On January 22nd, 2010, 16 souls set out at 6:45 in the morning leaving from Wilkes Barre's Holy Trinity Orthodox Church and journeyed to our nation's Capital for the 37th Annual March for Life. We joined tens of thousands of other people in gathering to defend life by proclaiming to our national leaders and to the world that all life is precious. Many Orthodox Christians, including students from both St. Tikhon's and St. Vladimir's seminaries, were in attendance and marched in procession behind the icon of the Visitation***, led by a banner emblazoned with the words "Orthodox Christians for Life". Prior to marching, there was a rally with many speakers. The highlight was the inspired address by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah. Towrd the end of the March a Pannikhida, or requiem service, was held for the born and unborn victims of America's holocaust.
*** The icon of the Visitation is used as the Pro-Life processional icon by the Orthodox marchers because it depicts a pregnant Mary and her elderly cousin, Elizabeth, also pregnant, embracing. It represents the Gospel account (Luke 1:41-43) of Mary's visit to her cousin's house:
"And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"
The Church teaches that in fact, this proclamation which was uttered from Elizabeth's lips was really the voice of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of our Lord, John, prophesying from the womb, thus acknowledging as a prepborn person the full personhood of the preborn Chist. It is the image of the sanctity of life par excellance.
Orthodoxy in America
