Iowans for LIFE took three busloads of pilgrims to the 47th March for Life which took place last Friday. Our pilgrimage consisted of about 150 students and their chaperones. They witnessed the most historic March in history. Here is our March for Life 2020 recap.
For the first time in history, the sitting president of the United States attended and spoke to a mammoth crowd.
What makes President Trump so interesting is that two decades ago, he said that he was “very pro-choice” although he also said “he hates abortion.”
What changed?
He is now ‘very’ pro-life, the most pro-life president in history. Leaders in the pro-life movement reached out to the president and simply presented the case for life, which is compelling. Let’s face it, the case for life is based on sound science, sound theology, and sound philosophy.
Here’s the what President Trump said:
“Every human soul is divine, and every human life — born and unborn — is made in the holy image of almighty God.”
Wow! IFL stood in the midst of a crowd that roared with delight.
A little later, Melissa Ohden, an abortion survivor and speaker at the IFL banquet a few years ago, got up and spoke. She screened a remarkable new video which puts a face on human abortion. Watch:
The organization that produced the ad, Faces of Choice, wants to air it during the Super Bowl, but has been blocked by the NFL, who evidently considers an ad this honest to be politically incorrect.
How did IFL pilgrims get to this point, standing in a crowd of hundreds of thousand of people listening to the president of the United States speak?
KCCI covered our departure
The pilgrimage began the Wednesday before the March, as we loaded buses at St. Francis of Assisi church in West Des Moines. KCCI actually covered the story!
Our two day journey to Washington DC was enlivened by prayer, as we prayed pro-life Rosaries. We were accompanied by Fr. Ryan Andrew.
We screened several videos IFL produced from last year’s March to share with our new pilgrims. The entire trip, coming and going, is an important part of the pilgrimage, as IFL provides pro-life education and prayerful leadership for our youth, both Catholic and non-Catholic.
We attended an incredible youth rally where a thousand students stood in line for confession, and 20,000 shared a Mass led by an international cast of clergy, including a Vatican messenger sent directly by Pope Francis.
More than a bus trip
In other words, the trek isn’t just a bus trip. It’s an experience, a pilgrimage, that bonds people together to the most important cause of this generation.
One young man, Max, who is not Catholic, was the lone pilgrim from a Fort Dodge public high school. Max came, he said, because this cause is so important.
The March ended at the footsteps of the Supreme Court, with a mammoth crowd on full display:
Iowans for LIFE’s role in the pro-life boom
Why is the pro-life generation booming? Because IFL and groups like us make the March for Life pilgrimage happen!
The March for Life is more than a March. It is five days of deep immersion into the mystery of our faith. We attend a youth rally in a lively arena with 20,000 youthful pilgrims. Our kids stood in line for up to 45 minutes to make their confession before attending Mass which was led by an international cast of clergy and religious, including an emissary from Pope Francis himself!
The March for Life needs YOU!
The March for Life is hard. The March for Life is fun. The March for Life is deeply moving. The March for Life is a godly event in a person’s life, whether young or old, as you can see in this March for Life 2020 recap.
Do you want to be a part of the pro-life generation? Then circle January 29, 2021 on your calendar, the date of next year’s March for Life in Washington DC! But register by November 1st of this year!
