Each year on the 22nd of January, all Dioceses in the United States are called to observe a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. January 22nd is the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decisions that legalized abortion throughout our nation. Since then, over 60 million lives have been lost. That’s more than the size of Italy’s population.
Please join us this coming Friday January 22nd at 9:00 am, for a livestream Rosary for the End to Abortion. We will set aside a day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life. It is also a day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion. As Catholics living in the United States, we are each called to observe this day through the penitential practices of prayer, fasting and/or giving alms.
On Saturday January 23rd, at 10:00 am, there will be a livestream Mass for the Protection of the Unborn 2021, held at The Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. His Excellency Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron will be the Celebrant.
The act of abortion rejects God’s gift of life. Abortion destroys the life of a child, lovingly knit together in his or her mother’s womb, and for someone who has participated in abortion, the loss of a child can form a hole in their heart so deep that sometimes it seems nothing can fill the emptiness. As a human and Christian family, we grieve the loss of so many lives. And yet, even in our grief, we know there is hope.
Christ came for the very purpose of redeeming our sins, offering us His forgiveness, and giving us His peace. Jesus comes to free us from the bonds of sin. And there is no sin that is beyond God’s mercy. It is never too late to seek the Lord’s mercy and healing through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. His greatest desire is to forgive us, pouring out His infinite mercy upon us so that we may be healed.
We are all sinners. But with the grace of God, we can become saints. We can be lights to the nations, sharing the truth about the irrevocable dignity of the human person. Where sin abounds, God’s grace abounds all the more. Therefore, let us take courage and offer prayer and penance, that all human life would be welcomed in love and protected in law.
On a different note, Monday January 17th, at 11:00 am, there will be a livestream Memorial Mass for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. If you plan on attending the Mass at the Cathedral, please note seating is by reservation. Please go to our website for further details.
May the Lord’s blessings be upon each of us this day and forever,
Anna Romano
Liturgy Coordinator