About 200 from the Diocese of Venice, mostly youth, joined tens of thousands of other like-minded people from across the country in standing up for life during the 52nd annual National March for Life in Washington, D.C., Jan. 24, 2025.
The Diocesan group, which included students from Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sarasota, Bishop Verot Catholic High School in Fort Myers, the Donahue Catholic Academy of Ave Maria in Ave Maria, and the Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, was organized by the Diocesan offices for Respect Life as well as Youth and Young Adult Outreach. Also participating were Diocesan Seminarians who are studying at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts, and St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach.
Many national leaders, including Vice President JD Vance, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, as well as former professional surfer Bethany Hamilton spoke during the event. The 2025 theme for the National March for Life was, “Life: Why We March,” which was aimed to highlight the pro-life movement’s core message to protect unborn children and support their mothers.
The night before the March for Life, many of the youth participated in a Vigil Mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The morning of the March was a Youth Rally, held in the United Center.
Andres Prias, Diocesan Director of Youth and Young Adult Outreach, said the “youth were incredibly enthusiastic and deeply aware of the reason behind the trip. Despite the freezing temperatures, they marched with courage and boldly proclaimed, ‘We March for Life!’”
Liana, a student from Donahue Academy shared” “We are marching for the babies, those who are not here and can’t be here, and for the mothers who think they have no choice. But they do, and we want them to choose life.”
Alexa, a student from Bishop Verot stated: “At the March for Life, we’re marching against abortion. Many children are having their lives taken away, and (some) think that it’s okay to put laws saying that all these babies can just be killed. No, they still have a life, and we are here to march for their life. They are just people like we are. Even though, like, at Planned Parenthood you’re supposed to see your sonogram at six weeks, they say it’s just a clump of cells. No, it’s not. It’s actually a life, and we are here marching for that life so they can live on. We, as people, cannot take that right away from them. That’s it.”
The March for Life began in response to the 1972 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision which cleared the way for unlimited abortion in the country. While that decision was overturned in 2022, the fight didn’t end there and is continuing at all levels of government.
The effort to protect life in the Diocese of Venice does not end with the National March for Life or the Jan. 18 March for Life in Ave Maria. Within the Diocese, peaceful prayer warriors stand up as witnesses for life in front of abortion facilities each week.
In addition, the spring campaign of 40 Days for Life peaceful prayer vigil in front of abortion facilities in Sarasota, Fort Myers and Naples begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5, and continues through Lent. 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.
