry.  His advocacy dates back to the early 1970’s, even before the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion throughout the U.S., when then Father Reilly participated in marches at the state house in Providence advocating for the protection of life in legislation.  During his time as Bishop of Worcester, Bishop Reilly had a special heart for initiatives promoting the sanctity of human life, including the establishment of Visitation House, participation in the Knights of Columbus pro-life efforts, including providing ultrasound equipment to Problem Pregnancy, and for many years as celebrant of the Knights of Columbus annual Pro-Life Mass. He oversaw the diocese’s participation in the statewide In Support of Life initiative to combat attempts to legalize physician-assisted suicide in the late 1990’s. He also expanded the pro-life ministry in the Diocese of Worcester, establishing what was once a part-time Respect Life Office to a full-time Chancery department in 2003, and promoted the renewal of the diocese’s Project Rachel ministry.