“The Lord weeps with us, and we with him, for all those innocents lost each year, each month, and each day in our world. Each day in our city.”
A hush fell over St Mary’s Cathedral as Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP delivered the closing lines of his homily at Mass for the Day of the Unborn Child, held annually on the Sunday closest to the 25 March Solemnity of the Annunciation.
Just hours later, many of those same worshippers were embracing one another outside Parliament House, having processed through the city streets in a public act of witness for unborn human life.
Thousands of Catholics took part in the 26th annual Day of the Unborn Child procession on 22 March, a hot and humid day in Sydney, gathering first for Mass at the cathedral before walking to Macquarie Street.
The procession, marked by prayer and the Rosary, sought to give a voice to unborn children and to affirm the dignity of human life at every stage.
Fr Daniele Russo, vocations director for the Archdiocese of Sydney, addressed participants at the conclusion of the procession, pointing to Our Lady as a model for building a culture of life.
“To build a culture that is pro-life, it is not enough to renounce the evil of abortion, nor is it enough to pronounce the blessedness of life in the world,” he said.
“Our efforts to rebuild a culture of life must rediscover the blessedness of woman.
“Does our culture believe the greatness of woman is found in Our Lady being a handmaid of the Lord, a virgin spouse, a mother of a child made in God’s image? Or have we instead built the dignity of woman on the sands of feminism and sexual revolution?”
Paul Hanrahan, Executive Director of Family Life International, and a former organiser of the procession, later told The Catholic Weekly Fr Russo’s message, and the event itself, was an “exceptional” one.
“It’s the first time I’ve been able to attend the event as ‘one of the crowd’, without all of the worries of making sure it runs smoothly,” he said.
“It was very pleasing and reassuring for me to attend the event, and I thought Fr Daniele Russo’s speech on the steps of the Cathedral, and Archbishop Fisher’s homily beforehand, were exceptional.”
As participants made their way through the city, thousands prayed the Rosary together, creating a strong sense of unity among those present.
For Bridget and Jerry from the ‘Gen Life’, pro-life group at the University of Notre Dame Australia, the experience was a powerful one.
“It’s honestly so beautiful,” Bridget said.
“The event gets bigger every year we’re here, and to see so many people from different parishes, chaplaincies and orders, it shows it doesn’t really matter where you’re from. You can come together and support such an important cause.”
Jerry said the procession offered young Catholics an opportunity to witness publicly to their beliefs.
“Normally on campus, Gen Life is talking about this in a more concentrated setting,” he said.
“I think it’s extremely important that we come out here where there’s lots of activity to spread the word and to support pro-life causes.
“That shows how significant it can be to be a witness to something quite profound and powerful.”
Julian Vieira, a youth officer with Sydney Catholic Youth, said it was encouraging to see the event take place visibly in the public square.
“It’s so good to see that the procession is becoming something which isn’t marginalised,” he said.
“It’s happening in the city, and people watched on respectfully. It was great to see so many people out to support this cause.”
Grace, a parishioner from St Peter’s parish in Surry Hills, said the growing size of the procession reflected a strengthening of faith among Sydney Catholics.
“We usually like to come out and support what is a really important day,” she said.
“To join today was really special.”
