INDIANAPOLIS – Among the hundreds of people who gathered for Indiana March For Life events, more than 50 faithful from the Diocese of Gary made their voices heard as they immersed themselves in life-affirming activism and faith-affirming worship on Jan. 22.
The 2024 events advocating responsible citizenship in the public square included the first official contingent from the diocese. The hosting Archdiocese of Indianapolis and promoting Right to Life of Indianapolis officials estimated the crowd at the seventh annual event to number more than 2,000 marchers.
“This was a really good trip; we’d like to do this again next year,” said Rosanne Kouris of the diocesan Office of Missionary Discipleship and Evangelization (marriage & family life). “I felt it was more effective because we are talking to people of our own state and our own lawmakers where it’s going to make a difference.”
Kouris, who coordinated the logistics for the diocesan group, said that abortion backers will continue in their efforts, so the Catholic faithful “must be very vigilant. We can show the nation that (our state) can do it – take care of the moms and take care of the babies.”
Most who prepared to share messages to downtown workers and visitors such as “Choose Life,” “I demand protection from conception” and custom-written posterboard signage also attended a Mass hosted in the Indiana Convention Center, which preceded the activities on the street. Archbishop of Indianapolis Charles C. Thompson presided over the liturgy.
The capital city prelate welcomed those who filled the southeast section of the center, located near the venue for previous march liturgies, the circa 1871 St. John the Evangelist church. Diocesan officials said the event has outgrown the capacity of the historic church.
In his homily, the archbishop said there was nothing wrong with celebrating a major victory, but just like sports teams, we must be cautious about a “letdown after winning a big game or pulling off an upset.”
“Drawing from this sports analogy, let's not let the Dobbs v. Jackson victory keep us from continuing to promote and defend life from conception to natural death,” said Archbishop Thompson of the 2022 Supreme Court of the United States ruling that struck down 1973’s permissive Roe v. Wade, and sent abortion regulation to the states. “Our gathering to pray and march for life is as important today as at any other time since, perhaps even before (Roe v. Wade).
Archbishop Thompson continued, “To be clear, the focus of our gathering here has never been about merely overturning laws, but healing wounds, transforming hearts.”
Introducing his fellow state prelates from whom he said he has “learned so much from,” Archbishop Thompson mentioned that Bishop Robert J. McClory was out of town on the day of the Indianapolis events.
Concelebrating at the afternoon Mass were Bishop Timothy Doherty of the Diocese Bishop of Lafayette in Indiana, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and Bishop Joseph M. Siegel of the Diocese of Evansville.
Earlier on the bus, 10-year-old James Keelan of Crown Point, who was joined by his grandmother Debbie Keelan of Dyer and five of his older cousins on the trip, said he wasn’t the biggest fan of crowds.
In another seat, Cecilia Marter, 17, of Lowell shared with her friend Angelica Smith of Steger, Ill. about her family’s drives to the National March for Life, which is held annually in January in Washington, D.C.
The youths and their adult family members soon dispersed into small groups after Mass, many going to the pre-rally festivities just blocks away near Pan Am Plaza.
With a megaphone in hand, march coordinator Eric Slaughter, a Holy Rosary of Indianapolis parishioner, signaled to marchers that it was time to show a united front and walk east to Meridian Street.
Shouting “pro-life is pro-baby,” and “pro-life is pro-woman” the stream of participants headed north to walk a half circle around the circa 1901 Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument and passed under the shadow of the Salesforce Tower, the tallest building in Indiana.
Indianapolis temperatures hovered in the mid-thirties, and forecasted precipitation held off until later that evening. The conditions did not put a chill on youthful participants. James Keelan became more expressive, saying, “It makes me feel good that we are out here because abortion is a bad thing; every child should have a chance to live.”
When the marchers arrived at the state capitol building, Right to Life of Indianapolis president Marc Tuttle introduced two groups of sisters: The Sisters of Life, a religious order based in New York with a charism of pro-life advocacy, and a group of African-American women formed to help heal the post-abortive, called Sisters for Life.
Opening the south door of the statehouse and stepping out of their work in the assembly, female and male pro-life legislators spoke in encouraging terms to the crowd that filled the south lawn. Munster native and St. Thomas More School alumnus Todd Rokita, state attorney general, said those advocating for the right to life are “doing God’s work.”
“It’s great to see so many youths in the crowd – what a sign of a living, growing movement,” said Rokita.
Father Richard Holy, pastor of St. Edward, Lowell, and director of the diocesan office of pro-life activities had a sense of optimism about the day’s efforts.
“This gives hope for the future,” he said on the bus ride home. “The younger people are more in tune with this (issue) because they’ve grown up with technology like ultrasound, which gives us images of the unborn … the eyes are the window to the soul and (the educational efforts) have made a difference.”
Back on the bus, Marter reflected on what she saw at the rallies. “It was a lot different now that I’m older. This time I was like, wow, I could really drink it all in – it was beautiful,” she said.
James Keelan’s cousin, 15-year-old William Mulligan also chimed in, inspired by the events. “I’m pro-life and it’s nice to exercise freedom of speech and go to these events,” said the freshman at Lake Central High School in St. John.
Like he led the recitation of the Rosary on southbound trip, St. Patrick of Chesterton Parishioner for Life Jeff Wozniak also prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet during part of the bus ride back to the Region.
“Prayer helps to change people’s minds,” Wozniak said. “It’s just not a local issue, we’ve got to change people’s minds in this country and around the world.”
Caption: More than 2,000 pro-life advocates, led by Mater Dei High School of Evansville students holding the official signage for the Indiana March for Life, pass the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument and make their way up Meridian Street in Indianapolis on Jan. 22. An estimated 50 diocesan faithful joined the events, traveling by a chartered bus to attend Mass presided over by Archbishop Charles C. Thompson of Indianapolis in the Indiana Convention Center, followed by the march, which led to the south lawn of the state capitol building where pro-life legislators spoke, continuing the theme of memorializing lives lost to abortion, celebrating legal protections for the unborn and redoubling efforts to accompany women in crisis pregnancies. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)