February 11, 2009

Pro-life rally an eye-opening experience for Catholic teens

By Maureen Quinlan

Fifty Catholic high school juniors, their theology teachers, Josh Havey and Dave Good, and two parent chaperones embarked on a one of a kind field trip on Jan. 22. They went to downtown Denver for the Right to Life March commemorating the 36-year anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

The students, from Holy Family High School in Broomfield, expected a peaceful day in unseasonably warm January temperatures, but were surprised by what the day turned into. 

Leaving just after their first class that morning, the juniors and their chaperones boarded a bus and drove to Samaritan House homeless shelter for Mass. Capuchin Franciscan Father Mike Suchnicki presided and welcomed Holy Family to the shelter’s small chapel with open arms.

During Father Suchnicki’s homily, he spoke of Holy Family’s generosity and the issue of life.

“I think if you surveyed all the high-schoolers in the area you would not find 10 who are pro-abortion,” said Father Suchnicki.

After Mass, the 11th-graders walked a mile to the State Capitol for lunch before the rally began.

At noon the rally started with a song and a prayer. Then, pro-life advocate Will Duffy spoke about state ballot initiative Amendment 48, the Personhood Amendment, which was defeated in the November election 73 percent to 27 percent. The amendment would have made Colorado the first state to define personhood as starting with conception.

Keynote speaker Eric Metaxas, who the high-schoolers admired as a writer for “VeggieTales,” spoke about his book “Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery,” which inspired the 2006 movie “Amazing Grace.” Metaxas spoke about the life of anti-slavery activist Wilberforce. He noted how Wilberforce was outnumbered in his anti-slavery efforts just as pro-life activists are outnumbered today.

The rally on the Capitol steps concluded with another song and a closing prayer.

After the powerful words from the speakers, 400 people, including Holy Family students, gathered to march down the 16th Street Mall to make a statement about life issues.

Most protesters carried signs with messages reading, “Abortion is murder,” and “Who pays the price?” Some Holy Family students received T-shirts that say “I survived Roe v. Wade.”

The public’s reaction to these messages and the march itself were mostly negative. One group of students carrying a sign reading, “All babies want to be born,” encountered a man who took their sign and threw it away.

“I thought the field trip would be a good way to tie together all respect for life, from the unborn to the homeless,” said Good.

The march went from a peaceful rally to an uncomforting experience for many.

“I was out of my element,” said junior Cailea Murphy. “I got a very different view.”

What surprised and disturbed most of the Holy Family community, was the use of pictures of dead babies and their severed limbs.

“I thought the march could have been more compassionate,” said Havey.

“It was very extreme,” said junior Austin Maul.

Most Holy Family students agreed the march could have gone differently with a more positive message. 

“I think the way to change the problem with life issues is to promote the good side and the benefits,” Good said. “And to work at positive alternatives like adoption, not attack the bad side and scare people into changing their opinions.”

Maureen Quinlan is a junior at Holy Family High School in Broomfield.