Pray for Life

PATERSON  The Bishops of New Jersey have designated Friday, Jan. 22 as a day of fasting and prayer to mark the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision, which made abortion legal.

To mark the grim anniversary, Bishop Kevin Sweeney is inviting all in the Diocese to join him in prayer during a livestreamed event at 7 p.m. on Jan. 22 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here with a limited number of young people from the city of Paterson joining in person. The evening vigil will feature Mass, a keynote address, witness talks and a holy hour with music. The livestream will be available on the Diocesan website (www.rcdop.org) and on its Facebook page.

“In conversations with youth leaders and other diocesan leaders, I felt it was important to do some­thing to give our youth and young adults an opportunity to come together in prayer even while we continue to respect and follow the guidelines and protocols to keep everyone safe during the pandemic,” Bishop Sweeney said. “When the Bishops of New Jersey decided to call for a day of Prayer and Fasting for Life, it seemed like the right time to not only bring together some representatives of our youth and young adult communities, but also to offer an opportunity for people throughout the Diocese to participate virtually in the vigil by livestream.”

Traditionally, the Diocese would participate in large numbers at the annual March for Life in Washing­ton D.C., the largest pro-life event in the world held on or near Jan. 22. By the busloads, the faithful in all three counties would take the day off to travel to the nation’s capital and march in the peaceful protest, standing up for life in the womb and ending abortion. Last year, it is estimated that more than 500,000 people took part in the March. This year, the March for Life is scheduled to be held Jan. 29 but due to the pandemic and for the safety of all, the Diocese will participate virtually. Sign-up information is available at marchforlife.org.

In previous years, diocesan high school students and youth ministries have actively been involved in the March and the pro-life movement. “In the past 20 to 30 years, the number of young people from across the country who attend the Annual March for Life in Washing­ton has shown us how young people have become active leaders in speaking out on behalf of the dignity and value of every human life,” Bishop Sweeney said.

On the same day as the national March for Life, Jan. 29, there will be virtual events for young people to join. There will be a Youth Rally and Mass for Life beginning at 8:30 a.m. Mass will be at 10 a.m. (youthrallyandmassforlife.org). The event will also be televised by EWTN. The Youth Rally and Mass for Life, traditionally held at the Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C., occurs in conjunction with the annual national March for Life. According to organizers, the rally strives to encourage youth participating in the March for Life in their witness as disciples of Christ and promoters of the Gospel of Life.

Throughout the Diocese, parishes will be observing the day to protect life with various events and activities. At Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Branchville, the parish will host a march and Eucharistic procession on Jan. 29 beginning at 10 a.m. along Route 206 with a police escort and prayerful procession through the town of Branchville. After the march, the parish will be showing two pro-life films.

Father Pawel Tomczyk, diocesan director of Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, youth ministry and chaplain at Fairleigh Dickinson and Drew Universities, said, “Young people are the future of the Church and our society. Their passion and enthusiasm are real and can make a huge difference in the world. Thus, by being actively engaged in efforts to protect life from conception to natural death, they give us reason to hope that one day we will live in the place where life is cherished and not destroyed.”

Now more than ever as the nation and some states move toward legislation that would make access to abortion easier and extend the timeframe for an abortion right to the moment of birth, the pro-life movement’s message to the nation of creating a culture of life is even more vital.

For the past several months, pro-life advocates in the state have been fighting to prevent the passage of the Reproductive Freedom Act.

In a statement on the proposed legislation, the state’s Bishops said: “The Catholic Church believes and teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death. For that reason, we, the Bishops of each of the dioceses in New Jersey, join in voicing the strongest possible opposition to the Reproductive Freedom Act. Without minimizing other serious threats to human life and dignity evident in contemporary American society, the Catholic Church consistently maintains that ‘the threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself, because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family, and because of the number of lives destroyed.’ (USCCB, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, Introductory Letter, 2020). When informed of the text of the USCCB document early in 2020, Pope Francis observed that the right to life of the unborn ‘is the most fundamental right. This is not first a religious issue; it is a human rights issue.’ (Pope Francis to American Catholic Bishops, USCCB Region IX, Jan. 16, 2020). As the Catholic Bishops of New Jersey, we urge all Catholics and people of good will to reject this proposed legislative initiative in our state and to contact your state legislators to vigorously express opposition to its passage.” There will also be a Rally for Life at

11 a.m., Jan. 22, at the State House Annex in Trenton. The rally will end with a peaceful March For Life through the streets of the state’s capital.

Also, on Jan. 22, Father Michael Rodak, pastor of St. Jude Parish in Hardyston, will celebrate a Mass for Life at 7 p.m. at Our Lady of the Magnificat Church in Kinnelon. In the past, Father Rodak would organize diocesan-wide buses heading to Wash­ington, D.C.