For almost 50 years now, St. Peter’s parishioners have offered hospitality to marchers who come to Washington each January to protest “Roe v Wade.” Mike and Barbara Eck, who have been members of the parish since 1972, helped with our earliest efforts. Here are some of Mike’s reminiscences:

The March for Life was founded by a St. Peter’s parishioner, Nellie Gray. Nellie was on the parish council when the Supreme Court decision in Roe v Wade was announced on January 22, 1973. She was appalled, and decided to organize a protest march to be held on the first anniversary of the decision. At the time, Nellie was a retired government lawyer. She resigned from the parish council and her other pursuits and dedicated the rest of her life to “saving the babies.“ She assembled a committee from a network of pro-life advocates who planned much of that first march from her home on Sixth Street SE.

Planning meetings with police and other officials identified the need to have marshaling points to safely connect large crowds with their transportation out of the city. Marchers were to rally on the west front of the Capitol, walk past the Supreme Court, and eventually meet with their senators and representatives. St. Peter’s was in an opportune location at the end of the march. Nellie got permission from Fr. Michael O’Sullivan, the pastor, to use the church hall as a marshaling point for the crowds she hoped would come.

Marchers filled the hall to capacity while resting and waiting for an announcement that their bus was ready to load, usually somewhere near Providence Park. Occasionally someone would make a frantic call for stragglers, but I don’t think anyone was left behind. Many of the buses had traveled from 600 or more miles away.

At the outset, the parish decided to provide refreshments and restrooms for the marchers. One concern was getting enough coffee pots. We had no idea how many people would be coming. All the coffee pots in the church hall and the school were put to use and some were borrowed from neighboring parishes or rented. We ordered many hundred dozen doughnuts and provided hot tea and cocoa in addition to coffee. There were always long lines waiting to use our small restrooms. The weather was unusually warm, in the 70s, that Tuesday in January 1974. An estimated 20,000 people marched for life that day.

Nellie Gray’s pro-life efforts were recognized by Pope John Paul II. When he visited the United States in 1979 and said Mass on the Mall, she was among those invited to receive Communion from the Pope. She died in 2012, having led 39 Marches for Life, with annual support from parishioners of St. Peter’s Church on Capitol Hill.

Stayed tuned: next week see how St. Peter’s March for Life hospitality ministry has grown over the years.

A newspaper photo of the first March for Life shows St. Peter’s parishioner Nellie Gray at the speaker’s podium.