Did you know this about the IW Knights of Columbus?
The 45th March for Life event happened last Friday (1/19/18). Most of the content in this month’s KofC on-line magazine “Columbia” is dedicated to pro-life coverage. The following are some highlights on a historical article about the first March entitled “A movement is born“.
“Since it began 44 years ago, the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., has grown into the largest annual civil rights demonstration in the world. It has also inspired scores of similar marches across North America and around the globe”.
But it almost didn’t happen.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision Jan. 22, 1973, there was a period of shock and disbelief among pro-life advocates.
About six months after Roe, discussions began about how the pro-life community should mark the first anniversary of the decision.
Some of the early members of a New York group known as Families for Life recalled, ‘We wanted to commemorate the anniversary, and it was simply a question of how we were going to do it. We couldn’t just let the date go by.’
That group was put in contact with a Catholic attorney in Washington named Nellie Gray, who became a crucial early leader for the national pro-life movement.
Later, following a dinner at the home of Ms. Gray, the discussion of the pros and cons of a “March” ensued. While there was deep concern that attendance could be low and thus hurt the cause, it was the attitude in this quote won the day: ‘if there were only 10 of us, history would have to record that there was a voice of protest against the killing of innocent babies’.
And, of course, the result was history and ‘in the end, more than 20,000 people, including busloads from as far away as Illinois, participated in the first March for Life on Jan. 22, 1974’.
The preceding article was published on KofC.org in the Columbia link and can be found at the following addresses: www.IWKnights.com/bulletin or at facebook.com/IWknights 9981 and NOW on Twitter at twitter.com/IwKnights.
Links Related to this week’s column:
- A MOVEMENT IS BORN by John Burger
Knights of Columbus’ Columbia Magazine (1/1/2018)
- 2018 March For Life
- Official March for Life Website.
- March on the Arch – 1/27/18
- Saturday, January 27th, 1 – 4pm. We will meet at the corner of Boyle and Forest Park Ave at 12:30pm, then depart for the Arch at 1pm as we march for life throughout St. Louis!
Please shop our book and CD Rack-in-the-Back. Suggested Donation for the CD’s is $3.00/title – books on the top shelf are FREE.
We would like to talk with you about becoming an IW Knight. Please visit us on-line at our web site: www.IWknights.com/AboutUs. Or call Rob at: (314) 973-2373.
