Yoopers for Life attend 2025 national March for Life

The U.P. Catholic

“I’m so grateful that the U.P. took a group of adults and high schoolers to the March for Life this year,” said Gianna Hoving, a student at Northern Michigan University (NMU) and part of Catholic Campus Ministry at NMU. The 52nd National March for Life kicked off on Jan. 24 in Washington, D.C., with Hoving and her fellow Yoopers for Life in attendance alongside tens of thousands of other pro-lifers.
The theme of the 2025 March was “Life: Why We March.” According to the March for Life’s website, this theme was chosen to show that “every human life—including the unborn and their mothers—is beautiful, has unique dignity, and worthy of protection.” The march began in 1974 as a response to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. While the decision was overturned in June 2022, pro-lifers continue to march in support of life, as abortion is still legal in many states.
The day prior to the march, Yoopers for Life who attended toured the St. John Paul II National Shrine. The Shrine serves as a place of pilgrimage for the faithful and even has a first-class relic of St. John Paul II’s blood available for veneration. Later that evening, a Mass for Life was held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, with Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kan. as the principal celebrant.
Hoving described the trip to Washington D.C. as a pilgrimage and said that it gave her time “to pray and reflect,” especially while spending time at the basilica.
On Jan. 24, the day of the march, the group of Yoopers attended the morning rally at Life Fest at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va., hosted by the Sisters of Life and the Knights of Columbus. “We heard two powerful testimonies from women who experienced abortion and their journey of finding healing and peace through Christ,” said Fr. Ryan Ford, diocesan vicar for evangelization and catechesis.
The pilgrims from the U.P. also attended a Mass celebrated by Archbishop William Lori, who currently serves as the supreme chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, in addition to his position as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Notable speakers at the march included U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Bethany Hamilton, who is a professional surfer, shark attack survivor and pro-life advocate. “We march to protect the unborn; we march to proclaim and live out the sacred truth that every single child is a miracle and a gift from God,” Vice President Vance said in his speech to the marchers in attendance.
During Hamilton’s speech, she talked about motherhood and the joys that her children have brought to her, even when things get difficult. “Children are true wealth, and they are truly the greatest blessing that God has to offer us alongside of His grace,” she said.
The march began at the rally site on the National Mall lawn near the Washington Monument and ended at the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court building. “During this trip, I was convicted in my heart that Jesus’ love and mercy working through us is what will put an end to abortion,” Hoving said.
She added, “[Jesus’] love and mercy are the only things that can heal those wounded by abortion and give parents in unexpected pregnancies the strength and joy to give life to their children.”
After sightseeing, on the way back to the Upper Peninsula, the pilgrims stopped at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit on Jan. 26. The group enjoyed Mass and breakfast afterward with diocesan seminarians Charlie Tackman and Ethan Wilcox, who took the time to give them a tour.
To learn more about the March for Life or watch highlights from the 2025 march, visit marchforlife.org.