Nearly 700 people gathered at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas Sept. 16 for a night of gratitude, celebrating the closure of an abortion facility that now houses a diocesan Catholic Charities Mother of Mercy Free Medical Clinic.
The event was organized by the BVM Trust Foundation, which in 2015 purchased the building where an abortion facility operated for 25 years.
Two years later, Catholic Charities Mother of Mercy Free Clinic opened in the same location to serve Prince William County. The event paid tribute to donors and volunteers who continue to support and serve the clinic.
The foundation honored Art Bennett, former president and CEO of diocesan Catholic Charities, with its inaugural St. Michael the Archangel Courage Award for his work establishing the clinic. Alexandra Luevano, clinic director, received the St. Raphael the Archangel Healing Award. Comedian Jeremy McLellan, also a teaching fellow at Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire Institute, performed.
