BATON ROUGE LIFE MARCH Video Screengrab / Facebook
CV NEWS FEED // Despite a rare winter storm that left nearly eight inches of snow in Baton Rouge just days earlier, hundreds of pro-life advocates gathered for the Jan. 26 Life March South in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Participants assembled at St. Joseph Cathedral for a Respect Life Mass, celebrated by Bishop Michael G. Duca, before marching to the Louisiana State Capitol for a rally, the Diocese of Baton Rouge reported.
In his homily, Bishop Duca reminded attendees of their mission to proclaim the dignity of life from conception, and said that true cultural change requires transforming hearts as well as laws.
“God has the power to change hearts,” he told attendees. “While we are working for the laws that help protect the unborn, our work should be to truly change the hearts of people.”
Marchers braved the cold, carrying pro-life signs and banners, and even constructed a snowman from the storm’s remnants at the State Capitol, which displayed messages reading “LIFE” and “Love Them Both.”
The event’s theme was “Every Life Worth Living.” Louisiana Right to Life, the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Knights of Columbus, and other faith-based groups organized the March.
At the rally in Galvez Plaza, speakers delivered messages of encouragement and resolve. Father Josh Johnson, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church and host of the popular “Ask Father Josh” podcast from Ascension Press, led the opening prayer. He urged attendees to approach the movement with compassion and intercession for mothers considering abortion.
“As St. Stephen was being stoned to death, [he] did not condemn St. Paul,” Fr. Johnson said.
Instead, Fr. Johnson said, Stephen prayed for Paul, and that prayer played a role in Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus — an encounter that led to his profound conversion and ultimately made him “a great disciple maker of Jesus Christ.”
“I believe that there are so many women, so many mothers in our community who have experienced the pain of abortion or who right now are currently considering abortion,” Fr. Johnson said. “God is not calling us to condemn them. God is calling us to imitate St. Stephen and to pray for them, intercede for them that Jesus Christ may come close to them; that in seeing the face of Jesus and hearing the voice of Jesus, they too, like St. Paul, can become great disciples and disciple makers.”
East Baton Rouge Mayor President Sid Edwards shared a personal testimony, reflecting on how raising two autistic sons profoundly shaped his life.
“A lot of folks wouldn’t have wanted those two boys,” he said. “There are many who, if, while that precious baby is in the womb, find out (there’s a problem), abortion is often the option. But here’s something that may seem simple, but true – everything I’ve done in my professional and personal life has been touched by those two beautiful boys.”
Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., also spoke at the rally, calling for unity in defending life.
“Every life really is worth living, and we’ve had too many debates over this in the last few decades,” she said. “Black lives matter, all life matters … Life is worth living from the womb to the tomb and beyond; and we’re seeing that we’re one blood and one human race.”
Young attendees also took part in the day’s events, offering words of encouragement to mothers facing difficult pregnancies. Sixth-grader Karly Dummons delivered a message to expectant mothers, urging them to recognize life as a precious gift from God.
“Since you have the gift of life, why don’t you also give the baby a gift of life?” Dummons said. “This life is given to you. God always has your back. Not only is it your child, but it’s a whole other person, just like you were, and you should also give them a chance.”
