Students from Our Lady of Mercy High School joined thousands of other young people from around the country for the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21-22. This year 27 juniors, seniors and students who are active in the school’s Mercy for LIFE group traveled to the nation’s capital, along with parents, teachers, administrators and campus chaplain Father Paul Burke.

The group attended the vigil Mass for the Unborn at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for a time of prayer and worship and a chance to gather as a church to speak on behalf of those most vulnerable. The Mass is always attended by dozens of bishops and hundreds of priests. On the day of the march, after a youth rally at Washington’s Verizon Center with 20,000 other young people, the OLM group joined over 100,000 people to walk from the National Mall to the Supreme Court.

School organizers believe that this trip, which the school sponsors each year, grows more meaningful for those who attend, as well as for the entire school. Along with the fun of a hockey game, ice-skating, and tours of the capital city, the students find meaning in uniting with others to bring about greater protection for unborn children.