With heavy hearts, the St. Louis Archdiocese cancelled its annual “March for Life” trip to Washington, D.C., due to severe weather. As a result, a disappointed yet supportive St. Dominic community rallied together to create their own pro-life demonstrations here at home.

Being pro-life sometimes means making tough decisions. The decision to cancel the Generation Life pilgrimage was nothing short of difficult. The St. Louis Archdiocese was put under pressure of deciding whether or not to allow 2,200 teenagers and chaperones to make the 13-hour trip to D.C. with a severe East Coast snow storm in the forecast. In the end, the safety of the participants became the first priority and the trip was reluctantly cancelled. Mrs. Betsy Swartstrom, the St. Dominic Pro-Life Club Moderator, recalls receiving the news as disappointing but a relief at the same time.

“I’ve been worrying about this for some weeks and as [the trip] was coming I was worried that something very dangerous, something very scary, would happen to us, so it was a relief from that standpoint. But it was also very, very disappointing because you want to be there, you want to be with everybody, you want to see what’s happening and stand up for the cause and so it’s bittersweet,” said Mrs. Swartstrom.

The cancellation of the pilgrimage didn’t stop pro-life supporters from standing up for life, especially in the St. Dominic community. Campus Ministry held a rosary service in the chapel to pray for an end to human violence and for those affected by abortion. Prayers were said over the intercom throughout the day on Friday, January 22, the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion legal. A “walk for life” was also held in the small gym for students. To Mrs. Janet Eaton, the student participation was extremely heart-warming.

“I’m so impressed, like the group of kids that prayed the rosary [on Thursday]…no one told them to pray the rosary and there were twenty-five kids in there,” said Mrs. Eaton.

Not only did St. Dominic demonstrate their support for the “March for Life,” but the St. Louis community did as well. Coordinated by Generation Life, Mass was offered at the Cathedral Basilica in downtown St. Louis on Saturday, January 23. From the cathedral, the group of pro-life teens and adults marched to Planned Parenthood in the Central West End to pray. Senior Michelle Pulliam participated in the march in St. Louis.

“It was great seeing how many people took the time to attend the St. Louis March. I know that there were tons of people who signed up to go march in D.C., but it was awesome to actually see everyone from St. Louis who was willing to stand up and speak out,” said Pulliam.

While the cancellation of the pilgrimage was disappointing, it serves as a reminder that being pro-life is 24/7. The “March for Life” occurs once a year in D.C., but abortions and threats to life occur every day and across the country. The real difficult decision is choosing to stand up for life in your own community.