Roman Catholic 
Diocese of Ogdensburg

Respect Life

A statement of the Catholic Bishops of New York State

A NYS Healthcare proxy form is included in each Now and At The Hour of Our Death pamphlet (page 13 & 14) which was written by the bishops of New York State. It's also available online.  Please click here

Radical Solidarity: A Pro-Life, Pro-Woman Legislative Agenda for New York State

NYS Catholic Conference Statement on Gov. Hochul signing legislation permitting human composting

NYS Legislative Session Calendar

Following is a statement of Dennis Poust, executive director of the NYS Catholic Conference: 

"Throughout human history and in every culture, the disposition of human remains has followed a variety of rituals, but always involving interment or cremation. The process of composting is associated with the sustainable disposition of organic household or agricultural waste to be repurposed as fertilizer for gardens or crops. But human bodies are not household waste; they are vessels of the soul. Therefore, the Bishops of New York State do not believe the process meets the standard of reverent treatment of earthly remains. 
"In the Catholic Church, preference remains for the burial of the body, with cremation and burial of the ashes as an acceptable and increasingly popular alternative. Just as Church teaching prohibits the scattering or dividing of cremated remains, it would not permit the spreading of composted human remains co-mingled with other organic matter to fertilize a garden.  
"Given this fact, the bishops regret that Gov. Hochul has signed this legislation. For Catholics who share concerns regarding care for the environment, numerous Catholic and other cemeteries in New York offer green burial areas that do not involve embalming, concrete vaults or traditional coffins. As noted, cremation and burial of the ashes is also a legitimate option for faithful Catholics." 
The Catholic Conference represents the Bishops of New York State in public policy matters.

USCCB

A new, one-page resource is now available dispelling the many myths currently circulating which claim abortion restrictions will limit women’s access to healthcare.
“The Truth About Abortion and Women’s Health” can be printed in parish bulletins, included in newsletters, shared on social media, and more.

We hope this resource will help you to combat these lies about pro-life legislation during Respect Life Month and a heated election cycle

Help for Poor Prenatal Diagnosis

Reproductive Health Law

Helpful Information:

Pregnant? Need Help?

Federally Qualified Health Care Centers in Diocese of Ogdensburg

Contact Us

John and Colleen Miner Co-Directors
175 Lake Street Saranac Lake, New York 12983
315-393-2920

We are honored to be the first lay couple to head this office. Formerly, a diocesan priest performed these duties.We live in Saranac Lake and have three daughters (Amanda, Erin and Ellen) and nine grandchildren: Emma, John, Isaac, Lucy, Charlie, Theodore, Nora, Amelia and Myles​. 

We have been involved in the pro-life arena for several years. We have served as the Diocesan Respect Life Directors for 16 years and led a group to the DC March for Life for over 20 years. We've taken part in Planned Parenthood pickets, LIFECHAINS, 40 Days for Life and other pro-life events that witness to the sanctity of all human life. We offer Rachel’s Vineyard, an after-abortion healing retreat each year and strive to promote an awareness of life issues to the public. We also conduct respect life workshops in order to educate the youth and can be found with informational tables at various diocesan events.

John is a retired investigator with the NYS Police Computer Crime Unit . He is a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus. Colleen is a reporter and photographer for the North Country Catholic Newspaper.

Please to not hesitate to contact us with any questions or news you may have concerning Respect Life. We will do our best to keep those in the Diocese informed of pro-life happenings and issues via their pastors, this web page, enotes and the North Country Catholic newspaper. We’d like to thank the Bishop for allowing us to fill this important role.