With the Capitol in the background, young people from the Diocese of Brooklyn make their way through the biting cold and snow to declare their support for the right-to-life movement. For many of them, it was their first time participating in the March for Life. (Photo: Courtesy of Mother Maria Altar Purisimo, SSVM)
PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Catholics from churches all over the Diocese of Brooklyn who braved the cold and snow to participate in the March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 19 returned home saying that the experience brought them closer to their faith.
Mother Maria Altar Purisimo, SSVM, director of religious education for Sts. Peter and Paul-Epiphany Parish in South Williamsburg, led a busload of young people to the nation’s capital and said it was a joy for her to see them grow in faith during their time there.
The parish sent two buses to the March for Life this year — one for adults and one for young people. In addition to the march itself, the young people attended Masses, prayer services, and other spiritual gatherings during their time in Washington.
“It is important for them to go to the March for Life because they see young people like themselves from all over the country who are committed to the pro-life cause. They become committed too. And they come back committed to their Catholic faith,” Mother Maria said.
That was certainly true for Donna Castillo, a 13-year-old parishioner of Sts. Peter and Paul-Epiphany. “It was cold and marching in the snow was hard. My body hurt. But when you think of all the suffering that Jesus did for us, you don’t complain. You keep going,” she said.
The march “was definitely a learning experience for me,” Donna added. “It made me realize a lot of things, like how everyone deserves a chance to live.”
Donna had previously attended the march four times — but always with her parents. This year was the first time she went without her parents and with a group of young people like herself.
First-time marcher Melissa Ramiriez, 17, a parishioner of St. Finbar Church in Bath Beach, said the experience made her think about what it means to be a Catholic.
“I feel my faith much more now, especially after learning all about abortion and that’s it’s not OK. I have always known that as Catholics, we have to respect life. But now I really understand what that means,” she explained.
Father Jason Espinal, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul-Epiphany, said he was particularly pleased to see so many first-timers at the march this year. “I think it was because of word of mouth. Young people told each other about it and the excitement spread,” he explained.
There were opportunities for participants to express their faith during parts of the march, Father Espinal said. At one point, the young people knelt down on the ground to pray the rosary.
For some participants, the march offered the chance to spread the faith.
“I think it’s really important because our faith teaches that life is sacred from conception until natural death, and I think it’s really important that we come out here to share that same belief with other people,” said Connor Whelan, music director at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Windsor Terrace.
Lamenting the “culture of death” in the world, Whelan added, “I just think it’s really important just to remind the world of how sacred life is.”
For some, the march offered the chance to reflect on their own lives as Catholics.
Mother Maria recalled how an encounter with a pro-life advocate in her native Mexico deepened her faith and eventually led her to answer God’s call to take her vows as a sister.
In 2006, when she was 13, the Mexican government was considering decriminalizing abortion — a big step in a predominantly Catholic country. “There was a lot of frustration over the matter,” she remembered.
Around that time, Maria ran into the catechist from her parish outside a supermarket. “He was standing there holding a pro-life sign. “I said, ‘Why are you standing here by yourself?’ He told me,’We do not have the right to do away with a life created by God.’ He was my first pro-life minister,” she said.
A short time later, members of the Servants of the Lord of the Virgin of Matara invited her to a pro-life march in Mexico City and she went.
Christian Rada, director of marriage, family formation, and respect life education for the Diocese of Brooklyn, said many young people view taking part in the March Life as part of their commitment to serve others.
“There is a feeling, especially among high school students and younger people preparing for the sacrament of confirmation, that doing this service for those that are in need allows them to have a deeper understanding that Christ wants us to love one another,” he explained.
There are signs that the pro-life movement is expanding beyond abortion, Rada said. Ever since the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which reversed Roe v. Wade, he has noticed an expansion of the definition of what it means to be pro-life.
“I’ve noticed that my counterparts from the state of New York have really geared their efforts toward not just the abortion issue because of the Dobbs decision, but expanding it so it’s not just the single issue of abortion. The focus has to be on euthanasia, capital punishment, and any other violations toward life,” he said.
Christopher Keane, who was among those who braved the harsh weather to take part in the march, called abortion a human rights issue.
“It’s important to come because it shows other people who aren’t here that this is an important issue to many people,” Keane added. “It’s important to me and it will make people think and raise awareness as to the rate of abortion in the country, the fact that it’s a human rights issue not just a religious issue.”
Rada predicted that broadening the pro-life message will draw even more young people to the movement.
“It will be much broader in that sense, so it’s not just simply the abortion issue that we should be marching for but for all abuses of life, whether it’s war, poverty, or injustice,” he explained.
Additional reporting by John Lavenburg.