January 26, 2020

Marching for Life in Washington D.C.

Marchers stream down Constitution Avenue, which was lined with TFP standards
Photos by New York Scugnizzo
Early Friday morning members of the Fratelli della Santa Fede (Brothers of the Holy Faith) gathered at the Shrine Church of the Holy Innocents (128 West 37th St.) in Manhattan to join our fellow parishioners on the bus ride down to Washington D.C. for the 47th Annual March For Life. Led by Fr. Christopher Salvatori, SAC, Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church (448 East 116th St.) in East Harlem, New York, our five hour long trek flew by relatively quickly as we utilized our time on the road by praying the Holy Rosary, the Angelus (at noon) and the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, among others. We also had the opportunity to watch the critically-acclaimed pro-life film Unplanned (2019), based on the memoir by Abby Johnson, a former clinic director for Planned Parenthood.

Dropped off near the Washington Monument, we quickly joined the massive rally marching from the National Mall to the Supreme Court. Unsure of the actual number of participants, specious estimates made by the media range from “tens of thousands” to “100,000.” To be honest, from what I saw these tallies seem paltry. In fact, I would even go so far as to say there were as many as half a million people in attendance. Whatever the number, the one thing for certain is my photos don't do justice to the March.

With Donald Trump being the first President ever to speak at the rally, I expected to see some poor deluded counter protestors, especially the way the media likes to lie and drum up controversy. However, from my vantage point I didn’t see any. This isn’t to say they weren’t there, I’m just saying I didn’t see them. Unfortunately, I did spot a handful of anti-Catholic signs; however, these focused on religious differences, not abortion.

Considering the gravity of the cause, I was more than a little surprised by the festive atmosphere. Curious, I was told many of the younger marchers consider the rally to be a celebration of life and family, as opposed to just a somber protest against Roe v. Wade. Exited and energized, they were loud and vocal, but very well behaved. I’m happy to say, I didn’t see any provocateurs harassing or goading them into trouble.

Eventually splitting from the March, our group went to St. Mary Mother of God Church (727 5th St.) to attend the packed Eighth Annual Votive Mass of the Holy Innocents for the remembrance and repose of the soul of pro-life activist Nellie Jane Gray. The most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was sung by Celebrant Msgr. Charles Pope, Pastor of Holy Comforter—St. Cyprian Church in Washington, D.C. The Deacon was Rev. James Bradley, Assistant Prof. of Canon Law at Catholic University of America; and the Subdeacon was Rev. Ernest Cibelli, Pastor at St. Mary Catholic Church in Hagerstown, Maryland. The Sacred Ministers were dutifully assisted by several servers; Organist R. Bray McDonnell; the Schola Cantorum of St. John the Baptist Church in Allentown, New Jersey; and the Schola Cantorum of St. Mary Mother of God.

The Mass was beautiful and we met a lot of nice people down there, but the truth is I hope the need for us to gather again under these circumstances becomes unnecessary. I will continue to support the pro-life cause as best I can, nonetheless I long to see the day when all the abortion mills are closed and we finally put an end to this barbaric and baleful practice. Only then can we converge on the nation’s capital and truly celebrate life and family. Holy Innocents, ora pro nobis!


~ Giovanni di Napoli, January 25th, Feast of the Conversion of San Paolo
(L) The first of two buses arrives at Holy Innocent Church in Manhattan.
(R) In D.C., the buses let us off near the Washington Monument
 
Fr. Salvatori led us in the march 
(Above & below) Everywhere I looked I saw a sea of people
(L) Sanfedista with the flag of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
(R) The religious and laity turned out in force
(L) Personally I'm not too keen on people dressing up as Our
Lord, but this character was very popular among the marchers.
(R) A tactless protestor felt no compunction about insulting Catholics
Images of Our Lady and the Sacred Heart of Jesus
above the bye-altars inside St. Mary Mother of God Church
While going to visit the statue of the infant of Prague
I discovered the shrine devoted to Blessed Karl of Austria
Portrait of the Emperor and mounted wall reliquary
After Mass, devotees lined up to venerate the Peace Emperor
(L) The High Altar. (R) Celebrants greet the pilgrims outside the church
It was an honor to meet Fr. John Zuhlsdorf