Mary Hartnett was among the faithful who prayed and walked during the New York segment of the National Kickoff for the annual A-Cross America Relay for Pro-Life, held Saturday morning, September 7, in Manhattan.

Participants met at 10 a.m. in front of Planned Parenthood on Bleecker Street in Lower Manhattan, where they prayed for about 30 minutes for the end of abortion. They then began a 90-minute, 2.7-mile kickoff walk toward Midtown to Father Duffy Square in Times Square, via Sixth Avenue onto West 42nd Street, exclaiming, “All in Christ, for Pro-Life!” They walked with white-on-blue “REMEMBER The Unborn” banners and placards, led by LIFE Runners founder Pat Castle. LIFE Runners is a charitable organization based in Papillion, Nebraska.

“We’re trying to save the lives of babies and make everybody aware to remember the unborn, always; they’re our most precious, precious gift from God,” Hartnett, a parishioner of Saint Thomas More Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania, told The Good Newsroom at Father Duffy Square. She noted that her faith “means the world to me; the Catholic faith is the path to heaven; it is the true faith. Through the Eucharist and Jesus, we will save the world.”

Another walker was Pedro Campoverde, 42, who said, “It is necessary to give testimony for life – testimony amid this culture of death in society, in the world. We are giving testimony for a culture of life.” Campoverde’s parish is Church of the Assumption in Peekskill.

The A-Cross America Relay for Life began in 2013 and is described by organizers as “the largest spanning Pro-Life event in the world, 5,359 miles (including other countries).” Kickoff cities (September 6-14) also include San Francisco, Austin, Texas, and Fargo, North Dakota. This year the 43-day Relay will end on Oct. 19 in Overland Park, Kansas, forming a cross from the four kickoff cities (A-Cross America).

Sponsors of the walk include the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Avera Health, Benedictine College, Bott Radio, Cemcast, Choose Life Marketing, DDI Media, Diocese of Austin, Diocese of Fargo, EWTN, LifeSite, Midwest Advertising, Scheels, Straub Construction, Thomas More Society, and Veronica’s Journey.

In all, there were 21 walkers in Manhattan on Saturday. At Bleecker Street before the walk, they were among an estimated 100 people who prayed at a Witness for Life rosary prayer gathering, led by two nuns from the Sisters of Life.

“We know that all it takes to pierce the darkness is one light – one match, one photon of light can pierce through the darkness; so, we had 21 photons of light (the walkers) pierce through the culture of death,” Castle, the LIFE Runners founder, told The Good Newsroom. “Standing up for those babies in the womb, we need to be a voice for the voiceless. … There are resources and help (for girls, women, families); the people of God, the Body of Christ is here to help.” At Father Duffy Square, Castle led the walkers in praying the LIFE Runners Creed, which says, in part, “Guard us all, born and unborn, with Your peace, Lord.”

LIFE Runners promotes the efforts of post-abortion counseling groups, including Support After Abortion, a nonprofit organization that works with more than 800 agencies to “individualize the care that a person impacted by abortion receives to find the hope and healing they deserve.”

Through a Support After Abortion Line, the organization connects those seeking healing with those who provide healing. Through webinars, clinical meetings, conference training, an online learning platform, curriculum, and resources, it equips leaders, counselors, clinicians, and other abortion healing providers to support those impacted by abortion.

For more information, visit the websites of Support After Abortion and LIFE Runners.