FALL RIVER, Mass. — When it came to being a voice for the voiceless, his heartstrings were stronger than the netting attached to a basketball rim. For Ricky Landais, a junior hoops standout at Bishop Connolly High School, attending the March for Life in Washington, D.C. on January 22 was something he felt he had to do — even if it meant missing an important varsity basketball game against Dighton-Rehoboth High School, and possibly diminishing his team’s chances of an important win. Landais is the Mayflower One League’s leading scorer, averaging nearly 22 points per game.

“Ricky came to the meetings we held at Connolly to inform students about the march and he felt a strong obligation to go,” said Deacon Anthony Cipriano, a religion teacher and campus minister at the Fall River school. “But he was struggling with the fact that he would miss a key basketball game.

“I told him to look at the big picture and to follow his heart.”

Landais knew he had to go and opted to make the trek to march for the unborn. “The trip really opened Ricky’s eyes,” added Deacon Cipriano. “His heart was on fire seeing young people his age marching, chanting and singing for the most vulnerable of human beings — the unborn. “

“This trip has made an impression on me that I will never forget,” Landais told The Anchor. “It was overwhelming to see all those people, many of them my age, marching and yelling to protect the unborn. I truly enjoyed it and wouldn’t trade that experience for the world.”

Landais said he was “oblivious to what abortion really was,” before he learned about its evils in lessons by Deacon Cipriano and Connolly principal Michael Scanlan. “When I heard what the abortion process really entailed, it killed me inside,” said Landais. “I never understood it before, and didn’t think it really pertained to me. But those lessons really opened my eyes. A friend of mine and I went online to learn more about the issue and I knew I had to go to Washington to be part of the march.”

One obstacle standing in Landais’ way was a very important game against D-R scheduled for one of the nights the Pro-Life pilgrims would be away.

“Deacon Tony told me to follow my heart,” said Landais. “I had to make a choice, and I knew the correct choice was to stand up for the unborn.”

Landais admitted that some of his teammates may not have understood his decision, but he had their support and that of his coach Bill Shea, and that of the Connolly athletic director, Frank Sherman who also attended the march.

It turned out that Dighton-Rehoboth High School agreed to reschedule the game for a few days later.

“Once the game was rescheduled, some other athletes wanted to make the trip as well, but by then in was too late,” said Deacon Cipriano.

The trip for Landais was an incredible learning experience.

“When I walked into the Verizon Center for the Mass, I was overwhelmed by how many people were there praying and praising God for the gift of life,” Landais recalled. “But when we finally hit the streets, and I saw them closed off to traffic and filled with thousands of Pro-Life supporters it was unbelievable. I saw a man there in a wheel chair, I believe he was a quadriplegic, and thought he possibly could have been aborted, but there he was supporting life. It hurts to think of how many good people were aborted and what they could have become.”

Landais realizes that education is the key to ending the evil of abortion. “More people, including the young and the adults, have to know what abortion really is,” he said. “When more people realize this, then more will stand against it. I wish I could spread the word and have more people my age understand this.”

Landais and Cipriano agreed that the bus trip home was filled with prayer and conversation about what an incredible experience the march was. “When we went down there, everyone was separated — seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen,” said Landais. “But on the ride home, we were all one family. I never felt such a bond with people as I did on the bus trip home. They were all my brothers and sisters sharing the same concern for life. I would definitely do this again.”

“For many kids, the March for Life is a life-changing experience,” Scanlan told The Anchor. “It shows them that others have the same concerns and that they can become activists and can create change. The fact that Ricky’s coach and teammates supported his choice was a beautiful example of how as Catholics we have to prioritize things in our lives.”

Michelle Landais, Ricky’s mom, also made the trip as a chaperone. “I thank Ricky for opening my eyes to what abortion really is,” she told The Anchor. “He taught me how evil it is and now I’m a part of those who will fight for the unborn in any way I can. Women must be told before they get an abortion what is really happening. These babies are not ‘mistakes,’ nor should they be ‘terminated,’ as some women are told. This was an incredible experience for both of us and I’m very proud of Ricky.”

God gave Ricky Landais the talents to shine on a basketball court. And the young man decided to give back a little and become an active advocate for the most defenseless of all of God’s creatures. For someone so young, Landais has a very mature grasp of what being a true Catholic is all about, and that demonstrates his talents aren’t limited to the hardwood.

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