I am in solidarity today with everyone who is participating in the March for Life, in Washington DC and elsewhere.
My first experience of the March for Life in Washington was last year. A great experience and a cold experience, just as this year is.
Say a prayer for everyone taking it to the streets, first, that their efforts along wtih graces produce changes of hearts and mind and, next, that their holy angels protect them from spiritual and temporal harm.
Some images from last year. HERE
What are you up to where you are? Post your events and what you are doing here.
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Pope Francis tweeted today:
I join the March for Life in Washington with my prayers. May God help us respect all life, especially the most vulnerable.
The Archdiocese of Indianapolis is holding a solemn observance today, with Mass in the Cathedral at noon and a march (adoration for those who can’t do the walk) in downtown Indianapolis. Turnout in the last few years has been great, hoping for the same today. Fasting and abstinence for me as well.
I am watching on EWTN, praying for the success of the march, and stupefied over how an event that attracts between 400,000 and 500,000 people is completely ignored by the secular media.
I attended a vigil outside Planned Parenthood that is supported by my parish once a month. We go ona Saturday morning and march back and forth on the corner praying all four sets of Mysteries on the Rosary. Changing hearts and minds through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I try to make it as often as possible, but I was even more motivated by the spectre of Roe v. Wade this month. However, my marching activities are soon to be severely curtailed as I get leg X-rays and consult with an orthopedist about why my leg is broken again after seven years. Thanks be to God that I was able to do it this one more time.
Watching it on EWTN as I type. Am praying the 9 Days for Life novena.
I’m going to participate in the twitterstorm in 45 mins. (1 pm Eastern time). Organizers are trying to storm the twitterverse with prayers and tweets at #PraytoEndAbortion. Let’s get #PraytoEndAbortion trending!
The pro-life march in Paris France took place last Sunday and the guest of honour asked to address the crowd was the American David Bereit who launched the 40 Days for Life campaign. Depending on whose figures you believe between 16000 and 40oo0 took part with participants travelling from arround France. Several Bishops marched with them including Cardinal Barbarin of Lyon having recovered from his heart attack some months ago.
I live in a small rural town in Eastern Oregon and we are in solidarity with our Pro-Life brothers and sisters. We will be having a public rally tonight followed by the recitation of the Holy Rosary.
Today I will be tweeting queries to various mainstream news outlets that have traditionally imposed censorship or wholesale blackout of the March for Life.
I will be skipping lunch, as I normally do on Fridays. I wish I could have been there, but I wish even more that no one would need to be there.
I live only a few miles from the march but I am unable to attend this year as I have become the primary caregiver for my elderly mother with dementia. But I am helping to support those who are attending by feeding and housing out of town marchers and, of course, praying.
Twitterstorm is ongoing. Three different hashtags (#) are being used: #PraytoEndAbortion, #whywemarch, and #Marchforlife. Of those 3, #Marchforlife is trending. It’s now up to the 4th most popular trend on twitter as I type this (1:44pm Eastern). If you have a twitter account, consider jumping in. The mainstream media might ignore us, but social media is wide-open!
Praying, watching on EWTN. I try to share as much info with others as often as I can. Praying some more. Will attend local Walk for Life in March. Praying the Novena for Life.
Watched it on EWTN. Awesome!!!!!! God Bless all of you who marched in this freezing cold!!
I’ve been praying for all those involved with the march and watching the coverage on EWTN. Our 19 year old daughter is there (for the first time), with a large group from
Michigan Right to Life/Lifespan.
solidarity from blighty
I could not make it this year either and am in prayerful solidarity with those who are marching. I have many fond memories of attending the March with hundreds of high school boys from my alma mater. Traditionally the high school’s pro-life club planned a trip for several days. The trip usually included Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, praying/protesting at a local Virginia abortion mill, a trip to the D.C. Holocaust museum, a visit to the Ethics and Public Policy Center to have George Weigel and other EPPC scholars address the group, a monument tour, and the March itself – filled with Rosaries, Chaplets of Divine Mercy, etc. Each morning we would have morning prayer on the bus and vespers at night in the hotel.
The March itself is inspiring for its sheer numbers and the large percentage of young people who are there. But we should not forget the front-lines of the Pro-Life Movement today – the sidewalk counselors and protesters outside of abortion mills, the pro-life women’s health clinics, the lawmakers with the courage to pass pro-life legislation (and those who lobby tirelessly for them), adoption groups, post-abortion counselors, and of course the millions around the globe praying daily for an end to abortion. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, pray for us!
O Mary, bright dawn of the new world, Mother of the living, to you do we entrust the cause of life. Look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born, of the poor whose lives are made difficult, of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy. Grant that all who believe in your Son may proclaim the Gospel of life with honesty and love to the people of our time. Obtain for them the grace to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new, the joy of celebrating it with gratitude throughout their lives and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely, in order to build, together with all people of good will, the civilization of truth and love, to the praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life. – Bl. John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae
This is a pretty small contribution, but I found this pro-life craft online to do with our homeschool co-op kids today. Hopefully it will encourage the little children to make a novena for life.
http://paperdali.blogspot.com/2010/09/pro-life-novena-activity-sheet.html
My weekly Adoration hour coincided with the Mass for the Unborn at the archdiocesan cathedral in Atlanta. I was surprised and delighted to find the parking deck full (though it meant parking and walking a long way — offered it up!) and news vans from two of the local TV stations. After the Mass many attendees stood outside along Peachtree Street; I could hear cars honking in response (it sounded like friendly honking). I also stayed for noon Mass in solidarity with those outside.
Several members of our mom’s group will be attending the West Coast Walk for Life, children in tow! Many parishes have buses scheduled that are at capacity.
It is cold here in Ohio, very cold — barely broke 10 degrees today and was down to -5 overnight. That didn’t keep this group of dedicated, committed, faithful from making their witness in front of one of the two churches in the parish.
At the other church in the parish there was an all-day adoration followed by Mass. That people turned out was wonderful; that most of them were young was a trule blessing.
It was so uplifting to watch the march. Two of my kids were there and I saw their school banner. WHat so many pro-lifers don’t realize is that unless they are committed to God’s plan for sex, they are not fully embracing life as he planned it. http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2014/01/patti-armstrong-a-real-march-for-life-demands-we-march-to-the-beat-of-a-different-drummer/
My kidss are Crusaders for Life Detroit and we are in Washington right now. Thank you so much for the prayers. It was cold but so much fun. Tons of kids. They will be the ones to turn this horror around.
I was part of a busload from the Diocese of Albany, NY. The prediction of 8 inches of snow and frigid temperatures in DC certainly put a damper on things. Last year 3 busloads left from two local parishes, while this year we fit on just one bus, and there were far fewer buses at the rest stops in lower NJ / Delaware. But there was a good turnout at the DC Armory for the youth rally, and my (wild) guess is somewhere in the neighborhood of 250,000 total marchers this year. Not close to last year’s 500,000+, but still a large event.
Media still report that only “thousands” showed up (I wish they said “dozens” instead…it might inspire questions that force the explanation that it was, to be more specific, tens of thousands of dozens of people). But seeing so many young adults out there in frigid temperatues offers hope for the future. The march is something that should be experienced by anyone who can make it there.