Jan. 23, 2012
Nearly 500 Catholic University students filled Caldwell Hall Auditorium on Jan. 23 as they prepared to board Metrorail's Red line to participate in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. Dressed in layers to keep warm on the overcast winter day, some brought signs, others had cups of coffee. All brought their enthusiasm for what many called the most important human rights issue of their generation.
Senior Mary Elizabeth Murphy, an elementary education major from San Diego and president of the campus group Students for Life, led the group in a prayer for life.
Joining the students for the march were University President John Garvey and his wife, Jeanne. During the march, Garvey will send photos and messages about the event to nearly 3,500 followers of the University's Twitter account (@CatholicUniv).
Murphy told the students, "As young people today, God is calling us to be an example of life. This is our movement, our work." She said the CUA contingent was marching so that "we can see a day when every human life is protected and respected."
Legalized abortion has had a profound effect on this generation of college students, said Murphy. "Each year one and half million lives are lost to abortion. One third of our generation is missing. That's one third less birthdays ... one third less in our graduating classes," she noted. "We have lost their gifts, talents, successes, and endless possibilities."
The annual March for Life - the largest and longest running peaceful human rights demonstration - in Washington, D.C., marks the anniversary of the 1973 United States Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion in the U.S. Under Roe and its companion case Doe v. Bolton, abortion is legal through the ninth month of pregnancy.
Another round of cheers greeted Garvey as he was introduced by Murphy and thanked the students for their commitment. "I am old enough that I can remember where I was for the Roe v. Wade decision. Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of the decision and in that time 53 million pregnancies have been terminated. Twenty-two percent of all pregnancies end in abortion."
He urged the students to consider how a culture in which abortion is widely accepted can lead to a devaluing of human life. He pointed to such examples as the death penalty and assisted suicide. Garvey said, "The march is not just against the action of abortion, but about a way of thinking ... about the value of the lives of all of our brothers and sisters in Christ." Members of CUA's Office of Campus Ministry were on hand to support the marchers. Rev. Jude DeAngelo, O.M.F. Conv., chaplain and director of campus ministry, offered a closing prayer calling for a "time for hope" before the students headed to the downtown march.
Junior Kathryn MacMillan, a nursing major from Olney, Md., was excited for her third march as a CUA student.
"It is such an incredible experience to see so many young people united," said MacMillan. "It is also a really peaceful experience. Not like a typical protest. You will hear large groups of young people praying the rosary together. The day is very much about prayer. That's how we will change the hearts of America."
As is the custom every year, the University provided overnight accommodations to teen marchers from out of town. About 1,200 camped out in the Raymond A. DuFour Athletic Center the night before the march. More than 200 Catholic University students volunteered to serve as hosts for the visitors.
A group of nursing students were ready to care for minor health issues should they arise. And others served as ushers at the Vigil for Life Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception yesterday evening.
Some 20,000 people attended the Mass on the eve of the march, which was organized by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Basilica, and Catholic University.
Also on Jan. 22, Catholic University hosted Eucharistic adoration and opportunities for confession at the DuFour Center.
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