ST. PAUL --A Hudson Catholic joined 190 riders on four buses that were handed a red rose by backers at St. Joan of Arc Parish in St. Paul, then trekked more than 1,000 miles to Washington D.C. to lobby for peace.

After walking miles to the vicinity of the nation's Capitol, then spending hours waving signs and listening to impassioned speeches while out in the cold, they rode back on Sunday. There was little sleep, no motel stays and only a stop to change bus drivers every four hours for these diehard believers in the value of peace.

"What I was most impressed about was how this brought people together," said Mary Verbelen of St. Patrick's Parish. "People wanted to know what brought you there, and there were (plenty of) smiles and (people asking) where we were from. In the people around me I did not see negativity. I think they just want peace."

Many people asked protesters such as Verbelen about the buttons they were wearing, which said "Code Pink," a hospital term for giving assistance to people in trouble. "They ask you to act as if the person in trouble is your own child," Verbelen said, adding the idea for the buttons came from the group Women For Peace.

Back in the upper Midwest, radio coverage mentioned counter-protesters, and Verbelen's group expected them, but didn't see any, she said.

There was one exception along the route walked to the Capitol, she said. A "professional looking" sign stated: College Republicans for Bush. We support our troops.

Seven men near the top of that five-story building waved signs such as "Go hope hippies." Other people with signs, in the same building, were cheering on the St. Paul group.

"I would have liked to have asked them where they are coming from," Verbelen said, keeping in mind the principles of respecting other people's opinions, then engaging in dialogue.

A number of people walking close to Verbelen with a large, dove-shaped float symbolizing peace left the parade briefly and stood near the college Republicans sign, without speaking.

Other than that, there were no incidents of confrontation of which Verbelen was aware. Some observers said that they saw just a few, which the media managed to capture with photographs, but that the event was orderly while being enthusiastic.

Still, the demographics of the college Republican group and hers made Verbelen think, "Who are we?" Most of the bus riders that she saw were either between 40 and 60 or much younger adults.

Many people think the idea is "try to talk to five people" and swing opinions one conversation at a time, rather than engaging in lots of short sound bytes, Verbelen said. "Others think that some topics are out of bounds. Most people said, 'Good for you, glad you are going to Washington.' But some said, 'Why are you doing this? What are you trying to prove?'"

Verbelen said she thinks it is good to talk about such matters, and since returning has pondered at length whether this will influence policy. "Maybe it will happen that there's enough bits and pieces, and maybe it will cause some other people to think," she said with hope.

The only view at the rally that disturbed her were the anti-Jewish speeches given by some Palestinian participants, Verbelen said. That unfortunate aspect showed that this peace rally was not just focusing on the proposed war against Iraq, she said.

The signs they saw being waved at the rally included "I won't give my blood for Exxon, Shell and Texaco," and "I wanted universal health care but all I got was this dirty Stealth missile."

The rally was scheduled to start at 11 a.m., but the buses dropped off their passengers shortly after 9 a.m. Protests were still going strong when the St. Paul contingent left at 5 p.m.

At one point, a nurse, who was part of an emergency crew, took the podium and spent about two minutes warning participants about the signs of hypothermia.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2003