Bishop Jenky, hundreds from diocese at March for Life (with slideshow)

Hundreds of Catholics from the Diocese of Peoria -- including Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, and nearly 250 students from six Catholic high schools -- were among the estimated 200,000 people taking part in March for Life 2009 in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22.
The annual march and related activities are witnesses to the sanctity of human life at all stages, including the unborn. The march takes place each year as a prayerful protest on the anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decisions legalizing abortion.
This page includes a link to a video slideshow of photos of diocesan pilgrims taking part in the national march as well as a Youth Rally and Mass for Life that drew 25,000 people earlier that morning to the Verizon Center.
The video, set to original music, is the first of its kind produced by The Catholic Post. It features group photos of some of the schools and organizations that sponsored pilgrimages to the march, including (in order as they appear on the video) Marquette High School of Ottawa, St. Bede Academy of Peru, Schlarman High School of Danville, The High School of Saint Thomas More, Champaign, Central Catholic High School, Bloomington, a group from Central Illinois Right to Life, and Peoria Notre Dame.
The size and enthusiasm of the diocesan contingent pleased, and energized, Bishop Jenky.
“It shows we are a 100 percent pro-life diocese,” he told The Catholic Post. The bishop praised the zeal exhibited by the dozen priests, including high school and Newman Center chaplains, who journeyed with the pilgrims.
This year’s march took place two days after the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Bishop Jenky said the election of a pro-choice president made the witness to the Gospel of Life in Washington, D.C., especially necessary this year.
The bishop disputed mainstream media accounts that pegged the size of the crowd at “tens of thousands.” He believes other estimates that put the number at 200,000 or beyond.
“The amount of people who attended the march was staggering and definitely motivated me to do more for the pro-life movement,” said Patrick Duncan, a senior at Bloomington Central Catholic. “Hopefully some day soon we will be marching in celebration, not protest. Duncan was one of eleven students providing reflections on the march in the Feb. 1 issue of The Catholic Student, the youth section of The Catholic Post.
Many of the students told how the Youth Rally and Mass at the Verizon Center --- featuring 50 archbishops and bishops and hundreds of priests concelebrants --- was a highlight of their trip.
Elizabeth Doyle of Peoria Notre Dame said it was “the greatest Mass I had ever been to.”
As the Mass began, Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, D.C., mentioned by name each of archbishops and bishops attending the Mass. As he did, the faithful from those dioceses cheered their bishops from the sections where they were sitting.
While Archbishop Wuerl proclaimed that the group from Washington, D.C., got the prize for the loudest section, Bishop Jenky begs to differ.
“I thought our kids outscreamed them all,” he said. Peoria certainly had the largest banner – a large banner proclaiming “Peoria Loves Life” was unfurled in upper bowl section 426 by the Central Catholic group.