Jan. 13, 2015
On Jan. 22, hundreds of Catholic University students will join tens of thousands of people in the March for Life, a peaceful demonstration that has been happening every year since 1973.
Pamela Tremblay, associate campus minister for women's and pro-life ministry, expects 500 students to march under Catholic University's banner this year.
The day of the march, Catholic University students will assemble at 10 a.m. in Caldwell Hall Auditorium before traveling to the National Mall for the event. University President John Garvey will address the students and participate in the march.
"As Catholics and as members of The Catholic University of America community, we are called to stand up for the dignity of the voiceless and defenseless," says Tremblay. "The CUA students constantly inspire me in their efforts to do just that. Through service, education, and advocacy, our students live out our Catholic identity and, in large numbers, promote that identity on the day of the march by demanding a culture of life."
In what has become a yearly tradition, the University will provide overnight accommodations to teen marchers from out of town the night before the march. More than 1,200 will camp out in the Raymond A. DuFour Athletic Center and have the opportunity to be part of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception's National Prayer Vigil for Life before participating in the march.
More than 200 Catholic University students have volunteered to serve as hosts for the visitors. Students will help with hospitality, such as aiding with registering visitors, serving meals, chaperoning, and laying out sleeping bags. CUA nursing students will be on hand to help with any medical situations that arise and campus priests will host eucharistic adoration and opportunities for confession.
CUA students also will serve as ushers at the National Prayer Vigil for Life. The Mass, held on the eve of the march in the Basilica's Great Upper Church, typically draws thousands of people. The Mass is organized by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Basilica, and Catholic University. This year, it takes place Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m.
The annual event 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.
For more information on activities at the Basilica, visit usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/january-roe-events/national-prayer-vigil-for-life-schedule.cfm .
Students who wish to sign up to march with the CUA contingent and/or to volunteer for overnight hospitality should visit ministry.cua.edu/Activities/register/registration-dsp.cfm .