March for Life

Jesuit High School's Pro-Life Club traveled to Washington D.C. for four days last week (Jan. 18-21) to participate in the annual March for Life.

Led by school president Fr. Richard C. Hermes, S.J. and Pro-Life Club moderator Angela Hamrick, 43 students joined the tens of thousands who marched to the steps of the Supreme Court, demonstrating their support for the unborn's right to life

This is the 14th time a contingent from Jesuit has represented their school at the March for Life, which was held for the 50th time since the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion at the federal level. In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in its Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling, essentially shifting the issue from the federal to the state level.

The Pro-Life Club members and their seven chaperones spent four chilly days on pilgrimage in the nation's capital. Shortly after their arrival on Wednesday afternoon, they visited the Holocaust Museum. That night, they visited Georgetown University and attended Mass at the Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart. They ended the evening with the D.C. Illuminata walk, passing the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the White House.

On Thursday, they met with students from another Jesuit high school, Jesuit New Orleans, at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. There they listened to Ethics and Public Policy Center speakers George Weigel, Mary FioRito, and Rachel Morrison. Afterward they visited the St. Paul II Museum, where students had the chance to venerate the blood of St. John Paul II.

Later that afternoon, the group attended the Opening Mass for the Vigil for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Before heading to the March for Life on Friday (Jan. 20), the group attended Mass at St. Patrick Church, and visited a Planned Parenthood Clinic and prayed the Rosary.

Shortly after Noon, they were on the lawn of the National Mall, the starting point of the March and the location of the preceding Rally for the Unborn. From there, they marched in solidarity with tens of thousands of others to the steps of the Supreme Court, holding high their Jesuit Pro-Life banner.

Before their flight home on Saturday, the group visited Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, and the Baltimore Inner Harbor. They also celebrated Mass at the Baltimore Basilica.

Chaperone Noah Menendez '14 posted daily during the trip on the @TigerPilgrims Twitter account. More photos also can be viewed on the Facebook page Jesuit High School of Tampa. Below are Jesuit's participants in the March for Life.

STUDENTS: Joey Commesso '23, Sasha Fiola '23, Bryce Fraga '23, Matthew Griffith '23, Will Hoerbelt '23, Luke Holland '23, Connor Kirchner '23, Jackson Kiser '23, Brian Kubiak '23, Oskar Louk '23, Aidan Mahoney '23, Joshua Newman '23, Carmine Sebastiano '23, Brogan Spencer '23, Devin Stevens '23, Elias Acevedo '24, Sergio Carrion '24, Christopher Kelly '24, C.J. Kilkelly '24, Jake Killian '24, Lucas Lopez '24, Marvin Martirez '24, Diego Mejia Omana '24, Javi Mendez '24, Carlos Pasquotto '24, John Pawlusiak '24, Dominic Rossi '24, James Slack '24, Aidan Agustines '25, Logan Hardin '25, Brady Kiser '25, Carlos Lamoutte '25, Ryan Rooth '25, George Al-Ali '26, Liam Amoriello '26, Robert Bogle '26, Christian Diaz '26, Cade Holland '26, Nico Mammola '26, GianLuca Pasquotto '26, James Pawlusiak '26, Andrew Rossi '26, and Rafael Tionko '26.

CHAPERONES: Denise Diaz, Angela Hamrick, Fr. Richard C. Hermes, S.J., Fr. Joseph M. Hill, S.J., David Mammola, Noah Menendez '14, and Mr. Connor Smith, S.J.