People young and old take part in 18th annual March for Life in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE – Nearly 200 people – from little children to the elderly – showed up Friday to pray and publicly show their support for all human life during the 18th annual March for Life Charlotte.
The annual march through Uptown Charlotte each January coincides with the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton that legalized abortion nationwide, until the Supreme Court’s reversal last year in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson that left abortion restrictions up to individual states.
The day began with about 150 people attending a special Mass for the Unborn offered at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.
Participants then gathered outside the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center where, prior to the kick-off of the march, Bishop Peter Jugis led the crowd in prayer and blessed them.
“We are here as advocates for the right to life for the unborn child,” Bishop Jugis said. “We are standing up for the innocent, defenseless little ones who cannot speak for themselves or defend themselves from an unjust attack on their lives.”
Bishop Jugis also noted that the day – Jan. 12 – was the 52nd anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Charlotte in 1972. “What a wonderful way to honor this anniversary day of our diocese and our consistent pro-life witness,” he said.
The march started at noon with a procession to Independence Square at the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets in Uptown Charlotte.
As a bustling crowd of workers and traffic passed by the busy square, marchers held up signs with pro-life messages and banners depicting the Blessed Mother. Students from Holy Trinity Middle School marched carrying a banner bearing their school’s name. Marchers prayed the rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet in Spanish and English as they walked.
Although early weather forecasts had predicted rain and storms at march time, sunshine greeted the crowd at Independence Square. People only had to endure a cold wind that whipped between the buildings and forced them to huddle deeper into their coats as they listened to the event’s keynote speakers.
In his keynote address, Father Raymond Ekosse, parochial vicar of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Charlotte, encouraged people to publicly witness for life at all stages – and to urge legislators to do the same.
“The Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus’ message,” Father Ekosse said. “It is to be proclaimed to the people of every age, time, nation, continent and culture no matter the odds...
We cannot preach the Gospel of life without being defenders and lovers of life. Your ministry as a Christian and mine as a priest will be a meaningless drama if we cannot stand and defend life from the beginning to the end.”
“Abortion and its associated anti-life practices are terrible scourges on humanity,” he continued. “I therefore call on those in charge of legislation to frame laws which reflect the eternal laws of God.”
To all the young people gathered in the square, Father Ekosse said, “I urge and encourage you to stay close to the faith and do not succumb to any of such pressure be it from the state or from your friends. But rather listen to God and His teachings as handed to us by the Church through the deposit of faith.”
Another guest speaker was Deanna Tyler Glenn, Miss Huntersville 2023 and president and founder of a single mothers support group at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.
Glenn discussed the challenges of supporting the sanctity of life given today’s culture.
“Life comes first – I’m here to save the next generation,” she said. “It’s important for all of us to show people how you feel about defending life, so they know where you stand. I remember that I lost friends when I first started talking about the pro-life movement. We all need to be crystal clear about our intentions to support life and how far you’re willing to go to save a life.”
Glenn said the diversity of the crowd – which included students, young families and senior citizens – was an important testament to the broad range of people who are willing to speak up for life. That diversity, she said, is a positive sign the future of the pro-life movement.
Other speakers included Bill Pincus, president of North Carolina Right to Life, and Hank Chardos, who recently started a Charlotte branch of Birthright, a crisis pregnancy support center.
“It’s important to stand up for life at all of its stages, and to understand that if we’re going to be pro-life we need to provide support to both the unborn children and their mothers,” said Doug Cashman, a member of St. Mark Parish in Huntersville.
“It’s amazing to see everyone come out on a workday to march for life, to see all of these people in the streets marching and praying,” said Alicia Foreman, a regional coordinator for the Students for Life movement, who moved to Charlotte from Philadelphia six months ago. “I hope this is a way to eventually make Charlotte free of abortion.”
Elisabeth and Paul Laskowski, also members of St. Mark Parish, attended with their five children and said they both have been taking part in annual marches for life since before they were married.
“By taking part in this, I’m hoping to instill pro-life values in my children and also offer a public witness to the sanctity of all life,” Elisabeth Laskowski said.
— Christina Lee Knauss. Photos by Troy C. Hull and provided.
