Pilgrimages planned to Washington, D.C.; events taking place in St. Louis
St. Louis Catholics are preparing to head to Washington, D.C., next month for the 46th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., in January. The march observes the anniversary of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Roe vs. Wade decision, which made it unconstitutional to ban abortion. Hundreds of thousands of individuals, including several contingents from the St. Louis Archdiocese, are expected to attend the march and rally, which will be held Friday, Jan. 18.
• More than 2,400 young people will be representing the archdiocese during the Generation Life pilgrimage, sponsored by the archdiocesan Office of Youth Ministry, Wednesday-Sunday, Jan. 16-20. Separate programming tracks will be held for eighth-graders and high school students.
Teens will meet at one of several satellite locations in the archdiocese on Jan. 16 and will unite in Washington, D.C., for the Generation Life program. Archbishop Robert J. Carlson is expected to celebrate Mass for the entire group Jan. 18 before heading to the National Mall for the march. Updates from Generation Life on social media and the Youth Ministry Office’s blog can be found at genlifestl365.com.
• Applications are being accepted for the annual Missouri Life Caravan to Washington, D.C., Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 17-19. Buses will leave from various sites in the St. Louis metro area the morning of Jan. 17. The caravan will meet at the Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France (Old Cathedral) before departing for Washington, D.C. The group will travel overnight and arrive in the nation’s capital the morning of Jan. 18. From there, Missourians will have the chance to meet with senators and congressional representatives from Missouri before attending the march. The group will leave after the march and travel overnight, arriving back in St. Louis on Jan. 19.
Cost of the trip is $205 per person. Participants must be at least 7 years old, and youths ages 7-18 must be accompanied by an adult chaperone. The cost will increase to $220 per person after Dec. 21. Payments and registrations must be received by Jan. 2. For more information, call Missouri Right to Life at (314) 434-4900, email mrl.eastern@yahoo.com, or visit www.missourilife.org.
Other events taking place in the Archdiocese of St. Louis:
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Convent, located across the street from Planned Parenthood in St. Louis, provides prayer and witness near the abortion clinic. Staffed by the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, the convent offers a place for prayer, Mass and adoration, and hospitality for prayerful witnesses in front of the abortion clinic. On Friday, Jan. 11, the sisters will host adoration at 11 a.m., followed by noon Mass and lunch afterward. To RSVP, call the archdiocesan Respect Life Apostolate at (314) 792-7555.
• A Young Adult Pro-Life Holy Hour will take place on Thursday, Jan. 17, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. Open to young adults, the evening will begin with dinner and fellowship at 6 p.m. in Boland Hall, followed with 7 p.m. eucharistic adoration, Rosary and confessions at the cathedral basilica. Afterward, the group will return to Boland Hall to hear a pro-life speaker and enjoy dessert. For more information, contact stlya@archstl.org or (314) 792-7555 for details. The event is organized by the archdiocesan Respect Life Apostolate and Office of Young Adult Ministry.
• Father Anthony Weick, SJ, will celebrate the annual Roe vs. Wade Memorial Mass at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. The Mass, organized by the archdiocesan Respect Life Apostolate, memorializes babies who have died, and all those whose lives continue to be affected by the effects of abortion and Roe vs. Wade. Prayers will be offered for the protection of all unborn children who are in danger of abortion; for wisdom, strength, and fortitude for their mothers and fathers; for the conversion of all those who participate in the abortion industry; and for parents, families and friends who have suffered as a result of an abortion, that they may find hope and healing.
The Mass is preceded by a rose procession, which remembers those who have been lost to abortion since 1973. After Mass, a Rosary procession to Planned Parenthood will take place. The Rosary procession will return to the cathedral basilica and conclude with Benediction. The Respect Life Apostolate is seeking volunteers born between 1973 and 2018, as well as a mother due in 2019, to participate in the rose procession. For more information, call (314) 792-7555.
