Annual pro-life fundraising dinner is planned, organized, prepared and served each year by Sacred Heart seminarians
DETROIT — Every seat was filled Feb. 13 for the 16th annual Dinner for Life at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. More than 300 people attended to support the seminarians — who plan, organize, cook and serve the dinner each year — and, most of all, to support mothers and babies.
Pregnancy Aid Detroit was selected as the beneficiary for this year’s fundraiser. The crisis pregnancy center, located on Eight Mile Road in Eastpointe, provides free and confidential pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, emotional support, and material needs for pregnant mothers. A second location will open on Mack Avenue in the coming months.
Behind the scenes, seminarians began at 2 p.m. preparing dinner for their guests. Some seminarians served in the kitchen, while others waited tables, stocked food or played music from the gymnasium’s balcony to set the ambiance.
By the night’s end, the event raised more than $20,000 for Pregnancy Aid Detroit. Thanks to a sponsorship by Alliance Catholic Credit Union, all of the proceeds from ticket sales, a 50/50 raffle, and donations went directly to the cause.
Charles Bemiss and Jake Rapanotti, both seminarians for the Archdiocese of Detroit, co-chaired this year’s Dinner for Life. Last month, Bemiss attended the March for Life in Washington, D.C., with 10 of his Sacred Heart classmates.
“As Catholic men, and as seminarians growing into the public nature of the priesthood, supporting and fostering a culture of life is foundational to the future of the Church,” Bemiss said. “The Dinner For Life stands as a visible sign of the pro-life culture we represent, while providing life-saving and life-changing support to the beneficiary every year. We prepare a place, a meal, and a meaning for being here, and the people of God always respond generously.”
Detroit seminarian Christian Pulido signed up to be a server for the fundraiser. This was his fourth year volunteering to fill water pitchers, pour wine and clear tables at the dinner.
“I love meeting the people and getting to know them each year,” Pulido said. “It’s a beautiful way to serve for the cause of life.”
Robert Tull is a seminarian with the Diocese of Lansing in his first year of study at Sacred Heart. When word got out that he has a knack for cooking, he was recruited to oversee the cooking and meal planning.
“I enjoy both cooking and radical hospitality, so this was right up my alley,” said Tull, who was assisted in the kitchen by six other seminarians as well as by Sacred Heart kitchen staff.
Deacon Jim Musgrave (Archdiocese of Detroit) and Deacon Drew Langton (Diocese of Marquette) welcomed guests as they arrived for the dinner.
As one of six children and an uncle to 25 nieces and nephews, Deacon Langton said his family is a living example of the “joy and beauty of life.”
“Being pro-life is not just a political thing. It’s central to our faith that God creates every person out a sheer act of love,” Deacon Langton said. “All people are deserving of love and a family because everyone has been created in the image and likeness of God, wonderfully made. That’s why we stand up and defend life, because it’s part of our faith, our faith in action.”
As part of the evening’s program, Dave Swider, president of Pregnancy Aid Detroit, told guests about the life-saving work being done at the crisis pregnancy center, which includes diapers, clothes, formula, car seats and other aid through a child’s first birthday.
“Most women want to be mothers, and some need a little help getting to that point so that they can choose life,” Swider said. “We give them education so that they know how to be a mother. We offer pregnancy tests, counseling, maternity clothes — whatever they need.”
In 2025, Pregnancy Aid administered 213 ultrasounds, Swider said. Of those, 193 women chose life for their unborn child. A video following Swider’s talk showed the faces of many of the babies saved.
“At Pregnancy Aid, we measure our success with the lives we save,” Swider continued. “The most amazing statistic I can give to you is that our success ratio is a little over 90%. The key to that is when the mother sees the child in her womb, she’s very reluctant to abort that child.”
Jessica Vucinaj, 24, was among the many who attended the Dinner for Life for the first time. Vucinaj, whose college roommate works for Right to Life Michigan, said she often attended pro-life events while studying at Central Michigan University.
“I think my generation of Catholics has a passionate drive for the Church, and we want to be involved,” Vucinaj said. “I have friends in health care, and we talk about how the more we learn about the human body, the more we are in awe of God’s creation, and the more we want to have conversations about the sanctity of life.”
Rapanotti, one of the co-organizers, said he and his brother seminarians are incredibly proud of the $20,000 raised for Pregnancy Aid Detroit — with additional donations still coming in — to support the sanctity of life in southeast Michigan.
“The work that we do and the beliefs that we have don’t just center on the idea that abortion is bad, but come from the idea that life is good,” Rapanotti said. “Life is a beautiful gift from God that needs to be protected, and my brothers and I are grateful for the opportunity to make an impact where we can.”
