Shining a bright light on life

By Ian Hoover
Archbishop Hannan High School

On my recent pilgrimage with the Archdiocese of New Orleans for the 50th anniversary of the March for Life in Washington, D.C., I decided to do something I had never had time for before – pray the Liturgy of the Hours on the bus. It became the stone on which my mission for life would begin.

After an exhausting 24-hour drive, we arrived in D.C. and were given roommates. My new roommates and I decided to reflect on Scripture nightly.

In the morning, my new friends and I prayed the rosary, attended Mass and toured the National Mall. It was more beautiful than I can describe.

At the Holocaust Museum that day, I felt the call to protect all life against all types of evils. I nearly cried when I walked into the room with the shoes of Holocaust victims. The horror humans inflict on our fellow man is heartbreaking; I knew it must be stopped.

I was so fired up for the march on Jan. 20, that I couldn’t hold my spirit in. I was like a Seraphim on fire because of love for our God. Right before the march, we attended Mass with Archbishop Gregory Aymond, and I got to talk to him for a bit about my calling to the priesthood. He helped me learn many beautiful and important parts of the vocation.


At the march, I wanted my fellow New Orleanians to feel the love I was feeling. So, I started making up chants to teach the crowd.
Every time we passed a protester, I started praying a Hail Mary out loud, asking for our Blessed Mother’s intercession against the evil spirits of the world. When we finally got to the Supreme Court, I was satisfied. I knew we had done well. We had officially marched for life.

At a second ministry night and adoration after the march, I witnessed the Lord in person and knelt the whole time. As everyone processed out, I started crying. I begged the Lord to stay with me for just a bit longer. I prayed for him to return to the altar, and he was there for an additional chant. I was relieved and overjoyed.

After a closing Mass, we returned to the hotel, packed and got on the bus for the trip home. It was very hard for me to let go of the march, the friendships and, most of all, the experience I had. In the end, I knew that this wasn’t just an awesome weekend. Rather, it was the beginning of my new mission – to spread the Word of God and to protect life.

Ian Hoover is a senior at Archbishop Hannan High School in Covington.