Ecumenical presence strengthens
annual pro-life event

By Mary Ann Wyand

SS. Francis and Clare parishioner Cyndi Kelly of Greenwood carried her 17-month-old daughter, Aida, during a pro-life walk on Jan. 29 from the Indiana War Memorial at 431 N. Meridian St. to Monument Circle in Indianapolis, then another four blocks back to her car.

Kelly said she had only planned to attend the Right to Life of Indianapolis prayer service at the war memorial to remember the more than 46 million babies killed by abortion since 1973, but was inspired to participate in the walk with her daughter after hearing two high school students and ministers from six faith traditions talk about the importance of working to end the culture of death in America.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Kelly said about the pro-life movement’s efforts to overturn Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton, the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 decisions that legalized abortion during all nine months of pregnancy.

“Obviously, there are a lot of babies that have died every single year up to this one and hopefully that [number of abortions] will be going down,” Kelly said. “We need to get out there and tell people about it. It means a lot to see so many people here that are my age and younger, and all the support from the people passing by [during the pro-life walk] was very emotional for me.”

Holy Rosary parishioner Lauren Senac of Indianapolis, the office manager of Right to Life of Indianapolis, said more than 400 people of all ages attended the interdenominational Memorial Service for the Unborn.

“The memorial service and walk give the pro-life community of Indianapolis a chance to stand up for their views,” Senac said. “Right to Life of Indianapolis is a nondenominational organization and we were pleased to have seven pastors here from different denominations, including an Orthodox priest, a Messianic Jewish rabbi and two Catholic priests. It was so nice to see these men from different religious backgrounds unified on this issue. Right to Life is trying to unify all the pro-life groups.”

Father Robert Robeson, director of the Bishop Bruté House of Formation at Marian College in Indianapolis and the chaplain for young adult ministry in the archdiocese, and Father Shaun Whittington, associate pastor of St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis, were among the clergy who offered prayers for an end to abortion and euthanasia.

“I’ve been going to Washington for the [national] March for Life for 12 years,” Father Robeson said after the prayer service. He served as a pilgrimage director on one of the archdiocesan buses this year.

“It’s such an awesome witness to see all those people marching and affirming the … need to protect the sanctity and dignity of life from the moment of conception until natural death,” he said. “On our bus, we prayed the rosary and read the meditations for the unborn, then sang praise and worship songs for probably an hour and a half after we prayed the rosary. I think, for the youth on the trip, there was a sense that it was a spiritual pilgrimage, something we were doing as a prayer witness and an act of faith.”

Roncalli High School senior Tracey Horan, a member of St. Jude Parish in Indianapolis, said after the prayer service that participating in the 33rd annual March for Life on Jan. 23 in Washington, D.C., was “really great because … you have strength from so many people coming from all over the country.”

Tracey said she was glad she could carry a sign during the memorial walk in Indianapolis because “it’s exciting to see how many people are pro-life at home and that we have strength in numbers here.”

She said about 60 Roncalli students who are active in the Indianapolis South Deanery interparochial high school’s pro-life group also visit elderly residents of nursing homes.

“It’s important to remember the elderly,” Tracy said. “Spending time with the elderly and talking one-on-one with them makes you realize that you need to reach out to help people living in nursing homes.”

Cathedral High School senior Matthew Hale of Indianapolis told the pro-life gathering that he is a member of Lifesavers, a Christian group dedicated to prayer, chastity and promoting pro-life issues.

Matthew also participated in the national March for Life and said he was “amazed at the diversity of people” there and the unity they demonstrated while promoting respect for life in the nation’s capital. †