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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Respect Life Convocation Focuses on
Persons with Disabilities
Keynoter Wesley Smith, Esq. To Speak on “Bioethics:
Creating a Disposable Caste?” |
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ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NEW YORK, November 10, 2005 -
The annual Respect Life Convocation sponsored by the
Diocese of Rockville Centre to be held on Saturday,
November 19 will focus on “Persons with Disabilities and
the Gospel of Life.” This year’s gathering will examine
the impact of bioethics on the physically disabled in
society from both secular and religious viewpoints.
The convocation will open with a Mass celebrated by
Bishop William Murphy, Bishop of the Diocese of
Rockville Centre at 9:00 a.m. in St. Agnes Cathedral.
The convocation will continue in the St. Agnes Parish
Center.
Attorney Wesley J. Smith, an expert on bioethics who is
the author of Consumer’s Guide to a Brave New World
will deliver the keynote address on “Bioethics: Creating
a Disposable Caste?”
Mr. Smith, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute,
is an attorney and consultant for the International Task
Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide and a special
consultant to the Center for Bioethics and Culture. He
is an international lecturer and public speaker,
appearing at political, university, medical, legal,
bioethics, and community gatherings across the United
States, Canada, Europe, South Africa and Australia.
Other speakers include:
● Reverend Edward Hemsworth, O.P., former director of
The Blessed Margaret of Castello Shrine in Kentucky.
Ordained a priest of the Dominican order in 2004, Father
Hemsworth was previously a public accountant for Coopers
& Lybrand and an internal auditor for Mass Mutual
Insurance Company. Father Hemsworth will discuss the
Gospel of Life and Blessed Margaret of Castello.
● Playwright Alex La Perchia whose play about Blessed
Margaret focuses on her loving and cheerful response to
the difficulties she faced will also speak.
The program is free but registration is required.
Contact the Respect Life Office of the Diocese of
Rockville Centre at (516) 379-8292 extension 215 or
respectlife@drvc.org for registration information.
Wesley J. Smith
Wesley J. Smith is the author or co/author of 11 books.
His current book, Consumers Guide to a Brave New
World ponders the dangers and potential benefits of
human cloning, stem cell therapies and genetic
engineering. He is currently conducting research for a
book he will write on the animal rights/liberation
movement. His recent books are Culture of Death: The
Assault on Medical Ethics in America and Power
Over Pain: How to Get the Pain Control You Need. Mr.
Smith is also the author of Forced Exit: the Slippery
Slope from Assisted Suicide to Legalized Murder.
Mr. Smith's writing and opinion columns have appeared in
such national and regional news publications as
Newsweek, The New York Times, The Weekly Standard
magazine, National Review, The Wall Street Journal, USA
Today, The New York Post, First Things, Forbes magazine,
The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Detroit News
among many others. Mr. Smith has also appeared on CNN
Crossfire, Larry King Live, Good Morning America,
Nightline, and the Sunday Program on BBC 4 radio.
In May 2004, National Journal named Mr. Smith one
of the nation’s top expert thinkers in bioengineering
because of his work in bioethics.
Father Edward John Thaddeus Hemsworth, O.P.
Father Edward John Thaddeus Hemsworth, O.P. is a priest
of the Order of Preachers, the Dominican order. He is
currently assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of
St. Vincent Ferrer at 869 Lexington Avenue, in
Manhattan. He is chaplain to the Third Order Dominican
group, Our Lady of the Assumption chapter that meets
every third Thursday of the month at the Church of Saint
Vincent Ferrer.
Prior to his current assignment, Father. Hemsworth, O.P.
was the director of the Blessed Margaret of Castello
Shrine at St. Louis Bertrand Church in Louisville, KY
where he was assigned as parochial vicar and as chaplain
to the Third Order Dominican Women’s group. The Third
Order Dominican Women’s group operates the Blessed
Margaret of Castello Women’s Pregnancy Center in
Louisville, KY.
Father Hemsworth was ordained a priest of the Dominican
Order on May 21, 2004. He has a Master of Divinity
degree from the Dominican House of Studies in
Washington, D.C. and a Master of Science in Accounting
from Western New England College in Springfield, MA. He
graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 1983.
Prior to entering the Dominican Order, Fr. Hemsworth, OP
was a public accountant for Coopers & Lybrand in
Springfield, MA, and an internal auditor for Mass Mutual
Insurance Co. and Aetna Insurance Co.
Alex LaPerchia
Alex LaPerchia is a playwright, educator, author,
college and secondary Instructor of English, novelist,
screenwriter and nonfiction writer. Mr. LaPerchia
contends that the war against poverty, drugs, crime and
violence must be fought and won in the classroom by
teaching moral issues. The author draws heavily upon his
relationships with others, mostly students and his wife,
relating how they helped him grow in values. His
published books include: Spiritual Guide to Eternal
Life: All God’s Children; A N.Y.C. Teacher Learns Love;
A survey of Literature Through the Ages; and
Satan and the Saint.
# # #
About The Diocese of Rockville Centre
The Diocese of Rockville Centre was formed in 1957 and
covers 1,222 square miles in Nassau and Suffolk
Counties. The diocese serves approximately 1.4 million
Catholics (total population in both counties is
approximately 3.3 million). There are 134 parishes in
115 towns. Last year over 20,000 baptisms, 18,000
confirmations, 20,000 first communions and 5,000
marriages took place in the diocese. There are 2,137
students in Catholic kindergarten, 23,825 in primary or
elementary school, 12,628 in secondary school and 3,300
in higher institutions. There are 76 Catholic elementary
and high schools and one Catholic college in the
diocese. Catholic Health Services of Long Island
consists of five hospitals, three nursing homes, two
home-care agencies, two senior housing complexes, a
community-based home for those with special needs and a
hospice. Last year, Catholic Charities assisted more
than 80,000 individuals who are poor, vulnerable and
disadvantaged on Long Island. For more information,
visit www.drvc.org
For more information:
Sean P. Dolan
sdolan@drvc.org
516-678-5800, ext. 625
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