TOPEKA — They met in the cold chill of the predawn hours with tired eyes and eager spirits, 56 students and adult chaperones from across the Diocese of Dodge City in celebration of life.

By the end of the day, the teens, led by Father Wesley Schawe, had traveled 11 hours round trip to take part in the pro-life rally in Topeka, attended a Mass celebrated by Bishop Ronald Gilmore, and toured the capitol, where laws – for better or worse –– are made.

But most importantly, the young people made their voices heard.

"On Jan. 22, 1973, an important thing happened in the United States," Father Schawe told those on the bus as it traveled along I-70 through a thick veil of fog. "It was terrible, but important. That was the day that abortion was made legal from start to finish.

"When that happened, there was such a dramatic change in the United States. Our country had made a great mistake."

The Jan. 23 pro-life rally, held annually on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion (or the closest working day when the legislature is in session), is not only about protecting the unborn. It also includes euthanasia, capital punishment, stem cell research, and other defense of life issues.

Father Schawe offered a chilling statistic: one baby is killed by an abortion in the United States every 22 seconds, which means that by the end of their five-and-a-half hour bus ride to Topeka, nearly 900 babies had been aborted.

"How can we protect and promote life?" he asked. "This is your chance to let people know that this is important to you."

Prior to arriving in Topeka, the group recited the Rosary, with students – one at a time — venturing to the front of the bus to recite each mystery.

After arriving in Topeka, the group unfurled a "Diocese of Dodge City" banner and paraded along the capitol grounds until, rounding a corner, there appeared dozens of other people, all bent on celebrating life and the protection of the most innocent.

Atop the steps of the capitol, standing with Wichita Bishop Michael Jackels and Kansas Catholic Conference Executive Director Mike Farmer -- and flanked by several pro-life legislators -- was a smiling Bishop Ronald Gilmore, who waved as he recognized his traveling pilgrims.

These attacks on life, Bishop Jackels said, can’t be brushed aside "as having nothing to do with us."

"When any human life is not valued ... and respected, then none of us are safe," he said. "I am in danger when another innocent person is devalued and attacked."

With a long line of Knights of Columbus standing in full regalia, Bishop Jackels asked the nearly 400 or so gathered, "How many more years will we have to stand in the cold of winter as witnesses of life?"

Following the rally, with the diocese banner still waving, the group processed to the nearby Assumption Church, where Bishop Gilmore celebrated Mass to a standing room only crowd.

Flanked by Bishop Jackels and several priests – including Father Schawe — Bishop Gilmore welcomed those gathered and offered his sincere thanks to the other dioceses of Kansas present at the rally.

During his homily, he referred to Clemens Cardinal von Galen, who, in 1941, "preached a series of three sermons taking on the Nazi ideology of evil."

"‘Right now we are not the hammer’" Bishop Gilmore said, quoting from the cardinal, "‘but rather the anvil. Others … beat upon us seeking to bend us by force from our true relation to God, and to impose a new form upon our people, ourselves, and our children.

"‘But take a lesson from the forge. ... No matter how forcefully the hammer may strike, the anvil stands in quiet firmness and lives to shape that which will be forged anew.’

"Think of that on this day of penance," Bishop Gilmore added. "Many strong men beat upon us. Legislators beat upon us. Judges beat upon us. Reporters beat upon us. Celebrities beat upon us. Pressure groups beat upon us. Some of our own fellow-Catholics beat upon us. We need not mind that now. We need not worry about that now. All we need do is to stand firm. All we need do is to be the anvil. All we need do is to be ready that we might shape what will be forged anew."

Following a lunch in the church basement, Sen. Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler, led the group back into the capitol where several brave souls ventured up the newly opened stairs to the dome, the very day the passage opened after undergoing renovations.

Rep. Pat George of Dodge City also greeted all those gathered, and offered a tour of the House and Senate floors.

Joshua Oberley, 15, of Dodge City, offered these thoughts on the rally: "It was a great turnout. A lot of people support the pro-life movement and came out to stop abortion."

As the sun set, 56 weary travelers headed west, their eyes once again tired but their spirits eager to continue the celebration of life they had just experienced.