Thousands March for Life

"Good morning class. Please open your U.S. History book to chapter 16, today we will be studying famous marches in Washington D.C. There was Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963, the Vietnam protest in 1969, the Million Man March in '95, and, oh yes, the most recent... Can anyone tell me what famous, impactful march took place on January 22, 2006? That's right it was the National March for Life led by Catholic youth across the United States." In years to come this just might be a typical lecture in high schools across the country, because of the effect active students are having on the issue of respecting life and abortion.

Traveling by plain, train and automobile hundreds of thousands of students descended upon Washington D.C. January 22 to proclaim their love for life, and desire to protect the lives of others. The mass of students from various parish youth ministries and Catholic school groups began their march at the national mall near the White House, and continued along to the Supreme Court singing, chanting and praying with every step. When they were not marching along the streets of D.C. the students learned more about the reality of abortion, the Catholic teaching on the subject of life, and the importance of taking the message and energy of the march back home to their parishes, schools and local governments.

When asked the teaching of the Catholic Church's on abortion many would state it as a singular "No," and describe the Church as a cold institution fully ignoring the experiences of mothers seeking an abortion. However, the Church's teaching actually begins with a resounding affirmation, a "Yes," which says life is good and needs to be welcomed and celebrated. The Church teaches that all life is good and this includes the life that comes at the moment of conception. Each new life needs to be celebrated, because we are each created in the image of a good God. In God's image we are each given the dignity of life, and no reason can override the dignity of the unborn child. This is the message so many youth proclaimed boldly as they marched on Washington, and the message we need to carry as we walk along the streets of our own hometowns and through the hallways of our schools. Catholic Connections

"The Church knows that this Gospel of life, which she has received from her Lord, has a profound and persuasive echo in the heart of every person-believer and non-believer alike-because it marvelously fulfils all the heart's expectations while infinitely surpassing them. Even in the midst of difficulties and uncertainties, every person sincerely open to truth and goodness can, by the light of reason and the hidden action of grace, come to recognize in the natural law written in the heart the sacred value of human life from its very beginning until its end, and can affirm the right of every human being to have this primary good respected to the highest degree. Upon the recognition of this right, every human community and the political community itself are founded."
--The Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II

Reflection Questions

How can you promote a respect for life, especially that of the unborn, within your setting?

Join us in our Forum to discuss these questions!