Vision SPRING 2013 Faith and Education - Chaminade Julienne ...

Students from Carroll and CJ greet Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr at the March for Life in Washington D.C.
March for Life
Voice for the Voiceless
It’s been 40 years since the Supreme
Court decision to allow abortion was
passed into law. At the time in early
1973, Chaminade, Julienne and St.
Joseph’s were still separate schools, and
the first members of CJ’s class of 2013
would not be conceived for more than
20 years.
Yet, as evidenced by this year’s trip to the
National March for Life in Washington,
D.C., student support for the sanctity of
life continues to be an important issue.
Nearly 30 students decided to join an estimated
crowd of 400,000 pro-life advocates
in January. Before departing,
chaperone and religion teacher Karen
Emmerich cautioned participants of the
arduous, four-day schedule. The physically
and emotionally exhausting weekend
is no “walk in the park” (or, rather, walk
on the National Mall) for students, but it
is an edifying and affirming experience,
supplemented with prayer at every stop.
Thursday morning, participants gathered
in the school chapel for Mass with
Fr. Matt Robben before boarding the bus
with Mrs. Emmerich and science teacher
Maura Lemon later that morning. Like
last year, the journey began with a stop at
Carroll High School. From there, Eagles
banded with Patriots and made the nearly
eight-hour journey east.
Friday began at 5:40 a.m. Students attended
the Youth Rally and Mass for
Life. That’s where Carroll chaperone
Pam Tipps spotted Archbishop Dennis
Schnurr and invited him to meet with
the group from Dayton. He was impressed
by the turnout.
“I am very proud that 1,700 members
of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati,
primarily young people, traveled to
Washington, D.C., to participate in the
March for Life and, in this way, give
voice to the unborn who are without
voice,” he said.
“On this issue in particular, our young
people are a real inspiration to me and to
others. I travel to Washington not only
to participate in the March for Life, but
also to thank our young people for their
courageous witness to the truth that human
life begins at conception and that
it is a sacred gift that must be respected
and protected from the moment of conception
until natural death.”
After the rally they headed to the
National Mall where they marched
arm-in-arm to the steps of the Supreme
Court building among the throngs of
other pro-life supporters.
“The experience can be overwhelming
because you see all these people to your
Photo courtesy of Joe Ollier,
Ascension Catholic Church
left and right holding signs, praying and
chanting together,” said Faith White ‘15.
“The amazing thing was seeing all of the
men who were pro-life supporters because
usually this is thought of as a
women’s rights issue.”
Among them were students E.J.
Cervantes ‘16, Malik Guy ‘15, Evan
Sinnathamby ‘16, and Sean Colbert ‘16.
“I’ve always thought of myself as pro-life,
but I wanted to see and hear other people’s
opinion,” Colbert said. “It was eyeopening
to see that so many people have
the same beliefs that we do.”
Students spent the next day networking
with peers, listening to guest speakers
and working in breakout sessions at
the Students for Life of America (SFLA)
National Conference. The next morning,
CJ and Carroll attended Mass together
before heading home.
“I would encourage anyone out there
to attend this trip,” Colbert said. “It’s a
great experience to be in solidarity with
people who support the right to life.”
Faith agreed and said she returned to
school even more strengthened in her
resolve, but said that – for necessity’s
sake alone – she hoped this was the last
March for Life she ever has to attend. V
VISION 5