Learn About our First Amendment Right to Protest Abortion in Public
From the beginning, it has been the mission of Priests for Life to activate people inside the Church so that they will come out onto the streets. We do so as the Body of Christ to witness against abortion, intervene to save the unborn, and bring an end to the violence of abortion. Now that we have more of an open door to protect the unborn, without the Supreme Court putting up roadblocks to the will of the people, these actions by which we go directly to the people are more necessary than ever.
These actions include marches, rallies, protests, prayer vigils at abortion mills, “Face the Truth” tours, Life Chains, multi-city tours, literature distribution, door-knocking, billboards, and press conferences on public property.
These actions do not replace, but rather reinforce, the many other types of Priests for Life activity, including the educational, pastoral, legislative and political.
Bryan Kemper, a fulltime pastoral associate at Priests for Life, will have the role of “Coordinator of Street Activism,” and in this position will foster opportunities for these activities for Priests for Life, help to organize and carry them out, and network with other pro-life organizations who carry out similar activities.
Bryan describes his call to pro-life activism in this way:
“When the Crucified (a Christian music band) took the stage in 1987, their goal to share the truth as music activists sparked a revolution. I was in what might be the most unlikely place to hear a calling on your life, especially when that calling is to full time pro-life work. When they played the song “The Silent Scream” I knew that I had to be a voice and raise the volume for the world to hear that silent scream.
“I combined my love for music and pro-life work together with the founding of Rock for Life as I began building a youth pro-life movement though education, equipping and activating young people to stand up and be a voice. Thirty five years later I am overjoyed to see such advances for life, but there is still so much more to do, especially in the public theatre.
“I am excited to be going back to my roots as an activist as I step into the title of Coordinator of Street Activism for Priests for Life. I will continue my work with Stand True, our youth outreach but move forward with a focus on raining awareness and bring the world the pro-life message though street activism.”
Our entire Priests for Life team is grateful to Bryan for his witness and work in this arena.
When I was a parish priest on Staten Island before starting the fulltime pro-life activism I’ve done for the last 30 years, a layman among the group I frequently joined to picket a local abortionist said, “The pro-abortion forces dominate the major media with their lies and hide the truth about abortion. Fr. Frank, our media is the streets!”
Indeed it is.
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life
Scenes from Some Recent Street Activism
Bryan Kemper joins pro-life activists at the Ohio March for Life on October 5, 2022
Bryan Kemper speaks at the Closing Rally for 40 Days for Life in Ohio on November 6, 2022
Bryan Kemper helps lead a protest at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, in response to their unfair targeting of pro-life activists, November 15, 2022