SJC students March for Life
The March for Life took place on Friday, January 25. People come together from all over the country to march for the rights of those unborn children who cannot speak up for themselves.
According to the 2019 March for Life website, one of the reasons people march is that, “Right from the beginning of life, you are becoming the unique, incredible, unrepeatable person that you are!” The march itself went from the National Mall to the Supreme Court; however, there are different events leading up to the march. This includes the Youth Rally and Mass for Life put on by the Archdiocese of Washington.
St. John’s students were offered the chance to attend the rally, mass, and march. Even though snow caused exams to fall on the same day as the March for Life, students still got to go. They came together to attend the march with other schools, in order to form a smaller, tight-knit community. Maeve Ryan ’22 said, “I thought I would have to stay at school to take exams. When I found out that I would actually be allowed to go, I was elated!” She described the environment as “warm and comforting” because she “[forgot] that there are other schools and people who share the same points of view as I do.”
As a faculty member at St. John’s, Ms. Murphy shared how she continued reflecting on her experience beyond the day of the March for Life. “I kept learning increasingly more about opportunities to serve for the cause and pray for an end to abortion…As we prepare our hearts for Lent, 40 Days for Life offers round-the-clock prayer vigil outside a single Planned Parenthood center or other abortion facility in our communities,” Murphy said.
St. John’s also had a student who read the second reading at the Mass for Life. Mary Catherine Canary ’20 is a member of the Archdiocesan Youth Leadership Team, which is a group of high school students from across the Archdiocese who help provide insight to the youth of the Church. They also help organize events, which is how she had the opportunity to read. Afterwards, she joined St. John’s and the other Lasallian schools. “It was impressive to see the amount of students from the other schools who had traveled so far to show their support. I was also very impressed with how everyone seemed as if we had all been friends for years, even though we had only just met,” Canary said.
Further, Canary talked about the environment and misconceptions people hold for the March for Life. “Though the topic of abortion is very serious, the atmosphere at the March was one of hope and joy. I wish other people knew that most of the people who attend the March for Life have purely good intentions and are ready and willing to support anyone who needs it.”
