From May 7th to 9th, thirteen Hawthorn US students participated in the National March for Life, the largest annual demonstration on Parliament Hill that supports the right to life of every human being from conception to natural death. Here is a glimpse of our transformative trip!
Accompanied by our Head of School, Mrs. Flores, our Director of Character Education, Ms. Yu, and Hawthorn parent, Mr. Buda, we left Hawthorn at 3:30 pm on Wednesday, May 7th, driving the distance from Toronto to Ottawa. After our surprise private visit of the Senate of Canada (!), we joined the March’s Candlelight Vigil at the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights, a monument symbolizing Canadians’ commitment to live in peace in a society based on equality, dignity, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The evening was filled with prayers, testimonials, and live music.
The next morning, well-rested from our ‘home’ at the iconic Lord Elgin Hotel, we began our day by attending a bilingual National Mass for Life at Notre Dame Cathedral. We then gathered with thousands of pro-life Canadians for a rally on nearby Parliament Hill to listen to speakers, including pro-life parliamentarians, religious leaders, and activists, all of them calling our government to account and inspiring us to take action.
The annual March through the streets of downtown Ottawa then began, led by police and volunteer marshals, who kept the route safe and clear.
Our walk culminated by a re-assembling on the lawn of Parliament Hill for moving testimonies from the post-abortive men and women of the Silent No More awareness campaign, followed by a prayer service.
To complete the day, we attended the Rose Dinner Gala at the Ottawa Conference and Events Centre for an evening of fellowship, networking, good food, and great speakers. We were especially moved by this year’s keynote speaker, Emily Stimpson Chapman, who addressed what it means to offer human beings protection at conception, including rejecting IVF and abortion, even in the midst of challenging personal struggles like infertility.
At the end of the Rose Dinner, we watched a video of highlights from the March for Life. We were thrilled to see all of us in the video multiple times!
Our last day was spent at the ‘Unwavering’ Pro-Life Youth Summit, hearing speakers and engaging in discussions with our peers. All of the presenters gave deeply moving talks, exploring the realities of the abortion industry, battling against censorship, and working to change hearts and minds. We were particularly moved by Mayra Rodriguez, former Planned Parenthood abortuary manager turned pro-life activist and whistleblower. At 3:00 pm we began our return trip home, arriving tired but happy at our beloved Hawthorn at 9:00 pm to be met by our families.
Listening to the pro-life speakers this week and having the time to ask real bioethical questions has helped to provide us with information that is essential in forming our minds in a pro-choice world that loudly proclaims otherwise. It was truly wonderful to spend these days opening our ears and our hearts to the message of the inherent value of life and the need to protect every life.
Our very special thanks goes out to our amazing chaperones, to our friends at the Lord Elgin Hotel, to the St. Bonaventure CWL for your encouragement and support, to the Knights of Columbus, to our loving families, and to Isabella Arruda, ’26, for all of your leadership in helping to make this trip come true for us!
