The Seventeenth Annual Respect Life March is scheduled for Sunday, January 18 at noon, beginning at Saint Matthew Church in Tyrone.
\nA prayer service will start the event at the church, and then participants will walk 1.25 miles to Oak Grove Cemetery to the grave of Baby Agnes Doe for another short prayer service.
\nParticipants are encouraged to bring a sign. Also, if individuals are unable to walk the distance, feel free to join in by driving at the end of the procession.
\nA hot luncheon will be served in the parish hall after the march.
\n\u201cThis event, although sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and St. Matthew Roman Catholic Church, is opened to all,\u201d said parishioner Peter Kreckel. \u201cWe encourage participation from all religious denominations. We all have been given the gift of life by our God, who is the only one who has the right to bring that life to an end.
\n\u201cWhether it is an unborn child in his\/her mother\u2019s womb, a disabled child, or an elderly person in the twilight of his\/her life, it is their God-given right to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the very building rocks with which this great nation was found.\u201d
\nKreckel gave an in-depth background of why participants annually walk to the grave site of Baby Agnes Doe.
\nHe said the remains of a female infant were discovered in an abandoned dump on Kerbaugh Road near Bellwood on February 5, 1987. After months of investigation, the remains of the baby were turned over to the Knights of Columbus.
\nA \u201cMass of the Angels\u201d was celebrated on June 20, 1987, giving the child the dignified Christian burial that she deserved. She was then given the name Baby Agnes Doe, after Saint Agnes, the patron Saint of little girls.
\nHer remains were then buried in a plot of land set aside by St. Matthew Parish that would serve as a focal point for Pro-Life activities.
\nAccording to Kreckel, Father Strittmatter said of the burial, \u201cThis little girl lived only a few days, if only we could accomplish so much in a lifetime.\u201d
\nKreckel said, \u201cEvery January the Knights of Columbus sponsors the Respect Life March from St. Matthew Church to Oak Grove Cemetery to pay respect to Baby Agnes, and to reflect on the atrocities caused by our society\u2019s lack of respect of human life at all stages.
\n\u201cAlthough most Pro-Life people focus on the abortion issue, attention is drawn to respect life at all stages from conception to a natural death.\u201d
\nAccording to Kreckel, there are a variety of reasons participants walk to the grave site every year.
\n\u201cWe all gather strength from each other in this movement,\u201d said Kreckel. \u201cWe all need to take time to walk and reflect on what needs to be done to respect life.
\n\u201cA lot of people are unable to make the trip to Washington D.C. on January 22, the Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion in 1973. This is an opportunity for those to make a public statement that they are opposed to killing the unborn, but are unable to participate in the March for Life in Washington D.C.\u201d
\nThe march has grown and changed tremendously over the years. The average attendance had been approximately 125 participants each year. Since Father Joseph Orr joined St. Matthew Parish and has become part of the march, crowds have grown. Over 220 people participated last year.
\nAccording to Kreckel, this year the church is encouraging the Newman Clubs from Penn State Altoona and Pitt Johnstown to spread the word on their college campuses about the march.
\n\u201cWe are finding some of the most ardent supporters in the Pro-Life movement are college students,\u201d added Kreckel.
\nThe Knights of Columbus would like to acknowledge the support from numerous individuals and groups that make this march a success.
\nFirst, the Tyrone Borough with Chief Joe Beachem, and the police force help to provide the security for the march. The Tyrone Fire Police are also there to provide security for all the marchers.
\nThey would like to thank Father Orr for all he has done in promoting and providing the spiritual guidance to make this event a holy and reflective time.
\nThey would also like to thank Denise Kreckel and her family, along with Mike Ronan and Bob Good who help to provide the luncheon.
\nThe Knights of Columbus Grand Knight Mike Gurekovich provides the leadership of the council and takes care of the logistics. The Fourth Degree Color Corps of the Bishop Garvey Assembly will provide the honor guard for the seventeenth year.
\nThe Daily Herald has helped to promote the event, along with radio station WTRN-AM.
\n\u201cOf course to the participants who take a couple of hours to show the need to respect life, we are most grateful,\u201d added Kreckel. \u201cWe are most delighted to see the youth of our area turn out in force, to show their love for human life.\u201d
\nFor more information on the Seventeenth Annual Respect Life March, contact Kreckel at 684-2898 or email him at pharmcanoe@aol.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Seventeenth Annual Respect Life March is scheduled for Sunday, January 18 at noon, beginning at Saint Matthew Church in Tyrone. A prayer service will start the event at the church, and then participants will walk 1.25 miles to Oak Grove Cemetery to the grave of Baby Agnes Doe for another short prayer service. Participants […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news-in-the-tyrone-pennsylvania-area"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45171\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}