The 2023 March for Life Standing tall, changing hearts The 2023 March for Life Standing tall, changing hearts

Blue skies, joyful people, the pro-life population of the youngest to the oldest of society, united as one. That was the 2023 March for Life, celebrating the overturn of Roe v. Wade and calling for pro-life policies to be passed. Held on January 20 in Washington, DC, the March for Life has always been a sign of hope, joy, and peace, leaving participants with that high of lovingly standing up for what you believe in with faith.

The feeling that comes from participating in the March for Life is something that one cannot fully understand until being part of it. Smiles are unceasing. While there are people of all faiths and no faith united to stand up for the most vulnerable in society – the unborn – if you ever need a large Catholic family reunion, this is the time. That weekend, there’s at least one priest everywhere you turn, and Sisters of different orders, including the Salesian Sisters. We tried to meet up with Sr. Kelly Schuster and the group from Mary Help of Christians Academy, but when you’re marching next to 500,000 of your best friends, it’s not easy! We all prayed as one, united in our dedication to such a great cause. It is so affirming to see so many Catholic religious and families everywhere.

At the March itself, my group was loudly praying the Rosary, and we quickly realized that five other groups around us where also praying the Rosary together, everyone at different times, even nuns singing their own Rosary. It was so cool, as a Catholic, to have people praying the Rosary loudly at such a large scale! Our group was also lucky to meet sympathetic Members of Congress, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (right).

When I was at Villa Madonna School, the Salesian Sisters taught us to stand up for the unborn, the defenseless, and the most vulnerable in society, while being strong in our faith. Now, as a senior at the Academy of the Holy Names in Tampa, I have the amazing opportunity to lead our Respect for Life club, having conversations constantly about the protection of the unborn.

We need legal protection of the unborn. But the only way to truly end abortion is through love. We have to love the mothers, their children, and the fathers who are often forgotten but are very impacted. We have to change hearts. Women need to know the truth of who they are in the eyes of the Father, which will set them free to say YES to the gift of life and to be able to heal in His mercy from the pain of abortion. Please join me in praying for women, their unborn children, the legal protection of the unborn, and a greater love and respect for the unborn!

– Anna Anderson, Villa Madonna class of 2019