CHARLOTTE — Under stark winter skies, more than 200 people braved the frigid cold and threat of ice and snow Friday to make a public witness of support for all human life at the 19th annual March for Life Charlotte.
Attendees said the cold didn’t deter them from spreading the pro-life message of hope.
“It’s more important than ever to have a witness in the local community for respect for life at all stages,” said Tanja Akerblom, a member of St. Ann Parish in Charlotte, who came bundled up for the weather like many people: in a thick coat and comfortable walking shoes.
The annual event in Charlotte is sponsored by a nonprofit group and generally coincides with the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme court decisions – Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton – that legalized abortion nationwide. In 2022, the Supreme Court reversed that, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson, and left abortion restrictions up to individual states. Since then, the battle has been ongoing to work to end abortion at the state level.
The day started with a 10 a.m. Mass for the Unborn at St. Patrick Cathedral celebrated by Father Peter Ascik, director of the diocese’s Family Life Office. About 80 people prayed, sang hymns and listened to Father Ascik’s homily, which focused on promoting a message of hope amid the despair so prevalent in today’s culture.
Father Ascik said the importance of life is instinctive in humanity, as evidenced by the massive search efforts conducted when a hiker is lost or when people disappear after a natural disaster like Tropical Storm Helene in western North Carolina. That instinct can, however, sometimes waver, he said.
“Sometimes people falter – they recognize the goodness of life but they see suffering, burdens and limitations that people deal with and they start to doubt life is always a good,” he said.
He recalled one moment when he was doing sidewalk counseling outside an abortion facility in the Charlotte area and met a man there with his girlfriend who said, “I’ve been here before, and
I’ll probably be here again.” That kind of hopelessness and resignation is what drives people to deny the beauty of all life, he said.
“His words haunt me to this day,” Father Ascik said.
Spreading the Gospel message and the truth of the sanctity of all life from conception to death is the only way to fight against that despair, he emphasized. He also encouraged those in the movement to focus on helping people in difficult situations, such as single mothers facing unplanned pregnancies or those dealing with an illness.
“The mission of the pro-life movement is to look difficulties in the face and restore hope by testifying to the fact that there is goodness in every human life,” he said. He said “pro-life faith without pro-life works” is not a vibrant faith, and he encouraged the congregation to find a true witness to life and hope through their Catholic faith.
Participants then gathered outside the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center to pray before starting on the mile-long march to Uptown Charlotte. Many then falling to their knees, they prayed the Angelus and St. Michael Prayer, then said the Pledge of Allegiance.
The march kicked off at noon with a procession to Independence Square at the intersection of Trade and Tryon streets.
Father Peter Rusciolelli, parochial vicar at St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem, was the guest speaker.
His mother Debbie Rusciolelli traveled from the family home in Waxhaw and made the march pushing daughter Celeste, the youngest of her nine children, in a stroller. She said seeing her son offer the keynote address was a special experience.
“I’m obviously very excited because we always came to the march when he was younger, and now having him as a priest speaking at the event brings everything full circle,” she said.
Father Rusciolelli’s talk focused on the purpose of the march and drew on Scriptural references to the Israelites who marched into the Battle of Jericho.
“Why do we march?” he asked. “What kind of victory are we looking to gain?”
“Because our enemy in this contest is not any man or human institution, but sin. …We want hearts to change…Our mission is against sin, and our victory is not solely life in this world, but eternal life.”
He said prayer is a powerful weapon in the battle for a culture of life and encouraged the crowd to pray for people who work in the abortion industry, those considering abortion and those who have had them. He also told them to pray that Christ would enter their own hearts.
“Let us march forth bringing not anger and hatred into the world, but hope for those who are lost,” he said.
The second speaker was Dr. Stephen Blaha, who runs Atrium Health Women’s Care Natural Family Planning OB/GYN clinic, located in Indian Trail in Union County, east of Charlotte. Blaha encouraged the crowd to promote the message of life by reaching out to women facing unplanned pregnancies and helping them through their journey while showing them the beauty of life.
The march drew a diverse crowd ranging from teenagers and senior citizens to families carrying small children and pushing them in strollers. Many people carried pro-life signs and some held rosaries and prayed as they walked.
Neil Schunke, a member of Our Lady of the Angels Mission in Marion, said he has attended many of the annual marches in Charlotte and also the National March for Life in Washington, D.C.
“Our society has a lack of respect for the profound dignity of all life, and I hope to change hearts and minds by being here,” he said.
Jennifer Arroso, who attends St. Leo the Great in Winston-Salem, made the trip to Charlotte with sons Luis, 12, and Isaac, 9, and said the cold weather wasn’t a deterrent.
“This is the first time here for all of us because we just wanted to experience this and be part of the movement,” Arroso said. “Prayer and awareness are important.”
Mary Richardson, a parishioner at St. Ann in Charlotte, attended both the Mass and the march with her five children: two daughters and three sons ranging in age from 1 to 10.
“I’ve been involved in the pro-life movement for many years and this is just the right thing to do,” Richardson said. “Having my family has made me more committed. They are my witness to life.”
— Christina Lee Knauss. Photos by Troy Hull, Christina Lee Knauss and provided
