h/t Karl Falken for sharing the below information.
As Fremont County residents gathered at Main and Federal in Riverton on January 25th for a “Stand for Life” event, around 175 Fremont County residents came together at the corner of S 10th Street and Main for the very first “March for Life” in Lander.
The march began with a speech from Wyoming Catholic College (WCC) junior and President of the “Cowboys for Life,” a student organization, Anthony Jones. Addressing the crowd, he shared the importance of speaking up for the unborn. Following Jones’s speech, folks began to sing and pray as they began their march toward Lander’s Centennial Park.
Lander resident Katelyn Hiett and several others, including Jones, organized this first local “March for Life” in three weeks. They wanted to honor God and the sanctity of life by answering the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. earlier in January. Some in the crowd had participated in the March for Life before, but had to travel long distances to do so. “Having previously traveled far to participate in marches for life, and after considering traveling this year, it was a joy to be able to stand for this important issue right here in our home town.” C. Lasnoski
Though most of these were affiliated with WCC, they decided it should clearly be an ecumenical event. Janet Blackford, the local representative for Life Chain, also joined this group and together they helped obtain the permits, provide signs and advertise the event.
The march ended at Centennial Park with two speakers. Father James Schumacher of Holy Rosary Parish spoke first, reading from the Scriptures, speaking on the importance of fostering a spirit of conversion through prayer and closing with prayer for troubled mothers and their children. He was followed by Pastor Philip Strong of Grace Reformed Fellowship encouraged humility and selflessness as we promote the pro-life movement, which is based on loving care for mothers and their children. He also closed with prayer.
“It was an awesome, family event that promoted what is true, right, and proper for the whole world, taking place right here in Lander.” – Quinn aged 13
Lander resident Carolina Clemente added, “It was pretty inspiring to see people come in cars and on foot to meet us for the march. We saw students from the college, families with children, people from different Christian denominations, and even a few who don’t live in Lander. I’m excited to see what happens next year with a little more time to plan.”
