Busing students to Washington, D.C., for the annual National March for Life couldn’t happen this year because of the pandemic. So, Katie Walker and Maddie Schulte are helping to plan a one-day event in the Twin Cities Jan. 22, for young people and families.
Katie Walker
“The March for Life Youth and Family Conference is kind of our answer to the need for pro-life education here in the archdiocese,” said Walker, assistant marriage preparation and youth ministry events coordinator at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. “The pro-life movement is still so important that we decided to host our own (event) here in the Twin Cities.”
Both women were guests on the 9 p.m. Jan. 15 “Practicing Catholic” radio show, produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and broadcast on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. Schulte, working from St. Paul, is strategic partnerships adviser for Students for Life of America, a national pro-life organization based in Virginia.
The event’s goal is to help convince youth of the need for their assistance in the pro-life movement, Walker said, to show them that they have a role to play to help overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide “and to really just give them an opportunity to pray and to pray for the end of abortion.”
Maddie Schulte
While a local March for Life Youth and Family Conference is a new event, it overlaps with the longstanding annual Prayer Service for Life at the Cathedral of St. Paul, which is also being held 10:30 a.m. Jan. 22. The prayer service is typically scheduled in advance of the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life’s annual po-life march at the Minnesota State Capitol. While the prayer service will be held in-person with COVID-19 precautions, MCCL’s march is virtual this year.
The common goal between the conference at St. Agnes in St. Paul and the Prayer Service for Life at the Cathedral is “bringing that proclamation of life to our churches, but also into our community everywhere around us,” Schulte told “Practicing Catholic” host Patrick Conley.
“I know it’s getting students to rise up and be active within this archdiocese in this fight for life,” Schulte said. “And I know the prayer service for life has done an incredible job of doing that every year.”
When asked if the conference is aimed for a younger crowd, Schulte said she was 14 when she devoted her life to the pro-life movement. “So I’m really excited to see this event coming to fruition here in the Twin Cities because it opens the door for more young people to get involved.”
Looking back in history, Schulte said, it’s apparent that time and time again as the young people go, the family goes. “Young people are the next generation that’s going to change this culture of life for the better,” she said.
“They’re coming into the world and they’re ready to change it,” Walker added. “They have such conviction and such zeal. And if we can show them a way to channel that … toward the pro-life movement, toward defending life, then … I think they’re going to be unstoppable.”
Social distancing and other COVID-19-related guidelines will be required at the conference. Attendees will be split into two locations. Bathroom breaks and small group breakouts are also planned to meet COVID-19 safety requirements, Walker said.
The event is targeted for ninth through 12th graders, and they need adult chaperones. Families are invited to register as a group. Groups can register online at ArchSPM.org/MarchForLife. Or email Walker with questions at [email protected].
Other guest interviews on the Jan. 15 Practicing Catholic show are Archbishop Bernard Hebda from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who discussed the upcoming Faith and Culture Series, and Bill Stevenson, who addressed the sources of Catholic teaching.
Listen to their interviews after they have aired:
soundcloud.com/practicingcatholic
Practicing Catholic on Spotify
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