Lumen Gentium Award Winner: Margherite Garrahy

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Margherite Garrahy has been a longtime staunch advocate for the sanctity of all human life — from conception until natural death — through her support of a variety of pro-life initiatives across the state.
Along with her late husband, former R.I. Gov. J. Joseph Garrahy — with whom she was married for more than 55 years and raised four daughters and a son — Garrahy has been very public in her support of pro-life issues across the state.
“She is unafraid to give witness to the dignity of life within her family, her parish and to the public in general. This has been true since her husband’s time in office and continues to this day,” her nomination for a Lumen Gentium Award in the Respect Life category states.
In 2019, Garrahy co-signed a newspaper op-ed with former Gov. Donald Carcieri and former House Speaker Matthew Smith calling upon the General Assembly to defeat a pro-abortion bill before the legislature.
In addition, she followed up by going to the Statehouse to advocate for the dignity of life and to work for the defeat of the proposed legislation.
Garrahy was born in the Eagle Park section of Providence, one of eight children and the oldest of four girls. She is a daily communicant at St. Thomas More parish and regularly participates in rosary prayer after morning Mass. She and other supporters have helped to fund or donate supplies to a variety of local pro-life organizations.
“A lot of our pro-life activity has been through Our Lady’s Guild, so we thought we’d establish a pro-life committee in response to the Gospel of Life, which gave us a commitment to prayer — which is of course most important — as well as to education and action,” Garrahy said.
Garrahy and her fellow volunteers have held baby showers for R.I. Right to Life, and have sold roses to support the Little Flower Home and the Mother of Life Center.
She has also given her support through the years to the Diocese of Providence’s annual 40 Days for Life campaign, as well as to Servants of Christ for Life and the interdenominational CareNet organization.
“We’re expanding our focus to education in all the areas of life pertaining to the abortion issue, euthanasia, infanticide, assisted suicide and stem cell research,” Garrrahy said.
“Little by little we’re making inroads I think.”