During pandemic, March for Life Chicago goes on tour

People from all over the Midwest usually come to Illinois to participate in the March for Life Chicago, something they can’t do this January because of COVID-19 restrictions.

So this year, march organizers are taking the event on a tour with stops in Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Madison, Wisconsin; Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Indiana; and Mundelein. The tour begins on Jan. 2 and ends in downtown Chicago on Jan. 23.

“This year we recognized not everyone can hop on buses and come in. The Midwest came to us last year. This year we’re going to the Midwest,” said Kevin Grillot, executive director of the March for Life Chicago and weDignify, a pro-life organization for college students in the Midwest.

Each tour stop will offer a rally with speakers, much like the main march. However, logistics will be similar to the drive-in Masses held at several archdiocesan suburban parishes. People will drive to a main site, where they will park and stay in vehicles. Speakers will take to a stage and people can hear their speeches by tuning into a local radio frequency. Several of the tour stops will hold car processions through the cities following the rallies.

“They can bring their whole family in the car. That way no one has to get out,” Grillot said. “For some, they might find this advantageous because sometimes we’ve been known to have a march in a 15-degree wind chill so they might value the heat in their cars.”

Rallies at all the tour stops will be livestreamed for those who aren’t comfortable attending in person.

Participants also will have the opportunity to take part in a diaper drive that benefits local women’s centers. When people pull up to the rallies, they can open their trunks and volunteers will collect the diapers from the cars.

“There are 130,094 abortions in the Midwest each year,” Grillot said. “So we’re looking to raise 130,094 diapers.”

People can sign up to be caravan captains and have pro-life signs mailed to them that say “I march for life” or “I love them both” to decorate their cars or put in the windows during the processions.

“Say your church regularly rents a bus, in this way you could meet up with several cars at a parking lot, people get the signs and then drive down together to the nearest tour stop,” he said. “When they go home, they now have a yard sign that they can put out.”

At each stop, organizers are partnering with local pro-life groups and churches to host the event. For example, in Omaha, the Archdiocese of Omaha is one of the partners. Many of these partners have participated in the March for Life Chicago in the past.

March for Life Chicago’s goal is to provide a safe and strong pro-life presence in the public square, Grillot said, following each location’s COVID-19 restrictions.

That fits with the overall purpose of the march.

“Cardinal George brought several organizations together in 2013 in order to build up the March for Life Chicago and his commitment was a courageous witness in the public square,” Grillot said. “We have expanded to work with an ecumenical presence to reach out to many organizations and people who are passionate about being visibly pro-life. It’s not enough to be silently pro-life or to hold your beliefs so close that no one sees them.”

It’s about being open and inviting people into a movement that is building, he said.

“We do that through showing and witnessing for life, coming out to the march, having a yard sign up, having visibility to friends, posting to social media,” Grillot said. “This is something that each person is called to live out and be a witness to.”

The Archdiocese of Chicago is one of the hosts for the tour stop at Carmel High School in Mundelein on Jan. 17.

“This is a way to bring people together who might be worried about going into the city or who would just prefer not to go into the city,” said Dawn Fitzpatrick, senior coordinator for the Office of Human Dignity and Solidarity for the Archdiocese of Chicago. “We will have some great speakers and an opportunity to stand up for life and to support Aid for Women [through the diaper drive]. We also can put a spotlight on Carmel High School and inspire many young people by hosting the rally there.”

Speakers at the Mundelein stop include Melissa Villalobos, a local mother whose healing through the intercession of John Henry Newman led to his canonization in 2019, and Patrick McCaskey of the Chicago Bears.

The tour also gives people a chance to effect change during the pandemic, she said.

 “So many people have been shut in this year due to COVID-19 and maybe even feel like there is nothing they can do to make a difference,” Fitzpatrick said. “This is a wonderful opportunity to stand up for truth and provide witness for the voiceless while taking the needed precautions to stay safe.”

Rosemary Hackett, president of Illinois Right to Life, which is one of the seven hosts for the march in downtown Chicago, said the value of a public witness to pro-life issues cannot be understated.

“It’s the public display, whether it’s marches or praying at abortion clinics, that has kept the issue alive and made people aware,” she said. “I think people are more pro-life now than in the past. I think we go in phases and the younger generation is much more pro-life.”

Fitzpatrick agreed.

“Many have become aware of the network of people who are pro-life. We bring people together and inspire them to take action for the truth,” she said. “Many are introduced to the issue through the march and then they find additional ways to stand up for life the rest of the year.”

And every person counts, Hackett said.

“It’s important for us to continue to witness. Maybe on a grand scale you don’t notice the difference, but I think you notice it on the micro scale of impacting individual people’s lives.”

Hackett also noted that the pro-life issue is one that crosses cultural, religious and economic lines.

“It draws people from all walks of life. It’s an issue that unites us all,” she said. “A lot of the older people who started this — at least in Illinois — show up, but also a lot of young people from all over show up because it’s something that crosses all boundaries.”

For information about the March for Life Chicago and the tour, visit marchforlifechicago.org.