Last October 3rd, Elder high school attended the March for Life in Columbus Ohio, and I had the honor of being able to go. It was my first time going to the march and it was one of the most meaningful things I have ever been apart of. The shear amount of people who attended the march was proof enough that we need to do something to stop abortion and gave me hope that we could do just that.
The day started with mass at 9 o’ clock at St. Joseph Cathedral where it was so crowded, due to the March, that there was hardly even standing room. When we first arrived to the cathedral with about twenty minutes till the start of mass, we all could hardly fit into the pews. A couple of kids, including myself, had to move over to another row with other mass goers just so that we could all fit. The mass itself was excellent with wonderful readings and a beautiful organ to tie everything together. Bishop Daniel Thomas of the Diocese of Toledo led the wonderful mass and was able to perfectly connect Luke’s gospel reading about Mary carrying the unborn Jesus to go meet Elizabeth with the importance of human life even when they are still yet to be born. Bishop Thomas saying in this homily that we are marching today for “the most weak, the most innocent, the most vulnerable of human persons.” And after he had said his final blessings, the mass ended, and we began our walk up to the Ohio State house.
With some time in between the actual march and the ending of the mass, we were able to walk among the booths and listen to the speakers that were there as well. One of the most meaningful speeches that has stuck with me this many days later was about a woman who was supposed to be aborted. She was saying how her mother had pretty much taken poison to try and kill her, and yet she lived. What stuck out to me was how she didn’t give up on life after learning about this, instead she decided to start using her platform and her life to help and speak out against the horrific act that is abortion. Once her speech had concluded, I ate lunch inside of the state house and then made my way towards the multiple booths that were set up.
The booths mostly consisted of extra signs and other stickers or pins that you could take that spoke out against abortion. Many of the people who ran the booths had great stories to tell or told of how they had started their own clubs and organizations to help the movement. One woman told us about how she started a club at Ohio State to push against abortion, and another told us that we should start our own club which Elder already has. After hitting up the booths and talking to some of the other patrons who were there, the rally began to come to a close, and the clock had struck twelve o’ clock signaling the start of the march.
As we lined up along S High Street, it seemed as if more and more people kept showing up. The number of people marching was tremendous, filling up the entire length of the street. Beginning our march, we saw even more supporters lining the streets as we started our forty-five-minute march around downtown Columbus. There were people singing praises and many others chanting about Pro-Life and the protection of unborn children. And as if an act from God, the three Pro-Choice supports got caught up in construction and had to turn around, allowing us to continue our march with no problems. As we turned the corner of S Front Street, we found ourselves back at the State House marking the end of the march.
The march itself was a really amazing experience, but what led up to it made it even better. The mass at the beginning of the day might have been the most beautiful mass I have ever been a part of, the rally was a great experience where I got to meet some wonderful people, and being able to march with Elder made this something I’ll never forget. If ever given the chance to go to march next year, I highly recommend going because it will be worth your time, and it will take every single person to finally end the horrors of abortion.
