Chicagoland

March for Life Chicago switches to car procession, rally during pandemic

By Karen Callaway | Photo editor
Monday, February 8, 2021

March for Life Chicago switches to car procession, rally during pandemic

The March for Life Chicago kicked off Jan. 23, 2021, with a car procession that moved through downtown Chicago as a live digital rally takes place from the Chicago Loop. On Jan. 17, 2021, the March for Life Chicago held a Moving the Movement Tour at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein on Jan. 17, 2021. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

The procession makes it way toward the Thompson Center on Randolph Street in downtown Chicago. The procession began at St. John Cantius Church and traversed south through the city, ending in Evergreen Park, where participants dropped off collected diapers at Southside Women’s Services. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

A van decorated with pro-life messages drives through the diaper drop-off at the end of the procession. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Cars participating in the March For Life procession make their way down Lake Shore Drive. The procession was this year’s safe, socially distanced alternative to the annual March for Life Chicago that regularly draws thousands of people from across the Midwest into downtown Chicago to rally for life. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Cars participating in the March For Life procession make their way down Lake Shore Drive. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Volunteer Leonard Anthony directs drivers dropping off diapers at Southside Women's Services. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Joshua Matthews stacks diapers he collected from march participants. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Pat McCaskey of the Chicago Bears greets participants as the emcee for the Moving the Movement Tour at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein on Jan. 17, 2021. Participants heard from local political officials, ecumenical faith leaders, mothers and young people in the pro-life movement. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

About 300 cars filled the three parking lots of Carmel Catholic High School. The socially distanced event had participants stay in the cars and listen to speakers who spoke from a stage on the grounds. People in cars tuned into a local radio frequency to listen to speakers. Participants also brought over 20,000 diapers that were donated to Aid for Women. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Cardinal Cupich addresses participants. He reminded participants that they gathered under the theme of “Life Unites.” “It is important for us to keep that in mind in this moment of division in society, division sometimes even in our church,” the cardinal said. “We should celebrate the fact that so much has been accomplished. We have so many young people involved in this right-to-life movement and that is a promise for future generations.” (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Youth listen to speakers on the school lawn. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Many people decorated their cars with pro-life messages. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

A volunteer sorts boxes and packages of diapers that participants donated at the rally. At each tour stop organizers collected donations of diapers, which were then distributed to area crisis pregnancy centers. The goal is to collect 130,094 diapers, one for every of the 130,094 abortions in the Midwest last year. Participants at the Carmel Catholic rally donated 21,257 diapers and the total tour count as of Jan. 17 was 52,684 diapers. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Melissa Villalobos, a local mother of seven whose miraculous cure through the intercession of Cardinal John Henry Newman led to his canonization in 2019, speaks to the crowd. She shared the story of the healing that occurred during a pregnancy and encouraged participants to pray to Cardinal Newman for pregnant mothers and babies. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)