‘We can make a difference,’ Rowan student says of Life Chain experience

On a recent Sunday afternoon, Nikolas Soyka stood along Route 322, feeling a bit out of his comfort zone.

Admittedly, it had nothing to do with braving the driving rain as the remnants of Hurricane Ian pounded South Jersey.

“I couldn’t NOT do it,” Soyka, a senior at Glassboro’s Rowan University, said of participating with fellow Catholic Campus Ministry members in the annual Life Chain on Oct. 2, Respect Life Sunday.

“I wanted to participate in the Life Chain because it was something that I was initially apprehensive to do. On thinking about it, I realized that I was letting other people dictate the way that I practice and display what I believe in,” he said. “After much careful prayer, I realized that this was an opportunity to ‘be crucified with Christ,’ and if I received hate for it, it was for love of him.”

So, Soyka joined about a dozen fellow students and adults including Kari Janisse, Rowan’s Catholic campus minister, and Father Peter Gallagher, parochial vicar in Holy Angels Parish, Woodbury, in praying the Rosary and carrying pro-life signs along the roadway that runs along the university’s campus.

“This was my first Life Chain,” Soyka said. “I have gone to the March for Life [in Washington], but nothing so close to home, which made it more enriching.”

He said it was important to him as a young Catholic to make his voice heard. “My generation is approaching the point where they are new parents. Abortion is an issue that impacts us directly. Only by continuing to stand our ground despite any opposition can we make a difference.”

Also important, he stressed, is to support mothers and families after a child is born.

“We are called to see Christ in all people, whether it be an unborn child, a born child, a mother, the family,” he said. “Therefore, it is crucial that we care for all people, especially those who need it most. There are several ways that we can walk with mothers in need. In addition to simply providing community support, we can provide support financially or with goods such as diapers, formula, bottles and food.”