Journey for life: Finally, the March

By Blanca Morales - Florida Catholic

This is the third and final part of Blanca Morales' report on the group of college students from throughout Florida who took part in this year's March for Life in Washington, D.C. To read her previous reports, click here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. | It was bittersweet leaving the Shrine of St Anthony Monday morning as we headed to Washington D.C. for the March. It was our last day there.

Even after we packed our belongings and loaded them onto the bus, we lingered outside that foggy morning taking in the beauty of the place and taking last photos before boarding the bus. It was sad having to bid farewell to that "sacred abode," as Christina Beattie, a student at Palm Beach State College, had posted on her Facebook wall upon leaving.

As we drove from rural Maryland to D.C., we were looking forward to what the day would bring. Armed with our posters and rosaries, we were now embarking on the climax of the trip: the March for Life.

When we got there, it was raining. Nearby, people in a kiosk were selling umbrellas and ponchos. I stopped to purchase an umbrella, worried that my camera might get wet. But before I knew it, the group had wandered off ahead of me.

Luckily — or should I say, thanks be to God — I was not left alone. There were four others who were also left behind. We all recognized each other from the bus, but had not officially met yet. We had only referred to each other abstractly: "the married couple," "the Brazilian guy," "the girl from Miami," and "the girl with the big camera" (yes, that's me).

We introduced ourselves and tried to figure out where the group went. We walked over to a rally on the lawn of the Mall, but the group had moved ahead. We walked far down one street and realized we were going the wrong way.

As we were turning back to find another street, Matthew Guerra from Orlando, who came with his wife Hacacia, bumped into none other than Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who was casually walking down the sidewalk.

"Cardinal!" exclaimed Matthew. "Your homily yesterday was great! It's good to see you here."

The cardinal shook his hand and warmly returned the greeting. "Hey, son. How are you doing?"

Based on that friendly exchange, I had thought Matthew knew the cardinal personally. But no, they had never met before. Needless to say, that made Matthew's day.

We continued trudging through the mud, and trying to dodge the crowd as we made our way down, trying not to lose each other as we searched for University of Miami or University of Florida banners. Finally we stopped at an intersection, checked our maps, and tried to find where they were supposed to be.

A man who was walking by himself (uncharacteristic at an event like this) came up to us and offered help. He told us that, according to the directions our friends had given us, they were a couple of streets behind us.

Before we could even say "thank you," the man mysteriously walked off, away from the crowds, toward a building. We found it strange. Who was he and where was he headed? We all looked at each other quizzically and wondered, "He couldn't be an angel sent to us, could he?"

I tried to watch the man as he walked off, but I was somehow distracted by the crowd. I never knew if he entered a building or vanished into smoke.

At last the group caught up to us, and we joined our fellow pilgrims. We prayed the rosary and chanted pro-life slogans all the way down to the U.S. Supreme Court building.

I have to admit, I was apprehensive about the March at first. I had never participated in it before, and all sorts of questions whirled in my mind: "How far do we have to walk? Won't it be too cold? What about crowd control? Doesn't it become too rowdy?"

To my surprise, I never felt the distance, time or even the weather. Yes, it was cold outside, but my thoughts were so occupied that I never had a chance to even feel cold.

As Christina Gauthreaux, a University of Central Florida alumna and Miamian observed, "This will glorify God. The number of people that showed up despite rain and cold will speak volumes."

You might find very few aerial shots of the March that show the overwhelming multitude of pro-lifers, as these are rare. (Most of the mainstream media will not report on the event.) The estimate was that nearly 300,000 people were in attendance: men, women and children, old and young, healthy and disabled, students and parents, singles, married and consecrated vocations - the crowds reflected the diverse country we live in.

And not all were Catholics, as it is often believed. There were groups from different Christian denominations and even other religions. The diversity of people never made for awkward situations. All the pro-life advocates were by turn joyous, peaceful, prayerful and friendly.

When a passer-by, a UF alumnus, stopped to help us tie our University of Miami banner, he was surprised to find he was helping his alma mater's rival. "Aw, I shouldn't have helped you," he said jokingly. "That's okay, I'm Catholic too. We're in this together."

Finally, we stopped in front of the Supreme Court building, which became the parlor for a pan-Floridian meet and greet. Other groups from UCF, Florida State and local seminaries joined us for pictures and to catch up with one another.

On-lookers stared in amazement. These were rival schools behaving like the best of friends. In reality, we are all more than friends. We are brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing the same faith and calling to preserve the culture of life.

This is the mindset we left with when we each parted our separate ways on Tuesday. We all can say we had a very blessed time, and all look forward to seeing one another again, whether it's at another young adult event or in the hereafter.