Participating in the 50th Annual National March for Life, the First March of the Post-Roe Era

This morning, 64 Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology (MTSM) seminarians and three faculty priests departed for Washington, D.C. for the 50th annual National March for Life which takes place tomorrow, January 20.

Every year, tens of thousands of individuals converge on the National Mall and march on Capitol Hill on the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling which legalized abortion in all 50 states. On June 24, 2022, that decision was overturned by Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The theme for this year’s March for Life, Next Steps: Marching into a Post-Roe America, emphasizes the need in the absence of Roe v. Wade for pro-life advocates to continue marching in defense of the unborn on both the state and federal level. It’s the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world.

“I’ve been attending the March for Life since I entered MTSM three years ago. What makes this March different is that it’s the first March of the post-Roe era,” said Kevin Tran, a seminarian in his third year of Theology for the Diocese of Charlotte. “This is simply one victory, however. For me, this year’s March is a reminder that the fight for life lasts for life, we cannot become complacent. We continue to march for women and for the unborn in our states and in our local communities.”

Several MTSM seminarians will take part in the procession for the Opening Mass of the National Prayer Vigil for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception today. Tomorrow, January 20, the day of the march, MTSM seminarians and priests will attend Mass and then meet on the National Mall for the march. They will join hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to be witnesses for life and protest abortion.

“I have attended the March for Life many times over the years. It is always a humbling experience to participate in something much bigger than any one person and yet has consequences that mean everything for humanity and its smallest members,” said Rev. Mr. Isaiah Callan, a transitional deacon in his final year of Theology for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, who is the MTSM co-coordinator of this year’s march. “It is a joy to meet others from around the country whose faith is alive, proven by action, and validated in walking with others.”

Founded in 1829 and the third-oldest Catholic seminary in the United States, Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology (MTSM) is a graduate school that forms priests, permanent deacons and laity to faithfully follow Christ and serve His mission by fulfilling their vocations in the Church. The Seminary prepares men for ordination to the priesthood and permanent diaconate, while the School of Theology offers classes for graduate and certificate programs for laity, clergy and religious.

For additional information about MTSM, please contact advancement@athenaeum.edu or 513-231-2223.