Concord, New Hampshire
The alarm clock went off at 5:30 AM early on Wednesday morning for the members of the St. Joseph Caravan. At 7:30 we reached Concord for a rally against same-sex “marriage” in front of the New Hampshire state capitol building. As we pulled the poles and banners from the back of the van, supporters of traditional marriage shouted their approval and waved their signs.
Then, we hurried to the capitol steps and unrolled the banners in the brisk morning air. Many local opponents of same-sex “marriage” came up to thank us for coming and also for the large, clear, straightforward banners. One reads simply: “God’s Marriage = One Man + One Woman.” The other says “New Hampshire Supports Traditional Marriage.” The blue and red block letters can be read from quite a distance.
Throughout the rally, which attracted over 500 pro-family Americans, there was a line up of speakers, lots of applause and everyone enjoyed signing God Bless America. About half way through the rally, pro-homosexual protesters disrupted the rally using a loud bull horn without a permit. We expected the police would intervene and stop the noise. However, the pro-homosexual activists carried on until a supporter of traditional marriage took his cardboard sign and covered the bullhorn. That diminished the sound interference, but a little while latter, dozens of pro-homosexual advocates trooped down the sidewalk and stood on the fringes of the rally shouting at us. A woman dressed as a witch and wearing a pentagram was among their number.
As the rally wrapped up we met a gentleman who told us how he had met the TFP twenty years earlier on the University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst during a signature campaign for the freedom of Lithuania from the Soviet Union. Also, a state representative stopped to talk. He said that the homosexual movement was emboldened by the fact that socialism is on the rise worldwide. Mr. John Ritchie agreed but told the representative, “Don’t be intimidated by the homosexual lobby.” To which he responded, “Me intimidated! No chance of that.”
Back to the Streets
After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we unfurled the standard and got the bagpipes ready at one of the busiest intersections in Concord. Immediately, a man shouted from his car “Courage! Courage! Courage!” Then the honks began. Many of the pedestrians walking by motioned with their hands like they were honking a horn and shouting “Honk, Honk.”
One man with gray hair in a ponytail drove by infuriated by our campaign. He shouted: “Your God is a God of hate. My god loves everyone including gays. One TFP member responded, “Does your god love pedophiles?” Instead of answering, he shouted insults. Just at that moment the car behind began to honk in support drowning out the vulgarities. Mr. Kenneth Murphy refers to this as the “story of the caravan” since it happens so regularly. Insults and vulgarity seemed to be the tactic of choice for supporters of homosexual “marriage” – insults and more insults, but very few arguments.
Bible Desecration
One furious homosexual “marriage” advocate tore up a Bible in our faces while he cursed. According to TFP Student Action volunteer James Bascom, “It was shocking to see this fellow just tearing up the Bible, throwing its pages in our face. Thank God, we are not intimidated by this type of anti-Catholic hatred. Our resolve to defend traditional marriage is only strengthened. With every insult, our desire to promote the truth of God marriage grows ever stronger.”
The torn pages of the Bible fluttered about all over the intersection, blowing in the wind. Other pro-homosexual individuals nearby held a rainbow flag while the desecration took place. One of them laughed and said: ‘I smoked a joint (drugs) with pages of the Bible.’”
As the traffic began to slow, we wrapped up that campaign with a prayer and headed off to a Panera Bread which would serve as a temporary office for our artist/sign maker/video producer Mr. Alvaro Zapata. In a few hours, he put together the video of the Bible desecrating incident that you can see here. Meanwhile, the rest of us hit the closest busy intersection. Even before we had the banners up people started honking.
On the Road to Maine
Dinnertime was fast approaching, and we were starved. Luckily, we could look forward to a dinner with a Rosary Rally captain in Manchester. After a hearty meal, we looked at pictures and videos of the days events together.
Keep praying for us.
How to Support the Caravan
If you wish to support this vital endeavor with a gift, please click below.
If you would like to make your contribution by mail, please send a check payable to TFP Student Action and mail it to:
TFP Student Action,
1358 Jefferson Rd.
Spring Grove, PA 17362.
Thank you and God bless you!