Catholicism and the March for Life are getting unexpected media coverage thanks to a roadside Mass for stranded March participants.

On Friday, Catholic students returning from the 43rd annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. found themselves stranded in Pennsylvania. Rather than despair as they began a nearly 20-hour ordeal, students from Iowa and Missouri teamed up to create a sign of the faith that has media outlets humming.

Iowans and Missourians were not alone in their troubles or their proclamation of faith. Groups from Missouri, Nebraska, Kentucky, South Dakota, North Dakota, Ohio and Minnesota were also reportedly stuck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike from Friday evening through Saturday, according to various media reports, and at least one more Mass was held.

While pro-life outlets like Breitbart, The Stream, Aleteia, The Washington Times and LifeSiteNews (disclosure: This author is employed by LifeSiteNews) readily connected the Mass to the March for Life, they were not alone. NBC’s Philadelphia affiliate and other secular outlets in Pittsburgh, North Dakota, Iowa, South Dakota and Florida all mentioned that the Mass was celebrated by groups heading back from the March for Life. The Mass was covered by WGN TV in Chicago, though the March for Life was not mentioned.

Multiple outlets in Iowa and Pennsylvania covered the Mass and the Catholics’ return from the March, including the Des Moines Register.

National outlets like ABC, USA TODAY, The New York Times and CNN highlighted both the Mass and from whence the stranded motorists had come. The Times’ article led with reference to the March and the returning Catholics, and dedicated several paragraphs to the Catholic travelers.

Liberal news/commentary website Mashable also tied the roadside Mass to the March.

It wasn’t just the Mass that received coverage, however. Many outlets reported on positive spirits by the young Catholics, often through Facebook.

“This is the best March for Life adventure ever in my life. I will never forget this,” wrote Angelus Virata, a graduate student in Catechetics and Evangelization at Franciscan-Steubenville, on her Facebook page. “It’s been a beautiful night with a full moon and stars galore.”

While Virata told The Stream her group was too far away to participate in the Mass, Students for Life of America’s Wisconsin Regional Coordinator was not. In a blog post, Maddie Schultie said that “hundreds of youth built a snow alter [sic] … and came together to celebrate the beautiful Mass.”

Schulte described the circumstances as “a once in a lifetime experience. I was touched by the positive attitudes, love, and worship that each and every student expressed. I put my trust in God and I know he has a plan for us. The Lord and I know what this generation is capable of doing, and I can’t wait to witness the storm that we will make!”

The March for Life itself received relatively muted coverage from non-conservative outlets, though several top mainstream outlets highlighted the March. The Washington Post ran an advance article about the Evangelicals for Life conference tied to the March, and an article about the March itself — though the Post’s headline called tens of thousands of marchers a “small, faithful crowd” and failed to mention “thousands” of marchers until the third-to-last paragraph.

The New York Times likewise ran an advance article and one on the day of the March, though its day-of article’s headline said “hundreds” of people marched. USA TODAY ran two articles the day of the March, tying the event to states of emergency being declared in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

Networks covered the March for just 14 seconds on Friday morning, all on ABC, just hours before the march began, according to Newsbusters. And The Stream was unable to find coverage of the March on the day it took place by CNN or The Wall Street Journal.

The Stream was unable to determine the full extent of March coverage on the day of the event; analysis may come from the Media Research Center, which typically analyzes network and other coverage of the March.