SAN FRANCISCO — Organizers of the 17th Annual Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco Jan. 23 expected hundreds of attendees this year, figuring concerns about COVID-19 and political unrest would keep pro-lifers away.
But like past years, thousands showed up.
“I guess by now I should know better than to sell the commitment of pro-lifers short. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong!” said the walk’s co-chair Eva Muntean.
The day began with the annual Walk for Life West Coast Mass, celebrated that morning by San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone and 12 priests at St. Mary’s Cathedral.
Under the current coronavirus restrictions, the cathedral can have only 480 people inside, so worshippers spilled out onto the plaza in front of the church
The Mass came two days after Archbishop Cordileone rebuked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for her remarks on a Jan. 18 podcast. She accused pro-life voters who supported President Donald Trump in the 2020 election and have opposed his recent impeachment by the House of “being willing to sell the whole democracy down the river for that one issue” – abortion.
The 80-year-old lawmaker from San Francisco, who has a 100 percent rating on the issue from NARAL Pro-Choice America, said the pro-lifers’ votes caused her “great grief as a Catholic.”
“No Catholic in good conscience can favor abortion,” the archbishop said in a Jan. 21 statement. “‘Right to choose’ is a smokescreen for perpetuating an entire industry that profits from one of the most heinous evils imaginable. Our land is soaked with the blood of the innocent, and it must stop.”
After the Mass, walkers gathered at Civic Center Plaza. Coronavirus restrictions prevented a rally, but Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio and the Rev. Clenard Childress Jr. spoke from the bed of walk co-chair Dolores Meehan’s pickup truck.
In southern California the same day, Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez delivered the keynote at the seventh annual OneLife LA, held virtually and livestreamed on OneLifeLA.org and facebook.com/lacatholics. “I think all of us in this time, have come to understand, in a beautiful way, that human life is precious. Also, that life is fragile and brief,” the archbishop said.
“How we live, how we love, how we care for one another – this is what truly matters. This is what we celebrate each year at OneLife LA,” he said. “The sanctity and the dignity of every human life, especially the weak and vulnerable.”
Organizers said OneLife seeks to promote a culture of life, where every human life is dignified, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized. This year’s theme “The Joy of Life” aimed to “unite communities and inspire positive action that promotes the beauty and dignity of every human life from conception to natural death.”
Traditionally, OneLife LA is hosted at the Los Angeles Historic Park in downtown Los Angeles, where thousands of people from all backgrounds in Southern California come together after a mile walk led by Archbishop Gomez beginning at the birthplace of the city at Olvera Street. “Even though many things look and feel very different this year, the virtual program honors those who continue to serve even during these difficult circumstances,” said a news release about the event.
During the celebration, Harvest Home received the second OneLife LA Service Award of $10,000 to supports its mission of transforming the lives of homeless pregnant women and their children by providing housing, support and programs that equip women “to become great mothers.”
Participants of the virtual celebration were challenged to give to Harvest Home, which raised an additional $4,000 for the organization that to date has helped over 550 homeless mothers and their children.
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