Ricordia: Merion Students Celebrate Life

by Lucy McGuire '28

Every life is a gift. 

This was the theme of the 2026 National March for Life, which Merion students in the Women for Life and Love club took part in with an in-school retreat on January 23. Students began the day by arriving early to watch the closing Mass of the National Prayer Vigil for Life, celebrated by Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley. This was followed by a service project, making blessing bags for new moms at the Amnion Pregnancy Care Medical Center in Drexel Hill, using donations brought in by students throughout the week. The bags were decorated and filled with socks, chapsticks, lotion, and cards. 

The bags were collected by Melanie Becker, a staff member at Amnion, who also spoke to the students, telling them about her work and what they could do to help. "Our experience at the March embodied the Merion Mercy core value of A Voice for Dignity and Respect,” said Hana Nguyen, a junior. “We learned the importance of advocating for those who don't have a voice, protecting both mothers and babies, and understanding the dangers of the abortion pill. In her presentation, Ms. Becker reminded us of the biblical truth: 'Before I [God] formed you in the womb I knew you' (Jeremiah 1:5).”

After lunch, the rally speakers at the National March in DC were live-streamed. They included Vice President J.D. Vance, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and president of Georgetown University Right to Life Elizabeth Pillsbury Oliver. These speakers were inspiring and informative, evidenced by a student discussion led by one of the Women for Life and Love club’s student leaders, Kate McGovern. Many girls shared things they learned from the speakers, such as the statement that around 20 percent of Gen Z has been aborted, which has been reported by a variety of sources, including the Population Research Institute.

The day concluded with a rosary for life said by the group in the chapel. Overall, the day was full of service and reflection. “The day went wonderfully, beautifully,” said math teacher Mrs. Crawford, one of the faculty moderators. “I love the Mass, the service project, the discussion was moving, and I love the living rosary.”