2022 March for Life

Thursday 01-20-2022 - Friday 01-21-2022

12:00 am

Our Diocesan March for Life Pilgrimage is cancelled.  Due to the rising COVID numbers in Virginia and across the country, the organizers of the Life is VERY Good Rally and Mass have decided to cancel both their evening and morning events.  As Life Is VERY Good is a main portion of our pilgrimage, this has forced us to fully cancel our pilgrimage.

 

Initial Communication PDF

Youth Application 

Adult Application 

 

March for Life Promotional Materials

 

What is the Diocesan March for Life Pilgrimage?

The Office for Evangelization sponsors an annual Diocesan-wide delegation to the annual March for Life in Washington, DC. The March for Life marks the anniversary of the landmark decision of the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade which made abortion legal in the United States.

 

Who should attend the Diocesan March for Life Pilgrimage?

The delegation is primarily intended for 8th-12th grade youth. Because the Diocese has a limited amount of tickets, parishes and schools are required to stay as consistent as possible with the 1 adult per 8 youth ratio. Adult chaperones may be placed on a waitlist to ensure as many youth can attend as possible.

 

Where is the Diocesan March for Life Pilgrimage and what is the schedule?

 

Thursday, January 20, 2022

  • Diocesan sponsored buses will depart in the afternoon from Virginia Beach/Norfolk, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Roanoke areas for Northern Virginia.
  • All buses will be scheduled to arrive in Fairfax, VA by 7:00 pm at the EagleBank Arena on the campus of George Mason University for the “Life is VERY Good” evening of prayer.
  • At the conclusion of the rally, all participants will travel via bus to a near-by hotel for lodging for the evening.

 

Friday, January 21, 2022

  • All buses will be scheduled to arrive in Fairfax, VA by 9:00 am at the EagleBank Arena on the campus of George Mason University for the “Life is VERY Good” youth rally. The rally will also include Mass with Bishop Knestout and other diocesan bishops at 10:00 am.
  • Immediately following the Mass, the delegation will board their bus and travel to the Washington Monument and join the March from the Washington Monument to the Supreme Court.
  • At the conclusion of the March for Life, the delegation will board their respective buses and will travel home.

 

What is the registration fee?

  • The costs are as follows:
    • Youth Participants: $60 per participant
    • Adult Chaperones: $75 per participant
    • Priests: $45 per participant
  • Gluten Free and/or Vegetarian Meals: Additional $25/participant
  • Substitution Fee: $10 per substitution made by 11:59pm on December 13, 2021.

No substitutions will be accepted after December 13, 2021, regardless of reason.

  • There is no refund for any cancellations, regardless of the reason for cancellation.

 

Registration closes on Monday, December 13, 2021 at 11:59 pm.

 

What does the registration fee cover?

The registration fee covers:

  • Admission to the “Life is VERY Good” Evening of Prayer (Thursday night, January 20)
  • Admission to the “Life is VERY Good” Rally and Mass (Friday, January 21)
  • Bus Transportation
  • Lodging and a pizza snack on Thursday night, breakfast and lunch on Friday
  • Individual participants are responsible for all other meals (including Friday dinner)

 

What is the transportation situation?

Included with your registration fee is bus transportation to and from the March for Life.

  • All buses will depart in the afternoon on Thursday from a designated location within approximately a one hour drive from your parish and will be scheduled to arrive at the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA by 7:00 pm.
  • After the rally, the buses will drive participants to our diocesan hotel nearby and return participants to the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA by 9:00 am on
  • After the morning rally and mass, buses will drive participants to the March for Life in Washington, DC.
  • At the conclusion of the March, buses will depart from Washington, DC to return home.

 

Once all participant counts have been received by the Diocese, then each parish group will be assigned to a particular

bus and bus route. This is when the specific pick-up locations and times will be defined. Each bus will have an assigned

bus captain who will be responsible for coordinating bus rules, bus snacks, and meal stops, etc. with the parish leaders on their assigned bus. This information will be available in early January. We ask that all groups be patient as bus routes do take a little time to discern appropriately.

 

What is the lodging situation?

Each room at the hotel contains 2 queen-size beds or a king bed with sleeper sofa.  Rooms will be assigned 2 adults OR 4 youth of the same gender.  The Office for Evangelization will combine parishes with odd numbers to maximize the room allocations.

 

Since these are standard hotels, linens and towels are provided for all participants. It is encouraged for your participants to bring additional sleeping bags if they would prefer to sleep on the floor.

 

What are the requirements for adult chaperones?

For this event, 1 adult is required for every 8 youth who are participating in the pilgrimage. Each adult chaperone must be in compliance with the Diocesan Safe Environment Policies, which includes completing the following:

  • Screening One Volunteer Form (every 5 years)
  • VIRTUS training (once)

 

 How do I register?

All youth and adults must register through their parish Youth Minister OR Catholic school coordinator.  The registration process includes:

 

  1. Registration Form: Print out and distribute the registration form from evangelizerichmond.org. A copy should be maintained by the Youth Minister in case of emergency. DO NOT SEND THESE TO THE OFFICE FOR EVANGELIZATION.

 

  1. Register Participants via the Online Registration System: If you are the parish Youth Minister, contact the Office for Evangelization to get the event-specific password for the online registration system.

 

  1. Send payments to the Office for Evangelization (if you did not pay via credit card on the online registration system): Be sure to include your parish/school name along with a list of participants for whom the payment applies. All outstanding registration fees will be invoiced to the parish.

 

Where do I go for questions or additional support?

For all questions or support, contact the Office for Evangelization directly via email at [email protected] OR 804-622-5159.