On Friday, January 21st, twenty-eight St. Bernard Preparatory School students left their campus for Washington, D.C. for the annual March for Life that was held on Monday, January 24. The St. Bernard group was accompanied by Headmaster Fr. Joel Martin and Chaplain Fr. Bede Marcy and three St. Bernard parents. They joined with representatives from various parishes on the over night trek to D.C. traveling together in three buses. Said Headmaster Fr. Joel, “I was overwhelmed with our students’ response to the opportunity offered by the Diocese of Birmingham. Roughly one fourth of our Upper School, grades 9-12, attended the event; that’s outstanding.”
Leaving at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, the group arrived at the Capitol in D.C. at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The full weekend included a tour of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception adjacent to Catholic University, Mass at the Shrine celebrated by Bishop Baker for all those gathered from the Diocese of Birmingham, a day at the Smithsonian and other museums, a night tour of the monuments, etc.
Finally Monday arrived and all gathered at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington joining thousands of teenagers from around the country for a youth rally, followed by Mass celebrated by Cardinal Donald Weurl, Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal George of Chicago, many other bishops and hundreds of concelebrating priests, as well as many deacons and hundreds of seminarians. Before Mass, several thousand teens celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and all present prayed the Rosary. “The atmosphere was electric,” said one parent.
Following the rally, St. Bernard students united with the overwhelming crowd of thousands that marched from the Mall past the Capitol to the Supreme Court Building. Said one student, “We are here to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, the most defenseless among us; they are being put to death, and if that doesn’t change our country will die.”
The March was both serious and joyful. It was urgent about the cause, and filled with the enthusiasm of an army of American teenagers born after the legalization of abortion in their country.
After the March, all boarded the three buses and made the overnight trip home to Alabama, arriving Tuesday morning exhausted, but enthused by the experience of joining so many in defending human life.
St. Bernard Students attending: J. C. Albritton, Shelby Bailey, Jade Bradford, Michayla Brown, Ben Chiodo, Nathan Cline, Audrey Cofield, Nathan Denson, Nate Durkee, Ria Foye, Anna Keefe, Danielle Klopfer, Rita Lappert, Taylor Martin, Elizabeth McAfee, Mark McDaniel, Sean Moriarty, Andrea Naranjo, James Nix, John Russell, Michael Schartung, John Schneider, Madeline Schweers, Austin Steele, Caitlin Varquez, Michael Justin Varquez, Anthony Weaver, Halle Webb.
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