Left photo: On Monday, Jan. 24, 50 students of St. Augustine Preparatory School, Richland, accompanied faculty members Brother David Graber and Brendan Towell to the annual Right to Life Rally in Washington, DC. The students were among many from the Diocese of Camden who made the trip to Washington. They are pictured on the steps of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where they gathered for prayer before the march.
Thirty-eight years ago on Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the case of Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion, and every year for the past 38 years people have gathered in our nation’s capital to protest this decision.
On Monday, Jan. 24, as this anniversary occurred, 24 students and group leader, Father Charles Colozzi, from the campuses of Gloucester Catholic and Camden Catholic high schools were among the young people from the Diocese of Camden who made the trip down to Washington D.C. to march in support of the pro-life movement and defend those who are never given the chance to defend themselves.
The group, consisting of freshman to seniors, and accompanied by two chaperones, departed from Gloucester Catholic High School at about 8:15 a.m. The group arrived in our nation’s capital at around 12 noon at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the campus of The Catholic University of America.
“The building was among the most beautiful I have ever seen, and it was packed with people who were all in support of life as I and my friends were. Knowing that all these people were there for the same reason made the cause so much more real,” said Gloucester Catholic senior Damon Kreiner.
After touring the magnificent shrine and praying in the many open chapels within the shrine, our group re-boarded the bus and departed for the formation site to take part in the march. After a short bus trip up Michigan Avenue we arrived at the stage where the speakers were and where the march would begin, right behind the Washington Monument. The final speaker ended with the Lord’s Prayer and at that moment all of the 300,000 who had gathered to march harmoniously prayed in the words our Father gave us.
“They say through prayer all things are possible, and that the power of prayer is among the most powerful. As all those people said ‘Amen,’ I felt empowered that we were doing the right thing and standing up for what was right” said group chaperone and Camden Catholic alumnus, Dana Albano.
The march began at the Washington Monument, followed up Constitution Avenue and ended on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court Building. As our group and the many other pro-lifers made their way through the march, cheers and chants were echoed throughout such as, “Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Roe v. Wade has got to go!” which seemed to be a favorite of the Camden Catholic and Gloucester Catholic group.
Camden Catholic senior Zach Hensinger summed up the day best when he said “I’ve been to this march many times and all we can do is pray, pray, and pray that our government can see this for the atrocity it is and stop this modern day holocaust of the unborn.”
Kieran M. McGirl is a senior at Gloucester Catholic High School, Gloucester City and is president of the Pro-Life Club there.
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