April 24, 2022

Sister Deirde Byrne speaks about life, love at annual pro-life breakfast

REGIONAL
Story and photos by Carolee McGrath

HOLYOKE – More than 300 people gathered at Wyckoff Country Club in Holyoke for Pro-Life of Pioneer Valley’s Seventh Annual Breakfast, Saturday, April 23.  Sister Deirdre Byrne, of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and the sister of Springfield Bishop William D. Byrne, was the guest speaker. Their sister, Susan Rust, also made the trip from Washington, D.C. for the breakfast.

Sister Byrne, known as Sister Dede, is a surgeon and retired colonel in the U.S. Army Medical Corps and reservist. She served in Afghanistan. She also served as a missionary surgeon in Kenya, Haiti, Sudan, and Iraq.

Sister Byrne’s religious community offers pro-bono services to patients facing a crisis pregnancy, and counseling for women who have had abortions.  

“We also do the abortion reversal pill,” said Sister Byrne of women who have taken RU486, or the abortion pill. “We can save 60 percent of the babies.”

She explained that abortion is not healthcare, despite what those who support abortion claim.

“This is not a battle between right and left, Republicans and Democrats. This is a battle between Satan and our Lord,” Sister Byrne told the crowd.

In 2020, Sister Byrne addressed the Republican National Convention, where she said, “As a physician I can say without hesitation, life begins at conception.”

At the breakfast, Sister Byrne recounted how she was assigned to Ground Zero in New York City in the days after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. She also spoke of her experience in Afghanistan and how praying the rosary and attending Mass when possible with fellow soldiers was a gift.

“God was calling me to a special mission to be his physician. God was preparing me, spending time before the Blessed Sacrament. When in the silence of our heart, God will speak to us. Before the most Blessed Sacrament, I found God’s love,” she said.

During the program, Pro-Life of Pioneer Valley announced the winners of their essay and art contest for students in grades four through 12. James Brunault of Holyoke won the Fred Glidden Pro-Lifer of the Year Award. Pastor Constant Cooley, of United Temple Church of God in Christ in Springfield, was the master of ceremonies for the breakfast.

“Right now the world thinks God is divided, that the church is sometimes divided. We are not divided. The Bible says we are one in Christ Jesus. Even though we may not pray in the same way or have church in the same way, we worship the same God and that same God is telling us to do something about this foolishness — the killing of babies and other things that are happening. We have a duty to speak up and speak out and use God as our reference,” said Pastor Cooley.

Pro-Life of Pioneer Valley handed out information to attendees about different opportunities to help educate people on the issues of abortion and euthanasia.

Bishop Byrne introduced his sister.

“Sister Dede does inspire me. This is a cosmic battle as she was saying. It also takes someone who is not just a sister but a soldier to help in that fight,” said Bishop Byrne. “And she’s right: The violence of abortion, the violence in the womb spreads beyond. It’s a ripple effect in so many aspects of our culture and our lives.”

A video version of this story will be on an upcoming edition of “Real to Reel” which airs Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. on WWLP-22 NEWS.