Several Catholic Colleges Preparing for Extensive March for Life Participation
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 20, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Catholic college and universities have historically been very involved in the national March for Life and this year will be no exception. On Friday, students from several Catholic colleges highlighted by the Cardinal Newman Society, will be involved in the pro-life event.
Patrick J. Reilly, the president of CNS, a Catholic educational watchdog group, told LifeNews.com today he’s pleased with their high level of participation.
“These faithfully Catholic institutions are genuinely dedicated to building up the Culture of Life and are beacons of hope for Catholic families and students," he said.
He said their involvement is a reason why they were included in the Newman Guide his group prepares and distributes to help parents of prospective Catholic college students find the right university for their needs.
"Colleges in The Newman Guide are recommended for their commitment to a strong Catholic identity, so it is no surprise that many of them have delegations coming to the March for Life," he said.
The March for Life takes place every January to commemorate the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade which legalized abortion in the United States of America. Recent years have seen attendance surpassing 200,000, including many college students.
Below are summaries of pro-life activities that many of the Newman Guide colleges have planned for this week.
Ave Maria University (Ave Maria, FL) – Students from Ave Maria will travel overnight to D.C. where they plan to attend the Solemn Vigil Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Friday morning they will attend Mass with their bishop, Bishop Frank Dewane of the Diocese of Venice. Later that day the students will participate in the March.
Aquinas College (Nashville, TN) – Students from Aquinas held a successful silent auction to raise funds to attend the March for Life. The students will join the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in D.C. for the March. On January 16, Aquinas students teamed with Tennessee Right to Life to erect an annual “Cemetery of the Innocents,” placing hundreds of crosses on a campus lawn visible to a busy urban roadway. In conjunction, Masses for the healing of those impacted by abortion are offered on campus.
Belmont Abbey College (Belmont, NC) – Students from Belmont Abbey College will be attending the March for Life in Washington, D.C.
Benedictine College (Atchison, KS) – Students from Benedictine College will be attending the March for Life in Washington, D.C.
The Catholic University of America (Washington, D.C.) – Catholic University will greet and host approximately 1,800 pilgrims in the Nation’s Capitol for the March for Life. On Thursday, the University will co-sponsor the National Prayer Vigil for Life with the USCCB and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. On Friday, hundreds of students from Catholic University will join in the March for Life
Christendom College (Front Royal, VA) – The College will continue its annual tradition and close its doors for a day so that the entire student body may participate in the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Christendom students have carried the lead banner for the March in past years.
Franciscan University of Steubenville (Steubenville, OH) – Every year, Franciscan University declares an academic holiday to enable students to attend the March for Life. The University will hold a prayer vigil on campus before students depart for the March on Thursday evening. They will travel through the night and attend a Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception when they arrive. Some students will stay in Washington until Saturday in order to attend a Students for Life conference.
Magdalen College (Warner, NH) – The entire student body will travel to the March in D.C. as they have done for the past 3 years. On January 16, students also attended their local pro-life march in Concord, NH.
Mount St. Mary’s University (Emmitsburg, MD) – The largest ever contingent of students and seminarians from Mount St. Mary’s will travel to Washington to participate in the March for Life. In conjunction with plans to attend the March, the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist from Ann Arbor, MI, will speak to the students on the connection between the Eucharist and promoting the Culture of Life. The University has become a “spiritual gathering place” for schools and parishes en route to the March as many groups are making Emmitsburg, which features a Lourdes Grotto, a part of their pilgrimage on the way to Washington.
Our Lady of Corpus Christi (Corpus Christi, TX) – Students will be participating in the Texas March for Life in Austin on January 23.
Redeemer Pacific College (Langley, British Colombia) – Each spring, Redeemer Pacific students attend the annual March for Life which takes place in Victoria, British Colombia, in Canada.
Southern Catholic College (Dawsonville, GA) – A small group of students are traveling to Washington for the March for Life while the majority of the student body will participate in a pro-life March and Mass in Atlanta.
St. Gregory’s University (Shawnee, OK) – In addition to some students attending the March for Life, students on campus will participate in a Rosary and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with the special intention of respect for life. The time of prayer will continue through the afternoon on Friday until an evening Mass is celebrated by Abbot Lawrence Stasyszen, O.S.B.
Thomas Aquinas College (Santa Paula, CA) – Students will continue an annual College tradition on January 23 and participate in the Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco. TAC students led the Walk in 2009. Prior to the event, students will be praying the Rosary and participating in an all-night Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts (Merrimack, NH) – Several carloads of students will be making the trip down to the March. The College is arranging for the rest of the student body to attend the March for Life in Boston. The College plans to start the day with Mass.
Related web sites:
Cardinal Newman Society – https://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org
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