WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 – A group of students from around the country will complete three 3,000-mile walks across America this Saturday at the steps of the U.S. Capitol, in Washington D.C. On Monday, the group will fly to Brussels, Belgium, and begin a 150-mile walk into World Youth Day in Germany.
The organization is called Crossroads, and this summer marked the 11th consecutive summer that the student group has sponsored walks across America. This will be their second trip to World Youth Day.
“This summer has been an amazing summer,” said Erin O’Mahoney of Point Pleasant, New Jersey. “We have had to overcome many obstacles, some external some internal, but we have made it to Washington. Next Stop: World Youth Day.”
In addition to the unrelenting summer heat, hurricanes, and countless injuries incurred from each person walking an average of 20-miles a day, the walkers encountered another hitch at the United Nations in New York, last week, when the walkers were temporarily compelled to turn their t-shirts, which bear the words “Pro Life.”
“It was eventually resolved by the folks at the United Nations, but it seemed rather odd, since they don’t hassle other student groups who have an antithetical agenda,” said Martha Nolan, national director of Crossroads, Pro Life. “This sort of treatment is not uncommon, despite the fact that our mission, promoting a culture of life, is supported by at least half of America, as well as much of the world.”
Crossroads was founded in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1995, as a response to Pope John Paul II’s call for America’s youth to become active in helping to establish a culture of life.
This weekend, the walkers will be in Washington, D.C., where they will hold a rally at the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, August 6th, at noon, featuring keynote speaker Austin Ruse, president of the Culture of Life Foundation, and contributor to National Review. The walkers will also be speaking to thousands of people this weekend at churches in Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Maryland, and northern Virginia.