Second annual La. Life March - Jan. 21 in B.R.

If being in Washington, D.C., for this year’s National March for Life is logistically impossible, locals who want to lend their support to the culture of life will have a more convenient opportunity to do so at the second annual Louisiana Life March in downtown Baton Rouge Jan. 21.

“The reason we do this event in Baton Rouge is that so everybody has the ability to come and stand up for life in the public square,” said Benjamin Clapper, executive director of Louisiana Right to Life, the march’s main sponsor.

Last year, more than 3,000 people of all ages turned out for the inaugural march, with cosponsors including the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops. Clapper described the atmosphere as “very energetic, enthusiastic and hopeful.”

“It’s not a downtrodden or depressing event, even with all the obstacles and negatives we continue to have in the face of widespread abortion,” he said.

Participants will start gathering in front of the Old State Capitol around 9 a.m. for the 10 a.m. march. The route is less than a mile in length, consisting of a linear procession down North 4th Street and ending on the steps of the “new” Capitol building.

The march will conclude with a rally featuring live music, pro-life speakers and an opportunity to browse tented booths in the Life Ministry Mobilization Area. There, participants will have opportunities to plug into more than 20 pro-life efforts across Louisiana and beyond, including pregnancy centers and adoption organizations. The event will conclude around noon.

“People come in energized and they leave with a way to get active in the pro-life movement,” Clapper said. “(As a result of last year’s march) people who were never involved in pro-life efforts – and even churches that were never involved – became active,” he said, giving the example of one Episcopal church that became heavily involved in the “40 Days for Life” prayer effort after learning of last year’s march from a billboard, and then taking part.

Clapper said the march also has prompted public officials to take pro-life issues more seriously, and that many “old-timers” in the pro-life movement were re- energized by the event.

Participation made easy

Because there is no registration or entrance fee, Clapper said it is difficult to forecast participation numbers for the 2012 event; still, he is very optimistic about turnout given his observation that the state and country are slowly but surely “moving toward a culture of life.”

“Last year we thought 1,000 to 1,500 would come (to the march), and our expectations were doubled,” Clapper notes.

In a letter coauthored by Archbishop Gregory Aymond and his fellow Louisiana bishops, the bishops noted that through their participation in the march, Catholics are responding to Pope John Paul II’s “clarion call to build a culture of life in the public square.”

Although Archbishop Aymond will be unable to attend this year’s march because it coincides with his ad limina visit in Rome with Pope Benedict XVI, Bishop Dominic Carmon, retired auxiliary bishop of New Orleans, will represent the Archdiocese of New Orleans and be among clergy leading the march’s opening prayer.

The inter-denominational event is sponsored by Louisiana Right to Life, the Louisiana Baptist Convention, the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, Louisiana Family Forum, the Knights of Columbus and Louisiana’s Concerned Women for America.

Hot chocolate will be available after the march; however, participants must provide their own food and refreshments.

To view a promotional video of the event and learn more about bus transportation options, visit the Louisiana Life March website at www.LALifeMarch.com or call 1-866-463-5433.

Beth Donze can be reached at [email protected]