4 minute read
A Joyful Witness
One of Katrina Gallic’s first memories is being pushed down Constitution Avenue in a stroller at the March for Life. Her family has always been pro-life, and her parents started bringing her to pray with them outside of abortion clinics when she was very small, along with taking her with them to the March for Life.
Since then, her path has taken many turns – one of them leading her to college at the University of Mary, another to meeting the vice president of the United States – all of which eventually brought her back to the March for Life, where she now serves as the director of development.
As a student at Mary, Gallic, ’18, attended the March for Life in Washington, D.C., with her classmates multiple times. In 2016, the group was on their way home to Bismarck when a huge snowstorm hit the east coast. The buses holding University of Mary students, staff, and faculty were stranded on the Pennsylvania Turnpike for 24 hours, locked in by snow. “By providence, we ended up having the opportunity to speak to media outlets about what we were doing on the Pennsylvania Turnpike and why we were so far from home,” Gallic said. Their joyful witness caught the attention of the national media.
University of Mary students stranded on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on their way back from the March for Life in 2016.
The media interviews led to the organizers of the March for Life inviting the University of Mary to lead the March in 2017. Gallic was chosen to represent the University of Mary with a speech at the rally before the March. “When I said yes to giving the speech, I don’t think I quite realized that it would be on the rally stage with hundreds of thousands of people watching me and more on TV,” Gallic said. “I thought it was something smaller, like a little talk. And then I quickly realized, oh my gosh, I just agreed to give a speech to many, many people.”
Naturally, Gallic was nervous about the speech but felt called by God to publicly declare where she stands on the issue of abortion. After weeks of prayer, practice, and a little bit of help from Monsignor Shea, Gallic was ready to stand up in front of the crowd at the Capitol Mall. “I had read it through so many times I could do it in my sleep,” she said. “I remember getting onto the stage, and I’m looking out and seeing just an incredible sized crowd – I had never seen a crowd so big before. And there was this peace that came over me right before I gave the speech.”
Gallic’s voice pierced through the Washington, D.C. breeze. “Since Roe v. Wade, more than 58 million innocent human beings have had their lives taken by abortion. A third of my generation – our classmates, our teammates, and our friends – are missing from our lives directly because of abortion. Their body parts sold. Their rights disregarded. Fellow youth of America, fellow college students, this is not someone else’s problem. Indifference is not an option. Ending abortion is our responsibility,” Gallic said, drawing thunderous cheers from the crowd at the pre-march rally.
Gallic’s speech caught the attention of many in the pro-life movement and opened the door for her career as special assistant for communications at the March for Life when she graduated from Mary the following year. “I felt drawn to continue with the pro-life movement and to dedicate my career towards that, and I have been blessed with fantastic opportunities to do so,” Gallic said.
Gallic speaking at the March for Life. Photo courtesy of Rachel Gallic.
As director of development for the March for Life, Gallic wears many hats. A majority of her workday involves calling and meeting with benefactors and potential benefactors of the organization and having a conversation about their values and how they align with the March for Life. She also helps with the organization’s communications, engaging with the media, and planning the annual March for Life. Her favorite part of her job is getting to know people and hearing their stories. “So many of the people who are involved in the prolife movement and who take the mission to heart have some incredible stories and are truly just inspiring people,” Gallic said. “Through working together, we’re able to pull off some incredible victories for the pro-life movement.”
Gallic said she feels blessed to have a job she is so passionate about, allowing her to give back and serve. “I once was asked to really consider how my heart has been shaped to love, which might sound kind of corny, but I think what’s meant by that is that each of us has unique gifts and talents that speak to our heart and that are unique to us,” she said. “And then I took a careful analysis of my situation, what gifts I’ve been given, also what weaknesses I have, what opportunities are before me, and what are my circumstances. From there, I thought of it in a servant leadership lens of ‘how have I been called to give through this?’”
