Mabee added that going to the March for Life is just another aspect of priestly formation, helping seminarians to learn what it truly means to follow Christ to the ends of the earth.
"The reality is that we manifest our love for God, certainly in words, but really in our deeds," Mabee said. "We are here to offer a sacrifice of praise to God for the gift of life and the sacredness of life from conception until natural death. To be here, to take our lives and physically place ourselves in the elements, it is a great gift and a great honor.
"It is very much in light of the new evangelization and the document from the archbishop, Unleash the Gospel, that we are here, and the Lord invites us to go forth and make known another aspect of living out the Gospel."
Beyond giving a personal witness to the sanctity of life, Sacred Heart seminarian David Pellican added it is important for the lay faithful to see the seminarians take the pro-life cause seriously, adding that marching in Washington is another way for men discerning the priesthood to see how important the pro-life cause is to their potential future parishioners.
"I think it is important for seminarians to be at the march, because this is one of the biggest Catholic gatherings we have," said Pellican, a third-year theology seminarian. "Supporting life is central to our mission as a Church. I hope that because of this march, as what was said at the youth rally at the Verizon Center before the march, that in difficult times, the Lord usually raises up saints.
"As a seminarian, it is truly inspiring to see young people on fire for their faith," Pellican continued. "It is important as seminarians and, God-willing, future priests, to really stand and support all the wonderful people who will most likely one day be our parishioners. Just to be here and give witness and show that we stand with them in proclaiming this to be one of the most important civil rights issues of our time: the right to live, to be born, and to love.
"That is why we as seminarians are here, to see how much it matters to the people here, and demonstrate that as witnesses to Christ, we stand here to give witness to life and a God who loves us all."