Loudoun Churches March Against Abortion

By Cara McCoy

Originally published at 9:51 a.m., January 22, 2008
Updated at 10:19 p.m., January 22, 2008

While many Loudoun residents were preparing for work after a three-day weekend, Michele Cohoon – and more than 50 members of her church – were on a mission.

The members of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Purcellville gathered at 6:45 a.m. Tuesday to board buses bound for the annual March for Life in downtown Washington. And at the end of the early morning journey, they eventually found tens of thousands of others ready to join their ranks.

Groups from Loudoun braved flurries and temperatures in the 30s to attend events marking the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. Many of Loudoun's Catholic churches chartered buses for parishioners who wanted to attend.

When the two buses from St. Francis de Sales arrived at the Verizon Center at 8:45 a.m., the church members -- like many others who had traveled from destinations as far as Illinois, Indiana and Texas -- learned the 20,000-seat arena was full. The groups instead held an impromptu rally and celebrated Mass at St. Stephen Martyr Roman Catholic Church, 2436 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.

"This was the furthest overflow site from the Verizon Center," said Cohoon, who organized the group from St. Francis de Sales.

"We're all kind of bummed out we didn't get into the (Verizon) Center," Jenn Colosi, of Jesus the Good Shepherd Church in Owings, Md., told the group. "I felt like Mary, Jesus and Joseph the night of the nativity -- there's no room at the inn. We are still making a difference no matter where we are."

Teenagers from Our Lady of Hope Church in Potomac Falls also were turned away from the at-capacity Verizon Center rally, said Maureen Whalon, an Our Lady of Hope parishioner who has been attending the March for Life since 1980.

"The 12 of them and a youth minister drove in to the Metro, and by the time they got to the Verizon Center at 8:30, they were told it was at capacity," Whalon said.

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Loudoun Churches Gather in D.C.

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The 50-plus members of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church were a small sampling of the abortion opponents at the March for Life in the District on Tuesday. Anti-abortion advocates from across the country -- including those from several Loudoun churches -- came to Capitol Hill to attend the annual event. (Melissa Arseniuk)

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A poster in the lobby of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Purcellville displays information about the March for Life. Dozens of parishioners signed up to take part in the event. (Melissa Arseniuk)

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Members of the St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church congregation loaded onto chartered buses and made the trip to Washington to attend the annual March for Life. (Melissa Arseniuk)

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Katie Bashioum, 7, and Sarah Cohoon, 5, were all smiles aboard the March for Life bus chartered by St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church. (Melissa Arseniuk)

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During the hour-long ride from Purcellville to Washington, church members sang hymns, chatted and helped each other prepare for the March for Life. (Melissa Arseniuk)

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Members of the St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church attend a pre-rally mass at St. Stephen Martyr Roman Catholic Church. (Melissa Arseniuk)

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The congregation of Purcellville's St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church sings hymns during a pre-rally Mass in Washington at St. Stephen Martyr Roman Catholic church. (Melissa Arseniuk)

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Members of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church make their way to the March For Life on the National Mall. (Melissa Arseniuk)

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Abortion opponents pass the Washington Monument as they make their way to Capitol Hill. (Melissa Arseniuk)

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About 50 members of Purcellville's St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church took their anti-abortion crusade to Washington during the national March For Life. (Melissa Arseniuk)

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Members of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church make their way to the March For Life on Tuesday. (Melissa Arseniuk)

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Protesters of all ages from St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church attend the March for Life on Tuesday. (Melissa Arseniuk)

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A large number of people from St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church who attended the March For Life were youth. (Melissa Arseniuk)

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After the morning Mass, the crowd turned its attention to the annual rally on the National Mall. Phil Rusciolelli, a member of the Knights of Columbus at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Leesburg, said it had a group of about 40 people attend the rally.

"We've been singing and praying all afternoon, and the weather held up nicely, thank God," he said.

Daniel Heenan, a religion and history teacher at Our Lady of Hope School, escorted a group of about 25 middle school students to the afternoon rally on the National Mall. The students arrived at about 12:30 p.m., giving them an opportunity to snag a prime spot near the stage, Heenan said.

"The students got a little anxious while we were waiting – we didn't start marching until 2 p.m." he said. "But once we got going, everyone was very positive."

Heenan said only a handful of students in his group had been to the March for Life. "For most, it was their first time. I think they were intrigued by the signs (that protesters displayed)."

Teenagers were a visible force throughout the day. Many of them were dressed in sweatshirts with anti-abortion slogans, while a large number carried signs that read "Defend Life" or held posters with the image of a fetus.

It was the first March for Life for 14-year-old Asaph Bashioum, of Purcellville, who came with his parents and four siblings.

"Abortion, it seems wrong. It's a practice that could easily be rationalized, but it doesn't make sense when you look at it," he said. "It's just uncomfortable. I want to end this."

It wasn't just the younger generation having its voice heard.

With his gray hair, earnest manner and red rosary beads, Grover "Corky" Corcoran, of Waterford, doesn't seem like a person who might have a criminal record.

Corcoran, 76, once served 30 days in jail in Santa Cruz, Calif., during the 1970s for trying to prevent a 17-year-old girl from having an abortion.

"That's the only time I was arrested that I spent any time in jail," Corcoran said with a grin. "There were about maybe 25 of us arrested, including a priest. It was exciting. It's not bad if you're in (jail) for the right reasons."

The teen had told an acquaintance that if she couldn't get the abortion by noon, she wouldn't do it. Along with about 75 other protesters, Corcoran raised enough havoc to shut down the clinic for the day – and the girl didn't have the abortion.

"It's a cause dear to our hearts," his wife, Mary, said.

The Corcorans have been married 54 years. They have nine children and 33 grandchildren. Their oldest son, Ed Corcoran, 54, said he hopes change will come from Tuesday's rally.

"We need to make sure that each and every life in the womb of the mother is protected by our laws," Ed Corcoran said. "That's why we come down here – in the hopes that some day, that law will be reversed."

Tagged: abortion, march, religion, Washington D.C.

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