Official Statement

The Catholic Youth Apostolate of the Archdiocese of St. Louis has been closely monitoring the severe weather anticipated later this week in Washington, D.C.  The “Generation Life” pilgrimage of more than 2,200 St. Louis area high school teens, adult chaperones, volunteers, and staff was scheduled to attend the 43rd annual March for Life on Friday, January 22.

As the potentially hazardous weather situation in our nation’s capital develops, our main priority is the safety and well-being of the youth in our care. After prayerful consideration of numerous factors and consultation with archdiocesan leadership, the Catholic Youth Apostolate has decided to cancel the Generation Life pilgrimage to Washington, D.C.

As Catholics, we place a high value on the dignity of human life. We will continue to be tireless advocates for the unborn and as pro-life Catholics we must make the safety of our youth, adult chaperones, volunteers, and staff our first priority.

Although our committed youth and adult pilgrims will not be headed to Washington, D.C., several local events are already being discussed to provide the St. Louis area with opportunities to pray for and visibly defend the inviolable right of all human beings which is the right to life.

For information on the various pro-life events taking place in the Archdiocese of St. Louis this week, continue to watch social media as well as archstl.org.

What You Need to Know

  1. The safety and well-being of the participants are our #1 priority.
  2. Our decision to cancel due to the weather is based on the advice of the Archdiocesan leadership team and professional meteorologists in St. Louis.
  3. Generation Life is an event planned by the Catholic Youth Apostolate. All methods of transportation to and from Washington DC planned by our organization have been cancelled.