Pro-life advocates across New Jersey are gearing up for the second annual statewide Mass, rally and March for Life on Sept. 25 in the state’s capital city.
The Mass for Life will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Saint Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton. It is being sponsored by the New Jersey Catholic Conference – the public policy arm of the state’s Catholic bishops – as well as the pro-life offices of the Dioceses of Camden, Trenton, Metuchen, Paterson and the Archdiocese of Newark.
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., of the Diocese of Trenton, will serve as the main celebrant. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney, bishop of the Diocese of Paterson, will be the homilist. New Jersey’s Catholic bishops, or archbishops, are set to concelebrate the Mass, including Bishop Joseph Williams.
The Mass will be followed at 11 a.m. by a rally at the Statehouse Annex, which is a few blocks from the Cathedral. At noon, there will be the March for Life, organized by New Jersey Right to Life and the National March for Life organizations, with support from dioceses in the state and other New Jersey pro-life organizations and groups.
The National March for Life has been gathering pro-life activists from all around the United States and beyond on or near the anniversary of Roe v. Wade since 1974, the year after the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion at the federal level. More recently, large state marches have been organized, especially in states where there are very few protections for the unborn.
Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, which shifted the abortion issue to the states, it’s more important than ever to gather for the Mass and march to show the state’s local leaders that New Jerseyans want to build a life- and family-affirming culture, organizers said.
Last year marked the first large-scale New Jersey rally and march in collaboration with the National March for Life team.
Saint Mary Cathedral is located at 151 N. Warren St. Bus travel to the Mass and following events is preferred due to parking and logistics for the day. For more information, including busing, visit camdendiocese.org/event/march-for-life-in-trenton-nj.
EmmaLee Italia is a contributing editor for The Monitor Magazine, the Catholic publication for the Diocese of Trenton.
More Online
Respect Life leaders discuss the upcoming Mass for Life and how to stand up for a life-affirming culture, on the upcoming Sept. 22 episode of Talking Catholic. Look for it at https://talking.catholicstarherald.org/
Watch 9/25 livestream: https://youtube.com/live/_0NOvrVZIA0?feature=share
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