Steubenville, OH — Calling for faith to “be lived in our daily lives and in the public square,” Franciscan University of Steubenville president Father Sean Sheridan, TOR, said he is honored to lead hundreds of Franciscan University students at the 41st annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.

Franciscan University will be represented by approximately 800 people affiliated with the University at the 2014 March for Life on January 22, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Franciscan’s chapter of Students for Life coordinated the trip under the theme of John 1:5 — “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”

“Franciscan University is a pro-life institution that fosters the dignity of human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death,” said Father Sheridan. “I have participated in the annual March for Life for several years, and it is my honor to walk again this year with the students of Franciscan University as public witnesses for life and the need for men and women of all faiths to protect life at all stages. Faith must be lived in our daily lives and in the public square. And we must object to any attempt to infringe upon our constitutional right to do so.”

Months of planning have yielded eight busses of students ready to witness, and hundreds more traveling by car to march beneath Franciscan’s iconic green banner that proclaims, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you… Before you were born, I dedicated you…” (Jer. 1:5).

Students for Life president Jenna Leighton, a senior theology and catechetics major from Minnesota, said students have shown an increased interest this year, with busses filling up in just a few days.

“The march is such a big event, and it’s meaningful because it falls on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade,” she said. “It’s really a national event. I think it’s hard for every student to get involved with Students for Life on campus, but it’s easy for students to attend the march because there are no scheduled classes that day.”

Students will attend a Holy Hour prior to boarding the busses at midnight. They will arrive the morning of January 22 for Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. From there, Franciscan students will converge on the National Mall with hundreds of other groups for the annual March for Life Rally. Marchers will complete their walk at the Supreme Court of the United States, five blocks from their starting position at the mall.