By Teresa Martinez - Florida Catholic
Students from Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami and Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Coconut Grove take part in the Life Chain along U.S. 1 in Miami Oct. 6. They joined on that stretch of road with students from Belen Jesuit Prep.
Young people demonstrate for the rights of the unborn at the Life Chain, Oct. 6, along U.S. 1 in Miami.
A Life Chain demonstrator gets support from a passerby Oct. 6 along U.S. 1 in Miami.
Group shot of the students from Belen Jesuit Prep in Miami, Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami, and Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Coconut Grove who took part in the Life Chain along a stretch of U.S. 1 in Miami Oct. 6. A similar Life Chain took place along University Drive in Broward County.
Photography: TERESA MARTINEZ | FC
MIAMI | A blazing sun and high temperatures did not deter hundreds from marking Respect Life Sunday Oct. 6 by taking part in the annual Life Chain.
Hundreds of people from parishes and Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Miami stood along major roadways to raise awareness of the need to protect the unborn. The Miami Life Chain took place along U.S. 1, from Kendall Drive to LeJeune Road; the Broward Life Chain took place along University Drive, from Sample Road to Miramar Parkway.
“We gathered to raise awareness for those still in the womb and with the same goal, to spread the message that our fight is for the protection of life from conception to its natural death,” said Sergio Gonzalez, a senior at Belen Jesuit in Miami.
The U.S. bishops have designated October as Respect Life Month, and the first Sunday of October as Respect Life Sunday. Catholics are called to cherish, defend, and protect those who are most vulnerable, from the beginning of life to its end, and at every point in between.
“There is no other option but life so literally life is the first inalienable right. No government, no agency, no group, and no political representation can take that right away from us,” said Father David Smith, a retired priest of the archdiocese who took part in the Miami Life Chain. “Inalienable rights don’t depend on anyone outside of God because we are persons created in his likeness from fertilization until natural death.”
By taking part in the Life Chains, people representing a variety of ages stood up for their belief in the prolife movement. Armed with signs on poster boards, smiles and gusto, they stood their ground despite hearing the occasional taunt by drivers passing by.
“It is important for us to be out here because nowadays so many people view sex as a sport and so easily abort babies because they think the baby is the issue,” said Andrea Duran, a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy. “I feel that my generation needs to help fix that so that the youth is more aware of what exactly they are doing when they choose to abort a baby. I think in being here we are also sharing with everyone who drives by that we care about them and are here to help. Abortion isn’t the answer.”
During Respect Life Month, the Church asks Catholics to reflect more deeply on the dignity of every human life. For more information or to get involved in the respect life ministry, visit https://respectlifemiami.org/or https://pregnancyhelp.me/.
