Angelus News | February 9, 2024 | Vol. 9 No

Nearly 7,000 event participants braved the
rain to support the dignity of life and enjoy
guest speakers, music, food, and vendors.
Gardens, held her head high as she
marched with a homemade anti-abortion
sign. As someone who works with
Vox Vitae, a pro-life nonprofit that
works with teens and young adults, she
was adamant that abortion was hurting
our way of life.
“In today’s society, we can see there’s
a lot of wrong things going on,” Plata
said. “Abortion. Human trafficking.
Our babies are being affected.
“My goal has always been to help
women and save those children.”
Elizabeth Macias, a parishioner at
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in
El Monte and one of the coordinators
of a church group called “Prevention
and Rescue,” was listening to speakers
as she held her youngest daughter and
several of her other kids ran around. As
someone who got pregnant at age 18
and who recently had her fifth child 10
years later, she believes there needs to
be a rethinking of how pregnancy and
abortion are framed.
“My thought is now what do I have
to sacrifice more to be able to feed my
fourth, fifth kid versus I’m going to
go abort so I don’t have to sacrifice,”
Macias said. “If you think more about
sacrificing versus getting rid of, God
blesses you. God doesn’t fail. He’s not
human.”
***
Others simply basked in the joy of the
life that was brought into the world.
Ruben and Maggie Cardenas —
parishioners at St. Peter & St. Paul
Church in Rancho Cucamonga —
were taking photos of their daughter,
Emily, holding a OneLife LA sign.
Emily held a special place in their
heart, being their first child after having
spent their first 10 years of marriage
childless. Emily is now 19 and the
couple has four other children.
“We prayed and asked God for a child
and Emily is an answer,” Ruben said.
So we’ve been in that space of wanting
to have children and yet being around
a society where so many people were
aborting children.”
“It’s easy to get caught up in the culture
where anything goes, euthanasia
and abortion,” Maggie said. “For us, it’s
important to make sure our kids know
that no matter how popular the culture
of death is, it’s wrong.”
For Carolina Jara, who attends Sacred
Heart Church in Jurupa Valley, there’s
a reason why she’s been to OneLife LA
for all 10 years, bringing her husband
and five kids with her: She herself was
almost aborted. Her mother was 38, her
family was poor, and her parents were
already struggling with five kids.
“My mom always mentions the story
of when she was pregnant with me, the
doctor told her to have an abortion,”
Jara said. “I think that always stuck with
me. So I’ve always been pro-life.”
For those who argue as pro-choice and
who see nothing wrong with abortion,
Jara has a simple message to try and
change their minds.
“I think the first thing I mention is,
hey, I wouldn’t be here if my mom
would’ve aborted me,” Jara said. “My
kids wouldn’t be here. It’s a huge deal
to think about missing a person in your
life.
“Imagine if you didn’t exist, all the
things you do in your life, all the people
you share your life with. We’re all
important members of society. Without
that one person, there’s something
missing.”
As the rain welcomed the event, it also
had the final say. As Francis Cabildo
and friends took the stage for the final
performance, the downpour came
down heavily again and the concert was
cut short for safety reasons.
“God’s mercy is pouring on us,”
Cabildo said.
It was at that point the date for next
year’s OneLife LA was announced:
Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.
The rain is TBD.
Mike Cisneros is the associate editor of
Angelus.
16 • ANGELUS • February 9, 2024