A crowd estimated at more than 10,000 people stood up in unison during a Catholic mass inside the D.C. Armory on Jan. 22, causing the ground to rumble.
“The floor shook,” said Emma Hergenroeder, a Shippensburg University sophomore and member of Catholic Campus Ministries (CCM), recalling the special mass as part of the March for Life event held annually in Washington, D.C.
The 2015 March for Life is the 42nd annual public demonstration of pro-life activists on the anniversary of the historic Row v. Wade decision in 1973.
Less than two miles from Capitol Hill more than two dozen activists, including Hergenroeder and fellow SU students, traveled to the D.C. Armory for a rally and mass. Then, already among thousands of others, they joined a crowd numbering in the hundreds of thousands for a march on the National Mall.
Taking several hours to walk the length of the designated protest route, the activists stood in front of the U.S. Capitol and the U.S. Supreme Court.
“It’s actually a very joyful atmosphere,” Hergenroeder said, “because we aren’t just protesting, we’re celebrating life, so it’s a really joyful witness to how strong we believe in how beautiful life is.”
Hergenroeder, and her fellow Catholics left from the Shippensburg and Chambersburg area around 4 a.m. on Jan. 22. The rally was held at about 7:30 a.m., according to Hergenroeder, and featured praise and worship music, along with several short speeches.
“It’s extremely important to protect the unborn,” she said, adding that the march is also intended to celebrate all life, and protests other issues, such as euthanasia.
This year’s theme, according to the marchforlife.org, was “‘Every Life is a Gift,’ with a special focus on preborn babies who are diagnosed in the womb with fetal abnormality.”
“As inspiring as it is to be there, I think we need to take that inspiration and turn it into action all year long,” Hergenroeder said. She said the event comes at a good time because CCM is sponsoring its bi-annual Celebrate Life Week several days following the trip.
Hergenroeder, who attended March for Life once before, said the most exciting part of this year’s event was feeling the floor shake during the mass and seeing the thousands of people from her seat. She said from there she realized how enormous the main march would actually be.
According to The Blaze, eyewitnesses in D.C. claimed counter-protesters were arrested, and possibly pro-life protesters too. Hergonroeder did not see any arrests, and said it was a peaceful event.
“I’m glad our first admendment guarantees us the right to [march],” Hergenroeder said.
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