November 7, 2009 |
|
 DAY FOUR | 01.22.08 Leading the way: ‘Awesome!’Miami students are selected to carry the lead banner and flags at the 2008 March for Life. Youths from the Archdiocese of Miami used one word to describe the experience of carrying the lead banner in the 2008 March for Life: “Awesome!” “When they told us that we were going to carry the banner, I was like, ‘Wow!’” said Patty Palermo, a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami. “It hit me when we were walking up the hill (toward the Supreme Court) and I turned around and saw all those people behind us,” said Jessica Ramirez, also a senior at Lourdes. 
High school and college students from Miami lead the March for Life in Washington D.C. The 100-strong contingent of students from seven archdiocesan high schools and their chaperones had been joined Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C. by about 50 members of the young adult and campus ministry group from Florida International University, the University of Miami, St. Augustine and Our Lady of Lourdes parishes. As most of the teens and young adults lined up behind the banner, two representatives of each school, parish or group were chosen to walk behind them carrying the official March for Life flags. The youths waited nearly three hours for the privilege, struggling to keep warm in 30-degree weather punctuated by the occasional light drizzle Jean Gilfoil, director of the March for Life organizing group, had selected them for the honor because Miami youths have participated in the march every year since 1982. At the end of more than two hours of speeches by politicians — including a video appearance by President Bush — and a series of prayers by religious leaders — among them Bishop Frank Dewane of Venice — the march began. Marchers walked from the rallying point on the mall, across from the Museum of Natural History, to the steps of the Supreme Court. Knights of Columbus from Virginia functioned as marshals, helping the teens keep the pace, making sure no one got in front of them, and leading them in the occasional cheer: “Hey! Ho! Roe v. Wade has got to go!” 
ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC At one point, recalled Daniel Pardo, a senior at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, the Knights had to remind the teens to “Slow down. There’s old people in the crowd.” Daniel and the other banner-carriers, however, missed the sight that moved some of their flag-bearing classmates to tears. As the march began, rally speakers and dignitaries, including Catholic bishops, stepped into the gap between the banner and the flags. Among the dignitaries were women bearing signs that read, “I regret my abortion.” The teens had not expected to see that. Their own reaction surprised them as well. “I seriously was crying, bawling, for a minute solid,” said Bobby San Miguel, a senior at Columbus whose words were echoed by others. “The fact that they’re strong enough to do that, the compassion that I have for them,” he said. “It’s one thing for us to say, ‘I won’t have an abortion’ when we’ve never been in that situation. That was the most powerful message I saw.” Generation ‘hope’?
St. Thomas Aquinas seniors Caroline Spitzer and Nick Wengrenovich went to the March for Life as “independents”, since the Fort Lauderdale school did not send a group this year. Nick Wengrenovich and Caroline Spitzer are “Raiders for Life.” That’s a club they lead at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, where both are seniors. They went to the March for Life in Washington, D.C. as “independents,” chaperoned by someone other than school faculty; in their case, archdiocesan respect life director Joan Crown. Even though St. Thomas did not send official representation to the march, Nick and Caroline were determined to go. “I’ve wanted to come for the past few years,” said Caroline. “It’s just getting the opportunity to come.” They noted that their school conducts “walks for life” every year around the Jan. 22 anniversary, and students from St. Thomas participated last year in a rally for life on the steps of the Broward County courthouse. But nothing compares to the real thing, Caroline said. “I think everything’s been awesome.” As leaders of the campus ministry at their school who also speak to their peers about abstinence, Nick and Caroline have taken the pulse of their generation’s views on abortion. “Most people are just afraid to talk about it,” said Caroline. “They don’t want to say either way so as not to make people mad,” said Nick. Nevertheless, she said, “With our new generation, I think there’s hope.” “There are so many people who feel, ‘It’s what the Catholics believe.’ So I think (changing) the law is really important,” Caroline said. “But the most important thing is just presenting people with the right facts because they just believe all the myths.” “There are always going to be people who are going to be pro killing unborn babies. There are always going to be people who are pro-life. It’s those middle people who aren’t sure exactly where they stand yet whose minds we’ve got to change,” said Nick. “We’re going for that middle 40 percent.” He noted that many elections are decided by independents — neither Democrats nor Republicans — who represent about 10 percent of voters. Speaking of elections, “we’ll actually vote this year,” Nick said, noting that his generation is paying attention to what candidates are saying. “They just say change but they don’t say what they’re going to change, which isn’t really comforting,” said Caroline. They also talk about leadership, but “it’s not about being the best leader,” Nick said, noting that judged by that standard, Hitler was a great leader. “He moved an entire country and almost conquered all of Europe.” “It’s about having the best moral guidelines,” Nick said, “someone who can lead with moral grounding, someone who has a basis in morality and (doesn’t just want) to lead for power’s sake.” • • • • Visit the PHOTO GALLERY FOR additional photos from the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center.
|
On The MarchAdvertisement
|
| Archdiocese of Miami | Diocese of Orlando | Diocese of Palm Beach | Diocese of Pensacola - Tallahassee | Diocese of Venice | |