By SUZANNE MOORE
Features Editor
PLATTSBURGH —
"I don't remember being taught to respect life."
Marnie Reynolds just grew up that way.
Active in St. Peter's Church Youth Group, she traveled to Washington, D.C., in January the past three years to take part in the March for Life with thousands of other people who believe abortion ends a human life.
Reynolds has been a regular at the prayerful Plattsburgh Lifechain and the city's local version of the March for Life. Those, along with the Gabriel Project that helps women in crisis pregnancy, she said in her application essay, "have strengthened my foundation."
Reynolds is the second winner of the Rev. Cyril R. Rapin Pro-Life Scholarship, awarded annually by the Bishop's Apostles for Life Pro-Life Scholarship Committee.
The late Rapin, a much loved Catholic pastor at parishes around the North Country and a vocal proponent of the gospel of life, made a bequest to Champlain Valley Right to Life. That organization — including chairpersons Wanda and the late Bart Gaffney — felt the money would best be used "to promote pro-life witness among the younger generation," said the Rev. Albert Hauser, who until recently was pastor at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Plattsburgh, the home base for the Bishop's Apostles for Life organization is headquartered.
The first award, in 2009, went to Meaghan O'Rourke of Adams.
Choosing the 2010 winner was a challenging proposition, said Hauser, who is now pastor of the Roman Catholic Community of Morristown, Hammond, and Rossie.
"This year, we did a lot of follow up because the applications were so strong," he said.
Those who narrowly missed winning were Rachel M. Daly, Samantha Mulcahy and Eliza Zalis, all Seton Catholic High School students; and Elizabeth Izzo, who is home-schooled. In fact, all four are close friends of Reynolds'.
Kathryn DePerrior and Thomas J. Roman II in Watertown were also runners up.
"We want to commend them" for their efforts, Hauser said.
Reynolds, daughter of Karen and Edward Reynolds at Plattsburgh High School graduate, has begun her freshman year at Nazareth College in Rochester, where she will major in communications science and disorders.
"It definitely means a lot (to win the pro-life scholarship)," she said, "because I know how many other people applied.
"And I'm so passionate about it."
Applications for the 2011 scholarship award will become available by the end of the month at: dioogdensburg.org or olvc.org.
E-mail Suzanne Moore at: smoore@pressrepublican.com
