PROVIDENCE — If you had a foot problem, you wouldn’t consult your dentist … right? Dr. Sharon O’Brien’s rhetorical question to an audience inside the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul this past Saturday illustrated why too many domestic violence and abuse victims choose not to speak up. They harbor little hope, explained Dr. O’Brien—herself a survivor—that anyone could or would help them recover from such dire situations.
Dr. O’Brien’s presentation addressed a difficult topic that she conceded seldom appears in homilies or other high-profile discussions about the respect-for-life crusade which many Catholics pursue. Yet, the costs of such silence can be extreme and irreversible, a point she drove home with this sobering statistic: In the United States alone, between three and four people die each day, on average, as a direct result of domestic violence.
Should anyone—female or male, Dr. O’Brien stressed—confide in you, though, she insists you don’t try to solve the problem, due to its myriad complexities. With her doctorate in human development, Dr. O’Brien co-founded and now serves as director of Maryland-based Catholics for Family Peace, a domestic abuse education and research initiative working in conjunction with the National Institute for the Family.
“You can believe the person,” she advised. “Do not minimize or explain or rationalize [the alleged abuser’s behavior]. Use my proven technique, which is to say, ‘Thank you for sharing. That shouldn’t have happened. I’m not a counselor, but I know the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). They can connect you with all the local resources you need.
“Finally,” added Dr. O’Brien, “I would ask, ‘Is there one thing I can do to help you?’ Oftentimes, they just need 50 dollars to buy groceries or something for the family. They might need a ride to some doctor’s appointment.”
Dr. O’Brien’s October 4 appearance concluded the Diocese of Providence’s Human Life Guild Day. This annual celebration of life and the faithful Catholics who help promote it, overseen by the diocesan Office of Life and Family Ministry, coincides with Respect Life Month, observed each October by the Catholic Church in the United States. This year’s lineup of events featured a Mass inside the cathedral, the presentation of 2025 Human Life Guild Awards, a celebratory brunch thereafter, and expert keynote speakers.
Naturally, the abortion debate played a prominent role, since most respect-for-life conversations concentrate on life’s weighty bookends—birth versus abortion, natural death versus euthanasia. “But there’s so much life in between!” exclaimed audience member Jen Bernard. She and her husband, Ryan, from St. Bernard’s Church in North Kingstown (a purely coincidental fact, they pointed out) frequently take part in Human Life Guild activities. “I loved hearing about the domestic abuse issues because that does fuel a lot of [abortion] decisions, I would think. So, meeting that need is really, really crucial.”
For in-depth analysis of a rising abortion trend, the diocese called upon Pittsburgh-based Christina Cirucci, M.D., chairwoman of the board of directors for the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Dr. Cirucci’s detailed, hour-long presentation emphasized the potentially deadly consequences for women who choose or are forced to undergo medication-induced abortions.
“This is not as safe as Tylenol, as proponents like to claim,” Dr. Cirucci declared. “This is not safer than childbirth, as they also say. This is not even as safe as a surgical procedure. I’m certainly not condoning a surgical abortion, but it’s much safer for the woman. It’s clearly not safe for the baby.”
Dr. Cirucci began and ended her talk with a photo of and true story about a woman who was scheduled to undergo a surgical abortion, but arrived 15 minutes late. Told her doctor was thus unavailable, the woman resorted to a medicinal alternative which caused severe complications, a common side effect, according to Dr. Cirucci. “She lacked proper treatment or follow-up and died soon after ... She died,” Dr. Cirucci asserted, “because of abortion pills.”
“I knew about [abortion pills], but there was definitely a lot more detail, which was great to learn,” admitted Jen Bernard, who serves almost daily as a sidewalk counselor outside local abortion clinics.
“It’s good to be informed,” her husband, Ryan, observed. “Those babies don’t have a voice themselves, so somebody has to speak up for them. Everybody can step up and speak to this issue. It’s not only women who can talk about it.”
A half-dozen deserving Rhode Islanders were presented with the Human Life Guild Award this year. Joan Bessette (parishioner from St. Philip, Greenville) and Paul Zabinski (St. John Paul II, Pawtucket) joined Robin Degrange (St. Joseph, Cumberland) and JoAnn Donahue (St. Rocco, Johnston) in the adult categories, while college students Lucas Caporaso (Our Lady of Mercy, East Greenwich, and Iona University) and Ekaterina “Katya” Rau (Providence College and a recent convert to the faith) represented the younger generation. Each was recognized for his or her outstanding work in raising awareness, as well as engaging in outreach, public policy, and prayer efforts to support life-respecting causes.
With Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R, in Rome for the ordination to the transitional diaconate of Seminarian Mateusz Puzanowski, Father Michael J. Najim (pastor at St. Philip Parish, Greenville, and the diocese’s Vicar for Priests) celebrated the morning Mass alongside several concelebrants. In his homily, he identified a nexus between the award recipients, a pair of recently canonized saints, and the theme for 2025’s Respect Life Month — “Life: Our Sign of Hope.”
“More than ever, we need hope … But more than ever, we need to be signs of hope. This is what the Lord asks of us. Just as Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis were signs of hope to their generations, you and I need to continue to be signs of hope to our world today. Our award recipients this morning are just that. Each one has witnessed to the beauty and gift of human life.”
