SYDNEY LORENTZ
STAFF WRITER
On Feb. 20, several dozen students came together in Christ the King Chapel to pray a holy hour for the conversion of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and for a peaceful end to abortion in the United States.
The evening opened with remarks from junior Rose Judge, a native of the state of New York, who went over the basic facts concerning the state’s new Reproductive Health Act. Following this, the group prayed a rosary, sang praise and worship songs and participated in Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
The Reproductive Health Act was passed in New York on Jan. 22 of this year, the 46th anniversary of the Supreme Court Ruling of the case Roe v. Wade. This law, signed by Cuomo in the state where abortion was first made legal in 1970, allows case-specific abortion of unborn children up to the day of birth.
This new act also eliminates the recognition of unborn children older than 24 weeks as human beings protected from homicide. Explaining the facts and central statements of the new law, Judge said that in New York a person can only be labeled as a victim of homicide if that person “has been born and is alive.”
Following Judge’s remarks, members of Mulieres Clarae Dei household, the event sponsor, led the students in what is called a “patriotic rosary.” Offered up in prayer for the conversion of Cuomo and the American people, each of the fifty Hail Marys of the traditional devotion was prayed for each individual state in the country.
“I really liked praying for every state on every Hail Mary,” said junior Kara Shaughnessy. “That was really powerful.”
After the rosary, members of music ministry led the congregation in a few songs of praise and worship for the second half of the holy hour. Following this, the Rev. Luke Robertson, TOR, led Benediction.