What happens when prayer warriors are confronted by radical liberals

What happens when prayer warriors are confronted by radical liberals

 (A battlefield report of the 40 Days For Life Rally and March in Washington, D.C.)

On February 11, 2017, 40 Days For Life organized a nationwide peaceful prayer rally and march. It was one of the most contested prayer rallies any of us could recall.

Members of the Institute of Sedes Sapientiae, a 3 year college level TFP study course, and students and staff from St. Louis de Montfort Academy joined 40 Days For Life in Washington, D.C. Thanks to radical liberals, it was anything but peaceful. They tried to block us at practically every intersection. They pushed and shoved us. They pursued us. They shouted and screamed at us. They had one intention, to prevent us from reaching the Planned Parenthood facility.

We started in front of the U.S. Supreme Court with a short prayer. At around 9:15 we began the 1.7 miles march to the Planned Parenthood facility on 4th and Florida St. NE.

We numbered around 80. They numbered around 80. We had a marching band. They had their slogans. We filled the air with chants of God Bless America and Hail Holy Queen. They filled the air with shouts of “Pro-life is a lie. They don’t care if women die.”

They tried to block us from marching to the facility at least nine times. The first time was soon after we started marching. They rushed ahead of us in order to block the sidewalk we intended to march on. As the two groups approached, there was a lot of uncertainty. The liberals were convinced they had us checkmated but we kept marching forward. We looked at the police. They kept telling us to march forward. The tension was so intense and the suspense so dramatic, it seemed scripted by a novelist. But this was pure unscripted fury versus conviction, morality versus fallacy. At the very moment of collision, the police intervened and let us march on the street. That was the first blockade we evaded. Eight more were yet to come.

We continued on undeterred. Our band was called Holy Choirs of Angels band. It was aptly named and fit the event well. It was truly angelic to hear the harmonies of the fifes, pipes, brass and drum corps play patriotic tunes like God Bless America and Catholic hymns like Immaculate Mary. This was in stark contrast to the cackles and screams coming from the liberal activists.

The second clash came all too soon. This time the pro-abortionists repeated the same play that has deterred so many morning commuters nationwide who found their local highways and beltways suddenly blockaded with arm-locked protesters. In the minds, the liberals may have been puzzled why we were still marching. Why didn’t the blockade tactic work? It work the first time around. After all, liberals have been using this tactic with much success since 2014 when it came to the forefront of liberal awareness perhaps made popularized by the Ferguson riots.

So, there they were, arm-locked and three deep. And, there we were, marching to the tunes played by the band. As we approached, we were uncertain of the outcome. Not only were they blocking the sidewalks, they were blocking the road! It seemed like they had done it. They stopped our advance. They have prevented the practice of our freedom. They have silenced our voices.

However, before the impending clash, the Capital police made an heroic effort to open a narrow lane for us. That was all we needed. We slipped through their barricade harrowed on all sides but barely skipping a step. This was the gesture that gave us confidence that Our Lady had sent guardian angels to protect us.

This clash was more than a clash of causes. It was a clash of convictions, methods, spirits, and faiths. It was a clash of law-abiding citizens and law-breaking brigands. One pro-abortion woman tried blocking TFP Student Action director, Mr. John Ritchie. As Mr. Ritchie marched, this woman jumped in front of him. Apparently she expected to either stop Mr. Ritchie or to provoke him to anger. He simply walked around her. She kept jumping in front of him attempting to slow him down or stop him. We quickly wisened up to her tactic and engaged her in a discussion. We asked her why she was preventing us from exercising free speech. She claimed she was doing no such thing. We pointed out that she was doing exactly that by blocking Mr. Ritchie. Her convictions were visibly shaken so we pushed the point home. She eventually walked away.

Another woman decided to walk in front of the lead banner with her pro-abortion sign. By doing so, it would seem that she and her friend were leading the march and made it look like a march of pro-abortionists. We employed the previous line of argument on her. We accused her of trying to censor our free speech by blocking us. Unwillingly, she let her boyfriend pull her away from the lead banner.

The liberals tried blocking us in the next intersection. A patrol car came to lead the march. The D.C. police hoped this would make it easier to break to blockade. No such luck. They locked arms and refused to move. Again, the police’s heroic effort made an opening for us and through the blockade we went. It became evident that the liberals were becoming more violent against us, ripping our signs and our banners. One man attacked Mr. John Ritchie and ripped part of his clothing off him. Many were in a shoving match with the police. The police had to struggle harder to make the opening for us.

The tension was very high. The chance of violence was reaching a boiling point. The band director, Mr. Gregory Escaro, shouted a prayer to saints and the band responded with spirited voices. Far from being cowered, the pro-life marchers prayed with a militant conviction. “St. Michael,” Mr. Escaro shouted. “Pray for us,” our marchers responded. “Our Lady of Victory! Pray for us.” “Advance? Always! Retreat? Never.” Our prayers filled the streets of Washington with militantly pious invocations.

Not surprisingly it woke up the neighborhood and drew them out to their front door or balcony. They watched this heated exchange between the liberals and pro-lifers stunned, perhaps not entirely sure how this is happening in their own neighborhood. Some residents heckled us but some residents cheered our merry band of pro-lifers. Some even came up to us to shake our hands.

It must be mentioned how brave the participants of the 40 Days For Life are carrying the lead banner. They were the first into the fray and the first into the breech. Of note are Fr. Stephen Imbarrato, Larry Cirigniano, Pastor Patrick Mahoney, and others.

The most intense confrontation was when they decided to sit down on the ground, arm-locked, covering from the sidewalk on the right to the sidewalk on the left and four deep. This time it seemed impenetrable. To pass through, either we would need to step over them, inviting so much trouble, or, be dragged off as one mass by the police, forcing a potential lawsuit. If they were intent to stop us at the onset, at this point they were even more committed. To blockade us sitting down arm-locked was their final weapon against us and they deployed it with the conviction of radicals. These are not your typical liberals. These are seasoned radicals employing tactics straight out of Saul Alynski’s Rules For Radicals. They had deployed one of their most powerful weapons. This weapon is used time and again by liberals to make themselves as the persecuted underdogs. It seemed like our road finally had ended, stopped only a few blocks away from the abortion facility. So far, the liberals denied us the right to have a peaceful and prayerful march. Will they deny us a peaceful and prayerful rally in front of the abortion mill?

Once again, Our Lady intervened. A few marchers went ahead and were inspired to pepper the leaders of the blockade with questions. In the meantime, Our Lady inspired the guardian angels she sent us to find the weak link in the human chain. While the liberal leaders were distracted, the police, with commendable effort, managed to open a very narrow lane for us. Once again the police broke through the blockade and once again we passed through. It would be imprecise to say we went through that unsavory crowd of liberals unmolested. The pro-abortionists struggled with the police chanting angrily; “What will we do? We fight back!” The police had to push back the angry crowd who refused to be denied a fifth time. They wanted to stop us and law-abiding or not, they intended to demonstrate the power of the liberal movement. Yet, we passed through.

We marched on. They tried to stop us a 6th, 7th, 8th or more times but at each confrontation Our Lady, through the cops, found a way to let us pass through. At each instance, the liberal’s commitment to stop us only grew, yet, we still passed through.

It was perhaps the most important lesson we learned on that day. When everything indicated that we reached the end of the road, suddenly Our Lady intervened. What seemed to have been a dead end turned out to be only a lie of the devil. Satan only pretends to be all-powerful. Sometimes we let him trick us into believing him. However, if we confide in Our Lady, she will always find a way through.

When we reached our much contested destination, the Capitol police separated the pro-abortionists from us. We held our rally in peace. We heard many testimonies. We said our prayers. About half way through, the pro-abortionists gave up and abandoned their corner. About half way through, they stopped chanting their slogans. In the end, it was just the pro-lifers singing a hymn to Our Lady, asking her to intervene to defund Planned Parenthood and to shut down the abortion clinic in Washington, D.C. and all the abortion clinics nationwide and worldwide.