Message of love at walk for life
News
An estimated 4000 people gathered on February 8 to publicly give witness for the life of the unborn at the annual ‘Walk for Life’, now in its sixth year.
Beginning at Pennington Gardens adjacent to Adelaide Oval, the walkers proceeded up King William Street and through the Festival Plaza to North Terrace, returning across the footbridge to the oval.
Organised by Love Australia under the direction of Jodie Pickard, the walk was attended by several pastors, priests, ministers and leaders of Christian churches and communities.
Vicar General Fr Dean Marin represented the Adelaide Archdiocese. A number of State and Federal members of Parliament were present and others gave their apologies, including Premier Peter Malinauskas and Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia.
The theme of this year’s walk was ‘Love the next generation’ to emphasise the need for a society to cherish its children and place a priority on their lives, wellbeing and development. A sub-theme, seen on many T-shirts, was “Real Men Protect Babies.”
Fr Marin said several speakers renewed the understanding of the sacredness of every human life including the unborn in the womb of its mother, “as made in the image and likeness of God with a unique mission and purpose in this life and for all eternity”.
“All were encouraged to support the positive work of agencies such as Pregnancy Help Australia and Genesis who offer material and emotional support for women and families experiencing an unplanned pregnancy,” he said.
In the lead up to the Federal election, participants were encouraged to search out pro-life politicians and vote for them.
“A prayerful spirit underpinned and shone through the whole gathering,” Fr Marin said.
“Far from being judgmental and condemning of those involved, the message was consistently about the love and forgiveness of Christ for anyone involved in abortion and the healing and freedom that God’s grace can bring.”
As in previous years, the gathering was able to hear the heartbeat of an unborn child in its mother’s womb.
Fr Marin said this tradition was “an unforgettable experience of the miracle of God’s gift of life”.
“The Walk for Life provides another opportunity to speak of ‘Embrace Life’, the focus on life that we have within the Justice, Healing and Inclusion Office of the Archdiocese,” he said.
“Soon we will be promoting a session on Genesis, the agency which offers counselling support as well as material and emotional support to women and families experiencing an unplanned pregnancy.
“It seems to me that we must not just be against something, but positively for and supportive of all the good that is being offered.
“I pray that the momentum for life that is growing in our parishes, and broader community will continue to grow. It is for us to be the voice of the voiceless.”
