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Celts March for Life in Washington D.C.
2/2/2010
 In a show of solidarity, hundreds of thousands of pro-life activists gathered for the March for Life in the nation’s capitol on Friday, Jan. 22, the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. For the first time, a group of 19 University of St. Thomas students were among the crowd in marching from National Mall to the Supreme Court.
The past two years, Celts for life, the UST pro-life student organization, have attended a pro-life rally in Austin, but this year, they were determined to travel to the national march. To fund the trip, they raised more than $7,000 by hosting a campus barbeque dinner and lunches, courtesy of the culinary creations of UST Chaplain Father Michael Buentello, CSB, and his Holy Smoke BBQ. Students also held bake sales and received parish and private donations.
The group was accompanied by Fr. Buentello, Sister Damien Marie Savino, FSE, and joined by Marianne and Dr. Robert Ivany. Father Mark Ivany arranged for the students to stay in homes of of his parishioners from Little Flower Parish in Bethesda. In addition to the march, students also attended a conference hosted by Students for Life of America held at the Catholic University of America.
Students and faculty members alike were impressed by the overwhelming number of young people at the March for Life.
“I was ecstatic to see thousands of people my age at the March who recognize the importance of the issue and understand what’s at stake,” said Joseph Ramos, Celts for Life president. “It’s a testament to the dignity of human life at all stages, and people aren’t denying or pretending otherwise anymore. We feel energized to do more on campus to raise awareness to support the pro-life movement.”
Fr. Buentello described the event as a “pilgrimage experience where we travelled for a holy cause. We returned tired but fulfilled.”
Sr. Damien Marie commended the students’ spiritual commitment to the cause.
“It was cold, and there were often long waits, but the students never complained, they offered it up as a sacrifice for the unborn,” Sister Damien Marie said. “There was a fearlessness of their witness. Our students were proud to be standing up for life. It gives me great hope for the future to see that kind of courage in a group of young people.”
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