‘Life’ Sculpture Strengthens Parish Culture of Life| National Catholic Register
COMMENTARY: A pro-life sculpture has found a fitting home at my Massachusetts parish.
The Register recently published an article about the arrival of the “Life” sculpture at All Saints Parish in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The bronze statue of Mary with Jesus in her womb is a testament to the sanctity of human life, motherhood and grace. As someone whose own life and faith were deeply shaped within this parish, I find it fitting that the first “Life” statue in the United States has come here.
All Saints is where I received the sacraments and grew in faith alongside my family. It is also the place where I suffered tremendously when I was sexually abused by a priest — a wolf in sheep’s clothing — when I was 15 years old. The priest was eventually criminally charged after I came forward and faced him in court. He was found guilty, sentenced to prison, laicized and later deported to his native country. Like many survivors of clerical abuse, my family and I had to navigate not only the trauma itself but also the confusion and grief that followed.
This parish is also where my family buried my brother, who died from a heart condition in 2001. The church’s Divine Mercy image now hangs in his memory. Despite all the odds, it is also the place where I eventually found hope and healing. My husband and I were married in this church almost 18 years ago, and it is the faith community where we are raising our children. The painful parts of my story can never be erased, but thanks be to God, suffering does not have to have the final word.
There seems to be a tendency to treat our faith and our lives outside of church as separate, and yet they are not separate. Our faith cannot remain confined to a pew or to beliefs we keep to ourselves for fear of offending somebody. If we truly believe human life is sacred, that belief must shape how we live and the kind of culture we strive to build.
This “Life” sculpture speaks volumes about the sacredness and dignity of each human being from the moment of conception. When I had the opportunity to meet the sculptor and learn more about the inspiration behind his work, I was struck by how deeply personal it was. He was profoundly affected both by the abortion his girlfriend underwent when he was young and later by the devastating miscarriage his wife suffered. At a time when life is treated as disposable or reduced to a “personal choice,” this kind of witness matters. Life is either sacred or it’s not. We cannot claim that life is sacred for us personally while treating it as optional for someone else.
The dignity of the human person does not disappear because of suffering, scandal, grief or brokenness. In many ways, those things make defending life even more important. That is part of why this statue feels so meaningful in a parish like mine.
All Saints has been through a lot, but it has also been witness to God’s profound grace and healing. I have watched people continue to show up in faith despite grief, scandal, illness and loss. That kind of perseverance speaks powerfully about God’s ability to bring healing where there has been uncertainty and pain.
We are all wounded in one way or another. Yet, we are all capable of perseverance and resilience.
Elaine Barker, the woman who helped bring this statue here, is one such example. I’ve known her my whole life. She is a faith-filled person who lives out the Gospel in ordinary but powerful ways and spreads joy everywhere she goes. At 89 years old, Elaine showed a Marian kind of witness with her persistence and willingness to do what God is calling her to do. That’s ultimately what brought this statue here.
Mary’s Yes at the Annunciation was a Yes to uncertainty and suffering no matter what lay ahead, but she still surrendered completely to him. Through Mary’s humble Yes, Christ entered the world.
Parenthood also comes with a Yes. It is a daily act of receiving life as a gift, even when it stretches you beyond what you thought you could give. As parents of six, my husband and I understand this firsthand. The pro-life witness is something we are called to live every day even when things feel uncertain.
During Mother’s Day weekend, my family participated in the unveiling celebration. Our 9-year-old daughter read her essay that won first place in the nation in the Culture of Life Studies Program pro-life essay contest. Our children sang to the Blessed Mother in the Choir of Angels while I played the violin and my husband tended to our baby. Looking around the church, I was struck by how many quiet Yeses make up a culture of life.
As the “Life” sculpture is officially unveiled, I am reminded again and again of the simple truth that we are a people called to say Yes. We are called to say Yes to life, to hope, to mercy, and to allowing God to transform suffering into something beautiful.
I am proud that this statue stands in my parish. Mary and baby Jesus are a witness to the sacredness of life from the very beginning, and even in the most complicated of places, God invites us to say Yes again and again.
Always say Yes.
