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PROVIDENCE — When Lisa Cooley learned that she was Rhode Island Right to Life’s 2023 Proudly Pro-Life awardee, she was stunned.
“It was totally unexpected. I feel like I’m still a newcomer,” she remarked. Although she claimed to have “zero credentials,” except her strong Catholic faith, when she stepped into her role as coordinator of the Office of Life and Family Ministry, she has captained that ship for shy of five years through a post-pandemic world, garnering recognition for her service from RIRTL during its November 10 banquet.
Originally hailing from Texas, Cooley moved to Rhode Island years ago, never expecting she would be asked to work for the Diocese of Providence, particularly in defense of life. She began simply, joining her parish pro-life committee and praying before a Planned Parenthood clinic with a group of other like-minded individuals. With a desire to do more, she sought to volunteer in the diocese, but instead was offered a part-time position for the St. Gabriel’s Call ministry, a job she held for five years. From that time, her passion for promoting the culture of life continued to grow.
“It just became more and more clear to me that, especially here in Rhode Island, the fight is real,” she said.
After stepping away from the diocese for a year, Cooley received a call asking her to bring her talents into a different area of the Church. Then, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was offered her current role in the Office of Life and Family Ministry. Like her earlier work in the St. Gabriel’s Call, the position fell into her lap, and she took it on with little experience or assistance, learning as she went along.
“I don’t know if I had the credentials … but I was passionate about it,” she said.
Her position in the diocese covers considerable ground. During her trial-by-fire phase, she continued to host pro-life events, unsure if anyone would attend the Masses or 40 Days for Life campaigns during the pandemic. So it was a “beautiful” moment when hundreds of people came to the Masses for the unborn.
Other ministries Cooley oversees include Rachel’s Vineyard, which puts on retreats twice a year for post-abortive women – and men – who “come just broken … and by the time they leave there, they are on their pathway to healing and it’s a beautiful thing, and they become witnesses to others.” There are now both English- and Spanish-speaking teams for these retreats.
St. Gabriel’s Call continues to fulfill the USCCB’s “Walking With Moms in Need” initiative to aid those at greatest risk of choosing abortion by providing mothers in crisis pregnancies with much-needed child-rearing supplies up to age five. Along with connecting these women and families with resources necessary to choose life, St. Gabriel’s Call helps meet their emotional and spiritual needs.
One of her main goals, however, has been to bring together different factions within the pro-life movement.
“We have such a battle here and unless we get together, it’s only going to get worse,” she said, but is encouraged because “it’s getting better.”
“Nobody does it alone, we all have to come together, and I have a lot to learn from you.”
The opposition remains strong, in part because those who push for abortion have been united for decades and are vociferously outspoken about what they consider women’s reproductive rights.
In the state of Rhode Island, there are few limits on abortion, particularly after the passage of the Reproductive Privacy Act in 2019 codified it into law and allowed for abortion up to the age of viability.
And as of last year, abortion costs for state employees and Medicaid recipients can now be covered through state funding – in essence, taxpayer-funded abortions.
The battle can feel overwhelming at times.
“I get exhausted, thinking ‘Am I doing any good?’” Cooley reflected.
Receiving this recognition from the Rhode Island Right to Life organization, however, “just kind of validates you, I guess, even though you get discouraged a lot,” she continued.
Also encouraging was the presence of Bishop Thomas J. Tobin at the awards banquet, with whom she had worked closely prior to his retirement. Cooley greatly respects Bishop Tobin for the staunch pro-life stance he took as bishop of the Diocese of Providence, seen in numerous ways throughout his tenure as bishop. He even founded the Human Life Guild, a ministry that falls under Cooley’s umbrella. The bishop emeritus shared a few kind words about her devotion to the cause at the event.
According to Barth Bracy, executive director for Rhode Island Right to Life, Bishop Richard G. Henning also spoke recently about Cooley’s good work in the field. Bracy summed up the bishop’s words in saying Cooley performs her duties “with love.”
Bracy explained that this annual award recognizes those within the community who have conspicuously exemplified their pro-life convictions and holds them up as examples for others. In Cooley’s case, he stated that she is “very humble” and saw others and more deserving of the recognition than she. However, Bracy said she was chosen because she “has done remarkable things for years … She stepped into a difficult position during the pandemic and kept many programs running and even grew them.”
He called her dedication to the pro-life cause “heroic” and praised her “graceful, calm” demeanor, especially in the face of deep opposition and harsh setbacks in the wake of the repeal of Roe v Wade. Standing on the front lines in the battle for the unborn can be difficult, and Bracy compared Cooley to the Blessed Mother, in reflecting Mary’s fiat by answering the call to serve in the Diocese of Providence.
This work can be intimidating and test the limits of anyone’s patience, but Bracy noted: “Lisa is able to do it with gentleness and kindness, reflecting God” to others on both sides of the issue.
