Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion Guest Writers

Pro-life message hits highway

byStaff writers
13 January 2013
Reading Time: 3 mins read
AA

Taking a rest: Crossroads pilgrims in front of a statue at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, are (from left) James Leach, Mirjana, Chris Da Silva, Victor Bermudez and Allison Lattie

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Taking a rest: Crossroads pilgrims in front of a statue at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, are (from left) James Leach, Mirjana M, Chris Da Silva, Victor Bermudez and Allison Lattie

Young Gold Coast Catholic CHRIS DA SILVA is one of 10 young people on Australia’s first Crossroads pro-life pilgrimage. They are walking from Brisbane to Melbourne, culminating with a pro-life rally in Melbourne this weekend. Chris reflects on his experience of the pilgrimage, at the halfway mark

I ARRIVED home from adoration on the Gold Coast one night in mid-November and followed my usual routine of checking Facebook where I found an advertisement to walk across Australia with an organisation called Crossroads.

Without much knowledge of what I was applying to do, I sent through an application the following day; it was a moment of conviction of God’s will.

Presently we are halfway through our walk and have made it safely from Brisbane to Sydney.

I could not have asked for a more amazing, colourful bunch of people to walk with.

Daily Mass, Morning Prayer, and multiple rosaries and Divine Mercy chaplets have bound us together in a special way so that I can confidently say I am not afraid to walk down a main road with a luminous yellow T-shirt that says “PRO-LIFE” in bold capital letters.

The general public reaction to Crossroads has been a mixed bag, ranging anywhere from a countless string of curses (which make no grammatical sense) to old ladies coming up to me with tears in their eyes and kissing me on both cheeks in affirmation of our dedication to the pro-life cause.

Praying outside abortion clinics every weekend has opened my eyes more and more to the need for young people to respond to the encouragement of Blessed John Paul II to not be afraid to take the Gospel of Life to the streets, and every day I must realise anew that copious sweating, shin splints and chafing are more than worth the sacrifice.

In fact, they are probably saving the lives of babies when offered up to Jesus appropriately.

The beauty of Australia that we constantly see on foot, on the other hand, is an aspect of Crossroads that has filled us with hope, and consoled us through our sacrifice each day.

Related Stories

Sunnybank’s ninth Multicultural Mass unites 16 languages in prayer

Archbishop Coleridge unveils new cross at Banyo church

St John Fisher College student selected for the Australian Netball U17 Squad

Whenever we walk there is at least one ridiculously steep hill followed by spectacular view that reminds me of what the Christian journey is really about.

Speaking at parishes across the country to raise awareness about the pro-life movement and ask for prayers and support is the other vital component of Crossroads.

The generosity of host families and parishioners is humbling; it teaches me time and again that I am not here to be a hero.

This is not about me, or about any of us walkers; this is a spiritual battle against a culture of death, and perhaps even more so against the silent majority of fence-sitters who made their minds up about their stance on abortion years ago and have never chosen to contemplate it again.

And so we pray, we walk, we wear brightly coloured shirts, not to attract attention to ourselves, but to encourage people to think again and choose life at all times.

I am excited about what the rest of the walk holds for us and how God will continue to fill us up and use us in this Year of Grace – this year of life.

For more information on the Crossroads pilgrimage visit www.crossroadsaustralia.org

ShareTweet
Previous Post

More keys to unlocking the faith

Next Post

Townsville Catholics gather in prayer for Bishop Putney

Staff writers

Related Posts

Sunnybank’s ninth Multicultural Mass unites 16 languages in prayer
QLD

Sunnybank’s ninth Multicultural Mass unites 16 languages in prayer

1 July 2022
Evarist D’Souza

Archbishop Coleridge unveils new cross at Banyo church

1 July 2022
Netball Superstar: St John Fisher student Jayden Molo.
Education

St John Fisher College student selected for the Australian Netball U17 Squad

1 July 2022
Next Post

Townsville Catholics gather in prayer for Bishop Putney

Parishes to support Tasmanian bushfire victims

Nowhere to go

Popular News

  • Man of faith: Newly-ordained priest Fr El Louie Jiminez with Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge at St Stephen's Cathedral on June 29. Photos: Alan Edgecomb / Purple Moon Photography

    Fr El Louie Jimenez ordained

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Fr Josh braves ‘freezing’ June night to raise awareness for homelessness at Vinnies Sleepout

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Australian Plenary Council aims to avert Church ‘moment of crisis’

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Archbishop Coleridge unveils new cross at Banyo church

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Sunnybank’s ninth Multicultural Mass unites 16 languages in prayer

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

Sunnybank’s ninth Multicultural Mass unites 16 languages in prayer
QLD

Sunnybank’s ninth Multicultural Mass unites 16 languages in prayer

by Joe Higgins
1 July 2022
0

SUNNYBANK parishioner Ross Frassetto loved to see so much involvement from parishioners in the parts of the...

Evarist D’Souza

Archbishop Coleridge unveils new cross at Banyo church

1 July 2022
Netball Superstar: St John Fisher student Jayden Molo.

St John Fisher College student selected for the Australian Netball U17 Squad

1 July 2022
Plenary task: “Reveal the face of Christ”

Australian Plenary Council aims to avert Church ‘moment of crisis’

30 June 2022
Man of faith: Newly-ordained priest Fr El Louie Jiminez with Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge at St Stephen's Cathedral on June 29. Photos: Alan Edgecomb / Purple Moon Photography

Fr El Louie Jimenez ordained

30 June 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping