Last weekend Nellie Gray, 88, the “Mother of the Pro-Life” movement in the USA died at her Washington, DC home. She was the voice of the marginal in the USA. The annual March for Life was founded by Nellie 39 years ago. She worked to shed light on the evil of abortion which has claimed 55 million lives. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated for the repose of Nellie Gray on the Solemnity of the Assumption.
Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, OFM, Cap, said of Nellie Gray:
Having received
news of Nellie Gray’s death, I wish to express my sincere condolences and
prayers for her family and for all who came to know and love her in the
Pro-Life Movement. Her love for life and her dedication to protecting the
unborn, the most vulnerable among us, have inspired countless generations of
Catholics and non-Catholics alike, and we will miss her tremendously.
Nellie
Gray will be remembered as the Joan of Arc of the Gospel of Life. The
architects of the pro-abortion movement in the United States thought that the
opposition would go away, but close to 40 years later the issue is still very
much alive, thanks in part to the annual March for Life and because of people
like Nellie who are committed to the culture of life. Having participated in
every single March for Life since its inception, I have witnessed firsthand her
advocacy and dedication. I was honored by her presence in Boston in 2009, when
during the Boston Catholic Women’s Conference we conferred upon her the Culture
of Life Award.
Her death is a great loss for both our Church and our Country,
but her life has left a meaningful and lasting impression upon the hearts of
those who knew her and upon the many hearts of those whose lives she saved. We
will keep Nellie Gray and all those who mourn her death in our prayers. We ask
God to grant her eternal rest and peace, and we give thanks to Him for the gift
of her life.
Our Lady of Life, pray for Nellie Gray, and for us.
