The melodic voices of 32 University of Northern Colorado students wafted through the predawn of Oct. 1 as they sang the Divine Mercy Chaplet. These students, part of Catholic Campus Ministry, had a mission–a peaceful pro-life demonstration.

As they sang, they planted 3,300 crosses in the west lawn of the University Center. Two large posters explained that the crosses represented the number of babies killed every day through abortion.

Planting crosses was only one event of the ministry’s Life Week. Rick Hoines-Brumback, university staff advisor, brainstormed his idea a few weeks before Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 4, with the ministry’s director of development, Sunny Longenbaugh. He called on her because the event hadn’t been budgeted and he needed funds.
Sunny’s excitement for Life Week encouraged him to develop the idea further. Once Rick received clearances from the university legal department, the university and campus police, the ministry’s student leadership team took over. One student spearheaded each event, took care of details and got the word out.

On Monday non-Catholics joined the Catholic Campus Ministry in BEARfoot for Babies, a silent campaign. “Bear” represents the UNC mascot. About 150 students, faculty and staff vowed to go barefoot for a week in support of aborted children who will never walk. Even Greeley’s St. Mary’s School eighth-graders proudly wore ankle socks inscribed with “BEARfoot for Babies.”

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Tuesday evening found students gathered to paint and staple the crosses made from 6,600 paint sticks donated by Sherwin Williams. Sunny and her husband cut and prepared the sticks beforehand. To raise additional funds, crosses were sold for a dollar all over the country. Purchasers inscribed the crosses with slogans, names of people suffering from abortion experiences or the word “Angels.” Rick said cross sales were aimed to bring in enough to help the event break even. 

 On Wednesday evening, 65 people met to participate in an outdoor rosary made from luminaries which lit up the university’s Turner Green. 

 Thursday found the students planting the crosses that would remain until 7 p.m. that night. High winds played havoc over the display. By afternoon, some crosses in the first few rows lay flat on the ground. The torn explanation posters were replaced by smaller papers. Many students stopped, read and contemplated. 

 “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Lovett Uduebor, a one-semester exchange student from North Texas University. “That’s really powerful.”

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