Led by Knights of Columbus dressed in colorful capes and feathered caps, some 100 people marched down a short stretch of Belair Road in a public show of support for the sanctity of life Jan. 12.
Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, eastern vicar, was among the prayerful group of marchers, which also included local Boy Scouts in uniform, grandparents and young couples with children. Some marchers carried signs with messages like, “Justice for all – born and preborn,” which sparked some passersby to honk their horns in support.
The 15-minute walk ended at St. Joseph in Fullerton, where Bishop Rozanski rededicated a monument to the unborn that was recently relocated to a more prominent location near the parish cemetery.
In his homily at a pro-life Mass at St. Joseph following the dedication, Bishop Rozanski warned of the dangers of living in a self-centered culture.
“We are told in so many different ways to look out for number one,” said Bishop Rozanski. “It is a message that has not brought us happiness, but destruction of family life and the disintegration of values. It leaves no room for anyone else and it leaves no room for God.”
The message of the church is that “God did not create us merely for ourselves, but to live for others,” Bishop Rozanski said.
“We are called to be those witnesses in the world who point the way from isolation that brings such unhappiness,” he said. The bishop said the nation is witnessing an “incremental, yet perceptible change” in favor of a culture of life.
Brad Burton, a 15-year-old St. Joseph parishioner and a sophomore at Calvert Hall College High School in Towson, completed landscaping for the monument to the unborn as part of an Eagle Scout project and participated in the march.
“We’re doing this for life,” said Brad, noting that his fellow teammates on the Calvert Hall junior varsity water polo team helped him with the landscaping project.
“Killing is not right,” he said.
March participant and St. Joseph parishioner Mary Anne Czapla said it is important to keep the rights of the unborn in the public eye.
“They can’t defend themselves,” she said. “They have no voice or choice.”
The event was sponsored by the Cardinal Gibbons Council Knights of Columbus and St. Joseph respect life committee.