Marisol Pfaff received the Cardinal Carberry Award at the annual Respect Life Conference held Oct. 5 at the Cardinal Rigali Center in Shrewsbury. The award is presented annually to an individual(s) who has made a significant contribution to the pro-life movement. The honor is named after the late Cardinal John J. Carberry, who started the archdiocesan Pro-Life Committee in St. Louis — the first in the nation — after the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Pfaff, who attends St. Mary Magdalen in St. Louis, has coordinated Project Rachel, a women’s outreach program of the archdiocese’s Abortion Healing Ministry, for more than 25 years. She is a certified spiritual director and coordinates an annual healing retreat for post-abortive women and a monthly support group. She also organizes an annual Mass for the archdiocesan Deceased Children’s Memorial and serves as her parish’s respect life coordinator.
Two people were recognized with the Friend of Life Award, which is given to individuals who are doing extraordinary work in their pro-life ministries, most often at the parish level:
Diann Bomkamp of St. Monica in Creve Coeur serves as her parish’s respect life coordinator and mentors other respect life coordinators with the Naming and Commendation Rite for babies who have died before birth. Bomkamp also has been involved in displaying crosses at St. Monica to commemorate those lost to abortion and prays regularly at Planned Parenthood. She also volunteers as a dental hygienist with the Rural Parish Clinic.
Ann Stahlschmitt of St. Peter in St. Charles is involved in her parish’s respect life committee and has prayed at Planned Parenthood for years. She served as a witness for life at places where signatures were being collected for Amendment 3, and she attends the monthly pro-life Mass organized by the archdiocese as well as other pro-life events.
