Messages on a license plate have the power to transform lives. No one knows this better than Christine Accurso, executive director of First Way Pregnancy Center in Phoenix.

“I know of a few women who were literally at an intersection, getting ready to pull into an abortion clinic, and the license plate in front of them said ‘Choose Life,’” Accurso said. “That provided all the determination and inspiration in the world for them to, as one woman told me, see God’s face, be able to turn away from abortion and seek help by talking to family and friends. Just that little, tiny sign on the license plate.”

Arizona drivers continue to have the option of purchasing a specialty plate that bears the phrase, “Choose Life” prior to the plate number. Facial drawings of a boy and girl sit above the phrase. Drivers — including Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted — have ordered the specialty plate since the design became available in 2009.

The “Choose Life” plates offer a message of hope and provide gateways for dialogue concerning the pro-life mission, said Benta Clark, president of Arizona Life Coalition. The funds acquired by purchasing these plates help pro-life organizations in the area that do not receive federal grants or government funding, Clark said.

“This is a way that people can literally take their faith and their belief in the value of life, and put it towards something that is a day-to-day action. It’s making a daily action, like driving down the street, a way that you can advocate for life,” she said.

When drivers purchase a “Choose Life” license plate, $17 of the $25 application fee goes to Arizona Life Coalition. Funds in turn, through a grant process, provide direct assistance to women seeking abortion alternatives.

First Way Pregnancy Center is one of several organizations that have received grants. Funds have ensured a bilingual peer counselor is available during office hours the past two years.

A “Choose Life” license plate sale also assists First Way with the cost of providing services such as pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, options counseling, education classes for both men and women, as well as material support.
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Order a “Choose Life” license plate

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The idea of creating “Choose Life” license plates originated in Florida but has since spread to Arizona and 28 additional states. It’s one of 49 specialty plates available in the Grand Canyon State.

“There were very strong leaders, lawyers, executive directors of many organizations, including the Center for Arizona Policy, that helped to get the plates on the ground in Arizona,” Clark said. “It was definitely a worthwhile effort.”

Purchasing a plate helps all who are engaged in pro-life efforts to speak with one voice, she added. “I truly believe that we will see the end of abortion and other social issues when people are unified together, when we put aside our organizational differences and work as one body.”

Some are even putting aside their political stance. Accurso can think of some people “who are not completely pro-life” that support First Way.

“What they love about us is the fact that we are there to fully support a woman in her choice, educate her, accompany her on this journey and help her even after the baby is born.

Everyone thinks we are in such camps, pro-life or pro-choice,” Accurso said, “but if a woman wants to try to keep her baby, I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to help her.”

She didn’t get the crown, but a Notre Dame Preparatory junior certainly clothed herself “with strength and dignity,” as the Psalm goes.

Madeline Schwister was the only contestant in the top five finishers for the 2016 Miss Arizona Teen USA pageant to do her own hair and make-up.

“Most girls hired people to do it for them,” she said.

Entering the pageant to begin with was Schwister’s idea, somewhat of a fleeting decision. She simply wanted to try something “new and different.”

“I always loved watching the Miss Teen USA pageant on TV and thought it would be something fun to try,” said Schwister, who had no coaching or previous pageant experience. At the ripe old age of 17, she is considered old for a first-timer.

From filling out the application, to working out, eating right and getting ready for competition, the teen did everything herself. Her trial run was a success.

Schwister, a St. Patrick parishioner and member of the school’s undefeated JV soccer team, surprised herself and her parents by finishing as third runner-up in the 20016 pageant held in November of 2015. “We were so proud of her and were really surprised to see that she has this special talent,” said Suzanna Schwister, Madeline’s mom.

The younger Schwister credits her theology teachers Fr. Ron Hurl, TOR, and Br. Richard Fornwalt at NDP for helping her to improve her public speaking ability. “In class we learned to express our opinions about God and share them with people having different opinions than our own,” Schwister said.

Although she didn’t win a scholarship, Schwister did gain confidence and made several friends through the pageant process. She plans to compete again in the 2017 miss Arizona Teen USA pageant, which despite its title, will be held later this year.

Schwister is the third NDP student to place in the top three in the Miss Arizona Teen USA Pageant. Emerald Zellers won the title in 2006 and her sister, Alexa Zellers, won in 2012.

Sixth-grader, John Ross of Mountainside Middle School was captivated by the Colosseum in Rome, still imagining the gladiators who once fought there. He was impressed that it was still standing 2,000 years later.

A favorite moment for John’s older brother, James, an eighth-grader at Mountainside was the unexpected private tour of the Sistine Chapel.

“They explained to us why all those pictures are painted on the walls and ceiling,” he said. “They even let us take pictures, which you normally can’t do.”

And while a picture is worth a thousand words, the boys, alongside fellow singers from St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s youth choirs at the Scottsdale parish — cherubs, choristers and teen schola — said no words would suffice in describing their recent performance for Pope Francis, even though they sang in three languages.

Sam Barrett, a junior at Notre Dame Preparatory in Scottsdale, said the experience was unreal.

“I couldn’t believe it at the time, and I still haven’t processed it,” he said. “Knowing what he does for the world, it was great to be able to sing for him.”

Homeschooled senior, Rebecca Martin agreed, adding that the entire experience was quite interesting.

“I also was able to talk with kids from choirs in other countries. It was really cool that we were able to meet them and they liked talking with kids from America,” she explained. “I also liked St. Peter’s Basilica because it’s so big. It’s really humbling to realize you’re just one piece in a great big worldwide church.”

The local chorus of 47 students, from fourth through 12th grades, joined a throng of more than 4,000 singers from all over the world, including more than 1,000 from the United States. The choirs participated in five concerts during the 40th International Congress of Pueri Cantores, an international Catholic student choral organization Dec. 26-Jan. 2. The combined international choirs performed Jan. 1 during the World Day of Peace Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Singing for the Pope — a mere 5 feet away — was a once-in-a lifetime experience, even for choir director Kent Campbell, a convert to Catholicism.

“I didn’t plan on becoming Catholic, but if anyone had told me I would be preparing Latin music for a Mass for the pope in Rome, I would have thought you were crazy,” laughed Campbell. “It was a great experience and I think the best was when we met with Pope Francis after singing the Christmas concert. He entertained questions from four of the children in attendance. One girl asked how he liked the choir and if he can sing. He explained that though he enjoys music and enjoyed listening to the opera as a child, he really can’t sing well and sounds like a donkey! He kept repeating ‘Canta e cammina,’ which means ‘Sing and Walk,’ a quote from St. Augustine.”

The opportunity to perform for the Holy Father took two years of planning. Campbell began as the St. Bernard choir director in 2008 and had hoped to bring the students to Rome in 2010, as the Congress is held in Rome every five years.

“We didn’t have that many people in the Pueri Cantores then and the economy was bad, so we decided to put it on hold,” he explained. “Then, we thought, let’s do this in 2015, so I had a travel agent come out here two years ago and we had a great response and more students decided to join the choir.”

In August, Campbell received the special music booklets that the students would need to learn before the congress.

“We were all really excited; there was 90 pages of music and very little of it was in English,” he said. “Most was in Latin and Italian and a lot of it was difficult for them to learn. But, with a lot of extra practices, the students did very well.”

The group of 135 students, family and friends filled two and a half busses, visiting sites such as the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon as well as some tasty Italian restaurants.

“It was really a great experience for the kids and the ability to see beyond our little area in Arizona, get out of the country, hear different languages and experience other cultures,” said Campbell. “We prayed for peace with Pope Francis and that was a very important thing the students were doing and I know that God heard their prayers.”