Young voices amongst thousands speaking up for Life at March
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Christina Leslie | Staff Writer
Heeding Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.’s call to “lift up that gift of life… in gratitude, in prayer and in the hope that the only choice people will embrace is a choice for life,” many Catholic school students hailing from all four counties of the Diocese of Trenton were among the thousands of faithful who gathered at the National Mall and made the climb along Constitution Avenue to Capitol Hill. Travelling in busses alongside their adult leaders in faith, the grammar and high school students present at the 42nd annual March for Life in Washington proved the old adage “children should be seen and not heard” held no validity on the subject of protecting life.
St. Joseph School, Toms River, sent a group of seventh and eighth graders to stand up for life in all its forms. Accompanied by teachers Rita Dishon and Donna Urmey, the bleary-eyed yet smiling youth boarded an early bus to the nation’s capital, praying the Rosary as their bus rolled down the N.J. Turnpike. Also aboard the bus were members of the parish youth group C.Y.G.N.U.S. (Catholic Youth Growing Nurturing Understanding & Serving) and their youth minister Catherine Werner.
Facebook posts from Incarnation-St. James School showed pictures of smiling faces on the children standing in front of the buses which would bring them to join hundreds of thousands of their fellow proponents of life. Also grinning broadly before the trip from Ewing was Donna Goodwin, diocesan coordinator for respect life ministries. ISJ teacher Beth Meagher sent a photo of the students standing proudly carrying signs bearing the messages “Defend Life” and “I am the Pro-Life Generation” declaring they were “witnesses for the sanctity of human life.”
The bus filled with students and parishioners of St. Benedict, Holmdel, was accompanied by pastor Father Daniel Swift and parochial vicar Father Daniel Kirk. Photos of the group standing on the National Mall hoisting a sign, emblazoned with the parish name, were posted on the parish website soon after their arrival. Follow-up tweets from Father Swift noted he was, “very encouraged by the size of corwd. Must be thousands!,” while student Madison Huber shared she “love(d) the enthusiasm in the crowd,” and Greyson Riley proclaimed, “Glad I came. People here from all over.”
Continue to check the diocesan hashtag #DoTMarch4Life and The Monitor website for updates and more local coverage.
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By Christina Leslie | Staff Writer
Heeding Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.’s call to “lift up that gift of life… in gratitude, in prayer and in the hope that the only choice people will embrace is a choice for life,” many Catholic school students hailing from all four counties of the Diocese of Trenton were among the thousands of faithful who gathered at the National Mall and made the climb along Constitution Avenue to Capitol Hill. Travelling in busses alongside their adult leaders in faith, the grammar and high school students present at the 42nd annual March for Life in Washington proved the old adage “children should be seen and not heard” held no validity on the subject of protecting life.
St. Joseph School, Toms River, sent a group of seventh and eighth graders to stand up for life in all its forms. Accompanied by teachers Rita Dishon and Donna Urmey, the bleary-eyed yet smiling youth boarded an early bus to the nation’s capital, praying the Rosary as their bus rolled down the N.J. Turnpike. Also aboard the bus were members of the parish youth group C.Y.G.N.U.S. (Catholic Youth Growing Nurturing Understanding & Serving) and their youth minister Catherine Werner.
Facebook posts from Incarnation-St. James School showed pictures of smiling faces on the children standing in front of the buses which would bring them to join hundreds of thousands of their fellow proponents of life. Also grinning broadly before the trip from Ewing was Donna Goodwin, diocesan coordinator for respect life ministries. ISJ teacher Beth Meagher sent a photo of the students standing proudly carrying signs bearing the messages “Defend Life” and “I am the Pro-Life Generation” declaring they were “witnesses for the sanctity of human life.”
The bus filled with students and parishioners of St. Benedict, Holmdel, was accompanied by pastor Father Daniel Swift and parochial vicar Father Daniel Kirk. Photos of the group standing on the National Mall hoisting a sign, emblazoned with the parish name, were posted on the parish website soon after their arrival. Follow-up tweets from Father Swift noted he was, “very encouraged by the size of corwd. Must be thousands!,” while student Madison Huber shared she “love(d) the enthusiasm in the crowd,” and Greyson Riley proclaimed, “Glad I came. People here from all over.”
Continue to check the diocesan hashtag #DoTMarch4Life and The Monitor website for updates and more local coverage.
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