Young pilgrims witness for life

Persistence pays. For the last two years our diocese has tried to organize a pilgrimage for the March for Life in Washington, D.C. However, we could never quite pull it together. Instead of giving up, we decided to team up with the Diocese of Sioux Falls and march together for life. It was great to see our dioceses collaborating, bringing our youth and young adults together to speak and act on behalf of the unborn and to call forth a culture of life.

As part of our stewardship initiative, we have been sending lay witness speakers to give their testimony about how they are living a Catholic way of life through generous hospitality, lively faith and dedicated discipleship. As part of this month’s column, I want to share the testimony of six high school students and two young adults from our diocese who were part of the March for Life pilgrimage, taking the words of St. John Paul II to heart:

“Young pilgrims, Christ needs you to enlighten the world and to show it the ‘path to life’ (Ps 16:11). Do not be afraid to go out onto streets and into public places, like the first Apostles who preached Christ and the Good News of salvation in the squares of cities, towns and villages. ‘This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel’ (Cfr. Rom 1:16) … Like the great Apostle Paul, you too must feel the full urgency of the task: ‘Woe to me if I do not evangelize’ (1 Cor 9:16).  Woe to you if you do not succeed in defending life’ (World Youth Day, Denver, 1993).

Mary Kinyon, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Rapid City
This was the first time I had ever been on the March for Life, and my experience was amazing. I did not know exactly what to expect, but I did know that I was going to be truly touched by my experiences, and this expectation did not disappoint.
I was overwhelmed by the number of people who attended the march. Everywhere I looked I saw hundreds of thousands of people just like me who wanted to make a difference. Everybody was filled with joy.

Isaac Rangel, Immaculate Conception, Rapid City 
The March for Life pilgrimage was by far one of my most memorable experiences. The night we arrived we went to a youth rally to get us fired up and ready for the march and it was great! There was good music, some speakers and Eucharistic adoration, which was my favorite part of the rally.
The following day was the march; it was amazing! Thousands of people attended, including some nuns and priests! After the march we were able to go see the monuments on the Washington Mall and to visit the Holocaust Museum.
This was my first pilgrimage and afterward I felt as if God wants me to continue going on these sort of trips; it has helped me to grow closer to him and it encouraged me to keep on fighting for life. Altogether, the pilgrimage was a life changing experience. I made many friends, received a lot of graces and I look forward to next year’s march!

Paige and Isaac Gehlson, Our Lady of the Black Hills, Piedmont
The March for Life was a pilgrimage filled to the brim with inspirational messages and experiences; my brother Isaac and I were lucky enough to witness them firsthand. The most powerful of these experiences was seeing that we are not alone in the pro-life movement, but rather, a part of a fast-growing generation of pro-life supporters. Alongside this realization was the massive gift of patience granted to us during the trip. Specifically in the following movements: a 36-hour bus trip, standing at the rally prior to the march (stood in the D.C. chill from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., when the march finished), and especially when nine of us were crammed into a minivan and were driven to a restaurant called “China Town,” which was half an hour away from the downtown China Town we were trying to reach.
The most important message taken from this event was that we are one body, one voice (“One Voice” was this year’s theme), whether there are thousands of us joined together in a street, or one of us standing up in a classroom.
We must use our one voice for the child who has none. We all have key roles in this movement, but if we fail to be participants in those roles, the change we so dearly desire will never occur and our voices and the children on whose behalf we raise them will be forgotten.
So we ask: join a march, promote life everywhere you go, reach out to not just our future children, but to guard their future.

Emma Raposa, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Rapid City
Going to the March for Life was an amazing experience. It was so empowering to see hundreds of thousands of young people just like me marching to protect life. It was definitely not what I was expecting; it was better.
It was so peaceful. At times when we were marching, it was almost silent. That is because we were marching out of love. I hope to attend this event in the years to come, and I encourage you to do the same because it truly is life changing.

Liam Yantes, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Rapid City
This year I was blessed with an opportunity to attend the March for Life in Washington, D.C. This was something I could have only dreamed about, but thanks to the hard work of my fellow students attending and all the support from family and friends, I was able to go.
One of the things that I was thankful for was the chance to meet so many people fighting for the just cause of ending abortion. We were also blessed to travel with the Diocese of Sioux Falls and make new friends. Thanks again to all that made this possible.

Jordan Miller, Blessed Sacrament, Rapid City
The March for Life was such a positive experience for me. Even though we began with some delays and bad weather, it was comforting to be able to get to Sioux Falls and join the other pilgrims as we boarded our bus and headed for D.C.
The bus ride, although crowded and long, was a time for us Rapid City kids to get to know those from Sioux Falls, play games, watch movies, and spend time in prayer and reflection as we prepared to go on the march.
During our times of prayer, I began to reflect on the question, “Why did I even want to come?” I answered, “I have always wanted to go, and this year I was able to get the chance,” and that answer seemed to be sufficient.
These questions left my thoughts until I returned to Rapid. I now think that my desire for the pilgrimage was just to “be there.” I wanted the experience, and to be able to witness to the pro-life movement. What a gift it was for me to be able to “be there” in those moments of the trip where God showed me just how universal the Catholic Church really is.
I was able to “be there” when I ran into two of my friends from college. I was able to “be there” when I got to spend some time talking to my friends from the University of Mary. I was able to “be there” when our group ran into Sr. Audree Blankartz, who is a good friend of mine from our diocese, and I was able to “be there,” in Washington, D.C., as an advocate for the unborn.
I later realized that I have to be aware and attentive to God’s grace at work so that, in opportunities like the March for Life, I am able to “be there” and not miss out on what God wants me to receive.

Bridget Decker, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Rapid City
Having attended the March for Life in college, my desire for this pilgrimage was to share in the joy of my students. My hopes were realized as they experienced the larger church and the rallying support of thousands united in the cause to support life.
Particularly moving for me was visiting the National Holocaust Museum. Reflecting on the cruel death of so many during that historic event, I considered the roles of those who attempted to defend the defenseless and those who stood by silently. I then considered what I am doing during the genocide of our age to stand against evil and subsequently what future generations will remember about the people of my time — did we speak for truth and dignity or were we silent?
The witness by these youth and young adults on behalf of the unborn should fill us with pride in how well they represented the Catholic Church of western South Dakota. Their words and actions should serve as a reminder and an inspiration for each of us that we are to be fearless and intentional in being witnesses of the Gospel, whether it is among thousands of people on the Washington Mall, amid our coworkers in the office, or within our parishes.
As St. Paul reminds us, and St. John Paul II reiterates: This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel.