There are over 3,000 abortions in America daily. For Dominican students, this is unacceptable.
Fighting against abortion is a cause that Dominican students support. This is why each year near the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, DHS Pro-Life club members embark on a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., for the annual March for Life. Dominican students join thousands who march in D.C. to show their intolerance for abortion legality in the United States.
Choose Life- As representatives of the Pro-Life movement, March participants prayed and chanted at the March for Life in January. The March took place along the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where people from all over the country united for this movement. “This experience was more powerful than I expected, and I knew that we were marching for a great cause,” said junior Bella Icamina.
The March for Life is “a great way for the girls to show their support for the Pro-Life Movement on a national level,” said club moderator Ms. Ashlyn Ciolino (‘07). The success of the March is dependent on thousands of people participating each year, and Dominican proudly sent fifty students on the pilgrimage.
As of 2014, abortion rates and ratios began to decline in the United States, and this is due to the efforts of Pro-Life individuals and group efforts, according to the National Right to Life Committee. Dominican students continue to march to decrease the number of abortions in America each year.
On the morning of Jan. 19, the day of the March, 500 participants from the Archdiocese of New Orleans attended Mass celebrated by Archbishop Gregory Aymond in preparation for the day ahead. Following Mass, the students, along with Archbishop Aymond, traveled to the National Mall where the March takes place.
Praying for the Unborn- Praying for the day ahead, Dominican students join the rest of the Archdiocese of New Orleans participants to celebrate Mass at Blessed Sacrament Church in Washington, D.C., with Archbishop Aymond. “This Mass before the March for Life was a time to pray with others for those unborn babies and a safe and powerful march,” said senior Emily Callia, “and Archbishop Aymond’s homily made us excited to march that day.” – photos courtesy of Mrs. Theresa Maquar
During the March, DHS students carried signs, chanted and, most importantly, prayed. They prayed for unborn babies, pregnant mothers, and women who have had abortions.
After the March, the entire archdiocesan group from New Orleans gathered to reflect on the march itself. Students and religious gave personal testimonies highlighting the extent and importance of the Pro-Life Movement. “This helped me get a greater understanding of how powerful the Pro-Life Movement is,” said junior Bella Icamina.
St. Augustine High School’s Marching 100 joined the March, bringing a bit of New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition to the nation’s capital. Dominican students were especially glad to hear the familiar sound of the Marching 100 a part of their pilgrimage’s soundtrack..
The March was “powerful,” according to sophomore Gabrielle Leveque. The March for Life was a prime example of how “we must be a voice for the voiceless,” she added.
Once the March ended, groups reconvened for ministry night, which included liturgical worship, adoration and the sacrament of Reconciliation. “Seeing all those people in the same room, admiring Jesus’s presence, was empowering,” said Icamina. Each person was “vulnerable and in deep conversation with God,” said senior Emily Callia, Pro-Life Club treasurer.
Each participant brought what she experienced and fought for back home to Dominican. “We must act with the same courage and determination everyday as we did on the day of the march,” said Callia, “because this issue will not change if we focus on it one day then forget it.”
- Brooklyn Comeaux
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