Bishop Richard J. Malone and EWTN host and personality Gloria Purvis will appear at the annual St. Gianna Molla Benefit Banquet.

The Department of Pro-Life Activities of the Diocese of Buffalo will hold the 7th annual St. Gianna Benefit Banquet on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. at the Millennium Hotel, 2040 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga.  The St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center, the pastoral outreach of the Department of Pro-Life Activities for the Diocese of Buffalo, provides material, emotional, and spiritual support to mothers, fathers and young families in need from pregnancy through the first years of life.  The center follows the example of St. Gianna Molla, the patron saint of physicians, pregnant mothers and unborn children, in respecting, protecting, and cherishing all human life as a precious gift from God.  Proceeds from the dinner will be used to support the center.   Buffalo Bishop Richard J. Malone will provide opening remarks and this year's keynote speaker will be Catholic activist Gloria Purvis.           

Purvis, a convert to Catholicism, graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor's degree in human development and family studies.  She worked in the business sector for many years in the mortgage industry and in financial services.  Currently, she is the host of EWTN's "Authentically Free at Last" program and co-host "Morning Glory" on EWTN Global Catholic Radio.  Purvis has served on the National Black Catholic Congress' Leadership Commission and as an advisory board member for the Maryland Catholic Conference's Respect for Life Department.  She has been active in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and is a board member for the Northwest Pregnancy Center and Maternity Home in Washington, D.C.

Music, personal testimonials and basket raffles are also planned for the evening.  For more information or to make reservations, contact the Department of Pro-Life Activities at 847-2205, or visit their website.  Reservations are necessary.

The first St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center was dedicated in Buffalo in 2010.  Since that time, satellite locations in the Chautauqua area and Niagara area have opened.  The combined centers have served thousands of pregnant women and their babies.