By Rene David Basulto - Monsignor Edward Pace HS
Pace High students (from left) Isaiah Danger, Natalie Verdiguel, Vanessa Valdes, Maryann Miguel, and Sophia Lopez, and Pace theology teacher Nelson Bonet (front center) joined hundreds of thousands of others at the 2015 March for Life on Jan. 22 in Washington D.C.
MIAMI GARDENS | On the sunny Saturday morning of Jan. 17, students, teachers, parishioners, clergy, and lay people from 12 schools and parishes across South Florida gathered at Msgr. Edward Pace High School’s football field and track course to take part in the school’s annual Walk for Life.
It was one of three taking place within the Archdiocese of Miami that day to raise funds for the archdiocese’s crisis pregnancy centers, which offer material and spiritual support and counseling to women with crisis pregnancies.
Pace High’s Walk, now in its fifth year, was headed mainly by Pace theology teacher George Rodriguez, who acted as an emcee for the morning’s events. In addition to raising funds, the walk aims to “raise awareness of the value and dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death, without exception,” according to Rodriguez.
Student members of Pace’s Respect Life Club helped to organize the walk, along with the club’s moderator and Pace theology teacher Nelson Bonet. Reny and Hilda Aguilera, Respect Life coordinators for Immaculate Conception Church and School, along with Father Manuel Alvarez, Father Salvador Diaz, and Father Alfred Cioffi from Immaculate Conception Church also attended and led walkers in prayer at various times throughout the morning.
Reny Aguilera stated that the goal of the Walk for Life was “to help teach the Gospel of our Lord to our community.” Walkers began their march around the track with a prayer and continued for a few hours as music played over the loudspeaker. Some held up signs and banners proclaiming their faith and representing their parish. The march ended with words from Deacon Jim Dugard, who is assigned to the Respect Life Ministry in Miami-Dade County, and Joan Crown, the ministry’s director.
Photographer: Rene D. Basulto
Walkers representing 12 South Florida parishes and schools attended Msgr. Pace High's annual Walk for Life on Jan. 17.
Just a few days later, five Pace students, chaperoned by Bonet, traveled north for the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. They were joined by students from other schools in the Archdiocese of Miami and Crown, as the trip was organized by the Respect Life ministry. From Jan. 20 to Jan. 23, the students participated in a retreat, visited sites such as the Lincoln Memorial and the Museum of Natural History, and held prayer vigils in front of the Supreme Court and the White House.
On Jan. 22, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Pace group joined up with hundreds of thousands of people at the National Mall for the March for Life.
For the students, who had seen and heard of the march for years before finally going themselves, the experience was astounding. Sophomore Maryann Miguel said that it was great to see everyone at the march working together towards a common goal. “It was an honor to be able to speak up for those who don’t have a voice of their own,” she added.
“(The March for Life) shows us all that people of different denominations can come together for a good common cause,” said Bonet. “Walking together with hundreds of thousands of people in honor of those who don’t have a voice is a truly powerful and humbling experience.”
