PHOTOS | ‘God is breaking in’: Downtown Denver Overtaken by Thousands of Joy-Filled Pro-Life Coloradans
- André Escaleira, Jr.
- Apr 11
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 14
Despite the ongoing battle for life, Friday’s Colorado March for Life serves as a joyfully countercultural witness in the heart of Denver
Cheers and chants echoed through the heart of Denver on Friday afternoon as thousands of pro-life Coloradans came together in joy-filled, prayerful witness for life in the annual Colorado March for Life.
As the estimated 3,500 pro-lifers descended on Downtown Denver, the normally hectic streets were abuzz with joy, excitement and community. Something was different in the heart of the city.
“I, like so many of you, am just constantly formed and inspired and energized by the experiences that I have had at Marches for Life. Let today energize and inspire you, friends,” Jennie Bradley Lichter, the new president of the national March for Life organization, told the crowds gathered. “The witness of our collective voices raised together is so powerful. Don’t underestimate that. Our political and cultural leaders do take notice of events like this one, so it’s good that you’re here.”
The warmth of the April afternoon was made all the warmer by the joy-filled community gathered to celebrate the gift of life on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol, a place where life has not always been affirmed.
(Photos by Andy Sanchez)
“It is an honor to stand here with so many fearless defenders of life outside our state capital, a place where sadly life has been under constant attack,” said Brittany Vessely, executive director of the Colorado Catholic Conference and board member of Pro-Life Colorado.
One such attack, Vessely explained to those gathered, lies in SB 25-183, a recently approved bill that would allocate a minimum of 1.5 million dollars per year to cover elective abortions through Medicaid and other state-funded healthcare programs. That bill has passed the General Assembly and is headed to Governor Jared Polis’ desk for signature. The Colorado Catholic Conference issued an open letter from the Catholic bishops of Colorado urging the governor to veto the bill on Tuesday.
“The fiscal note for SB 183 claims that it is cheaper to fund abortions than to fund births. It is a chilling measure of how far we've strayed from valuing life here in Colorado. Colorado has become ground zero in the national fight for life, but pro-life Colorado remains united,” Vessely said. “We will continue to expose the harms of abortion in Colorado and advance a culture of life both in the capital and through our statewide education initiatives.”
With the dark reality of a potential new life-denying law looming, the palpable joy among the large crowd was almost inexplicable. Despite yet another pro-abortion piece of legislation, cheers, laughs and smiles from attendees punctuated the gathering.
Why were these pro-lifers so cheery when the pro-life cause continues to suffer legislative loss?
The poignant answer came near the end of the rally, as Sr. Mary Grace, SV, of the Sisters of Life missioned in Denver, addressed the crowd:
“Every human life is the icon of the divine, breaking into a dark world. God is not in the business of giving up on your life either. In fact, intervention is God's profession, not just in crisis, or absent from the ordinary, or when we suffer most. Every second that your heart beats, God is bestowing life into you. We don't base ourselves on what we are against. We stake ourselves on what we stand for. So I want to remind you of three unforgettable facts about you. Number one: our belovedness precedes your existence. God got to love you first. Your worth isn't earned, it's a gift that God has already given you. Number two: you are good. And not only good, you're sacred. Unlike the rest of all of creation, God left one compliment for the human person. You are made in his image and likeness. And number three, lastly: you matter. Your life has meaning, especially when you feel the furthest from it because God does his deepest work in the darkest places… A lifetime of sorrow and loneliness can be lifted by God's merciful love. And that love knows no bounds. And you know the best part of it, my friends, is that it is offered to you and I for free. There is no price tag that can purchase your life with the blood of Jesus Christ. To the exclusion of no one and to the inclusion of all, no matter what your personal history, no matter our state laws regulate, God is breaking in and his love for you cannot be tamed.”
An energetic spirit of support, community, and Christian joy filled the air and was made even more powerful by the busloads of students from area high schools and colleges, whose youthful presence brought a sense of hope to all in attendance.
“I’m convinced that when God wants to do big things, he always thinks about young people,” Bishop Rodriguez said in his homily at the Mass for Life that preceded the march. “The great works of God in the Scriptures and the history of salvation were entrusted to young people. Think about Mary; she was a teenager. David was a boy. And I was thinking, ‘Why does God like to work with young people?’ Young people like you guys have big hearts, great ideals, capacity to pray, and I really think that God wants to entrust the cause of life to you.”
(Photos by Andy Sanchez)
“I’m just so happy to see all these young people here,” said one experienced marcher. “It’s wonderful that we have this Mass with our bishop and so many priests and young people. I’m very proud of you all.”
Side-by-side with pro-life medical professionals from the more than 80 Colorado pregnancy resource centers, the marchers — young and older — served as a joyfully countercultural witness in the very heart of Denver.
“It was a gift being with thousands of other people today to be witnesses of the sacred dignity each human life possesses. As a young mom, I have a new respect for women who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy or who are single parenting,” said Emma Ramirez, the director of Respect Life Denver, a ministry of Catholic Charities. “I pray the pro-life movement can be a support for those women who are courageous enough to say yes to a beautiful and hard thing: motherhood. Today was a reminder that we are called to pray and act together in the fight for life, especially the most vulnerable.”
“It’s just really awesome to lots of people who actually all share the same thing in the same place. Being able to pray and sing and march all together in a public witness, in a public way, is really important for everybody else and for us, to realize what the future actually is, which is that Christ wins,” Catherine Mershon said with a smile.
“We see the darkness in the current political climate in Colorado, but like the bishop was saying, we can have hope that is a hope that endures through what is painful, through what is dark, and through what seems hopeless. That we have a hope that is beyond earthly things is really nice because I can march and you don’t have to listen, but I know the Lord is risen so it’s going to happen eventually,” added Lizzy Ielmini.
Though there may be clouds on the horizon of the pro-life movement in Colorado, Friday’s March for Life was a testament to the hope that endures — an apt reminder during the Jubilee dedicated to the theological virtue.
“We march for life confident in victory and encouraged by [God’s] word. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or tremble at that. For the Lord your God, the one who goes with you, goes with you, he will not fail for you or forsake you,” Bishop Rodriguez concluded.
