Students pray about right-to-life issues, asking Mary, Undoer of Knots, to intervene during the Weekend for Life Jan. 18-19 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Little Rock. (Katie Zakrzewski)
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Pro-life leaders spread message to teens at Weekend for Life

Catholic teens began the Jubilee Year by attending the diocese’s Weekend for Life Jan. 18-19.

More than 300 high school students from across the state gathered at the DoubleTree Hotel in Little Rock to engage in pro-life work.

Liz Tingquist, director of Catholic Youth Ministry, said the Jubilee Year was particularly special for the Weekend of Life event. 

“We’re celebrating the Jubilee Year, as pilgrims of hope. The kids, on Sunday morning, are going to be going to the Cathedral,” Tingquist said. “They go there with that intention of making a pilgrimage — that’s a work of mercy, praying for other young people … It’s an opportunity to catechize kids who may not know what the Jubilee Year is.” 

Students at Weekend for Life participated in songs, ice breakers, skits and unique forms of prayer and worship. (Katie Zakrzewski)

Attendees participated in songs, ice breakers, skits and unique forms of prayer and worship, created and led by students. 

As attendees completed praying portions of the rosary, several youth leaders provided testimonies about one of the right-to-life issues, such as suicide, substance abuse, immigration, pornography, the death penalty and euthanasia. With each testimony, students tied a long cloth bearing the name of the right to life issue along a rope next to a portrait of Mary, Undoer of the Knots. After reflecting on what they could do to combat a culture of death, students would then untie the knots. 

Students also heard from a series of speakers. Each year, a featured speaker is selected to talk about a certain pro-life issue. This year’s two-day Weekend for Life focused on a holistic pro-life message, and one of the abortion exceptions that people often hear about — conception through sexual assault. 

Featured speaker Amber Dubois, a Louisiana native, was conceived through rape and shared her personal story as a child born from sexual assault to highlight the unborn child’s perspective.
(Katie Zakrzewski)

Featured speaker Amber Dubois, a Louisiana native, was conceived through rape and shared her personal story as a child born from sexual assault to highlight the unborn child’s perspective. 

She converted to Catholicism in 2009.

Dubois told attendees that when she asked her mother why she didn’t go through with her original plans to get an abortion, she replied that the pain from the abortion would not heal the pain of being sexually assaulted. 

“This argument of ‘what about the case of rape?’ is difficult to talk about, mostly because it’s very hypothetical,” Dubois said. “It’s this lady that you don’t know, you’ve never met, which makes it easier to talk about, but in reality, it’s really hard to talk about, because no one asks us. No one asks me what I think about being alive.”

“I hear all the time, ‘I’m pro-life, except in the case of rape.’ And when I hear that, I hear, ‘I’m pro-life, except in the case of Amber,’” Dubois said. “… Fear is a liar. To be pro-life, to be Catholic, can be scary. It’s not easy.”

Students also heard from Catherine Phillips, director of the Respect Life Office, who spoke about the intergenerational trauma caused by abortion.

“The youth that attend the Weekend for Life are statistically not likely to have abortions, but abortion does impact their lives,” she told Arkansas Catholic. “Abortion has been so much a part of our world, so prevalent for so long, that honestly, they know someone who has had an abortion. In my generation, three in every 10 women had abortions. … You know someone who has had an abortion. 

“That trauma stays with us throughout our lives. That loss moves down to the younger generations. All of us have family members who aren’t healed, and that’s huge. … As we move forward to change the world, we need to understand what abortion is, and what abortion isn’t. We need to be able to know and speak the truth with love.”

Annaliese Cartaya, 18, a member of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Benton, said she attended Weekend for Life to learn more about right-to-life issues to help her navigate conversations with friends.

“It’s not something that we sit down at our lunch table and talk about with our friends, so it’s nice to take a minute to focus on the issues that are important to our society and that we need to know about as we’re becoming adults,” she said.

“It’s amazing to be with a group of people my age who are Catholic and who want to learn more about the value of life, which is just a beautiful gift from God,” said Isaac Meisner, 16, a member of Sacred Heart Church in Charleston. 

Ashley Reyna, 17, a member of St. James in Searcy, is a new member of the Youth Advisory Council, the diocesan organization responsible for organizing Weekend for Life.

“Each time I would come to youth events, I would see (YAC) being very open about their faith, and I want people my age to be open with their faith too,” she said. “I want them to feel like they can show it and not be afraid. … It’s amazing seeing everyone all in this room and feeling the same feeling that I’m feeling.”

CORRECTION: Arkansas Catholic incorrectly stated the number of attendees at the Weekend for Life convention at the DoubleTree Hotel in Little Rock Jan. 18-19. There were 300 attendees.

Katie Zakrzewski

Katie Zakrzewski joined Arkansas Catholic as associate editor in 2023 after working in local media and the environmental sector. A member of St. Mary Church in North Little Rock, she recently completed her master’s degree in public service from the Clinton School.

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