Will Charlie Kirk’s death help galvanize the pro-life movement? – Catholic World Report

I looked up from my work to see a text from one of my son’s schoolmates: “Hi Mrs. Seeley, a couple of us have decided to go to the clinic and pray today just because of recent events …”

I love our little Catholic classical school for its pro-life heart. That heart manifests itself as weekly prayer in front of our local Planned Parenthood, diaper drives and fundraising for local pregnancy centers, and an annual pilgrimage that sees virtually the entire high school drive six hours to attend the West Coast Walk for Life.

Our students know that praying on the sidewalk is not merely a feel-good exercise. The mere presence of someone praying peacefully in front of an abortion facility can cause the no-show rate for abortion appointments to go as high as 75 percent, former abortion workers report.

Nonetheless, my reaction to the text was a wave of concern over its timing, coming one day after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was gunned down at Utah Valley University. Our students in their Catholic school uniforms, holding Rosaries or waving “Pray to end abortion” signs, were sure to draw more attention than usual. Would they be in harm’s way? Should I discourage them?

Despite my packed day, I knew I had to be there. I pushed back my worries with the thought that on this Thursday afternoon full of extracurriculars, there would likely be just one or two students in front of the abortion clinic with me.

But as I pulled up in front of Planned Parenthood, I forgot my fear in delight as not two, but almost two dozen students piled out of vans and cars.

For the better part of an hour, our St. Augustine Academy students prayed, waved signs, and cheerfully greeted both honks of support and raised middle fingers—both of which were more plentiful than usual. They prayed prayers for the dying. They prayed for Charlie Kirk and his family. Afterwards, there were hugs and shining eyes, and it was clear they didn’t want to leave.

Keep in mind that this was not a school function; it was entirely student-led.

Just a few months ago, I had watched these same students jubilantly wave yellow and white flags and a giant “Habemus papam” banner on a bustling street as they celebrated a new pope. Today, with the same emotional intensity, they grieved.

Like thousands of others who came together at vigils and memorials around the country, they were mourning the young dad who had begun his rise to national prominence when he himself was barely out of high school.

But this mid-afternoon gathering on the sidewalk in front of a busy abortion clinic was more than a memorial. It was a spontaneous response to the legacy of a pro-life hero who said, “I want to be remembered for courage for my faith.”

A huge part of that courageous witness was Charlie Kirk’s unwavering commitment to the unborn.

“His advocacy extended far beyond words,” Students for Life said in a tribute to Kirk. “He brought the fight for Life into the public sphere, using his platform and voice to reach millions. He stood tall in the belief that authentic freedom and justice for all begin with protecting the right to Life for every human being.”

Students for Life called Kirk’s influence “pivotal in shifting the national conversation about abortion.” The fearless reaction of these students to the news of his death speaks powerfully to that influence.

Erika Kirk, speaking publicly for the first time two days after her husband’s death, said, “All of you already know what Charlie would want you to do.” These young men and women, with full hearts, knew. And they did it, instinctively channeling their grief into standing up for the weakest among us.

A few hours earlier, at school drop-off, I had noted the look of grave sadness on our headmaster’s face. “I’m just worried about our country,” he told me.

I share his concern about the future of a nation in which such a tragedy can happen. Certainly, Kirk’s murder, following close on the shooting of Catholic grade schoolers at Mass in Minnesota and the death of a young Ukrainian girl whom bystanders left to bleed out on a train, raises urgent questions about the state of our society.

But there’s a lesson to be gained from a bunch of school kids who, learning of their hero’s death, took to the sidewalk to pray for an end to abortion.

Their actions show an understanding of a profound truth.

Mother Teresa’s oft-quoted words deserve another hearing. “If a mother can kill her own child, what is left—for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between.”

Every abortion takes our nation further down that path, and every baby saved takes it a step in the right direction.

How typical of kids to get right to the heart of things! They give me hope that, as Erika Kirk said, her husband’s voice “will remain and it will ring out louder and more clearly than ever.”

I have hope that Charlie Kirk’s death will help galvanize the pro-life movement in this country. My prayer is that his voice will be amplified by the voices of countless young people who are compelled by his death to stand up and speak out.

If that’s the Charlie Kirk effect, his death will not be in vain.