Made in the image and likeness of God, every life matters.
From conception to natural death, the fight to defend the life of the most vulnerable continues. Although there have been victories in recent years in curbing access to abortion in Florida and nationwide, much work still needs to be done.
For this reason, more than 1,300 took part in the Fourth Annual Ave Maria March for Life on Jan. 18, 2025, including Bishop Frank J. Dewane. The March was a joint effort of the Parish Respect Life Ministry, Ave Maria University, and the Knights of Columbus, and included inspirational speakers.
In addition, on Jan. 24, a group of nearly 200 from the Diocese of Venice, mostly high schoolers, travelled to the National March for Life in Washington, D.C. joining tens of thousands of others on the national stage.
Each of these events occurred in connection to the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn, Jan. 22, a day designated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for the faithful to pause and reflect on the damage caused by more than 65 million abortions since the 1972 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision cleared the way for unlimited abortion in the country. While that decision was overturned in 2022, the fight didn’t end there. The states are now responsible for setting laws on abortion access and the result is chaotic, meaning some states allow abortion nearly to the moment of birth, while states like Florida have banned all abortions beyond six weeks of gestation.
The fight is clear, because as Bishop Dewane noted, when Pope Francis was recently asked to respond to the “issue” of abortion, the Holy Father stated: “Abortion is not an issue. It’s murder.”
“Too often the political realm drags us into a fight over this ‘issue,’ but that is wrong,” the Bishop said. “We are not in a political fight over an issue in this country, we are in a moral struggle in our country because no longer do many see the value of life. We must remember, each individual life is made in the image and likeness of God. That is what we are fighting to uphold.”
Speaking directly to the youth at the Ave March, Bishop Dewane said it is they who will carry the fight into the future.
“It is murder that you have to reach out and stop,” the Bishop said. “You are our hope. You are our prayer. The Lord has given you a mission in life. He says in the Gospel, ‘Follow me!’ If we don’t follow Him about the sanctity of life, we not only fail Christ, but we also fail ourselves, we fail our neighbors, we fail our families, and we fail our Creator. Stand up and speak out. Let this question make you become more the man or woman of God you are called to be.”
Several of the high school participants spoke after the March about being excited to be part of the Pro-Life movement, knowing how important it is for their generation to speak up for the unborn.
One young lady from St. John the Evangelist Parish in Naples not how impressed she was that “the Bishop said our generation is on a mission. That mission is to be a witness for life before our friends and family, but most importantly for the Glory of God.”
Speakers during the Ave March included Sharon Levesque, Ave Maria Parish Respect Life Ministry leaders and coordinator of the March; Jim Havens, radio and podcast host and president and founder of The Men’s March; Steven W. Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute; Kimberly King, vice president of student affairs at Ave Maria University; Campbell Rose Yates, middle school vice president of the Pro-Life Club at Donahue Academy of Ave Maria; Audrey Fairchild, high school vice president of the Pro-Life Club at Donahue Academy; and Kate Richardson, of the Ave Maria University Pro-Life Club.
All of the speakers spoke about the defeat of the extreme Amendment 4 in the November 2024 Florida election which would have radically expanded access to abortion in the state. The vote was too close, and Bishop Dewane said that the work to educate people on the horrors of abortion starts with events such as this Ave Maria March.
Included in the Ave Maria March was a group of 175 from St. Michael Parish in Wauchula guided by the Servant Sisters of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara.
In addition to other faithful from throughout the Diocese, there were groups from as far away as the Archdiocese of Miami, Diocese of St. Petersburg and Diocese of Orlando.
The effort to protect life does not end with the Marches. Starting March 5, Ash Wednesday, and continuing through Lent, there will be three 40 Days for Life spring campaign locations within the Diocese (Fort Myers, Naples, and Sarasota). During the campaign, the faithful will stand in peaceful prayer to end abortion. For more details, please visit https://www.40daysforlife.com/en/.
If you would like to learn more about Respect Life issues and how you can be a witness for life, please visit https://dioceseofvenice.org/respectlife.
