Tim Barto: A peaceful, prayerful gathering for life

By TIM BARTO   

Seeing the “mostly peaceful” but inevitably violent protests over the past week put many of us in the mood to turn the channel every time the angry, misguided miscreants appeared on the screen.

Burning American flags while proudly waving those of the countries they abandoned, throwing pre-staged bricks at motorists and law enforcement officers, as well as the obligatory and ubiquitous burning and looting that goes along with pretty much any gathering of left wing rent-a-mobs, has reached a saturation point. Reactions from patriots and common sense citizens has gone from disbelief and vitriolic anger to exasperated rolling of the eyes and shaking of heads.

So, with public demonstrations being anything but intriguing, a gathering at the corner of 5^th and L on Tuesday afternoon was the last place this disillusioned author expected to find himself; however, Mary Kemper –- she of the ever present smile and eternal optimism –- planned a pro-life prayer vigil. And, except for the cold winds blowing off the inlet, it was a nice gathering, largely uneventful save the occasional middle finger thrust in our general direction by those who find moral clarity in getting angry at people who value pre-born babies. 

Mary helped organize the event alongside Students for Life, a group of high school and college students that buck the stereotype by advocating for pro-life causes. It’s a courageous act for these young people, especially considering the penchant the opposition has for screaming, belittling, and threatening violence against those who oppose them. 

Gio Moceri and Mari Ward are Students for Life leaders from Holy Rosary Academy, and they both spoke to the 40-person gathering. Joining Gio and Mari were students from Grace Christian and other Students for Life clubs in the area, as well as ten college student Catholic missionaries from Louisiana who are here in Alaska to help run vacation Bible schools.

How refreshing to have young people so dedicated to a wholesome cause that they are willing to show up on a busy street corner to publicly show their support. The gathering was Catholic led, as many pro-life marches and prayer vigils in Anchorage tend to be, with Father Whitney of St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton on hand to lead in prayer. 

Those of us of Protestant faiths were fully welcomed, albeit a bit lost (as usual) when it came time to pray the Rosary. The beads and repetitious “Hail Mary” prayers are unfamiliar territory for us. Luckily, Brendan, a young man entering his senior year at Grace Christian School and contemplating a future in the priesthood, was more than happy to provide me with a Rosary of my own and explanations for each stage, or decade, of the sacred ritual.

Mary Kemper was gracious enough to ask this author to say a few words about legislation before the state and federal legislatures, including:  

• Sen. Shelley Hughes’ joint resolution clarifying that the Alaska Constitution does not – despite what certain judges say – guarantee a right to abort babies or use taxpayer money to do so, has not seen a hearing, but her courage to take such a stand is to be applauded. 

• On the other hand, SB147, introduced by Sen. Cathy Giessel, opens up the ability for pharmacists to prescribe and dispense abortion pills, and is something that needs to be opposed.

• On the federal side, the Big Beautiful Bill before the US Congress has provisions that will cut federal funding to organizations that perform abortions, to include Planned Parenthood, which aborts over 400,000 babies per year. It is this bill, in particular, that determined the location of Tuesday’s gathering. Directly across the street from the gathered at 5^th and L are the Anchorage offices of US Senators Sullivan and Murkowski. 

Mary and the Students For Life leaders personally delivered letters for each of Alaska’s U.S. Senators and their staff members, encouraging them to keep the funding cuts in the bill. The letters were drafted collectively by more than 225,000 Students For Life members across the country; yet another encouraging action on the part of young people. 

Sullivan and Murkowski receive grades of C and D, respectively, from the Catholic Accountability Project, which scores the senators on their votes on social issues, with abortion-related topics being a priority. We can hope – or better yet, pray – that these two senators take into account their professed Catholic ideologies when voting on such matters.

Tim Barto is a regular contributor to Must Read Alaska, and vice president of Alaska Family Council.