Diocesan Parishes Support National Life Chain Sunday
Supporters from several parishes in the Fox Valley took part in the Northern Kane County Life Chain event at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Dundee on Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 4. (Observer photo by Dan Szpekowski)
Chris and Cindy Hvezda of the Belvidere Church of Christ where Chris is pastor and Barbara Pettijohn of Popular Grove and parishioner at St. Joseph Parish in Aurora lined the State Street Bridge in Belvidere to support life. (Observer photo by Lynne Conner)
The Harvard Knights of Columbus Council 1204 held their annual Pro Life Vigil Oct. 4 2015 at the 5 points in Harvard/ Pictured are some of the people who participated in the Vigil. Including the following: Father Steven Clarke, LC, Deacon Tony Koss, Deacon Bill Johnston and Diane Johnston, Deacon Hans Rouks, Kevin, Mary, Madelyn, Colin, Liam, Brigid, Molly and Moira O’Neill, Dorice, Emma, Ava and Anna Antezak, Carlo Roman, Maria Erickson, Maria Mejia, Fatima, Christina and Maria Pina, Sandra Mesa, Mary Kate Frommeyer, Hailey, Patrick, Bob and Kelly Sergent, Colleen Polleski, Chuck Calvin, Mary, Anna, Matt and Will White, Jean and Xina Crocco, Diane Kirchner and Mary Alice Traeder. (Photo provided)
By Pat Szpekowski, Observer Correspondent
October 9, 2015

Parishes from the Mississippi River to the Fox Valley stood in support of National Life Chain Sunday, Oct. 4.

The dreary cold fall weather didn’t deter the impassioned participants for this year’s event.

In all parts of the Rockford Diocese hundreds of men, women, children and clergy took part.

Representing a number of Catholic parishes, the participants  held signs in support of life and opposition to abortion as they silently prayed along Main Street (Route 72) by St. Catherine of Siena Church  in Dundee, along State Street in Belvidere, along Alpine Road in Rockford and along Stephenson Street and West Avenue in Freeport, just to name a few.

Frances Steuehler, a  registered nurse who retired after 40 years of service at Presence Saint Joseph Hospital, Elgin, was among those offering testimony in Dundee.

“This is important for me to be here today,” Steuehler said. “I worked to save lives my entire life and firmly believe that a fetus is a human being.”

Carol Brestle, the Respect Life Coordinator at St. Catherine of Siena, was pleased to see the large crowd for this year’s event, which was larger than it has been for the past four years. Dan Biggins, a member of the Respect Life Committee, noted he wanted to be involved and felt it was “important to bring the reality of abortion to the community’s attention.”

A few miles south in the Fox Valley Tri-Cities area along Main Street (Route 64) in St. Charles, more than 100 members of St. Patrick Parish lined both sides of the street. Dr. Larry Johnson distributed a variety of signs to participants in front of the St. Patrick Church in downtown St. Charles.

His wife, Karen Johnson, had additional signs by the park in front of the church for those who wanted to join them and make a statement to stand up for life. She believes “the number one issue in this country is the pro-life issue and I want to do everything that I can to turn the culture.”  

The Life Chain participants received a number of “thumbs ups” and lots of supportive beeps from motorists as cars passed when they saw the group standing along Main Street for several blocks. Karen Johnson recalled how one year during the Life Chain event one man, who was in the car with his family and not even from the area, turned around and came back to talk to them. “He was so moved by seeing us line the streets with our signs that he wrote our Respect Life committee a check for $1,000 on the spot in support of life and our mission.”