By John Rohlf, The Message assistant editor
This year’s Indiana March for Life helped enforce the need to fight for life at all stages for multiple diocesan youth who attended the annual event.
A junior at Barr-Reeve High School and a member of St. Peter Parish in Montgomery, Gabe Kavanaugh thinks it is important to attend the March for Life rallies because of how precious life is.
“This most recent year, they stressed that it wasn’t only the babies we are protecting, but all forms of life,” Kavanaugh said. “Whether it be having an abortion or the death penalty, it is a good thing for people to be informed.”
The Diocese of Evansville sent nearly 250 participants Jan. 22 to Indianapolis for the annual state March for Life. The trip was open to youth in grades 8-12 and adult chaperones.
“The goal of the day was to pray, educate and advocate,” Diocese of Evansville Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry Jeremy Goebel said. “Through prayer, speakers and discussion, we had the opportunity to learn more about how we can be advocates to protect and defend all human life at every stage.”
The day included a Youth Rally for Life at the Indiana Convention Center with keynote speakers and Mass with Archbishop Charles C. Thompson as the main celebrant and several Indiana bishops, including Bishop Joseph M. Siegel.
Dominic McKenzie, a sophomore at Mater Dei High School, attended the Indiana March for Life for the first time this year. He said Bishop Siegel’s homily during Mass “really set the tone for the day.”
“He encouraged us. We’re going to support life but to respect others as well while we do it because that’s what we’re called to do,” McKenzie said. “Whether that being (the) unborn but also those whose opinions are different.”
After Mass, they headed outside to begin the March for Life, which was a 1-mile walk around downtown Indianapolis. Once they reached the Indiana statehouse, there was a rally with speakers, including Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and other elected officials, Goebel said.
Kavanaugh has attended the Indiana March for Life rally in Indianapolis for the past two years. He also attended a rally in Washington D.C. his freshman year. One of Kavanaugh’s biggest takeaways from the Indiana March for Life has been the amount of other teenagers who strongly believe in the pro-life cause.
Kavanaugh recommends pro-life events such as this one for not only youth his age, but for children and adults in all age groups. He said his faith was changed for the better through these events.
“When I went on my first March for Life rally, I didn’t really know about what happened during an abortion, and I didn’t know what the impact was,” Kavanaugh said. “But after a couple of lectures and pictures, I was disgusted by the horror of what happened during an abortion. I want to say this is the moment that changed my faith for the better.”
McKenzie said originally, his perception of the pro-life movement was focused on the unborn because of their inability to protect themselves. He said after attending the January March for Life rally in Indianapolis, his understanding of the movement is a respect for all people.
“For me, having this background, going to a Catholic grade school and now into a Catholic high school, it’s been told to me and it’s been talked about,” McKenzie said. “But for me to actually go out there and to experience it and live it in a way where I’m not just hearing it but I’m acting on it, it’s definitely a different experience and it really does motivate you to keep going.”
Goebel said the Diocese of Evansville was well represented throughout the day. During the Mass, Katherine Miranda, a student from Jasper read the first reading in Spanish. Rudy Zenthoefer and James Elpers served as gift bearers.
