Our 24 pilgrims returned early yesterday evening from Washington, DC. We had a very blessed trip and made some wonderful memories! We began by driving to Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday night and stayed at a retreat center there overnight. The next morning, we got up, had Mass and breakfast, then hit the road again to travel to DC. We arrived in time to do some touring and also get some amazing night photos of the monuments! The above photo of the Washington Monument was taken on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. As a former history teacher, I always get excited to be in our Nation's Capital! While in the DC area, we stayed a Blessed Sacrament Parish in Alexandria, VA. The hospitality there is phenomenal! This was our 5th year staying with them, and they are just so generous to us!
On Friday morning, we headed to George Mason University to participate in a youth rally and Mass there. Can you find Fr. Pica in the picture of priests? Hint: he's on the left side. Many of the students said this was one of their favorite parts of the trip! After that, we took the metro into DC and joined hundreds of thousands for the March. Due to the timing and the security, we missed the rally on the Mall, but had a wonderful March, nonetheless. One parent sent me the screen shot from the news of us even making it on TV! The group photo was taken after the March - and the joy seen on the faces of our students can almost be felt! It was quite edifying to be with this group of students and to see their zeal for life. On Saturday, we began our journey back to the midwest with a stop at Mount St. Mary's Seminary for a tour and lunch with some of our Seminarians. That was so enjoyable! The students were excited to find out that seminarians are real people, too! We then drove from Maryland to Columbus, Ohio and stayed overnight there, again. On Sunday morning, we got up and had Mass and breakfast, then made our way back to Champaign. It was a long trip but really went by quickly. As I said, many memories were made and the joy and enthusiasm of the students was quite contagious. I pray that spark continues to be fanned into flame in our school!
March for Life
January 27, 2020