'Right Direction'

Pilgrims from New York were front and center at national March for Life

By JOHN WOODS

More than 30 busloads of parishioners from every county in the archdiocese traveled to Washington, D.C., for the 31st annual March for Life, some for the first time and others who have been there every single year on the Jan. 22 anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision which legalized abortion in the United States.

In at least one case, a longtime veteran and a first-time marcher came on the same bus, the one which carried parishioners from Orange and Sullivan counties from St. Joseph's in Middletown to the nation's capital. Before their departure, Msgr. George J. Valastro, co-vicar of Orange County and pastor of St. Joseph's, had celebrated Mass for the pilgrims at 4 a.m. in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Joseph's.

Patricia Darcy, chairwoman of the Respect Life group at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Middletown, recently retired after 43 years as an educator. "This is the first year I've been able to come," she told CNY as the parishioners from Orange and Sullivan gathered on the Ellipse between the White House and the Washington Monument to hear speeches from religious and political leaders before the march began.

Virginia Sutton of Our Lady of the Assumption parish in Bloomingburg has traveled to the march each year since it started in 1974. "When we started, we didn't have half the young people (as now)," she said, noting their great presence in pro-life groups from many states.

"That makes me happy. Somebody has to take our place. Young people seem to be getting the message."

At the National Prayer Vigil for Life in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception the evening before, Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore exhorted the pro-life crowd of some 5,000 people by echoing the words Pope John Paul II uttered shortly after his elevation to the papacy: "Be not afraid!"

"As we prepare to mark the 31st anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision, he (the pope) calls to us again, this time out of his own physical suffering. 'Be not afraid,' he tells us. 'Be not afraid!' "

Cardinal Keeler, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee for Pro-Life Activities, was the principal celebrant and homilist at the Mass.

He read a message from President Bush, who thanked vigil participants for their "ongoing dedication to building a culture of life in America."

"Government must stand up for the innocent and the powerless. This past year, we took one important step in fulfilling this duty when I signed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 into law," the president wrote, prompting sustained applause. The law's implementation has been delayed due to court challenges.

The next day, the president addressed marchers at the Ellipse rally, telling them by phone from Roswell, N.M., that they must continue "to remind our fellow citizens that all life is sacred and worthy of protection."

Cardinal Egan was among the concelebrants of the Vigil Mass along with Cardinals Theodore McCarrick of Washington and Francis George of Chicago. The next day, Cardinal Egan was the main celebrant of a 7:30 a.m. Mass which also packed the basilica.

Praising the pro-life supporters as "a grace and an inspiration," the cardinal offered the life of Jesus - with its goodness, humility and love - as a model for their actions. Many of the Massgoers had camped overnight in the lower level of the basilica, where sleeping bags were unfurled on the floor, and many of the pilgrims participated in Holy Hours in the Crypt Church.

"All we do in defense of life, we need to do in the style of Jesus Christ," the cardinal said in his homily. He also called on them to be "people of prayer" and to stand firm and strong in telling others the truth about abortion.

"There is significant and growing support for severe restrictions on abortion," the cardinal said. "Certainly we are going in the right direction."

Groups from the Archdiocese of New York were among those heading the annual March for Life down Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court building. Easily visible were signs held by representatives of the Family Life/Respect Life Office, St. Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie and the Sisters of Life. There also were contingents from many parishes, high schools and elementary schools in the archdiocese.

This year, events associated with the March for Life also emphasized the emotional and mental consequences felt by women who have had abortions. At the end of the day, a few hundred marchers remained in front of the Supreme Court for another rally where some 60 women held signs that read "I regret my abortion." The demonstration was part of the Silent No More Campaign sponsored by Staten Island-based Priests for Life and the National Organization of Episcopalians for Life.

One of the first speakers was actress Jennifer O'Neill. She told the crowd that all speakers that night had different stories and different reasons for having their abortions but one common thread was that they all regretted the procedure.

"You can't kill your own young and be well afterward," she said, adding that she had nine miscarriages after her abortion.

Theresa Bonopartis, who coordinates a program for postabortive women called Lumina at Good Counsel Homes in the archdiocese, told CNY that the Silent No More speakers "let people know that there are women who went through the same thing."

"There is help available," she said.

Earlier at the Ellipse rally, Zaida Arce of Our Lady of Refuge parish in the Bronx recounted a pro-life encounter with a happy ending. As a representative of the Cursillo movement, she joins others in prayers at local abortion clinics where they also counsel pregnant women about to enter. During one sidewalk encounter in 2001, they encouraged a women to reconsider the decision to abort her unborn child.

Cursillo members from Our Lady of Refuge and several other Bronx parishes later held a baby shower for the mother and assisted her in finding an apartment. The baby is now two years old, and mother and child are now "part of our community," said Ms. Arce, who was part of Our Lady of Refuge's contingent of 25 people at the March for Life, led by the pastor, Msgr. John J. Jenik.

Catholic News Service contributed to this report.