People for Life host 47th annual Pro-Life Breakfast

By Melanie Sisinni
01/21/2025

(ERIE) — The 47th annual Pro-Life Breakfast, hosted by People for Life, took place on Saturday, January 18, at the Bayfront Convention Center. Despite chilly temperatures and rainy conditions, nearly six hundred guests filled the grand ballroom to the brim.

More than twenty-five tables were at capacity as People for Life Board Member Karli Van Der Volgen took the stage and assumed her role as emcee for the morning. Van Der Volgen introduced Reverend Doug Byrne, pastor of Arbuckle Christian & Missionary Alliance Church, for an invocation before breakfast, where guests filled their plates with eggs, bacon, sausage and pastries.

Once everyone in attendance was full and focused, Van Der Volgen announced that free childcare was available to anyone who would like to use it before the program officially started.

Joe Preston, seminarian and president of Gannon University’s Students for Life, gave a short speech on behalf of the young people in attendance from Gannon, followed by Madeline Johnson, who gave an abbreviated version of her award-winning Pro-Life Federation Speech.

Shortly after, Van Der Volgen introduced the morning’s special guest speaker, Kaylee Stockton. Stockton, a teen mom and school shooting survivor, emotionally told the story of her tumultuous upbringing and the societal pressure she felt to abort her child when she became pregnant as a teenager.

“The culture of death has such an influence on today’s society that everyone is captivated by these lies even to the point of trying to talk a mother who wants to keep her child out of it,” said Stockton. “I hid my doubts and fears because I knew the people who didn’t have faith in me would use it against me.”

Stockton encouraged those in attendance to be a support system for young mothers and to take action rather than just using words to make a difference.

“I fear my grandkids or great grandkids, or even worse, God, will look me in the face and ask me what I did to stop this genocide, and I will have to say ‘nothing,’” said Stockton.

Stockton further encouraged listeners to get involved on a small scale if they cannot attend larger events, such as next week’s March for Life in Washington, D.C.

“Find simple ways to be involved in your day-to-day life,” said Stockton. “Wear a pro-life shirt to the grocery store or your neighbor’s barbecue to let people around you know that it’s not odd or strange to be pro-life and you aren’t ashamed of your values. Leave drop cards that provide information on local pregnancy resource centers next to the pregnancy tests in your local store.”

When Stockton left the stage, Tim Broderick, executive director for Erie’s branch of People for Life, encouraged those in attendance to donate to the cause, citing several upcoming expenses, such as possibly having to purchase the building that People for Life is currently leasing.

After the giving opportunity, Bishop Lawrence Persico said a few words on stage on behalf of the Diocese of Erie, praising Stockton and echoing her call to action.

“Kaylee gave us a wonderful insight, I think, of her witness to the pro-life cause,” said Bishop Persico. “It takes courage to do what she did. It also takes courage, I think, for someone to stand here and basically say, just being a member of some pro-life group…it doesn’t stop there. It has to be an active participation.”

Bishop Persico also thanked Stockton for her many suggestions for further involvement.

“It’s easy to say, ‘Well, I go to the breakfast, and that’s it,’” said Bishop Persico. “I think she has given us much to think about and the opportunities there for us to demonstrate our pro-life stance.”

The breakfast concluded with a renewed sense of purpose and unity among attendees, inspired by the heartfelt stories and calls to action shared throughout the morning. From Kaylee Stockton’s powerful testimony to Bishop Persico’s encouragement for active participation, the event reminded everyone of the importance of turning conviction into action. As guests departed, the atmosphere was filled with hope and determination, ready to carry the pro-life message into their communities and beyond.

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