People driving down Northwest Highway in Palatine the afternoon of Oct. 16 were greeted by hundreds of pro-life supporters who gathered near St. Theresa Parish for the Northwest Families March for Life.

Previously, the annual event was a march down Northwest Highway to a plaza where speakers would take the stage. 

October is Respect Life Month.

“The pro-life movement is really gaining ground but you’d never know it in Illinois and that’s our problem,” said Maria Goldstein, who is a member of St. Theresa and co-founder of Northwest Families for Life. “We’re hoping that people driving by see us, feel encouraged and maybe take action.”

The event began with a rally in the St. Theresa School gym and then moved outside to Northwest Highway.

Members of the youth group Crusaders for Life, based at St. Peter Parish in Volo and St. John Cantius Parish in Chicago, led the short procession from the church. Members are regular participants in pro-life events and come decked out with gold sweatshirts, yellow balloons with the word “life” on them, the Vatican and American flags and a drumline. 

March participants, who ranged in age from babies to seniors, held signs with pro-life messages, waved small gold flags provided by the Knights of Columbus and cheered and waved at cars passing by. Many drivers honked their horns to show support for the cause.

Goldstein hopes people driving by were inspired by the witness to life.

Several local parishes — St. Theresa and St. Thomas of Villanova in Palatine, St. Peter in Volo and Queen of the Rosary in Elk Grove Village — helped plan the event, which was attended by parishioners of other churches and members of pro-life outreach organizations.

Goldstein, who is a member of St. Theresa, co-founded Northwest Families for Life in 2010 as a way to activate people who are pro-life to participate in peaceful vigils at abortion clinics in the area.

“The march really grew out of that whole spirit of, ‘Let’s get people out there so that people know that the pro-life movement is alive and kicking,’” Goldstein said.

Dorice Antczak, a member of St. Mary Oratory in Rockford, attended with her daughters and wanted to encourage young people to witness for life.

“I want them to hear the truth and to stand up for beautiful children from God,” she said. “God gave his life for us. We’re already bought and paid for. It’s not our body. It’s not our choice. It’s another human being.”

Susan Schulenberg of St. Peter Parish in Volo and a member of the Northwest Families for Life said it is important to keep speaking out.

“There is so much going on right now with the pro-choice movement and people not really understanding what they are choosing,” Schulenberg said. “We want to show that we are offering women a real choice, that we love women so much that we walk with them through doing the most natural thing, which is to give birth to a child and to support that child with everything they need to lead happy, fulfilling lives.”

Danniel Pribble attended with his wife and two young children. They recently moved to Rockford from Chicago and have been active in the pro-life community.

“Abortion is the most important issue that we have to stand up against today, especially as Catholics that recognize the importance of life and the sin that abortion is,” Pribble said. “Seeing it happen in a country that calls itself civilized is something that demands that we not stand for it.”

He wants to teach the importance of life to his young children.

“Especially as a young family, we want to teach our kids the importance of standing up for what’s right and standing up for those that can’t defend themselves,” Pribble said.

Hope Miller, 16, is an advocate who speaks at pro-life marches and is looking to speak in schools too.

She is the granddaughter of longtime pro-life leader Joe Scheidler, who died on Jan. 18 at 93.

“Any opportunity I have to stand up and protect these children and these women and men is very important to me and to carry on my grandfather’s legacy,” said Miller. “It’s kind of in my blood to have this passion.”

“A lot of people my age do not agree. That’s been a lot of my mission, to educate the youth of the value and dignity of all life because a lot of times it’s because people my age aren’t educated on [the pro-life issue] so they just go with what social media does, and just kind of follow the crowd instead of looking into it and researching it,” said Miller, who is the president of the Crusaders for Life at St. Peter.

“Women deserve better,” she said. “My take on womanhood is that women are beautiful creatures created by God — the most beautiful creatures, my grandpa always said. Part of that beauty is what sets us apart from men and that’s our fertility.”