This past October, a group of eleven Christendom students traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to take part in a pro-life door-knocking campaign with the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA). Coming up on the recent presidential election, the students worked to educate people on the abortion issue in America, trying to convince them to vote pro-life as well as recording people’s various responses.
Samuel Sproule, ‘25, is an ambassador for SBA, having worked with them over the previous summer, and he personally recruited nearly every Christendom student on the trip. The opportunity appealed to students for a variety of reasons, most especially their shared desire to support the pro-life cause.
Another participating student, Laine Clark, ‘25, remarked, “As a senior in college with one fall break left, I really wanted to do something meaningful; something that could make a difference. In the end, there is no current political cause more important than the pro-life movement. The lives of innocent children are at risk. Inside their mother’s womb is no longer safe. If even one life could be saved by this work, then it will have been worth it.”
The students worked eight hours a day, knocking on thousands of doors and helping inform people of the current problems America is facing with abortion, as well as recording their responses and working to help change their minds. Responses were varied, Sproule noted, with “some people receptive to the message, others argumentative, and others simply disengaged.”
In spite of some negative responses, the students were able to have meaningful and encouraging conversations. As Margaret Gaughan, ‘26, put it, “Door knocking was a very difficult but fulfilling experience.” Gaughan had a fruitful conversation with a pro-life couple in particular and was inspired by the wife who currently works in the medical field to protect the unborn.
Clark (center) with fellow Christendom student Cody Tucker (second from left), along with other students volunteering for SBA.
While many voters supported the pro-life cause, the students encountered and dialogued with others who had very strong opposing views. Clark spoke with one woman who believed abortion was necessary so long as it was restricted before the third trimester. Clark spent time discussing the issue with her, pointing out many programs available to aid pregnant women and alternatives to the evil of abortion. By the time they had finished chatting, the woman said she would be voting on a pro-life ballot to protect the unborn.
For Sproule, Gaughan, Clark, and their fellow students, the trip was a unique experience that prepared them to engage people politically and fight for the dignity and protection of the unborn. Trips like this one are not isolated opportunities for Christendom students. Through networking with organizations like SBA, the generosity of donors, and student-run initiatives, Christendom students can engage others on the issues that shape their community and their nation.
Sproule believes that his experience with the Legion of Mary club on campus, in particular, has given him invaluable experience in evangelization and speaking with others, even about controversial topics. Clark agreed with Sproule, believing her Christendom education has given her the skills to go out into the culture and impact it for the better.
“Christendom has prepared me to engage politically with others by cultivating an environment in which students can discuss and debate important issues, becoming firmer in what is true and learning how to defend it effectively,” says Clark.
The founder of Christendom College, Dr. Warren Carroll knew the crucial need for Catholics to be involved in every area of society. Students, like Sproule, Clark, and Gaughan, are already using their Christendom education to actively engage the culture on current issues and impact them for the better, fulfilling the college’s mission of “restoring all things in Christ.”
Contributed by Helen Davis ’25.