March for Life

A record 56 members of Jesuit High School’s Pro-Life Club made the club’s annual trek to Washington, D.C. last week to support the rights of the unborn at the March for Life.

Led by school president Fr. Richard C. Hermes, S.J. and Pro-Life Club moderator Rania Saade, the large Jesuit contingent joined more than half a million marchers on Friday (Jan. 19), heading from the National Mall to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court as part of the largest pro-life demonstration in the world.

The event marked the 45th year since the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling regarding abortion. Click here to learn more about the March for Life at www.MarchforLife.org.

In addition to the renowned march, the Pro-Life Club and six chaperones enjoyed numerous educational and spiritual experiences during their four-day pilgrimage. Shortly after their arrival on Wednesday (Jan. 17), the group visited the Smithsonian's National Zoo, the National Archives, and Georgetown University. The nation’s oldest Jesuit university (founded in 1789), the Jesuit students celebrated Mass at the Georgetown's Dahlgren Chapel.

Thursday (Jan. 18) included a visit to St. Matthew’s Cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington; listening to lecturers at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, including Catholic author and social activist George Weigel; celebrating the Mass for the Unborn at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at Catholic University; and Compline at the Dominican House of Studies.

Friday morning, prior to the March for Life, they celebrated Mass with students from other Jesuit schools around the country at Gonzaga College High School. The Rally for Unborn at the National Mall began at Noon, followed by the March for Life.

Saturday (Jan. 28), the Jesuit group visited Mount Vernon, Loyola Blakefield (a Jesuit school in Maryland), and the city of Baltimore.

One of the trip’s chaperones, Jesuit teacher Matthew Kuizon '11, tweeted updates daily on the @TigerPilgrims Twitter account, from which users can scroll through the Jesuit contingent's timeline of experiences.

View a photo slideshow below of the Pro-Life Club’s trip to D.C. for the March for Life: