Young people from Archdiocese of Baltimore among thousands at ‘Life Fest’ rally

WASHINGTON, D.C. – When a winter snowstorm forced Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville to cancel its transportation services for students attending Life Fest and the March for Life in Washington Jan. 19, Sydney Andrus was undeterred.

Braving cold and snow, the 18-year-old Mount de Sales student and parishioner of Our Lady of the Fields in Millersville was dropped off by family at the second annual gathering of more than 6,000 young Catholics and pro-life supporters from across the country.

Andrus’ presence at what has become a spirited precursor to the March for Life – complete with Christian rock music, testimonies, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and a special Mass – was a tangible sign of her support for the sanctity of all human life. 

“I think it’s so cool that there’s so many different parishes, so many different colleges, like everyone’s here to worship the Lord, but also to educate themselves too in the pro-life movement,” Andrus said.

Before participating in the 51st annual March for Life with many thousands of others, Andrus said she drew inspiration from Life Fest’s message of hope. 

“If we’re patient and we trust the Lord, hope will come,” she said. “Hope is here now amongst us. We must choose life.”

Life Fest, held at the D.C. Armory, was sponsored by the Sisters for Life and the Knights of Columbus. Speakers included identical twin Sisters of Life, Sisters Pia Jude and Luca Benedict, who shared how they entered religious life from careers in law and medicine; and Monsignor James Shea, president of the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D.

Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, Knights of Columbus supreme chaplain, celebrated the Life Fest Mass, with Boston Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley preaching the homily. Several seminarians from the Archdiocese of Baltimore were among those present at the Mass and the March for Life.

In his homily, Cardinal O’Malley said dismantling “unjust laws” serves as just the initial phase. 

“We still have the arduous task of creating a pro-life culture,” he said, “of changing people’s minds and hearts.”

The cardinal noted that if proponents of the pro-life movement come across as judgmental or self-righteous, they will not be heard. 

“People will believe us only when they are convinced that we care about them,” he said. “People will believe us only when they are convinced that we love them. Our task is not to judge others, but to try and bring healing.”

The cardinal added that it’s “naive to think abortion doesn’t desensitize our nation.”

Sister Giovana of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, a member of the Sisters Poor of Jesus Christ based at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore, joined several other members of her religious community in braving the cold to attend Life Fest and the march.

Originating from Brazil, where the pro-life movement is less prevalent, Sister Giovana values the diversity within the movement in the United States, urging others to embrace faith and courage in the fight for life.

“I think it’s extremely important for women and men to know that they are not alone, that there is a community that is here to stand up with them and for them,” Sister Giovana said.

Life Fest this year marked the second such event since the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling by the Supreme Court that overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, which had legalized abortion. The Dobbs decision essentially sent the abortion issue back to the states.  

Chris Powers, Maryland state deputy for the Knights of Columbus and a parishioner of Our Lady’s Church at Medley’s Neck in Leonardtown, said the Dobbs decision is an “excellent first start in Maryland.”

Former Maryland State Deputy Vince Grauso joined Powers in expressing strong support for the pro-life cause and highlighting the significance of the Life Fest and March for Life in shaping societal perspectives on the sanctity of life.

“It’s just so exciting to see the young people come, wanting to learn more about their faith, wanting to demonstrate their Catholicity and how they live their faith,” Grauso said.

Gracing the stage at this year’s Life Fest was the musical group, Damascus Worship.  

Life Fest attendees had the chance to venerate the relics of the recently beatified Ulma family from Poland – a Polish couple named Jozef and Wiktoria, along with their seven children, including an unborn baby. They were martyred by Nazis for sheltering Jews and were beatified in September in their native Poland.

At the conclusion of the Life Fest Mass, Archbishop Lori led attendees in making a consecration  to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and the unborn. Participants also pledged to defend human life from conception to natural death.

Email Adriana Montes at amontes@CatholicReview.org

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 10:21 p.m. on Jan. 19, 2024 to correct Sydney Andrus’ home parish and her means of transportation to Life Fest. The Catholic Review regrets the errors.

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