MARCH FOR LIFE UK- Birmingham 2013

Sunday 10th March 2.15pm Birmingham City Centre

Birmingham's 1st March for Life 2012

Inspired by the American March for Life and a rather colourful balloon release in Chicago, last year I organised a "March for Life" to mark the midway point of our 40 Days for Life Campaign here in Birmingham. Now I must admit it was a total gamble on my part.  I spent many weeks on my knees asking God if I was a fool for thinking any of this was possible and asking Him to help me out.  On the day of the March, I found myself filling 100s of balloons with helium and joking with friends that it would just be us 3 and with an excess of balloons we would be floating across the Birmingham skyline with a pro-life message. Talk about being a woman of little faith....God had the last laugh on this one!

I will never forget standing up on the Sanctuary of St Michael's to give the welcome and being blown away by how many people were in the Church.  It was packed out!! All I could do was praise the Lord for all He had done and His faithfulness.

So that's the background story and here is the start of this year's story:

Evangelisation and pro-life work are really important to the young adults at 2nd Friday so we knew that this event would become a fixture on our calendar.  With the date confirmed for 10th March, we decided to launch it on various social media on 25th January, entrusting the mission to St Paul.  The response has been immense! In less than 5 days we have young people mobilising from across the country and further afield to make a stand for Life.  Coaches are being organised and filled, some of the best pro-life speakers in Europe are coming into town for the day and I'm still trying to keep up with the enquiries and questions!

All of this and we haven't even spread the word properly, we are still waiting for financial support, promotional material and to finalise some of the logistics. Talk about God really teaching me to trust fully in Him!  What has inspired me most the last few days has been the response from young Catholics up and down the country.  So many enthusiastic and passionate young people who are willing to make a stand for life, to defend the weak and to celebrate and protect the beautiful gift of life from conception.  What an absolute gift to the Church and to our society! Rise up and speak out for the world is dying for our witness!

For more details check out: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/454341897952512/?fref=ts

Please do think about joining us, organising transport or mobilising people from your area. Spread the word, pray for us and support us financially if you can!

Nothing we do to defend the human person, no matter how small, is ever unfruitful or forgotten. Our actions touch other lives and move other hearts in ways we can never fully understand in this world. Don’t ever underestimate the beauty and power of the witness you give in your pro-life work."

~ Archbishop Charles Chaput