Paul Schenck
Encyclopedia
Paul Chaim Benedicta Schenck (born in 1958 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey
) is an ordained Catholic priest who is a pro-life
activist along with his twin brother, Robert Schenck. They are both active in ministries in Washington, D.C.
as well as throughout the United States and other countries.
as a non-Catholic Christian when he was 16 years old. Paul and his brother each married in 1977 and lived and worked in the Town of Tonawanda, New York until Robert left in 1976 (he returned in 1982)and Paul in 1994.
Paul founded the New Covenant Tabernacle http://www.nctag.org/ Church in Tonawanda, New York
, in 1982, after joining the Reformed Episcopal Church in 1994 he was vicar of a mission in Virginia Beach and rector of a parish in Catonsville, Maryland
. Paul was the executive vice president of the American Center for Law & Justice from 1994 to 1997. Robert later joined the Evangelical Alliance
and transferred his ordination to the Methodist Episcopal Church
.
Schenck was received into the Catholic Church in 2004. He was ordained a Catholic priest
on June 12, 2010, under the Pastoral Provision
, which allows married former clergy of the Anglican tradition to be ordained without the requirement for celibacy.
. In 1992, they helped organize the "Spring of Life" in Buffalo in an effort to focus its public demonstrations on abortion providers and on efforts to close abortion clinics. Hundreds of pro-life activists, most of them from western New York, were arrested for blockading clinics. Schenck's image appeared on the cover of Life
magazine. Robert was photographed holding an aborted 20-week-old fetus
in his hands.
Robert was arrested for showing Bill Clinton
an aborted fetus during the 1992 Democratic National Convention
in New York City
.
Schenck was accused and convicted of obstruction of a federal order for denying that he borrowed his twin brother's necktie during a demonstration in front of a post office behind which was an abortion clinic. The charge was part of a larger case against the Schencks for distributing Bible
s, tracts, and pro-life literature on the public sidewalk near the post office. Robert was released from the case, but Schenck was sentenced to 30 days in a federal prison.
Until about 1994, the brothers had worked together, primarily in Buffalo, but then Schenck moved to Virginia Beach and joined the ACLJ, the public-interest law firm headed by Keith Fournier, a Catholic
deacon, and Jay Sekulow, a Jewish Christian Constitutional lawyer. Schenck joined the Reformed Episcopal Church
and was made the chaplain of Regent University School of Law. Robert moved to Washington, D.C., where he founded Faith and Action
.
In Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New York
, Schenck's challenge to a court order went to the Supreme Court
in 1996. The case was to decide details about restraining order
s, in particular for protesters around abortion clinics. The Court held that the injunction provisions imposing "fixed buffer zone" limitations were constitutional, but the provisions imposing "floating buffer zones" violated the First Amendment
. The Court voted 8-1 in Schenck's favor striking down the floating zones. The Court used that case to strike down similar restrictions in Colorado
, Arizona
and California
.
On December 24, 1996, Robert again encountered Clinton at the Washington National Cathedral
and, in reference to Clinton's veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
, said "God
will hold you to account, Mr. President." Robert was detained by the Secret Service
on suspicion of threatening the President of the United States
.
In 1995, Schenck left the Assemblies of God denomination to become a minister in the Reformed Episcopal Church
. Besides his studies at Elim Bible Institute, he graduated from Luther Rice University (with a B.A. biblical studies), was granted the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, New Hampshire
, (and in Rome
) was granted the Graduate Catechetical Diploma by The Most Rev. Paul Laverde, the Bishop of Arlington, Virginia. Subsequently Schenck studied liturgical theology at the Catholic University of America and received the Master of Religious Studies, then Master of Arts in Theology from Catholic Distance University
, summa cum laude
. In 2007, he received the Master Certificate in Executive Leadership and Management from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College; in 2009, he completed certification with the Pastoral Provision in the Catholic Church at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University in the Archdiocese of Newark. He is currently pursuing the PhD in theological studies with the Graduate Theological Foundation/Foundation House.
Robert received the Master of Arts in Christian Ministry from Faith Lutheran Theological Seminary and the honorary Doctor of Divinity from the St. Paul Christian University of St. Paul, Indiana
, a Methodist institution. In 1996 Paul Schenck became rector of the historic Cummins Memorial Church
near Baltimore, Maryland. Both have received numerous awards from legal, community, charitable and relief organizations.
The Schencks work side by side on Capitol Hill in Washington where Robert is president of Faith and Action
, an ecumenical mission, and Paul is chairman of the National Pro-Life Center. The buildings are at 109 and 113 2nd Street North East, just across from the official entrance to the United States Supreme Court. Robert is also chaplain to the Capitol Hill Executive Club, and a member of the Board of the Evangelical Alliance. Father Paul Schenck is a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg (PA), Director of the Respect Life Office and Parochial Administrator at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church in Harrisburg. He is married and has eight children, two daughters-in-law and a son-in-law. Schenck was ordained a priest through the Pastoral Provision that allows married Anglican clergy to become Catholic priests.
s held in Washington, D.C as part of National Day of Prayer
. He is also involved in National Bible Reading Marathon on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol. During the Marathon, dozens of volunteers read aloud the entire Bible, which takes the participants about 80 hours.
Robert has been conducting what he calls the "Ten Commandments
Project." He has long pursued the posting of the Decalogue
in government buildings and schools and some political leaders in the Capitol still display plastic tablets depicting the Ten Commandments that Robert has delivered to them. He also involved himself in the controversy of judge Roy Moore
and the Ten Commandments courthouse monument, both participating in the vigils outside of the courthouse and as a media commentator.
On June 27, 2005, Robert walked out on Billy Graham
during the second night of his Queens, New York crusade on Saturday, after Graham yielded the stage to Bill Clinton and suggested his wife Hillary should be president.
Robert had access to Harriet Miers
during her brief Supreme Court nomination and took exception that she was attending St. John's Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C.
rather than the more conservative Church of Christ
as she had done back in Texas
. Both Paul and Robert increased visibility because their offices at Faith and Action
and NPLAC were just across the street from the Supreme Court. In a 2005 CNN
feature, they indicated that they can maintain opinions that are quite independent of the Bush administration
.
On March 10, 2004, Paul, to the surprise of some of his Protestant associates, especially those back in Buffalo, entered into full communion with the Catholic Church. Paul served as a Pastoral Associate in Priests for Life
from 2004–2007, was the National Representative of Catholics United for Life and was appointed Director fo the Office of Respect Life Activities by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg (PA) in 2008. He has founded the National Pro-Life Action Center (NPLAC) on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC and remains its chairman.
Both brothers very publicly took pro-life stances about the Terri Schiavo
controversy and tied the issue to future Supreme Court nominations.
On January 5, 2006, the Wall Street Journal reported that Robert and two Christian ministers claimed to have entered during off-hours the hearing rooms for the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel Alito
and applied holy oil to the chairs.
On June 12, 2010, Paul Schenck was ordained a priest for the Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg. While Paul Schenck is married and has eight children, the ordination was permissible under the pastoral provision
created by Pope John Paul II for Anglican clergy received into full communion with the Catholic Church.
Fr. Paul C.B. Schenck conducts pro-life ministry in three capital cities, Harrisburg, PA, Annapolis, MD and Washington, DC as well as throughout the nation.
Glen Ridge, New Jersey
Glen Ridge is a borough in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,527. In 2010, Glen Ridge was ranked as the 38th Best Place to live by New Jersey Monthly magazine....
) is an ordained Catholic priest who is a pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
activist along with his twin brother, Robert Schenck. They are both active in ministries in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
as well as throughout the United States and other countries.
Early ministries
The identical twins Robert and Paul Schenck were raised in a Jewish home in western New York (Grand Island). They both attended colleges near Rochester, New York. Paul was baptizedBaptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
as a non-Catholic Christian when he was 16 years old. Paul and his brother each married in 1977 and lived and worked in the Town of Tonawanda, New York until Robert left in 1976 (he returned in 1982)and Paul in 1994.
Paul founded the New Covenant Tabernacle http://www.nctag.org/ Church in Tonawanda, New York
Tonawanda (town), New York
Tonawanda is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a population of 78,155. The town is at the north border of the county and is the northern suburb of Buffalo...
, in 1982, after joining the Reformed Episcopal Church in 1994 he was vicar of a mission in Virginia Beach and rector of a parish in Catonsville, Maryland
Catonsville, Maryland
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:In 2010 Catonsville had a population of 41,567...
. Paul was the executive vice president of the American Center for Law & Justice from 1994 to 1997. Robert later joined the Evangelical Alliance
Evangelical Alliance
The Evangelical Alliance is a London-based charitable organization founded in 1846. It has a claimed representation of over 1,000,000 evangelical Christians in the United Kingdom and is the oldest alliance of evangelical Christians in the world....
and transferred his ordination to the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
.
Schenck was received into the Catholic Church in 2004. He was ordained a Catholic priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
on June 12, 2010, under the Pastoral Provision
Pastoral Provision
The "pastoral provision" or "statute" for United States Episcopalians entering the Catholic Church authorizes some departures for them from the normal practice of the Latin Rite...
, which allows married former clergy of the Anglican tradition to be ordained without the requirement for celibacy.
Pro-life activist careers
The brothers were involved with the founding of Operation RescueOperation Save America
Operation Save America is an organization based in Dallas, Texas, that opposes human induced abortion and its legality. In 1994, Flip Benham became the director of the organization, then called Operation Rescue National. Benham replaced Keith Tucci, who had replaced Randall Terry...
. In 1992, they helped organize the "Spring of Life" in Buffalo in an effort to focus its public demonstrations on abortion providers and on efforts to close abortion clinics. Hundreds of pro-life activists, most of them from western New York, were arrested for blockading clinics. Schenck's image appeared on the cover of Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
magazine. Robert was photographed holding an aborted 20-week-old fetus
Fetus
A fetus is a developing mammal or other viviparous vertebrate after the embryonic stage and before birth.In humans, the fetal stage of prenatal development starts at the beginning of the 11th week in gestational age, which is the 9th week after fertilization.-Etymology and spelling variations:The...
in his hands.
Robert was arrested for showing Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
an aborted fetus during the 1992 Democratic National Convention
1992 Democratic National Convention
The 1992 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party nominated Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas for President and Senator Al Gore of Tennessee for Vice President; Clinton announced Gore as his running-mate on July 9, 1992. The convention was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Schenck was accused and convicted of obstruction of a federal order for denying that he borrowed his twin brother's necktie during a demonstration in front of a post office behind which was an abortion clinic. The charge was part of a larger case against the Schencks for distributing Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
s, tracts, and pro-life literature on the public sidewalk near the post office. Robert was released from the case, but Schenck was sentenced to 30 days in a federal prison.
Until about 1994, the brothers had worked together, primarily in Buffalo, but then Schenck moved to Virginia Beach and joined the ACLJ, the public-interest law firm headed by Keith Fournier, a Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
deacon, and Jay Sekulow, a Jewish Christian Constitutional lawyer. Schenck joined the Reformed Episcopal Church
Reformed Episcopal Church
The Reformed Episcopal Church is an Anglican church in the United States and Canada and a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America...
and was made the chaplain of Regent University School of Law. Robert moved to Washington, D.C., where he founded Faith and Action
Faith and Action
Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital is a Christian outreach organization ministering to top-level government officials. The organizational headquarters is located in Washington, D.C. across the street from the east façade of the United States Supreme Court...
.
In Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New York
Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New York
Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New York, 519 U.S. 357 , was a case heard before the United States Supreme Court. It ruled in an 8-1 decision that speech-free "buffer zones" around abortion clinics were constitutional...
, Schenck's challenge to a court order went to the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
in 1996. The case was to decide details about restraining order
Restraining order
A restraining order or order of protection is a form of legal injunction that requires a party to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts. A party that refuses to comply with an order faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
s, in particular for protesters around abortion clinics. The Court held that the injunction provisions imposing "fixed buffer zone" limitations were constitutional, but the provisions imposing "floating buffer zones" violated the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
. The Court voted 8-1 in Schenck's favor striking down the floating zones. The Court used that case to strike down similar restrictions in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
On December 24, 1996, Robert again encountered Clinton at the Washington National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
and, in reference to Clinton's veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 is a United States law prohibiting a form of late-term abortion that the Act calls "partial-birth abortion", often referred to in medical literature as intact dilation and extraction...
, said "God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
will hold you to account, Mr. President." Robert was detained by the Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
on suspicion of threatening the President of the United States
Threatening the President of the United States
Threatening the President of the United States is a class D felony under United States Code Title 18, Section 871. It consists of knowingly and willfully mailing or otherwise making "any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States"...
.
In 1995, Schenck left the Assemblies of God denomination to become a minister in the Reformed Episcopal Church
Reformed Episcopal Church
The Reformed Episcopal Church is an Anglican church in the United States and Canada and a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America...
. Besides his studies at Elim Bible Institute, he graduated from Luther Rice University (with a B.A. biblical studies), was granted the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, New Hampshire
Merrimack, New Hampshire
Merrimack is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 25,494 at the 2010 census, making it the eighth-largest municipality in New Hampshire....
, (and in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
) was granted the Graduate Catechetical Diploma by The Most Rev. Paul Laverde, the Bishop of Arlington, Virginia. Subsequently Schenck studied liturgical theology at the Catholic University of America and received the Master of Religious Studies, then Master of Arts in Theology from Catholic Distance University
Catholic Distance University
Catholic Distance University , located in Hamilton, Virginia, is a private undergraduate and graduate institution that is "in the vanguard of Catholic distance learning." Established in 1983 in the Arlington diocese by Bishop Welsh, CDU offers an accredited bachelor degree in theology completion...
, summa cum laude
Latin honors
Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. This system is primarily used in the United States, Canada, and in many countries of continental Europe, though some institutions also use the English translation of these...
. In 2007, he received the Master Certificate in Executive Leadership and Management from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College; in 2009, he completed certification with the Pastoral Provision in the Catholic Church at Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall University in the Archdiocese of Newark. He is currently pursuing the PhD in theological studies with the Graduate Theological Foundation/Foundation House.
Robert received the Master of Arts in Christian Ministry from Faith Lutheran Theological Seminary and the honorary Doctor of Divinity from the St. Paul Christian University of St. Paul, Indiana
St. Paul, Indiana
St. Paul is a small town on the border of Decatur and Shelby counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,031 at the 2010 census.-Geography:St...
, a Methodist institution. In 1996 Paul Schenck became rector of the historic Cummins Memorial Church
Cummins Memorial Church
Cummins Memorial Church is an historic Reformed Episcopal Church building located at 1210 West Lanvale Street in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is a Gothic Revival style church executed in granite ashlar. It features a high-pitched gable roof; a short, two-staged tower with a...
near Baltimore, Maryland. Both have received numerous awards from legal, community, charitable and relief organizations.
The Schencks work side by side on Capitol Hill in Washington where Robert is president of Faith and Action
Faith and Action
Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital is a Christian outreach organization ministering to top-level government officials. The organizational headquarters is located in Washington, D.C. across the street from the east façade of the United States Supreme Court...
, an ecumenical mission, and Paul is chairman of the National Pro-Life Center. The buildings are at 109 and 113 2nd Street North East, just across from the official entrance to the United States Supreme Court. Robert is also chaplain to the Capitol Hill Executive Club, and a member of the Board of the Evangelical Alliance. Father Paul Schenck is a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg (PA), Director of the Respect Life Office and Parochial Administrator at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church in Harrisburg. He is married and has eight children, two daughters-in-law and a son-in-law. Schenck was ordained a priest through the Pastoral Provision that allows married Anglican clergy to become Catholic priests.
Washington, D.C.
Robert has been a regular attendee at the annual National Prayer BreakfastNational Prayer Breakfast
The National Prayer Breakfast is a yearly event held in Washington, D.C., on the first Thursday of February each year. The founder of this event was Abraham Vereide...
s held in Washington, D.C as part of National Day of Prayer
National Day of Prayer
The National Day of Prayer is an annual day of observance held on the first Thursday of May, designated by the United States Congress, when people are asked "to turn to God in prayer and meditation". Each year, the president signs a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day...
. He is also involved in National Bible Reading Marathon on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol. During the Marathon, dozens of volunteers read aloud the entire Bible, which takes the participants about 80 hours.
Robert has been conducting what he calls the "Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
Project." He has long pursued the posting of the Decalogue
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
in government buildings and schools and some political leaders in the Capitol still display plastic tablets depicting the Ten Commandments that Robert has delivered to them. He also involved himself in the controversy of judge Roy Moore
Roy Moore
Roy Stewart Moore is an American jurist and Republican politician noted for his refusal, as the elected Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from the state courthouse despite orders to do so from a federal judge...
and the Ten Commandments courthouse monument, both participating in the vigils outside of the courthouse and as a media commentator.
On June 27, 2005, Robert walked out on Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
during the second night of his Queens, New York crusade on Saturday, after Graham yielded the stage to Bill Clinton and suggested his wife Hillary should be president.
Robert had access to Harriet Miers
Harriet Miers
Harriet Ellan Miers is an American lawyer and former White House Counsel. In 2005, she was nominated by President George W. Bush to be an Associate Justice of the U.S...
during her brief Supreme Court nomination and took exception that she was attending St. John's Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C.
St. John's Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C.
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, is a historic Episcopal church located at 16th and H Streets NW, in Washington, D.C. It is near Lafayette Square and the White House....
rather than the more conservative Church of Christ
Church of Christ
Churches of Christ are autonomous Christian congregations associated with one another through common beliefs and practices. They seek to base doctrine and practice on the Bible alone, and seek to be New Testament congregations as originally established by the authority of Christ. Historically,...
as she had done back in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Both Paul and Robert increased visibility because their offices at Faith and Action
Faith and Action
Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital is a Christian outreach organization ministering to top-level government officials. The organizational headquarters is located in Washington, D.C. across the street from the east façade of the United States Supreme Court...
and NPLAC were just across the street from the Supreme Court. In a 2005 CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
feature, they indicated that they can maintain opinions that are quite independent of the Bush administration
George W. Bush administration
The presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
.
On March 10, 2004, Paul, to the surprise of some of his Protestant associates, especially those back in Buffalo, entered into full communion with the Catholic Church. Paul served as a Pastoral Associate in Priests for Life
Priests for Life
Priests for Life is a Roman Catholic pro-life organization based in New York. It functions as a network to promote and coordinate pro-life activism with the primary strategic goal of ending abortion and euthanasia and to spread the Gospel of Life according to the encyclical of the same name...
from 2004–2007, was the National Representative of Catholics United for Life and was appointed Director fo the Office of Respect Life Activities by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg (PA) in 2008. He has founded the National Pro-Life Action Center (NPLAC) on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC and remains its chairman.
Both brothers very publicly took pro-life stances about the Terri Schiavo
Terri Schiavo
The Terri Schiavo case was a legal battle in the United States between the legal guardians and the parents of Teresa Marie "Terri" Schiavo that lasted from 1998 to 2005...
controversy and tied the issue to future Supreme Court nominations.
On January 5, 2006, the Wall Street Journal reported that Robert and two Christian ministers claimed to have entered during off-hours the hearing rooms for the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel Alito
Samuel Alito
Samuel Anthony Alito, Jr. is an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and has served on the court since January 31, 2006....
and applied holy oil to the chairs.
On June 12, 2010, Paul Schenck was ordained a priest for the Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg. While Paul Schenck is married and has eight children, the ordination was permissible under the pastoral provision
Pastoral Provision
The "pastoral provision" or "statute" for United States Episcopalians entering the Catholic Church authorizes some departures for them from the normal practice of the Latin Rite...
created by Pope John Paul II for Anglican clergy received into full communion with the Catholic Church.
Fr. Paul C.B. Schenck conducts pro-life ministry in three capital cities, Harrisburg, PA, Annapolis, MD and Washington, DC as well as throughout the nation.