A Michigan Area Dame was recognized at the American Association’s 2026 Pilgrimage for Life as one of the five original “Frozen Chosen” who debuted the event in 2013.

The Michigan Area has long been active in the Order’s annual Pilgrimage for Life in Washington, D.C., and this year was no exception, with Michigan Area members making up a quarter of the 85-member pilgrimage group. Among them: Peggy Stanton, DM, one of the “Frozen Chosen.”

The story of the Pilgrimage for Life is well known to pilgrimage veterans: Karen Dutkowsky, DM, a convert to Catholicism, was part of the 2009 Investiture class. Then-Archbishop Timothy Dolan, as chaplain of the American Association and new archbishop of New York, was the featured speaker at the Investiture. While the archbishop gave Order of Malta members “A’s” for leading a pious life and serving the sick and poor, he concluded that the Order was not doing so well with one of its core charisms: Defense of the faith.

“The archbishop said, ‘I just don’t see you out there’” witnessing to the faith, recounted Dr. Joseph Dutkowsky, KM, Karen’s husband. “That ‘F’ burned in Karen. As a Dame, she had to address this.”

Although the Dutkowskys had participated in the March for Life many times, often shepherding “busloads” of young people, Karen believed it was essential for members of the Order “to be there witnessing to the sanctity of life as the Order of Malta, not just as individuals,” her husband said.

Karen wrote to Archbishop Dolan, advocating for the Order to have a presence at the March for Life. A week later, she was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Karen wrote the archbishop a second letter, telling him of her diagnosis, but added that the Order still needed to be at the March for Life and that she would lead the effort.

The pilgrimage faced some concerns initially that participation at the March for Life might be interpreted as a political statement. But with support from Cardinal Dolan, then-Executive Director Jeff Trexler, and then-Association President Jack Pohrer, GCM, the Pilgrimage for Life is now a recognized event of the Order, with the sanction of the Order’s Sovereign Council in Rome. Participants are recognized with a medal, similar to the medal that Order of Malta members receive for making the Lourdes Pilgrimage.

The first Pilgrimage for Life group included the Dutkowskys and their daughter Kendra; Jack Pohrer; and Peggy Stanton. Dubbed the “Frozen Chosen,” the group started a tradition that continues today, with prayer, service, and fellowship. Although Karen died in 2016, the Pilgrimage for Life continues and has grown far beyond the initial attendance of five people.

As in past years, the 2026 pilgrimage began the day before the March for Life, with the Order of Malta group meeting for reflection and prayer with the Sisters of Life. At that evening’s Mass for Life at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, members of the Order assisted congregants with disabilities, including a group of Down’s Syndrome children taking up the gifts at Mass.

On the day of the march, the group again met for Mass, where Peggy Stanton and Joe Dutkowsky proclaimed the readings. At a breakfast at the Army and Navy Club afterwards, Joe told the story of how Karen launched the pilgrimage, and he honored Peggy as a member of the “Frozen Chosen.”

A veteran journalist who has worked in print, radio, and television, Peggy Stanton, DM was the first woman to serve as news correspondent for ABC-TV in Washington, D.C. She is the author of numerous articles and books, including From the White House to the White Cross: Confessions of a TV News Correspondent. A longtime program host on Ave Maria Radio, she launched the “Malta Minute with the Catechism” series, on which her latest book, Order of Malta Minutes with the Catechism: A Pocket Guide to the Catechism, is based.

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