A Mass and March for Life

By DARRYL SCOTT- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

"Tonight, we ride," my campus minister, Dan Pepe, said to me as we settled in on the bus, prepared to drive straight into a winter storm that was rumored to be hitting Washington, D.C., so we could attend the annual March for Life.

I looked back at him and said, "Tomorrow, we march."

Sleep did not come easy as we traveled that night. When we arrived, we filed into the D.C. armory for Mass.

The one thing I always look forward to at the March for Life, besides the bands, is the liturgy. There's something about the youth Masses that cannot be described in words; it's simply magical and inspiring. Listening to thousands of people your age praying alongside you fills you with joy, enthusiasm and hope.

The speaker at the armory said that we, the youth, aren't just the future of the Church; we are the Church alive today. Looking around at the thousands and thousands of teens who marched in negative-degree weather to stand up for what they believe in, it's impossible to deny that statement.

This was my second time attending the March for Life. This year, I was overjoyed to see the number of students who came from my school - Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons in Schenectady - practically double the number from last year! This time around, we had 11 high school students attend.

With this being the first big retreat for some of them, the fact that they could step out of their comfort zones and represent our school in such a big way made me respect and admire each of them. It's not every day that I look up to people younger than me.

Watching them not only have such a fun experience, but come closer to God and their faith despite the criticism and comments from their friends and classmates about how they attended a pro-life march, gives me hope.

Today, at times it is difficult to find high school teens who are active in their faith and are involved with the Church. However, this past week, I found a whole group of them right here in my own school.

When I see them in the hallways, not only do I see my friends, but I see the future of the Church - the future of Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons.

(Darryl is a senior at ND-BG.) [[In-content Ad]]