There was excitement in Father Marx’s voice when he called in late January. “Legatus has invited me to attend their annual meeting, to be held in Los Angeles from February 6–8. They want to give me a pro-life award. I’d like you to be there.”
I immediately accepted. I was coming off trips to California, Florida, and Arizona, and had other journeys coming up, but I told Father that I wouldn’t miss the award ceremony for the world. “You deserve this honor and more,” I told him, “for all that you’ve done on behalf of life.”
The award, he told me, was called the “John Cardinal O’Connor Unambiguously Pro-Life Award.” This gave it special resonance for Father, since Card. O’Connor had been a long-time friend and supporter of his pro-life apostolate. It had been instituted to honor members of the clergy, academia, the media, or political activists who demonstrate courageous Christian witness in defending the sanctity of all human life. The first recipient of the award, which was instituted in 2001, had been Congressman Henry Hyde. Father Marx was to be included in the second group to receive the award, and the only one asked to make a speech. I couldn’t imagine a better choice.
On February 6, I flew into Minneapolis, where I met up with an exhilarated Fr. Marx. We continued together to Los Angeles, where we were greeted by limousine, and taken to the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. Two days of back-to-back presentations followed from such speakers as Father Robert Spitzer, President of Gonzaga University, Fr. Benedict Groeschel, and Austin Ruse, President of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute. There were 340 Legatus members in attendance, all Catholic CEOs interested in learning more about their Catholic faith.
Father Marx was at the top of his game, happy to meet and chat with old friends such as Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino’s Pizza (and Legatus) and Carl Karcher, the founder of Carl’s, Jr., a fast-food chain on the west coast.
The awards banquet came on the final night. Father’s acceptance speech was a tour de force, a concise but fluent summary of the assaults on life around the world, and what must be done to combat them. At its conclusion, Torn Monaghan handed Father a 15-pound bust of Cardinal O’Connor, which now sits proudly in a place of prominence in his room at St. John’s Abbey in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
It was good to see Father honored in this way for his decades of tireless efforts on behalf of babies and families around the world. It was also a tremendous encouragement for us here at the Population Research Institute, who labor to carry on his work. Ad multos annos, Father Marx!
Steven W. Mosher
The official citation for the Cardinal O’Connor award presented to Father Marx reads:
Whereas Father Paul Marx has been involved in the struggle for life since 1961, visiting 91 countries around the world to promote the Culture of Life;
Whereas Father Paul Marx pioneered the study of Natural Family Planning (NF P ) through his international symposia and seminars throughout the United States and beyond;
Whereas Fr. Marx first exposed the plans of the abortion industry two years before the legalization of abortion by the U.S. Supreme Court, in his best-selling book, The Death Peddlers: War on the Unborn (1971);
Whereas Father Paul Marx was encouraged in his apostolate by several popes, including Pope Paul VI who told him on January 26, 1973, just four days after Roe vs. Wade, “You are a courageous fighter; never give up.”
Whereas Father Marx founded numerous pro-life organizations around the globe, including the Human Life Center in 1972, Human Life International in 1980, and Population Research Institute in 1989;
Whereas Father Paul Marx was named “The Apostle of Life” by Pope John Paul II;
Whereas Father Marx, at 82 years of age, continues to be actively involved in the pro-life struggle as chairman of the Board of Directors of Population Research Institute;
Now, therefore, let it be resolved that the Legatus International Board of Directors recognizes Father Paul Marx for demonstrating outstanding courageous Christian witness in defending the sanctity of all human life, in keeping with the Legatus ideals of fidelity, integrity, and courage.
