Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, celebrated the North Carolina Mass in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 19. He delivered the homily from the National Shrine of our Blessed Mother.WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sheltered from falling snow by the breathtaking Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, several hundred North Carolinians gathered for Mass for a prayerful moment before joining thousands from across the country in the 51st annual March for Life.
It is the second time marchers gathered for what organizers call the “largest annual human rights demonstration in the world,” since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that previously legalized abortion nationwide.
In a special North Carolina Mass, faithful who came from across the state by plane, car and bus embraced the chance to worship, thank God, and pray before the important witness of marching for change through the streets of the nation’s capital. Dozens of people joined the Diocese of Charlotte’s two-night pilgrimage via bus to the event, organized by the diocese’s Office of Family Life.
Monsignor Patrick Winslow, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese, celebrated the North Carolina Mass, delivering a homily calling on Christians to serve as beacons of hope and courage, to protect the most vulnerable among us.
“Here at the National Shrine of our Blessed Mother, today we remember her title of Virgin of the Poor, and it is especially important,” Monsignor Winslow said. “For who can deny that in any age, it is the child who is among the poorest, the most vulnerable, these tender and precious children. Defenseless and entirely dependent upon those to whom they are entrusted. Who of us is not moved to run to their aid, to alleviate their suffering? And what about the mother and father, who find themselves in dire circumstances? For most of us know all too well the pain of impoverished and broken spirit.”
Monsignor Winslow urged people to show courage and stand up together.
“And then there is our culture that – under the guise of compassion – too easily refuses to confront that sinister and insidious deception that the person uniquely conceived in the womb is somehow something less than a child,” he said. “Such a culture lacks clarity of mind, courage and hope. This, too, is a poverty. A systemic poverty. A culture withering and in need of reform.”
The March for Life has been an engaged and powerfully prophetic voice on behalf of the poorest and most vulnerable among us, Monsignor Winslow added.
Winslow
Reid“The March for Life’s mission is to promote the beauty and dignity of every human life and end abortion,” he said. “This is why we are here. We are coming to the aid of the poorest among us. For the sake of the helpless child who has no voice, who has no choice. For the sake of women and men, faced with the anxiety of unintended pregnancy. We must reach through the fear with a message of hope.”
After the Mass, Father Timothy Reid piled on to the Metrorail with a group of fellow priests and other North Carolina faithful, to make their way to the start of the march.
“Even though Roe v. Wade has been overturned, it is important that we keep coming to the march,” said Father Reid, pastor of Charlotte’s St. Ann Church. “Abortion is still very much a reality in our country and our state. It’s so important that we continue to stand up for life.”
Diocese of Raleigh pilgrims also joined the march.
“It’s important to continue to march because this anniversary of Roe v. Wade was a horrendous event in the history of the United States,” said Deacon Josh Klickman, coordinator of human life and dignity for the Raleigh diocese. “It’s important we remember that these evils can still persist. But it’s also more important for us to show up because we have to defeat these evils on a local level. This sort of outreach and personal care shows the entire nation that we are here to support mothers and families in our own neighborhoods.”
KlickmanDuring the march, under steady snowfall, dozens of people joined Monsignor Winslow, Father Reid and seminarians in praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Among them was Heather Martin and her family, members of St. Mark Parish in Huntersville.
“We have seven children on earth (and) we have three we miscarried. We know a baby in the womb is a baby,” Martin said. “We want to witness and make the stand that life is precious…and everyone needs to embrace that each child is a gift from God.”
The March for Life challenges abortion and champions the beauty of life from the moment of conception. The 2024 event centered on the theme "Pro-Life: With Every Woman, For Every Child." A pre-march rally on the National Mall highlighted speakers such as Benjamin Watson and March for Life President Jeanne Mancini, as well as the pregnancy centers and maternity homes that support women and families in need during and after pregnancy.
North Carolina’s Room At The Inn, a maternity shelter based in the Triad that serves pregnant women from throughout the state, received national attention at the March for Life in 2018. In comments after Mass, Marianne Donadio, the shelter’s associate director, said it’s important to continue marching so 
Donadiothe thousands of women and children who benefit from such organizations will continue to find real help and encouragement to choose life.
“There are still 900,000 abortions per year in our country, so there is still work to be done,” she said. “Creating a culture of life in every community is the only thing that will make abortion unthinkable, and ensure that pregnant women and their children receive not only the vital resources they need but also hope for a bright future with educational opportunities and other continued assistance after their babies are born. Children are often the biggest and best motivator for reaching your dreams.”
— Annie Ferguson. Photos provided and by Annie Ferguson
“Abortion is still very much a reality in our country and our state. It’s so important that we continue to stand up for life.” — Father Timothy Reid of Charlotte
Read more from the 2024 National March for Life:
Pro-lifers will march until abortion is 'unthinkable,' says head of March for Life
