And although different in scale, there were so many similarities between our event in Santa Fe and the national event in DC.

• People of all faiths marching together for life, marriage, and the family; people of all ages and persuasions; pregnant moms, strollers, families, and kids of all ages; young and old alike.
• People in the front of the march looking back and not being able to see the end of the march.
• People in the back of the march not being able to see the front and having to wait a long time to even get started. (When we had completely encircled the plaza, people were still coming out of the Cathedral!)
• At the rally, people so far from the podium, they couldn’t hear the people speaking. (we’ll work on that for next year.)
• The signs (printed and homemade), pictures, and images throughout and the people at the end of the procession not getting signs. (we may never have enough signs, but we’ll try.)
• People praying, chanting, singing, and witnessing to life in their own way; a beautiful discordant harmony.
• People sitting on the floor all over the Cathedral. (They had better seats than I did.)
• Buses from all over! Los Lunas, Rio Rancho, Espanola, Tijeras, ABQ, Bosque Farms
• The priests, deacons, religious, and our brother pastors from other denominations.
• All night adoration at multiple locations in the city.

I was so blown away by so much! Bishop Olmsted’s homily – right on! – Evangelium Vitae Article 58! My favorite article – the Pope John Paul II the Great telling it like it is…and Bishop Olmsted telling it like it is! Thank you Bishop for coming the longest distance of anyone to be there with us!

And of course, Our Lady of Guadalupe Missionary Image leading us surrounded by our teens taking turn carrying her. OLG was everywhere I turned throughout the entire event. Thank you Bishop Ramirez; the down syndrome story was beautiful and said it all! And the pink and blue balloons let loose at the rally! Were they cool or what

I am most appreciative of those who saw me and said “thank you, Father.” But you know what? Thank you everyone! All 3,000 who came to Santa Fe and the many thousands who couldn’t come but prayed with us and for us. Thank You all!

I want to give special thanks not only to my entire Project Defending Life ministry team from both ABQ and Santa Fe, but special thanks to Msgr Jerome and his Cathedral Staff as well as Fr Leo Ortiz and his staff who hosted the teen event the night before.

Much thanks to Sgt. Lopez and the Santa Fe police. It was great, wasn’t it Sgt! And so were you good folks!

And I was so proud of my brother Knights of Columbus who came from all over the state and were all over the event from feeding us to leading us at both Masses to marshaling us through the streets.

Pastor Redmond and William Sharer (Bill and Bill), and Pastor Mike Naranjo…thank you for being such an inspiration…and bringing so many of our brothers and sisters out to join us! Can’t wait till next year, but I pray there is no need for next year.

And finally thank you to Archbishop Michael for saying yes, yes, yes! Next year we’ll get you a bullhorn.

I love you all because you love life as I do. Continue to pray, sacrifice, and work hard. If we have to come back next year on Friday, January 22, 2010; let’s shut the city, state, and country down – a day of no work, a day of prayer, fast, and witness in the streets by all who love life!

Father Stephen Imbarrato