On the eve of the National March for Life in Washington, more than 1,000 pro-lifers from across the U.S. gathered at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax Jan. 22.
While the masses had gathered to prepare for the coming day’s demonstration, for Virginia Catholics, the fight for life felt close to home. The week prior, the Virginia State Senate had passed a constitutional amendment that would grant unlimited access to abortion and revoke the right of parental consent. The amendment will appear on the ballot this fall.
For 18-year-old Rose Ellis and Thérèse Albrigo, parishioners of All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas, their first election will require them facing the ballot initiative. “There are people either very for it or against it,” Ellis said. “People nowadays tend to make that their identity. It’s very scary battling that with some of my friends who are not pro-life.”
Celtic-rock band Scythian opened the evening with a high-energy concert, as the youths leaped up and down in the stands. Eric Latcheran, a parishioner of St. Timothy Church in Chantilly who has Down syndrome, joined the band playing the washboard.
National speaker Oscar Rivera was joined by four Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia on stage, each bearing a sign that together formed the phrase, “Life Is VERY Good.” Rivera assigned four portions of the arena to each bellow one of the sister’s words, and led the arena in a thunderous chant of “Life! Is! Very! Good!” as he pointed at each one of the sisters who raised their signs.
Keynote speaker Salesian Sister of St. John Bosco Elfie Del Rosario prepped the crowd for the next day’s march by instructing them to march in place for several minutes while she gave a pep talk. “Life is God’s gift. Do you agree? Keep marching,” she said. “God breathed into you. Do you agree? Keep marching. My life has dignity and value; God created me in his image and likeness. Keep marching.”
She told the youths that before adoration, which would begin in a few minutes, “You’re going to encounter Christ with love, who sees you the way you are … He’s going to ask you, ‘Can you see the unborn? Can you see the elderly? You love all the babies, but look how you treat your grandparents. Look how you treat the elderly. Can you defend the poor and stand with the vulnerable? Do you care for creation?’ ” She encouraged the students to reflect their pro-life beliefs in all aspects of daily life outside of the annual march.
Before adoration began, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge greeted the pro-lifers, many of whom hailed from Nebraska, Florida and Texas. “I hope you know you’re a great inspiration,” he told the crowds. “Please do not ever underestimate how God will use your presence tonight and tomorrow.
“We believe in the Lord’s power to transform the hearts of elected leaders, politicians, and all those who serve in our communities and society,” he continued. “And we’re praying so hard tonight that he will transform hearts so that abortion will no longer be legal in our country, so that abortion will be unthinkable, that we will be there to be with mothers and fathers in need.”
The cheering masses of several minutes prior then hushed as Deacon Donghan Lee brought forth the Eucharist and placed it in the monstrance. Ten minutes of reverent silence followed, before Bishop Burbidge arose and processed the monstrance around the arena, blessing the pro-lifers.
After benediction, Catholic musician Seph Schlueter and his band closed the evening of prayer, as the youths once again began to leap up and down.
Lillian Foley, 16, a parishioner of Nativity Catholic Church in Burke, said the evening energized her ahead of the march. “We are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” she said. “The first one (life), that shouldn’t be taken away from anyone.”
Foley said that her pro-life roots go all the way back to when she learned about abortion and the fight for life while attending Nativity Catholic School. She said over the years, she felt afraid to defend her pro-life beliefs in public. But she said that eventually, a friend with pro-abortion beliefs confronted her about it, “and we had a really big fight about it. But I went up to her, and I was like, ‘I understand you have your view, but I really do want you to change it,’ and I tried talking to her about it.”
After that confrontation, Foley said her view on professing her pro-life beliefs totally changed. “For all of you out there who are struggling with that, too, just talk to them,” she said. “The worst that can happen is that they disagree. The best that can happen is that you change their mind, and the pro-life movement gets another person.”
Donofrio can be reached at [email protected].
