2024-01-21 02:42:23
Thousands of people brave the rain as they take a one-mile walk through downtown L.A. during the One LIfe LA Walk for Life event on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A steady downpour of rain mightn’t keep Bishop Brian Nunes from one appointment on Saturday, Jan. 20.
The Catholic episcopal vicar for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region joined regarding 6,500 people at the 10th annual OneLife LA, a celebration organized by the Los Angeles Archdiocese to celebrate life in all its stages and advocate for an end to abortion.
“Sometimes we have to go through a little inconvenience for what’s important,” Nunes said. “Life is a gift and when we do something like this, we show appreciation for those gifts.”
Archbishop José Gomez of the archdiocese joined regional church leaders from as far away as Fresno and Santa Barbara in leading the faithful on a soggy, little-under-one-mile walk from Olvera Street to L.A. State Historic Park on Spring Street.
It’s just the second OneLife LA event since a conservative Supreme Court majority overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending the constitutional right to an abortion and sending the issue back to the states to legislate. A similar rally was held Friday in Washington, D.C.
In the wake of that court decision, more than a dozen states have enacted abortion bans. In 2022, California voters enshrined the right to an abortion in the state Constitution through a ballot measure.
“We’re coming together to celebrate God’s plan for humanity,” Gomez said. “This starts with the reality of conception and goes all the way to the moment we die. It’s an important issue.”
The annual event is also aimed at drawing attention to homelessness, human trafficking, end of life, foster care and adoption, the environment, the disabled and immigration issues, according to the archdiocese.
The walk ended at the park, where many service groups set up booths offering support to pregnant women, immigrants and refugees, homeless people, foster children, trafficking survivors, the elderly, the disabled and the dying.
“The beautiful truth is that we are all children of God, building a society where human life is cherished and welcomed,” Gomez said.
The Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, with a mother house in Alhambra and a center for assisted living in Duarte, also received a $10,000 grant to help in its pastoral work.
Participants sheltered under umbrellas in one hand and holding signs in another. Some prayed the Rosary, sang hymns or chanted “Viva la vida!” (Live life!).
Peter Bleak of Anaheim said it only took him two buses and a train to get to the event. He was representing Knights of Columbus Council 1154 from Anaheim.
“I’ve been to seven of the last 10,” he said. “We can’t keep our faith within the four walls of the church, so this is my way of sharing that, be it passing out signs or doing security. Life is important. We’re here to celebrate the whole life journey.”
Jorge Giron brought his six children to the event. He was one of five speakers at OneLife LA. In 2021, Giron’s wife Veronica was dying from COVID-19 when she delivered their sixth child, a daughter named Imani.
“(Her name) means faith,” said Giron, a parishioner at St. John Eudes Catholic Church in Chatsworth. “The message is hope, that nothing on this earth ever happens in vain.”
Rev. David Moreno, parochial vicar at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, led a group of 50 people through the rainy walk. He said the soggy weather can be taken as an invitation to hold fast “to the importance of building a culture of life, starting with our families, where love and peace reigns, and representing all who are suffering and who don’t have a voice.”
Adrian Aralar of Reseda works for the archdiocese’s Office of Divine Worship.
“I’m here with the understanding that we’re not just walking, we’re marching for life,” he said. “We’re not saying anything once morest other people. We are saying everyone is a blessing and no one is a burden.”
Not all present at the march were supporters though. Jill Klingerman, a Los Angeles resident, gave a “thumbs down” sign and responded to the crowd’s pro-life chants at the park.
Jaime Rendon of El Monte arrived with fellow members of Knights of Christ the King, a men’s fraternity founded in Whittier.
“I’m here to proclaim the dignity of human life and tell the world babies do matter in this world,” he said.
Cherry Villanueva arrived with a busload of fellow parishioners from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Rowland Heights. She and her husband Myron were at the first OneLife LA 10 years ago, toting their then-newborn daughter Angeli.
Angeli and her younger sister marched the route in yellow ponchos, and their mother said despite some complaints regarding the rain, she hoped her children learned to show their faith in the world.
“We want to teach our kids regarding service, that even when it’s not easy, you show up on your faith journey,” Villanueva said.
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