As March for Life 2019 swept through the streets of downtown
Washington, groups of students, clergy, teachers and their supporters from the
Diocese of Arlington mingled with fellow marchers from across the United States
and the globe to demonstrate their shared belief in life amid the city’s snow
and slush.
Dominic Mosley, a student at Christendom College in Front Royal, was
attending the march for the third time in his life. “I’m here to support the
pro-life movement and give voice to all the unborn babies who have no voice,”
said Mosley. “It’s important for people to do this because lives are at stake
and this shows that we want abortion to end.”
Joseph Connor of Blessed Sacrament Church Alexandria and a diocesan
seminarian studying at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., called
the march an opportunity to show “love for the bishop, the diocese and the
children.”
“It’s a real sign of hope that even in dark times this many
people are trying to turn the tide of our culture,” said Connor.
Among the many student groups from Arlington Diocese
participating in the march was a group of 390 students from Saint John Paul the
Great High School in Dumfries. “The reason why I’m here is that I believe all
people have dignity and should be respected as a child of God,” said Madeline
Cassidy, a freshman, who was taking part in the march for the third time.
The march swelled the busy city streets with thousands of
Catholics, Christians and pro-life supporters. One Capitol police officer, who
has been supervising the March for Life for more than 20 years, told the Catholic
Herald that the march is the second-largest event for the Capitol Police to
cover aside from the presidential inauguration.
The atmosphere of the march was buoyant despite the thick snow
and sludge that covered the cold streets. Many students took advantage of the
dense snow in grassy areas surrounding the Capitol and Supreme Court buildings
to build snowmen and enjoy snowball fights, although the police quickly quashed
both pastimes.
Katrina Oteyza, associate campus minister at the University of
Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, marching amid a group of 35 students, said
one of the most inspiring moments in the march was when she and some of the
students were personally greeted by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, who marched
with them. “It was a wonderful experience and a joy to walk alongside the
bishop,” said Oteyza, who said she believed his example spurred the students’
enthusiasm.
One of the international participants was Jack McCrae, 26, a
civil engineer from Sydney, Australia, on his way to World Youth Day in Panama.
McCrae said he wanted to gain a firsthand view of the US pro-life movement, as
it was his first time attending the March for Life event in America.
“The number of people is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like
it before,” said McCrae, who described the Australian pro-life movement as “in
its infancy.” He also remarked that the overall peaceful mood of the protest
was unlike the general atmosphere of demonstrations in Australia.
McCrae said he hoped witnessing the march would provide him and
fellow travelers with some ideas for the development of the pro-life movement
in Australia.
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