{"id":140073,"date":"2026-01-19T14:02:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T14:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/140073\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T14:02:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T14:02:16","slug":"thousands-expected-at-the-walk-for-life-west-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/140073\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands expected at the Walk for Life West Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n \"Jim
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

By Jim Graves<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

Jan 19, 2026 \/
\n 06:00 am<\/p>\n

Thousands are expected at this year\u2019s Walk for Life West Coast, which will be held in the streets of downtown San Francisco on Saturday, Jan. 24.\u00a0The event is in its 22nd year and previously has drawn crowds as large as 50,000.<\/p>\n

Major features of the event include a rally at the City\u2019s Civic Center Plaza beginning at 12:30 p.m. followed by a 1.8-mile walk to Embarcadero Plaza beginning at 1:30 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rally speakers include filmmaker and podcaster Jason Jones, Spokane pregnancy center director Glendie Loranger, pro-life advocate and convert to the pro-life cause Elizabeth Barrett, and Baptist pastor Clenard Childress.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an effort to bequeath to our children a civilization of love and life,\u201d said Jones, who is attending the walk for the second time and his first as a speaker.<\/p>\n

\"JasonJason Jones, president of The Vulnerable People Project, filmmaker, and podcaster. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Jason Jones<\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 motivation to join the pro-life movement, he explained, dates back to his \u201cirreligious\u201d teen years when, at age 16, he learned he had impregnated his girlfriend.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He joined the U.S. Army upon turning 17 as a way to support his child, only to learn that his girlfriend, due to pressure from her father, had had a late-term abortion.\u00a0He recalled: \u201cIt was insane.\u00a0Even as an uneducated high school dropout, I could see that abortion was unspeakably evil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones began his pro-life activism while stationed in Hawaii, later becoming a prominent pro-life advocate in the media and participating in the production of pro-life films such as \u201cBella\u201d in 2006.\u00a0His chief activities today include serving as president of The Vulnerable People Project, through which he defends \u201cthe most vulnerable across the globe, from the unborn to persecuted minorities in war zones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jones said he is excited about the progress the pro-life movement has made in recent years, particularly after the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs decision that overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision striking down the nation\u2019s anti-abortion laws.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe abortion establishment is a billion-dollar industry fighting for its life.\u00a0They\u2019re at the end of their rope,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cThe pro-life movement, conversely, is vibrant, lively, spirited, and diverse.\u201d<\/p>\n

He lamented that the pro-life movement \u201clacks the political power it should have\u201d but noted that much of the efforts of pro-lifers are directed at operating pro-life pregnancy centers at the local level.\u00a0Their work, he said, is \u201cthe biggest untold story in American history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Jones is a Catholic convert living in Texas and is married with seven children.\u00a0Of his faith, he remarked: \u201cI\u2019m so glad I\u2019m Catholic.\u00a0Whether it be dehumanizing ideologies that lead to abortion or other evils, our faith inoculates us and enables us to see the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Catholic schools and parishes<\/p>\n

Participating in the walk annually are groups from Catholic schools and parishes.\u00a0Among the most prominent participants are students from Thomas Aquinas College (TAC) in Santa Paula, California, which this year will turn out over 250 walkers.\u00a0These include senior Patrick Daly, a regular walk participant during his college years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really cool to see the number of people who make the trip to San Francisco from long distances, especially high school students,\u201d Daly said. \u201cThe younger generation tends to lead the walk, which gives it a lot of energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Walk for Life West Coast in downtown San Francisco is in its 22nd year and has drawn crowds as large as 50,000 in past years. | Credit: Francisco Valdez<\/p>\n

(Story continues below)<\/p>\n

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Daly also said each time he walks the experience is \u201ceye-opening\u201d and \u201crekindles the fire against abortion.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noted that unlike many political demonstrations that can be loud, vulgar, and violent, in contrast the West Coast Walk for Life is peaceful and joyful, with participants singing the \u201cSalve Regina\u201d or praying the rosary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful experience.\u00a0We\u2019re not there to fight or to yell.\u00a0We humbly walk and ask God to intervene on behalf of our nation, that we develop a greater respect for human life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Daly acknowledged that the political culture of San Francisco is at odds with the pro-life beliefs of Catholics, but added: \u201cWe\u2019re bringing a Christian influence on an evil city.\u00a0It is a special walk in a broken place.\u201d<\/p>\n

TAC sophomore Basil Gutch is another repeat walker, annually participating because \u201cit is a way to share my beliefs in a community setting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbortion is a modern-day holocaust.\u00a0It hits close to home when I realize that a third of my generation has died by abortion.\u00a0Also, the abortion industry is corrupt, selling dead fetuses for experimentation.\u00a0When we walk, we wrestle with its grave evil and pray for it to end,” he said.<\/p>\n

Gutch noted that in last year\u2019s walk residents approached his group seeking to dialogue about abortion \u2014 both from curiosity and trying to convert his group to a pro-choice view.\u00a0He continued: \u201cWhile there were people who were yelling pro-choice slogans at us as we walked by, these conversations were surprisingly civil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other activities<\/p>\n

Other activities for the Walk for Life West Coast include a Silent No More Awareness Campaign led by Georgette Forney and Frank Pavone of Priests for Life from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.\u00a0The event precedes the rally and features testimonies of individuals harmed by abortion.\u00a0There will also be an Info Faire on the Civic Center Plaza, in which pro-life groups share information about their activities.<\/p>\n

Additionally, there will be a series of events on the Friday before the walk and the day of the walk.\u00a0Friday events include a Walk for Life prayer vigil at St. Dominic\u2019s Church at 5 p.m. followed by Mass, a Holy Hour, and confessions, and adoration for life at Sts. Peter and Paul Church from 8 to 10 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"ArchbishopArchbishop Salvatore Cordileone has attended previous Walk for Life events. This Saturday he will preside at a Mass at St. Mary\u2019s Cathedral at 9:30 a.m. | Credit: Dennis Callahan<\/p>\n

Saturday events include a Walk for Life Mass with San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone at St. Mary\u2019s Cathedral at 9:30 a.m. and a Traditional Latin Mass at the Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi at 5 p.m.\u00a0Star of the Sea Parish will host a barbecue and all-night adoration for life beginning at 5 p.m.\u00a0For a complete list of activities, visit the event website at www.walkforlifewc.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Organizers request that participants register for free on the website.\u00a0The site includes helpful information on such topics as parking, public transportation, and accommodations, as well as a code of conduct for the walk.<\/p>\n


\n \"Jim
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Jim Graves is a Catholic writer and editor living in Newport Beach, California. He previously served as Managing Editor for the Diocese of Orange Bulletin, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Orange, California. His work has appeared in the National Catholic Register, Our Sunday Visitor, Cal Catholic Daily and Catholic World Report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Jim Graves Jan 19, 2026 \/ 06:00 am Thousands are expected at this year\u2019s Walk for Life…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":140074,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[18223,70833,101,103,102,104,106,105,70832,8074],"class_list":{"0":"post-140073","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco","8":"tag-catholic-news","9":"tag-prolife","10":"tag-san-francisco","11":"tag-san-francisco-headlines","12":"tag-san-francisco-news","13":"tag-sf","14":"tag-sf-headlines","15":"tag-sf-news","16":"tag-walk-for-life-west-coast","17":"tag-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}