On Friday, January 27, I went to Washington D.C. with 9 other students for the 44th annual “March for Life”, chaperoned by Mr. Bauchan and Mr. White. I was very excited for the event, as I had never been to one, and I was excited to march with hundreds of thousands of other pro-life Americans. The day featured an early morning in which I woke up at 5:00 to attend the 6:30 mass at St. Joseph Church in Mendham. We were very grateful to travel to D.C. with parishioners from St. Joseph. At around 7:00, the Delbarton students and teachers, many St. Joseph parishioners, and some clergy members of St. Joseph boarded the crowded coach bus. When I saw there were no open seats on the entire bus, I began to realize how strongly many felt about the march. After departing from Mendham, the tired bus prayed the rosary together, and proceeded to get some rest in anticipation of the long day of marching ahead.

After a four-and-a-half hour drive, we arrived in Washington D.C. and parked at the National Gallery of Art at the National Mall. The forecast for the day said 45 and sunny, and I am fairly resistant to the cold. Despite that, I was in for an unpleasant surprise. In addition to the colder than anticipated temperatures, there was a biting wind chill. Thankfully, I brought a sweatshirt to wear under my down jacket. After taking a group photo with the Capitol Building in the background, we walked towards the speaker area near the Washington Monument. It was at this point I noticed the truly gigantic crowd. Everywhere I looked, there were thousands of people, all supporting such a great cause. The feeling of community I experienced is indescribable. This was the first year that a vice president attended the march and I was eager to hear Mike Pence’s speech. The crowd area, however, was so filled up that we couldn’t get anywhere close. There were waves and waves of people. After the speakers finished, the unofficial start of the march commenced and we joined the masses marching down Constitution Avenue towards the Capitol Building.

With such a large crowd, we began to wonder where everyone came from, so we began to play a game where we would try to find marchers from the furthest state. We marched next to the winners, University of Mary from North Dakota. Interestingly, it was the first time I had ever met anybody from North Dakota. We marched alongside men, women, and children of many different races, backgrounds, and political beliefs. In the weeks leading up to the March for Life, I had heard it referred to as a “protest” countless times. To me, it did not seem like a protest at all. It was peaceful; it was a celebration of life, not a protest of abortion. Just a week before the March for Life was the Women’s March. In the media coverage I saw of the Women’s March, I saw many signs with obscenities and heard the marchers spew swear words and other vulgarities. To me, the Women’s March seemed much more like a protest. That is why the March for Life was such a much-needed break from the chaos we as a country have faced for the past few months.

In recent weeks, we have witnessed the divide of America – never have I seen this much political disagreement and nationwide discord. Although the March for Life was mostly a representation of just one side of the political spectrum, the unity was undeniable. Walking beside hundreds of thousands of other people who believe in the same things that you do is very hard to explain. All I can say is the experience was so spiritually enriching that I intend to go to the March for Life for years and years to come.