Great Defender of Life Award Dinner

Human Life Review, Winter 2006

FAITH McFADDEN:

My late husband, James Patrick McFadden, creator of the Human Life Foundation and Founding Editor of the Human Life Review would be-is, I believe-very pleased that we are carrying on, and especially pleased that this year's awardee is a journalist Jim greatly admired: Nat Hentoff. You'll hear from him soon.

And now, keeping an eye on the time, please permit me this brief rhyme:

Among our many distinguished guests tonight,

there's one we would especially like to mention.

We hope he won't mind the attention.

Once again we have with us

a brilliant professor emeritus

of political science at Fordham U.

Author of books and articles too.

He's Father Francis Canavan, SJ,

whose eighty-eighth birthday is today!

And now I'd like to give the mike to my daughter

whose Dad would surely laud her:

Maria James McFadden Maffucci,

wife of Bob and Mom of three,

Editor of The Human Life Review.

So here's Maria now for you.

MARIA MCFADDEN:

Thank you Mom. My mother, Faith, is Senior Editor of the Review, of course, as well as the author of the book Acts of Faith and the pun-laden Eyeview section of the newsletter Catholic Eye.

I, too, would like to welcome you all.

As we begin the evening, I would like to thank, first and foremost, the supporters of the Foundation. We have some of our most loyal and generous supporters here tonight. As I say often in my fund-raising letters-and it really is no exaggeration-we would not be here without you. We would not be able to publish the Human Life Review or offer matching grants to crisis pregnancy centers without those of you who make sacrifices for us. And there are no words adequate to thank you, though I do try.

Tonight I would also like to thank those of you who have made this evening possible, especially the generous benefactors and table sponsors listed in our program.

We are here tonight to honor Nat Hentoff, a man who has insisted on life. He has been, throughout his career, consistent in defending life at all stages; and he has been a champion in defense of the rights of the disabled. He writes the truth as he sees it. He does not tailor his message to his audience, or flinch in the face of sometimes hostile opposition.

My late father founded the Human Life Review because, he said, "good writing can win battles; great writing, whole wars." Nat Hentoff s powerful words have been a great part of our arsenal. We are so proud to honor him.

We have some special new friends here tonight. Democrats for Life are here in force, and they have brought with them New York State Senator Reverend Reuben Diaz, who is on their Advisory Board. Welcome, Senator. Senator Diaz has spoken out eloquently against abortion and against embryonic stem cell research. He recently took scores of New York City Hispanic clergymen to Washington, D.C. to rally in support of the nomination of John Roberts for Chief Justice.

Many of you will remember that Mary Meehan, who is also here tonight, wrote a wonderful two-part series for us on Democrats for Life in 2003.

As we prepare to ask God to bless our meal, I also want to ask for your prayers. Our Senior Editor, John Muggeridge, who was expected to be with us this evening is ill, and must stay in Toronto; and he asks for our prayers. And very sadly, we have lost two friends, two fellow Great Defenders of Life, who were here together in this room last year: Mr. Dick Reeder, who was dedicated to the pro-life cause, and most recently worked with Christopher Bell and Good Counsel Homes, passed away suddenly last July. His wife, Sheila, and two of their children, are here tonight.

And just two days ago, we lost another great man, Wellington Mara, whose dedication and generosity in the cause of life was boundless. We remember them and pray for their families. And now I would like to ask Father George Rutler, Pastor of the Church of Our Saviour here in Manhattan, and Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Executive Vice President of the New York Board of Rabbis, to say the blessing.

FATHER GEORGE RUTLER:

I stand before you in two capacities: Pastor of the Church across the street, and also member of the Hanging Committee of this club. Not as dire as it sounds. We're in charge of the pictures.

My first encounter with Mr. Hentoff was indirect. I think it was about 1992 when I read his column, "The Perennial Face of Fascism," about how people who spoke most glibly about freedom of speech are the most censorious themselves. Around the same time I met an elderly woman who walked with me in a pro-life march. We were going down Madison Avenue. Cardinal O'Connor was with her and various other people. And as we were saying the Rosary-and she was Jewish-people began blowing whistles and banging drums, trying to drown us out.

And she said to me, "Father, I've heard that sound before. I grew up in Munich and in the 1930's, whenever we tried to speak against the government, the young boys would blow whistles and bang drums. They had nothing to say; they could only make noise. Well, nothing has changed."

So we're very happy now to be able to honor this evening a champion of reasonable discourse and natural law. We gather to do so, Christians and Jews together. My first theological crisis in my life was at the age of ten and involved Judaism. My father decided I should learn Hebrew. We were Episcopalian at the time. I was only ten and I spoke very few languages then. I was sent to go to Synagogue on Friday nights with the Jewish undertaker in town. He told me that Jesus was Jewish. I remember asking my father, if Jesus was Jewish, why were we Episcopalians. And shortly after I became even more confused when I learned that our Lord's Mother was Roman Catholic.