Last Thursday night, seven busloads of tri-campus community members headed to Washington, D.C. to attend the annual March for Life.
The event was sponsored by Notre Dame’s Right to Life Club and SMC’s Belles for Life. Becase these clubs receive funding from the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, students and faculty members traveled to the East Coast for $35 a ticket.
At least 330 members from the tri-campus community attended the event, according to Notre Dame’s Right to Life’s bus roster.
“Over the past few years, we’ve had 700 to 800 students attend the March for Life,” Fr. Terrence Ehrman, the chaplain for Right to Life said. “This year’s attendance is down from the average, but I think that is because people are focusing on the state level.”
On Friday, students attended Life Fest at the D.C. Armory. The event included different speakers and a mass run by the Sisters of Life in New York City. There were four bishops, a Cardinal and approximately 100 priests in attendance — including four from Notre Dame.
Around lunch, students took a group picture at the Washington Monument at the National Mall.
The afternoon’s events concluded with the Rally for Life and the March for Life. According to Ehrman, in previous years, the route used to pass by the Supreme Court building. This year, it was rerouted to pass in front of the Capitol building.
“This symbolizes, now, the issue is in the hands of the states,” he said.
On Friday night students slept in sleeping bags on the floor of gymnasiums and classrooms in the basement of St. Charles Catholic Church in Arlington, Virginia. Students’ packing lists included pillows and blankets, along with a message from Gregory Pratt, the event organizer: “This is a pilgrimage, so we encourage you to pack simply!”
The next morning, students woke up early to attend a holy Mass presided by Ehrman on Blessed Basil Moreau’s feast day. Mass was celebrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in northeast D.C. adjacent to Catholic University.
Students spent the rest of the evening in D.C., with some optionally choosing to participate in Cardinal O’Connor’s conference on life from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Buses departed for Notre Dame at 7:15 p.m.
While reflecting on the event, many students discussed how the March for Life brought them closer to their fellow club members.
“Seeing the passion, courage, dedication and innovation that these young 17 and 18-year-old undergraduates have for the pro-life cause was extremely inspiring and emotional,” law student Abe Arun said.
Jackie Nguyen, Notre Dame Right to Life’s director of design, was surrounded by community — and her own designs.
“This year, surrounded by Marian apparition posters that hailed our Marian theme, we joined hands and began singing the Alma Mater to Our Lady,” she said.
Anne Marie Bollman, Notre Dame Right to Life’s let them live commissioner, was also struck by the different communities that she encountered at March for Life.
“It was a great bonding opportunity within the Notre Dame group to drive overnight with these people and then sleep on a parish floor together,” Bollman said. “The event was also organized by Notre Dame alumni in D.C., so it was really special to see some of my friends who had graduated in the past few years.” She also felt like being a part of the larger anti-abortion community that weekend was a special experience.
Ehrman postured that the March for Life is changing in a post-Dobbs United States.
“The question is what’s going to happen to the March for Life? It was successful, right?” he said. “The March existed to overturn Roe V. Wade, but now that it’s overturned, abortion still exists in our country.”
