Good morning Brothers.  Please consider participating in the upcoming Pro Life events to held in Richmond (1/15/26) and in Washington, DC (1/23/26).  “If not you, then who?”

The event on January 15th in Richmond is the Virginia Pro Life day which gives all of us an opportunity to meet face to face with our Virginia legislators.  This is a very well orchestrated event each year and I very much encourage you to consider participation.  Registration is required.  Division President elect Gerard Oswald and myself are scheduled to participate once again.  We cannot afford to sit on the sidelines in our state that is rapidly becoming the abortion clinic of the south.  

To register and find out more information, go to http://www.vaprolifeday.org

On January 23rd, the National Pro Life march will take place in Washington, DC.  Participation and support is open to everyone! Details are noted in the newsletter below.  We need to show our support for the unborn!

Slainte’

Jay McCarthy

VA AOH Pro Life Chairman

Past VA AOH State President

Fri, Jan 9 at 12:01 AM

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. 1 John 4:11Friday – January 2, 2025The Epiphany of the Lord“Little Christmas,” or “Women’s Christmas” in IrelandSunday, January 4, 2026The 12th Day of Christmas, Epiphany, has special significance in Ireland. It is known as “Little Christmas” — Nollaig Beag — or “Women’s Christmas” — Nollaig na mBan. The tradition of this day is to recognize and appreciate the hard work the women of the Irish home put into the Christmas holiday festivities. So they are thanked and recognized — and granted a break from household chores. Traditionally, on this day, the menfolk would take on domestic tasks and make the tea, which often included a barmbrack cake, which is a type of fruitcake. This gave women a break to rest and meet their friends and neighbors, taking time to visit people and enjoy a cuppa and the last of the Christmas cake, as well as share a gift of some candy or chocolate kept just for this day. It was deliberately purposed to reflect a culture of appreciation for the contributions of women during this festive season. The ladies might even retire to the local pub, usually the preserve of menfolk.  Click here to read the whole story in the National Catholic RegisterDo you have an adoption story you would like to share? The Pro Life Committee would like to share your story with our brothers. Please send your story to lspittcmf@gmail.com Please include pictures if possible!Peadar Tóibín and Sr. Nancy Downing confirmedfor the AOH March for Life Breakfast and Mass in Washington, DC Friday January, 23, 2026!The AOH will participate in the 2026 March for Life in Washington, DC on Friday, January 23, 2026. Before the March, at 9:00 AM, the AOH, in collaboration with the Washington DC State Board, will host a Breakfast at the Irish Channel at 500 H St NW, Washington, DC 20001. The breakfast is $35.00 and includes a full Irish Breakfast Buffet, with coffee, tea, and juices. At about 10:00 AM, we will introduce our speakers for the breakfast. To date we have Peadar Tóibín and Sr. Nancy Downing CEO of St. Anne’s Center for Children, Youth, and Families in Hyattsville, MD. Peadar Tóibín is a TD from Meath West Ireland, who left the Sinn Féin Party, because of their position on abortion. Peadar then founded Aontú, a Pro-Life Party that is rapidly growing in Ireland.  Then, at 11:30 AM, we have Mass, across the street at Mary Mother of God Parish. Fr. Kevin Fields, VA State Chaplain, arranges the Mass, and we usually have about 3 or 4 additional AOH chaplains concelebrating. This year, we will be honored to have Past National AOH Chaplain Bishop John Keener as Principal Celebrant. After Mass, we walk down to the AOH rendezvous point at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 7th Street NW, on the same corner as the National Archives. Step off for the March is 1:00 PM, and we usually join in not too far from the beginning, around 1:15 PM or so. After the March, we circle up at the Dubliner Pub for fellowship and refreshments.The Dubliner is located at 4 F St. NW, in the Park Phoenix Hotel. Sr. Nancy Downing is the CEO of St. Ann’s Center for Youth, Children, and Families in Hyattsville, MD. St. Ann’s Center is committed to lifting vulnerable children, mothers and families out of poverty and homelessness. Their innovative housing and support programs build upon a family’s inherent strengths by providing the tools for life-long independence and self-sufficiency. Peadar Tóibín, born 19 June 1974 is an Irish politician who has served as leader of Aontú since January 2019. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Meath West constituency since 2011. He previously served as Chair of the Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs from 2016 to 2018. He founded Aontú in January 2019.Click here for the March for Life website!Read more about St. Ann’s Center for Children, Youth, and FamiliesRead more about Aontu and Peadar Tóibín40 Days for Life Daily Vigils Continue!40 Days for Life Vigil in Dublin, IrelandClick Here to find a Prayer Vigil in Your Neighborhood!Send a month’s supply of diapers as your Pro Life gift!Click on the image above to access the Map and see the status of Pro-Life laws in your home state!March for Life in Your Home State!Click Buttons for more information and save the date!Concord, New Hampshire – Saturday January 10, 2026Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Saturday January 10, 2026Indianapolis, IN – Thursday January 22, 2026Washington, DC – Friday January 23, 2026Topeka, KS – Wednesday January 28, 2026Oklahoma City, OK – Wednesday February 4, 2026Phoenix, AZ – Saturday February 28, 2026Frankfort, KY – Wednesday March 11, 2026Atlanta, GA – Thursday March 12, 2026Sacramento, CA – Monday March 16, 2026Annapolis, MD – Monday March 16, 2026Hartford, CT – Wednesday March 18, 2026Denver, CO – Friday April 17, 2026Pittsburgh, PA – Saturday April 18, 2026Richmond, VA – Wednesday April 22, 2026Trenton, NJ – Thursday October 8, 2026Hartford, CT – Wednesday March 18, 2026Denver, CO – Friday April 17, 2026Pittsburgh, PA – Saturday April 18, 2026Richmond, VA – Wednesday April 22, 2026Trenton, NJ – Thursday October 8, 2026Hibernian Brother John Downing is organizing a van pool to the March for Life in Washington, DC, from the Greater New York City Area. Please contact John at downingjr@aol.com or (917)744-5700 for more information.If your March is not posted, please send information about your March to lspittcmf@gmail.com.Pro Life Prayer Vigil and MassPhiladelphia, PA January 10, 2026The Pro-Life Union uses hope and love for families to serve and accompany others by offering education, alternatives, and public witness that eliminates the need for abortion and euthanasia in Greater Philadelphia.March for Life planned byPeople Concerned for the Unborn ChildPittsburgh, PA April 18, 2026!FIRST ANNUAL PRO-LIFE MARCH IN PITTSBURGH, APRIL 18TH! On Saturday, April 18th, plan to join a thousand of your pro-life friends at the first annual Pro-Life March through the streets of Oakland! A rally will be held at 11:00 am in Schenley Plaza with an awesome line-up of inspiring speakers, including David Bereit, Founder of 40 Days for Life, and Lydia Taylor Davis, of Students for Life! March will begin at noon. Consider making arrangements now for transportation; church vans or busses, or reserve parking in a local garage such as Soldiers & Sailors, or Forbes Semple. (Free parking apps such as “park whiz” can be used for this). Stay up to date with the planning progress at: www.pittsburghprolifemarch.com. Please pray for this event’s success, as we know there will be spiritual backlash coming against it! Click here for more information!Click here to read the PCUC January Newsletter!Governor Hochul Reaches Agreement With State Legislature to Pass Medical Aid in Dying Act in New YorkGovernor Hochul today (December 17, 2025) announced an agreement with the Legislature to make medical aid in dying available to terminally ill New Yorkers with less than six months to live. This comes after careful reflection and deliberation with the bill’s sponsors, advocacy organizations, and most importantly, everyday New Yorkers who shared personal experiences with the Governor. The bill, with the agreed-upon amendments, will be passed and signed in January, and the law will go into effect six months later.Click Here for the governor’s full press release.NYS Bishops’ Statement on Gov. Hochul’s Plan to Sign Assisted Suicide Bill“We are extraordinarily troubled by Governor Hochul’s announcement that she will sign the egregious bill passed by the legislature earlier this year sanctioning physician-assisted suicide in New York State. This new law signals our government’s abandonment of its most vulnerable citizens, telling people who are sick or disabled that suicide in their case is not only acceptable, but is encouraged by our elected leaders. Tragically, this new law will seriously undermine all of the anti-suicide and mental health care investments Governor Hochul has made through her tenure. How can any society have credibility to tell young people or people with depression that suicide is never the answer, while at the same time telling elderly and sick people that it is a compassionate choice to be celebrated? “While physician-assisted suicide will soon be legal here in New York, we must clearly reiterate that it is in direct conflict with Catholic teaching on the sacredness and dignity of all human life from conception until natural death and is a grave moral evil on par with other direct attacks on human life. We call on Catholics and all New Yorkers to reject physician-assisted suicide for themselves, their loved ones, and those in their care. And we pray that our state turn away from its promotion of a Culture of Death and invest instead in life-affirming, compassionate hospice and palliative care, which is seriously underutilized.”Read the full statement from the New York State Catholic ConferenceProlife Across AmericaMaybe you’ve seen their billboards on the highway, or in your neighborhood. Prolife Across America provides billboards and vinyl banners for your Division, County, or State to display your message to the public. All banners now include a toll free number for assistance with troubled pregnancies.Click Here to Learn More!Excerpts from “Sharing the Pro-Life Message!From the Pro-Choice Arguments section:Aren’t there worse evils than abortion—like war, crime and hunger? There are many evils in this world, and all who dedicate their lives to fighting these evils are to be applauded. Those who are dedicated to fighting abortion believe that abortion is a serious enough evil to deserve a full-scale effort like the pro-life movement. It might be helpful to compare the scope of abortion with the scope of other evils. In 2008, the most recent year for which data is available, there were 1.21 million abortions performed in the United States, or 3,322 abortions per day. Since the founding of the United States in 1776, 1.6 million Americans soldiers have been killed in battle. Since the legalization of abortion in 1973, over 50 million unborn Americans have been aborted—more than 30 times the number of war deaths. As of February 2011, approximately 5,900 Americans had died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan since hostilities began at the start of the decade —which is 0.05% of the number of abortions during the same period. And on September 11, 2001, more lives were taken by abortion than in the terrorist attacks of that day. In 2008, 16,300 people were murdered and 89,000 rapes were reported to the FBI—so abortion is 74 times more common than murder and 13 times more common than rape. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, members of some 6.8 million households will go hungry at some point during the year. While hunger is a tremendous social problem, especially in a country as wealthy as the United States, it cannot compare to the injustice of being killed; few Americans die of starvation, but millions are aborted. Such problems as these deserve to be addressed by concerned Americans. If we would not chastise those who advocate against war, crime and hunger for focusing on the specific problems they feel called to address, why would we chastise those in the pro-life movement for focusing on ending abortion?Sources:Centers for Disease Control. 2006.http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5511a1.htm.FBI. 2009. Violent Crime. http://www2.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2009/offenses/violent_crime/index.htmlFree Republic. Numbers of Americans Killed/Wounded By Action. www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2030369/posts.Guttmacher Institute. 2011, January. Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html.Casualties.org. Iraq Casualty Coalition Count. 2009, January. http://icasualties.org/oif/Times Online. 2008, September 11. New York Silent For 9/11 Memorial. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4734589.ecUnited States Department of Agriculture. 2010. Food Security in the United States. http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodSecurity/stats_graphs.htm.  Click here to purchase “Sharing the Pro-Life Message”Readings for Holy MassThe Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas December 31, 2025In the first reading, we hear the Evangelist John proclaim the presence of Antichrists. This is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say about antichrists:675 – “Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the “mystery of iniquity” in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh.”Today, we have those who drive abortion, assisted suicide, war, and other attacks on human life as their solution to a problem, and therefore, fit the Church’s definition of antichrist. The Psalms proclaim the joy of knowing that God rules with justice and constancy that triumph. In John’s Gospel, he begins proclaiming Jesus as a new beginning, using the style of creation from the book of Genesis. He indicates John the Baptist proclaimed the coming of Jesus, and we know that John was beheaded for exposing the sins of Herod, his wife Herodias, and daughter Salome. Today, we hear pop culture, politicians, judges, and educators propose abortion and assisted suicide as a solution to a problem. Reading I – 1 John 2:18-21Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming,so now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of our number;if they had been, they would have remained with us. Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number. But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One,and you all have knowledge. I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth. Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 96:1-2, 11-12, 13R.   (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!Sing to the LORD a new song;  sing to the LORD, all you lands.Sing to the LORD; bless his name;  announce his salvation, day after day. R.  Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;  let the sea and what fills it resound;  let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the LORD.R.  Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!The LORD comes,  he comes to rule the earth.He shall rule the world with justice  and the peoples with his constancy.R.  Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice! Alleluia – John 1:14a, 12aR. Alleluia, alleluia.The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.To those who accepted himhe gave power to become the children of God.R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel – John 1:1-18In the beginning was the Word,  and the Word was with God,  and the Word was God.He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him,  and without him nothing came to be.What came to be through him was life,  and this life was the light of the human race;  the light shines in the darkness,  and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God.He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.He was not the light,but came to testify to the light.The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world,  and the world came to be through him,  but the world did not know him.He came to what was his own,  but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him  he gave power to become children of God,   to those who believe in his name,   who were born not by natural generation   nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision   but of God. And the Word became flesh  and made his dwelling among us,  and we saw his glory,  the glory as of the Father’s only-begotten Son,  full of grace and truth. John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’”From his fullness we have all received,grace in place of grace,because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.No one has ever seen God.The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.Click here to read the complete Readings for this MassClick here to read about the antichrist in the CatechismRSVPAttention all AOH Pro Life Chairmen – Resources for Reports Available!If you would like a PDF copy of this report, or any of the past reports, just send me an email request, using the address below, and I’ll get it to you very quickly.Follow the link below for report topics and content to deliver to your state, county, or division!https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1e03eFlF1lBkBr1DAHro0dejUYspsBeF2xMRk

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