Testimonials of Msgr. Reilly and more!

We met in 2010 and he changed the direction of my life! He was in my office in Caritas and I asked him if he wanted to rest because i want him to speak and meet as many people as he could! And his words were! “ How can I rest if the country is burning in fire!!”” 

- Dr. Majlinda Gjoni Thompson Albania

Monsignor Reilly was very much a spiritual Father to me and to thousands around the world whom he inspired. I count myself as Blessed indeed to have known him so well and to have been inspired by him in so much of what I have been able to do in the pro-life, pro-family field. His loss from us on this earth will be felt by many too vast a number to name but his presence before the Lord of all and his prayers will resound throughout the world and especially will be felt in our hearts. Eternal rest grant to him Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him and may he rest in peace. 

- Paul Hanrahan Australia 

Msgr. Reilly has been a tremendous influence on my life. His deep devotion to prayer and fasting set an example for me as to how to life a truly Catholic life. I will miss his sense of humor and his guidance, may he rest in peace.  - Kevin M. New York, USA

May God have mercy on our dear and brave Msgr Reilly’s soul. He was a true and faithful follower of the Gospel of Life and gave his life for the pro life cause..he lived as he died giving it all. To quote him…"go to your nearest killing center to be with the babies as they are being put to death..just as Jesus was on the cross at Calvary". Stabata Mater Dolorosa - Teresa O'Donovan

 My Favorite quote of his: ""The reason we go out, is not primarily to save the physical life of the child, though we want to do that, absolutely, but if that becomes our primary purpose we will become limited in what we will achieve and we are going to misunderstand why God wants us to be there. Our purpose will determine the instrument that you use, so if your purpose is to save the physical life of the child then you are going to measure your success on whether the physical life was spared. But the real purpose should be the salvation of souls..."  Pregnancy Services Network of New York 

I was his student in 1974 and he was my mentor, Latin teacher, chess mentor and a role model in my formative years and beyond. In HS, he is my prolife mentor.  He was the homilist at my wedding in 1989.  I saw him and talked with him briefly a few months ago. It was a blessing to see him after so many years. May he rest in peace. - Joseph C. New York

We now have a mentor and advocate to pray for us and help us from heaven. Rest in peace Monsignor. We love you. Our memories with Monsignor. It was an honor to be in his presence learning and gaining his inspiration to always protect the most vulnerable. Monsignor, there is no doubt you are welcomed into heaven by a chorus of babies. -Carolyn F.

I thank God for the opportunity he gave me to sit with such a wonderful man of God and learn from his years as a pro life advocate. I returned to NY 2013 from my home in the Midwest and wanted to get introduced to the pro life community in Brooklyn. Another fearless warrior Chris Slattery referred me to Msgr. Riley. He was so gracious to give me an audience with him at the monastery and advised me what I should do and where I should go. I explained that I was involved with 40 Days for Life previously and wanted to start again in NY. Long story short after our meeting in 2018, I started my prayer campaign at the same place he used pray every Wednesday morning. Since then I have been leading prayer vigils at the Kings County Ambulatory Center till now. I feel like an extension of him and his work. I'm committed to this spot where he prayed and hope that his prayer with be answered that abortion ends at Kings County Ambulatory Center and every municipal hospital in NYC. -Linda H.

I will never forget meeting Mons Reilly. 'Welcome to Tel Aviv' he said with a broad smile at the door of the monastery of the Sister Adorers of the Precious Blood, located in a Jewish area. We Australians prayed with him in Brooklyn on the streets, met Sister Precious Blood and prayed with the Sisters. Mons drove us to the World Trade Centre and took us to the top. That was about a year before the 9/11 attack. Such unforgettable times- we had breakfast many mornings with a living Saint! And of course we say Santo Subito!! Pray for us dear Mons Reilly! - Wanda S.

Blessed are those who have died in the Lord. Let them rest from their labors, for their good deeds go with them. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. I met him twice in Germany. -Maria B.

Fond memories of our dear and brave Msgr. Reilly. Photos from when we visited him in the Precious Blood Monastery, Brooklyn (May 12 2004), with our three daughters, Valya, Maria, & Therese. May God grant him his eternal reward as he died giving his life for others, especially for the unborn, their mothers, and all responsible for their deaths. Deepest condolences to Susan and Kevin, and all Msgr. Reilly’s family, from Teresa and Peter O’Donovan 

When I was in high school, Msgr Reilly asked me and another guy to take a ride over to his Mom's house to move some air conditioners. That was in Maspeth or Ridgewood. I haven't thought about that in a long time. His Mom was in bad shape with dementia, I think, and could only say one word. I'm sorry I can't remember what word it was. It might have been "yes" or "no". Rest in Peace to them both; reunited in paradise. -Kevin  O'Murchadha  

My husband and I brought Monsignor Reilly to Davenport, Bettendorf, and later, to Iowa City, Iowa, three years after a Planned Parenthood opened in our area in 1995. The Catholics were already organized and kept a prayer vigil on the sidewalk in front of the clinic but, at the time, we were unsure of all we could do. We invited Monsignor to come talk to us after seeing an article about him in the Wanderer newspaper. He was just who we needed to guide us and help us stay dedicated and focused. We learned from him about being a peaceful, prayerful, presence on the sidewalk. We learned the importance of the monthly pro life masses, adoration, fasting and eucharistic processions. We learned that abortion clinics are a modern day Calvary. Monsignor asked us, "Who was at Calvary, at the foot of the cross?" Mary! So we brought Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Fatima with us to the clinic. We sang, knelt and prayed and gave out rosaries. We sidewalk counseled, and gave patients the preborn baby models along with information and help that was useful. We were taught to save the precious babies but, more importantly, we were there to save souls, to restore peace to the wounded, to change hearts and minds, to be Christ to others. I join the chorus of praise and thanksgiving to God for giving us this saintly, humble man. He was a true warrior, teacher and prophet, sent by God, to speak God's loving words to hard hearted people. Monsignor is now with his Helpers Heavenly Prayer Group. As he and they continue to pray for us, let us continue to keep Monsignor's and the Heavenly Helpers in our prayers! -Jeanne Wonio  

I met Msgr. Reilly 20 years ago when he came out to San Diego to help us set up the San Diego Chapter of Helpers of God's Precious Infants. He led us in a Mass and Rosary procession to the local Planned Parenthood. He trained us in sidewalk counseling, and we in turn trained others over the years. 20 years later, we are still doing the First Saturday Rosary procession to Planned Parenthood, and sidewalk counseling 5-days a week there. On a 2-hour drive to catch a flight to South Korea, he shared a story with me. A woman came up to him in a grocery store in Brooklyn and said, "You don't know me, but I know who you are. You talked my mother out of an abortion 26 years ago, and I want to thank you for saving my life".  This holy priest is a saint! - Roger Lopez, Helpers of God's Precious Infants San Diego 

 I was greatly blessed to meet Msgr Reilly while on a Students for Life retreat with fellow CUA students in 2003. I apologized to him for how late we arrived, past 11 pm, after driving up from DC. He lovingly made it clear that this was not an issue. It became more clear later how much of the hours of his day and night were filled with prayer. He was such a holy man and you could really sense the presence of the Holy Spirit alive and at work in him. I’m so blessed to have met and been taught by such a holy man, so devoted to the work of witnessing to the sanctity of every human life. Well done, good and faithful servant! -Audrey O

Msgr. Reilly, thank God, for you were there for me and my husband before we got married and were so happy to know we had been blessed with a son. I know I have more angels watching over us. Will get a chance to visit your gravestone and thank you for your prayers and being my spiritual leader. Lots of love always Fiona Rick Aidan and our dog hero keep us in your prayers.  

In the 1990's, Msgr. Reilly, along with the Diocese of New York, was spearheading one of the largest Prayer Vigils to ever take place in NYC. 5000 people ended up attending and even players from the New York Giants participated on the side of life. But the Prayer Vigil nearly didn't happen, and Msgr. Reilly was almost killed in the process! Here's the way Msgr. Reilly told the story: 

Msgr. Reilly encountered so many obstacles preparing for this Prayer Vigil. One of these difficulties was that he needed the permission of Cardinal O' Conner. The Cardinal told Msgr that if he didn't get to his residence by 4 p.m. the Prayer Vigil would not take place. 

So Msgr. got in his car to meet with the Cardinal and as he drove towards his residence one of his tires literally blew out! By divine providence, he was uninjured by the car was undrivable. It turns out that someone nailed a chrome strip from the side of his car into the tire causing a very dangerous and potentially fatal blow-out. But thank God he was uninjured.  But he was now wondering how he would ever make it to the Cardinal's residence in time. It was around 3:30 pm and the Bishop's residence was well over 30 mins away not to mention traffic was extremely heavy that day.

Just when he thought the Vigil would never happen, a man pulled up and asked if he could help. Msgr. explained the situation and the man said, "Get in" and they start off. 

The way Msgr. explains it, the driver was weaving in and out of traffic in such a way that it didn't seem possible. He was dodging cars, driving on the side of the road, and the way he drove made Msgr. believe that he just might make it!

Miraculously, the driver does arrived at the Cardinal's residence right before 4pm, just in time for the meeting. Msgr. turned around to thank the driver and asked him his name and the driver replies, "My name is Anthony." The meeting happened and the Prayer Vigil took place! 

St. Anthony, pray for us!