Why LifeFest Matters

The 2nd Annual LifeFest emerges as a new force in the fight for the Right to Life

The day before the March for Life, I bumped into a friend of mine, Sister Maria Laetitia SV of the Sisters of Life. We were in the DC Armory, which would be the site for LifeFest on the morning of the March.

We were both there for the same reason. Well, she probably had more reasons, but that’s another story. Sister Maria Laetitia is the Sisters of Life ‘Official Photographer’ embedded within the order. Not that she entered religious life to be a photographer, but more like she entered religious life and ended up with a camera in her hands.

And come to think of it, that’s my story as well. Surrender your life to Christ. Pray for His Will to be accomplished in your life. And you end up with a camera in your hands.

Funny how things work out.

But I digress.

We stood in front of the sprawling stage beneath the bright stage lights in the mostly vacant 10,000-seat arena, watching rehearsals in preparation for the big day. You could feel the energy.

Sister Charity SV and Sister Cora Caeli SV, who would serve as emcees, were rehearsing their narration, jumping between serious dialogue and fits of laughter while the stage manager attempted to walk them through the program as the engineers performed soundchecks.

The stage crew pulled miles of cables from massive speaker arrays that hung from dizzying heights beneath the domed black ceiling.

And the Event Staff marked positions and hoisted towering black curtains slung on trusses with chain hoists.

It looked like they were setting up for a rock concert.

I leaned over to Sister and asked curiously, “So how did this whole thing come about anyway?” she laughed and said, “It started with two nuns in the kitchen!” then I laughed, “That figures!”

The story goes that in November of 2022, two nuns, whose names I didn’t catch, cooked up an idea for a new event. It would be an event rooted in Christ and dovetail with the March for Life. But it would seek to present a passionate vision for the future and bring a renewed commitment to life, love, and accompaniment.

And in collaboration with the Knights of Columbus, for whom pulling off the ambitious and the breathtaking at the drop of a dime is just another day at the office, the whole thing came to be.

And in a scant two months, in January 2023, DC’s Entertainment and Sports Arena was packed with thousands for the inaugural LifeFest.

It’s funny the things that come out of kitchens.

Especially kitchens with nuns.

The next day—the day of the March for Life—wind-driven snows blanketed the Northeast, and in the early hours of the morning, DC resembled a winter wonderland.

As stories of canceled busses and harsh travel conditions were quietly murmured amongst nervous event organizers, the doors opened, and at first, it looked like the weather had won…

Attendees from across the nation slowly trickled in. And as the start time neared, it appeared that the turnout would be disappointing…

But...

A ghost-like caravan of headlights from dozens of heavily laden buses began to appear from the darkness, and the thousands they carried poured into the Armory. And of the 5,800 expected, well over 6,000 showed up.

The visibly relieved organizers were all smiles, whispering prayers of gratitude.

A testament to the determination of pro-lifers and the Grace that accompanies them.

I’ll leave it at this.

Life Fest, now in its second year, represents the emergence of a new chapter in the fight for the Right to life.

“We’re not here primarily as a political statement,” proclaimed Sister Charity SV to the thousands gathered in her opening remarks, “We’re here as children of God!”

Children of God united in prayer and solidarity to defend the lives of their unborn brothers and sisters.

To stand in love beside women who are facing unplanned pregnancies.

And to testify to the dignity of all life from conception to natural death—a God-given right enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.

LifeFest stands as a new stronghold in the spiritual defense of life.

A beacon of Hope and an icon to Love.

And as the battle shifts to each state, armed with unity and fortified by Grace, the participants will return home as witnesses to that Hope and ambassadors of His Love.

To fight a war that will ultimately be won through His Mercy.

And that’s exactly what LifeFest is all about.

…hope to see you there next year :-)

Click here for more information.

Damascus Worship played for a nearly empty arena for the first hour. That changed. And before you knew it, the place was near capacity.

And before you knew it, the place was ALIVE with praise…

Worship…

And Joy!

And at the entrance to the Armory, thanks to the Knights of Columbus, the relics of the recently Beatified Ulna Family, Blessed Carlos Acutis, Blessed Michael McGivney and Saint (Pope) John Paul II were presented for veneration….and there was a line…

They said, “Take our picture! Take our picture!” so I took their picture…

Twin sisters, and literally, twin Sisters, Sister Pia Jude, and Sister Luca Benedict, share their individual journeys to embracing Christ as their Spouse and entering religious life.

Fr. Jonathan Kalisch, OP, leads the gathered thousands in Adoration.

The King, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The Author of existence and our loving Father.

And they know it.

Cardinal O’Malley preaches the homily.

Archbishop Lori and the Consecration….”This is My Body which has been given up for you; do this in memory of Me.”

Sister Charity and Sister Cora Caeli should probably win an award for their brilliant job as emcees!

And at the end of the event—an event about Life and Love—a beautiful reminder of who we’re fighting for.