January 29, 2010
March for Life participant keeps journal on events, importance
Vincennes participants at the March for Life include Dick Cannon, Patrick Cannon, Zoe Cannon, Andrew Thomas, Gabe Horrall, Becky Verkamp, Amanda Verkamp, Maria Matick, Jessica Welage, Jaclyn Snyder (youth minister), Kelsey Pepmeier and Father Jason Gries. (Message photo courtesy Zoe and Dick Cannon) Click for a larger version.
Editor’s note: The following account of travel from southern Indiana to Washington D.C. for the annual March for Life was submitted by Emily Snipes, family life coordinator at Catholic Charities.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Those traveling on the March for Life trip met tonight at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Newburgh to register and load buses. Everyone gathered inside the church for a prayer by Father Joe Ziliak and reminder from the trip’s coordinator, Joe Hardesty, about the reason we go to Washington, D.C. With all the excitement and energy filling the church, Joe reminded us all that we go as the voice for those who have none.
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The remainder of tonight will involve picking up a group from Dubois County and then hitting the highway and driving throughout the night. We are scheduled to arrive in D.C. early Thursday morning to begin what will be a very long day. Many of the adults on the trip packed ear plugs and Tylenol PM hoping to get a few hours of sleep.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
We arrived in D.C. and broke into tour groups for the afternoon. Joe Hardesty led our group (about 100 people) to the front of the Supreme Court Building to stand in silent protest for 20 minutes while holding signs that said “Stop Abortion Now.” Last year I found this extremely powerful, as did most of those who participated. When you think that the decision of Roe vs. Wade was made in the building behind you and that is the reason why the March for Life exists, how fitting that we stand out front and pray silently or reflect on how abortion affects our society.
Our large group then toured the Supreme Court Building. Vanderburgh County Right to Life had handed out hooded-sweatshirts to everyone with their logo when we registered last night and many people were wearing theirs today. The security guard at the Supreme Court Building told us that to enter we would need to turn the sweatshirts inside-out. Apparently it could be “offensive” and potentially “threatening” to wear a shirt that said “Right to Life.”
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After all the touring we all headed to the National Prayer Vigil for Life to be held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Although Mass began at 6:30 p.m. and we arrived over 2 hours early, it was still packed full of people. Our small group headed to a small open space to the side of the altar and stood waiting. If you have never been to the Basilica it is a beautiful church and the mosaic art is inspiring.
Despite the atmosphere and energy you get very tired of standing quickly. It is hard to maintain a positive attitude even in Christ’s house when your legs and feet ache. But I tried reminding myself that you don’t go to the gym to work-out just to walk around. You go to feel the burn, because that is how you know you are truly making a difference. A pilgrimage is the same way. When you suffer you allow the Holy Spirit inside.
Watching the priests from our diocese enter during the procession was remarkable. Reportedly there were over 550 seminarians, 350 priests, 40 bishops and archbishops and five Cardinals who participated in this Mass. The procession alone took over 35 minutes as they all walked the aisle to the altar. The joyous celebration focused on reminding us all that being pro-life is more than a conviction.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Many of the youth on our trip headed to the Verizon Center early this morning for a Youth Rally. Although I did not attend, each person I spoke with was in awe of the almost 18,000 who gathered to praise God. They spoke about the Rosary and the homily a young priest gave. They were encouraged and ready to march this afternoon. We all met at the White House and took a group picture standing again with various signs, before heading to the Washington Monument.
We’d already been in the presence of nearly 9,000 at the Mass in the Basilica and the 18,000 at the Youth Rally, but the March for Life is so much larger. EWTN estimated there were 400,000 people participating. It would be difficult to measure an exact number, but I believe it was considerably more than last year.
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This evening Vanderburgh County Right to Life held a banquet in the restaurant inside our hotel. Everyone gathered to eat and listen to Dr. Bill Blanke speak about the effects of abortion. His presentation was educational, especially to those who may not understand the procedures used and how different forms of birth control (such as contraceptives) cause abortion.
January 23, 2010
This morning started with Mass in the hotel. Father Paul Ferguson reminded us that we will all be challenged and we cannot forget the greater cause for which we fight is life for all, from conception to natural death. There is always something very serene in celebrating an informal Mass in an unusual space. It reminds me that Christ is with us no matter where we go. You don’t have to seek out a church to find him.
As we reach our final day in D.C. everyone is exhausted due to the lack of sleep and continuous walking, but our final events include touring The Holocaust Museum and sightseeing this afternoon. For those of us who had never been in The Holocaust Museum, it was overwhelming. At least that was my personal experience. I wasn’t prepared for the images and videos they displayed. These are the type of events that a text book can’t adequately cover.
Our small tour group walked around D.C. and in a few museums before meeting up with the large group to stop at a few monuments before leaving town. They planned for us to stop at Christendom College in Virginia to use their chapel for Mass that evening.
January 24, 2010
By 9:30 a.m. we had arrived back in Newburgh and began unloading the buses. The 37th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade had come and gone. We had marched once again and prayed for the end of abortion. What impact did we have on our nation’s leaders? Was it a pilgrimage or was it a sight-seeing trip for the youth? Did they walk away with a better understanding of why we uphold the sanctity of all human life? These questions are all hard to measure, but we pray that everyone who participated and everyone who watched took something away from the experience.
We were promised hope and change with the last election. The hope we need comes from Christ and the change I believe in lies within our hearts. Both were present in D.C. this past week and as long as we bring home those two things, I have no doubt a difference was made and shall continue with prayer and action.
(Related: Diocese well represented at March for Life in Washington | 2010 March for Life: Participants return and reflect)