United for life: Youths bring energy, commitment to March for Life

St. Malachy parishioners Christen Damier and Sarah Erdely of Brownsburg sing as they prepare to march for life on Jan. 22 in Washington. Christen is a senior at Brownsburg High School and Sarah is a sophomore at Cardinal Ritter Jr./Sr. High School in Indianapolis. SEE MORE PHOTOS

By Katie Berger (Special to The Criterion)

WASHINGTON—They come from different parishes, deaneries, schools and cities in central and southern Indiana, but the nearly 600 high school and college students from across the archdiocese came together to unite in prayer, love for life and as the Body of Christ on Jan. 21-22 in the nation’s capital.

Like each year since 1973, thousands of predominantly young people swarmed Washington for the annual March for Life to pray for an end to abortion. (See more photos)

The hope of march organizers and marchers is that their united presence will further the fight toward the reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions that for 34 years have made abortion legal during all nine months of pregnancy.

Grace Fuson and Matthew Sidebottom, two teenagers traveling in the annual pro-life pilgrimage sponsored by the archdiocesan Office for Pro-Life Ministry, are in many ways very different.

Grace, who is a senior at John Paul II Catholic High and member of St. Patrick Parish in Terre Haute, participated in her fourth national pro-life march this week.

Matthew, who is a sophomore at Our Lady of Providence High School in Clarksville and member of St. Mary Parish in New Albany, was experiencing his first pro-life march in the nation’s capital.

With their peers from Indiana, they joined thousands of young people from across the nation to boldly proclaim the message of the sanctity of human life together.

“United we stand, divided we fall,” Father Jonathan Meyer emphasized in his homily on the morning of the march.

Father Meyer, director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the archdiocese, challenged the youth to be involved on every level—national, state, local, school and family.

He told them they must work together and ask themselves about the effects this march will have on their faith and commitment to pro-life work.

“Will it unite us as the Body of Christ?” he asked. “Or will we return to our homes, schools and families no

different than we came?”

After participating in Mass at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral on Jan. 20, the archdiocesan pilgrims departed from Indianapolis that night on five buses and arrived in Washington the following morning.

In the nation’s capital, they joined an estimated 10,000 pilgrims at a packed Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the pro-life vigil that evening.

While most people in Indiana watched the Indianapolis Colts clinch the American Football Conference Championship to advance to the Super Bowl, archdiocesan youth spent their evening in prayer for the unborn during the vigil and Mass.

Prior to the Jan. 22 march, the archdiocese held a special Mass at the Crypt Church of the basilica. Pro-life pilgrims from Roncalli High School and the Indianapolis North Deanery, who traveled to Washington in separate buses, joined the archdiocesan group.

Also on Monday morning, before the afternoon march, the pilgrims visited Arlington National Cemetery, where Grace was one of four young people

chosen to lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Chaperones from her private Catholic school chose Grace for this honor based on her pro-life leadership and experience.

Grace, whose confidence in her pro-life stand has increased after each of the previous three marches and with much prayer, said life issues deeply affect her daily life.

Even at her part-time job, Grace challenges her co-workers through discussions about life issues.

She said her boldness and optimism come from her belief that, as a group, young people can make progress on this growing movement to end the culture of death in society.

Grace said she believes “we’re getting closer and closer.”

Servants of the Gospel of Life Sister Diane Carollo, director of the archdiocesan Office for Pro-Life Ministry, said this chance to come together in support of life issues is so important for young people.

“They feel solidarity with those in high school and college who have the same sentiments about life,” Sister Diane said.

Matthew, whose pro-life journey has just begun, said a friend’s sister convinced him to attend the march. Her decision to spread the message of respect for life helped further strengthen the pro-life movement, he said, and Matthew also wants to share that invitation with others.

“I definitely will come back next year,” Matthew said. “It’s a spiritual journey. I can do more by getting the word out.”

Like many others on their first trip, his experience was made stronger because he was able to see the thousands of people gathered together in support of life.

“It showed that everyone cares,” he said.

Grace and Matthew have different paths ahead of them filled with many challenges and accomplishments.

She will graduate from high school this year and continue her pro-life journey as she chooses a college and moves away from home.

He still must navigate through high school as he encourages others to follow him in the pro-life movement.

As both teens continue to spread the Gospel of Life, Sister Diane said, they can be assured that they are stronger because they are united to many thousands of pro-life pilgrims across the country.

“If [all] these young people remain consistently and adamantly pro-life,” Sister Diane said, “there will be changes made in our government, our world and our society.”

(Katie Berger is a correspondent for The Criterion.) †