The Springfield diocese will be well represented at the Jan. 22 March for Life in Washington, D.C., says Kyle Holtgrave, associate director for Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

"We have 143 people traveling together," Holtgrave says. Parishes participating in the group are St. Aloysius and Blessed Sacrament in Springfield, St. Mary in Farmersville, St. Lawrence in Greenville, Our Saviour in Jacksonville, Sacred Heart in Oconee, St. Rita in Kincaid, and St. Raymond in Raymond. Additionally, three students from Sacred Heart-Griffin High School are included in that number.

Of course, not all March for Life participants from the diocese leave from Springfield. "We have three charter buses. Two leave from here (the Catholic Pastoral Center) and one leaves from Jacksonville - with a lot of students from Routt Catholic High School - that we'll caravan with eventually.

"Additionally, there are a number of other groups originating from different places in the diocese," says Holtgrave. "For example, in Quincy they have traditionally done their own pilgrimage. A lot of people from the southern part of the diocese are catching other pilgrimages."

Charity Mizera, youth minister from St. Raymond Parish, says she is looking forward to the march. "This is my fourth trip and my second traveling with the diocesan group. By now I know what to expect. I am really looking forward to the Mass the morning of the march. It is incredible - so dynamic and very uplifting," she says. "It gets the kids pumped and excited about their role in all of this."

Because the anniversary of Roe v. Wade falls on a Thursday, this year taking time away from school was difficult for some. The caravan from Springfield will leave on the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 20 and return about noon on Saturday, Jan. 24, so students will miss three days of classes.

However, missing school won't be an issue for the oldest students at Blessed Sacrament School in Springfield because the entire eighth-grade class is making the trip together - along with a family of three.

As in other years, Holtgrave has ordered clothing items for all of his marchers, so that they can be easily identified. "Our marchers will all wear the same hooded sweatshirts and scarves with red and white stripes," he says, noting that he made sure the items were not produced in sweat shops. "They are more expensive, but it is important to look at these social justice issues."

The marchers will also receive an education packet that Holtgrave has assembled. That packet will include information on the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), the radical piece of legislation that creates a "fundamental right" to abortion throughout the nine months of pregnancy.

Holtgrave says the pro-lifers from his group will hand-deliver letters to offices of elected officials, asking them to stand up for all life. Rep. John Shimkus of the 19th Congressional District has already agreed to meet with people from the Springfield diocese in his Washington, D.C., office.

"We want the kids to ask of themselves, ‘What can we do?'" Holtgrave concludes. "We want in a real sense to be lobbyists in Washington."