Pilgrimage For Life Blog
On Thursday, Jan. 24, more than 330 young people and adult chaperones left for a three-day "Pilgrimage for Life" in Washington, D.C., which includes participating in the annual March for Life.
One of the young people making the journey, Anna Bittner, agreed to blog about the experience. The following is Anna's Pilgrimage for Life 2013 travelog
Thank yous...
This blog would not be complete without a happy little to-do list at the end, and believe me, there are plenty of thank you's to be given:
To Rick Jillson, who asked me to write this, loaned me his iPad, and has kept me busy for the past few days, and for Mary Ann Hughes, who also has been helping with the blog;
To Steve and Dominic, who worked very hard to get everything together and keep the March running smoothly;
To the priests of our diocese who have accompanied us on our trip, offering their time and witness to the youth;
To Fr. Alex and Fr. Jason, whose iPhones I shamelessly borrowed multiple times to get some wi-fi to post things online;
To those who helped organize the March, to those who drove the buses, and to all who continue to stand for life;
To the parishioners of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who continue to be wonderful people and act as an image of Christ to the world;
To you, my dear readers, who have the patience to listen to me ramble and the audacity to keep on listening despite my short attention span;
And to God, who has brought me to life again.
It's been wonderful writing for you, and thank you so much to the people above and the people whom I have unintentionally neglected to mention. God bless!
Jan. 26
Reflection at the end of the Pilgrimage for Life
It's hard for me to be able to say exactly what I wanted to get out of the March. To be honest, I barely remember what I wrote in that first post. I do know that this March has been nothing like I expected. First of all, I have written bigger chunks of things than I was really expecting to write (probably because I'm so long-winded), but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. I was planning on talking about Catholic social teaching with a bigger focus on the idea of "Conception to Natural Death," but not in the way I have been approaching it. I wanted to talk about the dignity of the individual, and do a little reading of some liturgical documents while I was on the trip, but instead, I think I have arrived at a quieter, more intimate place over the course of this venture.
I keep coming back to an idea that Chris Stefanick talked about in his talk last night. In order for us to value the dignity of other individuals, it is very important to discover the reality that we ourselves have worth and value and are needed by others. Maybe I knew all this already, but I have definitely discovered it again: I have worth, and I am loved not just in my community, but I am loved by God, and His love is more than enough.
The pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton said a similar thing in his homily tonight: in order to give, you must first receive. In order to be able to spread God's message to others, we must first accept it in our own lives. In order to change the world, I must first allow my own world to be changed.
I've seen God's love for me in the eyes of so many people, and it is overwhelming at times. I came on this pilgrimage at a very spiritually awkward time in my life (awkward, not necessarily bad, but definitely lacking in connection) and I feel renewed in my life. I am ready to once again face the challenge of the mundane. I am ready to go back to a world of reading assignments, homework, repetitive cafeteria food and, as my seatmate suggests, I am ready to go back to a nice warm bed. Yes indeed. To a world where everything is taken for granted, I am called to face the challenge to live every day as though it matters, because it does matter.
The last line of Chris Stefanick's talk was this: "The world needs to see holy people to help them remember who they are." And who are they? Valued, important, necessary children of God, called to be holy and to set the world on fire for Christ, to discover a life worth living.
Jan. 26
After a long day of sightseeing around DC
5:00 pm, on the bus back to St. Elizabeth Ann Setoff
Of course, it's impossible for me to mention every place that every youth happened to visit today, so this post is less based on a march experience and more on a thought that I had while waiting for members of my group near the Vietnam War Memorial.
It's still pretty chilly outside, but after a long walk around the perimeter of the mall area, I was ready to have a seat and take a break. We watched people walk by, talking and taking pictures and enjoying the day. I relished the moment of stillness that I had, and wondered to myself: all of these people have some amount of free time today, walking around and sightseeing, and wouldn't it be wonderful if we all took more time like this for ourselves?
Sure, I was only sitting on that bench for perhaps 5 minutes at most, and I got up and left as soon as my group arrived, but that thought still sticks with me. What would it be like to spend a day with absolutely no obligations, nowhere to be, nowhere to have to hurry up and go to at a certain time later? What kind of peace and silence within myself would I be able to attain if I was able to spend just 15 minutes there, listening to the wind and the world around me? What kind of inner peace would I be able to find if I spent an hour, two hours, three hours there?
For part of me, that amount of silence is appalling. I am much too squirmy, much too movement- and activity-oriented to spend 10 minutes in one place, much less three hours without something to do. For me, stillness is pretty rough, because I feel like I'm wasting time, or I'm being lazy, but let's be real here: time isn't wasted if it's spent being in the presence of God. Even this kind of intentional silence is difficult for me. I spend half of the time wondering when my time is going to be up and it will be time to move on to the next activity. Time, time, time. But God has all the time.
I want to spend time with God, time that is well-spent indeed. Time with no obligations, no expectations, no need to rush, because God does indeed have all the time, and he is indeed everything I need. So I challenge you, as I challenge myself, to carve out some quiet time in our crazy, ridiculously hectic schedules. It doesn't have to be long, and I'm purposefully not going to set a specific amount of time so I'm not setting a timer and racing myself. I'm just going to spend some time with God, as long as it takes. Is it going to be wonderful and perfect and holy the first time? ...Probably not. Is it going to be worth my time? Every. Single. Second.
Jan. 25 - 7:30pm
Right now, we are in the cafeteria, getting a delicious supper made by the parishioners again. God bless them for their goodness. I'm hungry.
Jan. 25 - Post–rally reflection
10:30pm
A conversation I had with my seat-mate on the way back to the bus:
"The word of Steve can be likened to the word of God... You do what he tells you and everything will be okay."
"Even if we don't know exactly what he said?"
"Well, I think that can be likened to God too."
Ha. True story. Things to ponder. Anyway! The rally was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, we got our schedule bumped back a bit and arrived late to the rally. Nonetheless, we got to see great singer / songwriters Steve Angrisano and Matt Maher, as well as Chris Stefanick as our main speaker for the evening. I really liked the points he gave in his talk, and ended up taking notes on my (Rick's) iPad while listening. I'm a nerd and it's okay.
He discussed three points of our culture that he believes are the cause of our continued culture of death in the world: practical atheism, relativity, and promiscuity. For his first point, he continued his emphasis that the problem is a break in the relationship between God and his children. If we don't realize that we are loved and valued by God, then it can be equally difficult for us to realize our call to love and value those around us, hence we have such a challenge in trying to uphold the culture of life.
The second point he emphasized, that hit home for me, was the concept of relativism. Relativism has been viewed as the greatest problem of our time. For the many of us who have relativistic tendencies, we believe that truth can be true to one, but different for another person in another situation. But truth is truth, and it cannot change between individuals. As youth, especially, we are often labeled or guilty of giving out the label of being a "hater," or someone who condemns others. It is important to remember, however, that disagreement does not mean hating.
He also talked about how our culture of promiscuity is one that continues to perpetuate a culture of death, and not only in the place of unplanned children. A dating couple should be able to say to one another, "I love you, and I'm going to put your needs above anything that I want." This should be the norm, not the exception. Rather than risking contracting STDs, getting pregnant, having a ruined reputation, or having to hide things from parents and other relatives, he argued, wouldn't it make more sense to have a significant other that is able to love purely and without regret? I'm preaching to the choir, I'm sure, but it's still a good thing to think about.
He ended with a chilling comment that every one of us should consider: if you are marching for life, or support the pro-life agenda, well, awesome. But if you support relativism, and believe that everyone has their own truth and no one can impose beliefs.
Jan. 25 - evening - Supper at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Jan. 25 - 7:00 pm - Reflection while driving to the Life is Very Good Rally
It occurred to me that while I spend a lot of time thinking about the ideas of community and treating one another with dignity, I am presented on this March with an excellent example of what it means to treat another with dignity and respect, with the heart of Christ. This example shines so brightly in the parish of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. God bless them, because they have taken over 300 strangers into their midst, with open arms and many smiles. We are hungry, and they have fed us. We are thirsty and they have given us drink. Cold and in need of a place to rest and they have opened both the parish center doors and the doors to their beautiful church. And they're doing all of this as volunteers, no less.
Tonight, we had salads with tomatoes and carrots and croutons- the really good stuff- and lasagna, and breadsticks, and CHEESECAKE! (which is my favorite) or red velvet cake or chocolate cake. The tables were covered in table cloths, bearing centerpieces with flowers, Hershey's kisses, heart- and candy-corn shaped candies and little red and pink heart cutouts. They decorated the walls with hearts and smiles and many posters made by a wide variety of ages (including the cute poster that said "St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Loves You" with the E's written backwards by an unknowing youngster. They have truly welcomed us with open arms, going to far as to even offer an extensive amount of "Charging Stations" for everyone to plug in their phones, iPods, MP3's, and the like.
Join me in praying for these wonderful people from a parish who truly understands the concept of giving of self, selflessly, and helping to build a community of followers of Christ. We are united in the same purpose, with a common goal. Although we come from a variety of histories, we are all learning to love, and isn't that what this whole trip is about?
Jan. 25 - 5:00 pm - Reflection on the March for Life
My first thought: this has been the coldest march I have ever experienced in my entire life. I'm not sure if it's because I wasn't as well-dressed as usual, or if the temperature was actually the coldest it's been since I started attending, or if my shoes got damp and made everything seem colder, but it was definitely a chilly one. Cold feet, hands, and noses seemed to be the theme of the day for all those who were marching. If the devil's intention was to distract us with the cold, he sure was trying his hardest.
It started out fairly dry, but once we got started marching, it started snowing, right about at 2:00. We were supposed to be back to the buses by 3:30pm, but at 3:30 the group I was with was just walking past the Supreme Court, the end destination of the March. Despite the chilly weather, there was still plenty of cheering and singing, laughing and "Where are you from?" conversations popping up all over the place. Although we all gathered at the same place before the March to listen to some of the pro-life speakers, it was not long before we were all strung out over the distance of a block or more, because of the huge amounts of people all around. Follow the yellow hoodie sweatshirts, indeed. For a while I walked with some of the people from my parishes, and I met up with some of our diocese's seminarians, and with a few of my friends from Marian. While we were walking, I got caught in a crowd of seminarians whose flag announced "San Jose," and I prayed a few decades of the rosary with them until we drifted apart and I couldn't hear them anymore.
I heard rumors of a few pro-choice people gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court building, who were counter-protesting us, but I did not see or hear a single one of them. I did, however, hear a testimonial from a woman who had had an abortion, and she believed that although she had made the wrong decision in the past, she was able to find much more comfort and healing from the pro-life organizations, which brought about a change of heart.
When we are marching, there's always a section of road that I dread walking down. Some organization always has signs that are about half the size of billboards showing pictures of dismembered babies and the very bloody side of abortion. I came across an article recently that speaks to this idea of portraying graphic images of abortion, and it speaks to 8 reasons why graphic images should not be used on the March for Life.
We are back at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and we are going to have supper before heading off to a Life Rally. Always good times. We will be in touch!
Jan. 25 - 11:41 a.m.- We are here! Listening to pro-life speakers before the March.
Jan. 25 - 11 a.m. - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish, Woodbridge , Va.
We will be leaving for the March in about 15 minutes. There's definitely an air of excitement... Those of the youth who didn't get enough sleep last night seem to be recovering quite well. Today is the day of the March, we will gather in the mall (big grassy area around the Washington monument and that area) and will march several blocks around the city, and return to the Air and Space Museum, where we will be picked up and head out.
I think the March is a lot about equal amounts of excitement and patience. At first, everyone just gathers at the mall, and at a certain time the March begins. I have never seen the beginning if the March, but i have definitely seen the middle part of the long line. All around you, there are people singing and chanting and praying, and every 20 or 30 minutes, the crowd will move forward a few feet, and wait, and then move again, and again, until finally your group of people is able to make a way into the street and along the path. People will be handing it pamphlets and carrying signs of every shape, size, and theme, from the green "defend life" signs, to thee top sign-shaped "stop abortion now" signs, and many individual group signs to help people stay together and not get lost. This has been my experience for the past few Marches I have been on. I will post a great many more things about this year's March after the fact. Thanks for reading!
Jan. 25 - 8:53 a.m. - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Woodbrige, Va. hosted us for Mass and breakfast
Jan. 24 - 11:00 pm to 1:00 am - Reflection after "October Baby"
Bedtime, Thursday night
Hello everyone,
Maybe I've been in college too long, having to write reflection papers about everything I happen to find significant. After watching "October Baby," I feel the need to reflect a little on the concept of community. Community is very important to my faith life. Without being surrounded by some sort of community, it seems as though my faith life is empty, kind of broken, kind of lacking a sense of depth, drive, or purpose. The funny thing is that just 3 or 4 days ago, I was in one of those faith lows- you know, how a faith journey typically has its ups and downs, for better or for worse. I have a tendency to over-react, so I doubt that I would have really been as bad off as I imagine, but it's a scary place to be, living with some amount of ambiguity in your prayer life. Thank goodness for Rick Jillson, for asking me to do this blogging thing for him. I would be going a little bit stir-crazy without it.
On the flip side of the same coin, while maintaining some amount of community relationship, I also have to maintain my relationship with God and keep a steady connection to the sacraments of Eucharist and reconciliation. The Pilgrimage for Life offers opportunities for all of us to come to a deeper understanding of our faith, and that is my prayer for all of us this weekend. Everything in my faith life seems to be a process. And not only is my life a process, I have to trust the process, because God has yet to lead me in a place that is less than everything that I need in that moment. For me, the March always holds some amount of self-discovery, helping me to find out more about myself and how I intend to put into action the things that I believe.
One of my favorite books is The Mystery we Celebrate, the Song we Sing, by Sr. Kathleen Harmon. She outlines three steps in a process that can be likened to drawing closer and deeper into community: participation, distanciation, and appropriation. In the first step, participation, the individual is a part of the happenings, or in the case of the example, the individual is engaged in the activities and events related to the March for Life. The second step, distanciation, is when the individual takes a step back and reflects upon the events occurring around them. I hope to participate in the process of distanciation in the March tomorrow by not being so swallowed up in the moment that I am unaware of the people around me and the reactions that they may be experiencing. The third step, appropriation, occurs when the individual re-enters into the event, this time with a deeper and more full understanding of what is going on in the situation. I am hoping to take a step towards appropriation in my experience with the March by being able to stand in solidarity with those who are not being respected due to their individual dignity, with those who are scarred by the pain of abortion, both the parents and the children affected, but I also stand against any systems that perpetuate a culture that does not allow both families and individuals to be treated with rights and respect.
May God bless the rest of our night and keep us safe on our March tomorrow.
Jan. 24 - 7:30 p.m. - Ferdinand, after Mass
In the Bishop's homily, he asked the participants what they hoped to learn while on the March. Some people explained that they wanted to make new friends, or to meet new people, while another simply stated that she wanted to "save babies." The Bishop emphasized that is important to keep in mind everyone will be approaching the march with different motivations, different goals, and with a variety of different backgrounds.
Another thing that the Bishop talked about is that we are all called to be their person of Christ walking among others, to be the voice of hope. We are called to be a voice to new changes in a world that may see us not as mere youth, but as disciples and a part of the larger body of Christ.
He shared a story with the congregation at the end of the homily. A woman was caught in traffic one day. Her car was literally covered with bumbler stickers that said "thou shalt not kill" and "I am pro-life" and "Jesus saves" and the like. She was honking and yelling obscenities, and it wasn't long before a policeman pulled her over. When she asked him why he had pulled her over, the policeman replied, "By the way you're acting, compared to the stickers on this car, the car must have been stolen." The story is a reminder for us to "preach the Gospel, and use words when necessary"- to live, rather than just speak, the truth.
Something else to keep in mind as you read this: the views and opinions expressed in this blog are being filtered through the lens of my eyes. Although I will certainly be quoting the Church's teaching every now and then, a good amount of the views and ideas expressed are from my viewpoint. Take it with a grain of salt, I guess. I am but one amid the three hundred or so of us.
We just completed night prayer, and are watching the movie "October Baby" before going to bed. I haven't seen it yet. I'll keep you posted.
Jan. 24 - 4:30 pm, Central Time - Departing from Evansville, IN
Hello everyone, my name is Anna Bittner and I will be commentating on our Pilgrimage for Life with the diocese of Evansville. We are leaving in a few minutes- it's about 4:30 Evansville time- and I think it's about to be a very good trip. They're calling for snow on Friday, which is the day that we'll be marching all over Washington. But I think that a pilgrimage calls for a little bit of suffering, and we are certainly suffering for a good cause: the dignity of every individual from the moment of conception until natural death.
The March for Life occurs every year on the anniversary of the court case Roe v. Wade, which is the case that legalized abortion. Every year since then, hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in Washington, DC to make a stand for life. I also think that it's important to point out that although those who are marching are commonly Pro-Life in association with a church, the March for Life should never just be viewed as a "religious" event. The right to life should belong to everyone, whether they associate themselves with a specific religion or not. Every human being has dignity, and this dignity cannot be taken away.
You may notice me talking about the dignity of the individual quite a bit, and I can tell you why... Marian University, which is where I go to school, is a Franciscan-based school, and we have four common values: Peace and Justice, Responsible Stewardship, Reconciliation, and Dignity of the Individual. I think that all four of the Franciscan values are very pertinent to our March. Not only are we called to bring about an end to abortion, we are also called to bring about a greater respect for all human lives at all stages.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, the bus is on the move! More information to come as we go. And here we go.
