A few weeks ago our team traveled to the March for Life in DC and the Walk for Life in San Francisco. 

What a wonderful time it was– being together in person to coordinate these gatherings of hundreds of Orthodox Christians who witnessed to the Church's teaching on the sanctity of life through prayer, song, and marching together.

In Washington, DC, approximately 150 Orthodox Christians gathered– nearly double from last year.

In San Francisco, an estimated 200 Orthodox showed up, also significantly higher than previous years and possibly the largest Orthodox gathering yet at the Walk for Life.

The "pro-life pilgrimage" on each coast began with church services and fellowship: Vespers and a small dinner reception the evening before the March at St. Mark Church in Bethesda, MD; and Liturgy followed by brunch the morning of the Walk at Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco.

As usual, each gathering also included a brief prayer service before the march commenced, and hymns sung while our groups walked together.

For the first time, we branched out with a vendor table at the Walk for Life Info Faire to share about Orthodoxy in a pro-life context to the broader community.

While in DC, our Program Coordinator Sophia and I were also able to meet with His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, at the chancery of the OCA. We presented him with an icon of the Holy Innocents, shared about the organization and our initiatives, and had a fruitful conversation about how OCLife and the OCA can work together to advance a culture of life in our parishes.

It was a whirlwind of a weekend, and we are so excited for the growth that 2025 will bring!