Standing up for life in our nation's capital

"If we want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out.  To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.”  — Saint Teresa of Calcutta

On the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling, the Archdiocese of Mobile continued its long-standing tradition by traveling on a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., for the March for Life.  A group of youth and adults boarded buses and made the journey.  With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, it was unclear what the March would look like this year.  
The group arrived in D.C. on Thursday afternoon and visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.  For many, this was their first time to visit the museum.  It was a great way to put life in perspective at the beginning of the trip.  Beneath the numbers, there are individual stories.  Each life has meaning and we need to stand up for every life.
After the Holocaust Museum, the group arrived at our home for two days.  After a long bus ride, the group was ready to get off the bus and rest.  
St. Mary Mother of God Parish in D.C. opened their doors to us on Thursday evening.  The group came together for Mass and prayer in anticipation of the March the following day.  The parish is more than 175 years old and is a beautiful place to worship.  It was a blessing to gather together in such a holy setting.
On Friday, the day of the March, we started with a dialogue that included Archbishop Rodi and four students from our group.  The dialogue gave the students an opportunity to share their thoughts on life issues and Catholic Social Teaching.  This civil dialogue allows each participant the opportunity to share in a way that they can be heard and the other participants can listen to their point of view.  Each participant is given time to share without interruption.  At the end of the dialogue, participants are invited to ask questions of each other to go deeper in the conversation.  It was a great way for young people to hear from their peers.
After the dialogue, we gathered again in St. Mary Mother of God for Mass.  It was the perfect way to start our March by coming together for Communion and prayer before setting out on the March.  After Mass, we walked to the pre-March rally near the National Mall.  There were wonderful speakers sharing their pro-life message.  After the rally, the March began.
The March began slowly as everyone at the rally converged on the same starting point.  The Archdiocese of Mobile joined together at the starting point with the banners of the Archdiocese, St. Michael Catholic High School, and McGill-Toolen Catholic High School leading the way.  In the past, the March ended at the Supreme Court.  This year the ending point was between the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court to show there will be work to do until every life is protected.  
On the final day of the pilgrimage, the group visited Arlington National Cemetery to start the day and then our trip concluded with a visit to the Saint John Paul II National Shrine and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception where we participated in the Saturday Vigil Mass.  It was a beautiful way to depart DC and head for home.  This group of young people and adults continued the tradition in the Archdiocese of Mobile of standing up for life in our nation’s capital.
— Tex Phelps is the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile. He may be emailed at [email protected]
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