California Catholic Daily exclusive.
As San Francisco’s 14th Annual Walk for Life West Coast approaches, pro-life pilgrims are heading to the City by the Bay from as far away as Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, North Dakota, and even the island of Fiji.
Nine Catholic Bishops and one Cardinal will be in attendance: Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, Bishop William Justice, and Bishop Emeritus Ignatius Wang of San Francisco; Bishop Michael Barber, Oakland; Bishop Emeritus Tod Brown, Orange; Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane; Cardinal William Levada; Bishop Jaime Soto, Sacramento; and Bishop Robert Vasa and Bishop Emeritus Daniel Walsh of Santa Rosa.
The Walk’s invocation will be given by His Eminence the Most Reverend Benjamin, Archbishop of San Francisco and the West of the Orthodox Church of America. His Eminence will be the second prelate of the Orthodox Church to give the Walk’s invocation. The first was Fr. Aris Metrakos of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in 2012.
The Walk’s speakers this year are: Dr. John Bruchalski, MD, FACOG and Director of the Tepayec Medical Clinic in Fairfax, VA. Dr. Bruchalski performed abortions earlier in his career, but changed, and now offers care that truly helps women. Also speaking will be Mrs. Terry Beatley, founder of the Hosea Initiative. When he was dying, Mrs. Beatley met with another one-time abortionist turned pro-life activist, Dr. Bernard Nathanson. She promised Dr. Nathanson that she would continue his work of telling the American people that abortion was foisted on America through a calculated strategy of deception. Batting cleanup, as always, will be the Reverend Clenard Childress, pastor of Montclair’s New Calvary Baptist Church, and founder of blackgenocide.org, which confronts the horrific rate of abortion in America’s black community. The peroration of his speech closing the 2017 Rally, shown in the Walk’s 2018 promo video, literally brought people to tears.
Organizers were also delighted with the late confirmation that the Walk would be joined by Joe Scheidler, the founder of the pro-life Action League, who has been called “the grandfather of the American pro-life movement. Walk co-chair Eva Muntean said “I almost can’t believe this. Mr. Scheidler has been one of my heroes for decades. I am beyond thrilled that he is joining us.” Mr. Scheidler will speak, and will receive the Walk’s St. Gianna Molla Award for Pro-Life heroism.
As the pro-life movement grows younger and more energetic, marches are being held in cities and towns all over the country. Yet San Francisco’s Walk for Life West Coast still seems to exert a special attraction, especially for the young. Attendees are coming from as far away as Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, North Dakota, and Fiji.
180 buses of pro-lifers will come from all over the western United States. Hundreds of young people, many who have travelled hundreds of miles, will be sleeping on floors in San Francisco parishes. A full bus of seminarians from the Benedictine Mt. Angel Abbey in Oregon will be coming as well as a full bus of seminarians from the local St. Patrick’s in Menlo Park.
The youth and energy of the pro-life movement is manifested by the 19 events that surround the Walk. Additional events begin on Friday, January 26 and continue through Monday, January 29 and include two full nights of Eucharistic Adoration for Life, prayer vigils with confession, two days of pilgrimages by the Orthodox Christians for Life, Mass in the Extraordinary Form for Life, protests of Planned Parenthood a “Die-In” and other street events by Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust and other young pro-lifers, the Students for Life of America West Coast Conference, an Anglicans for Life symposium, the 40 Days for Life Gala, a Catholic Underground event, and a parish barbecue open to all.
As always, the day of the Walk begins with Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral at 9:30 AM. At San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza, events begin with the Silent No More Awareness at 10:30 AM. The Info Faire opens at 11:30 AM, the Rally begins at 12:30 PM, and the Walk for Life West Coast down Market Street begins at 1:30 PM.
For a full schedule of the events at and around the Walk for Life West Coast visit: https://www.walkforlifewc.com/event-info/event-schedule/
Let us all pray that this Walk for life West Coast is a huge success with ten of thousands of walkers participating to shine a light on the number one issue facing humanity today. Since Roe versus Wade legalized abortion in America in 1973 close to 60 MILLION unborn baby children have been killed. Either America and the rest of world terminate abortion of the unborn or face the judgment of Almighty God. America look at the signs of the times and you will see that this genocide of the unborn needs to stop now! Adoption is the loving option. Pray America Pray. Pray Pray Pray!
The bishops ought to be barred from this public display of prolife. The bishops are part of the problem as they prioritize side issues like illegal immigration over the lives of unborn babies and as they work with the Democratic Party, the Party of Abortion.
I’m sure that most of the Catholic bishops are registered in the Party of Abortion and Gay Rights.
What?????? No bishop from the San Diego diocese. Also, no bishop from the Los Angeles diocese. So sad!
they’re all attending a saul alinsky seminar.
lie?
They’re sending us a message we don’t want hear.
Just for the record,
the Archbishop and several auxiliary
bishops were present at One Life LA
I was there, huge turnout estimated to be 70,000. It was an overwhelmingly young crowd, energetic and racially diverse. The counter protesters were mostly white twenty-something females with lots of anger issues. Some of them may see the light so pray for them in your charity.
Delighted to tell that I shook hands with pro-life icon Joe Scheidler whose presence is always a blessing. As long as the offense of abortion is legal in our land, he and we, will continue going to these events.
It is a good promotion for Ignatius Press! God bless them!
Joe, it is a good promotion for not killing unborn babies! Closing the book on your snarkiness!
Though he clearly does not intend it, the name of Rev Childress’s website “blackgenocide.org” is misleading and smacks of racial victimization. The precise term would be “blackfilicide.org.”