The U.S. bishops are inviting the faithful to participate in nine days
of prayer, fasting and pilgrimage surrounding the 41st anniversary of
legalized abortion throughout the nation.
“We're all called to pray for the cause of life,” said Deirdre McQuade,
assistant director of policy and communication for the U.S. Bishops'
Pro-Life Secretariat.
“It's a beautiful effort,” she told CNA, stressing that “those
sacrifices and prayers make a difference” in building a culture of life
and changing hearts.
This is the second year that the bishops have held a 9 Days for Life
campaign. The initiative runs from Jan. 18-26 and will overlap with the
national March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22, the anniversary
of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case that mandated legal
abortion throughout the U.S. in 1973.
All people – regardless of whether they are able to attend the March for
Life – are welcome to participate in a nine-day novena for life through
their prayers and sacrifices, McQuade explained.
The bishops' conference has set up an online platform, 9daysforlife.com,
which includes email and text alerts as well as a phone application.
The social media hashtag #9daysforlife is being promoted during the
campaign.
Dioceses across the country will also host events such as Masses and
Holy Hours for those affected by abortion, as well as for pilgrims
attending pro-life demonstrations.
Cardina Seán O'Malley of Boston, chairman of the U.S. bishops' pro-life
committee, encouraged participation in the novena in a Jan. 16
statement.
He observed that modern American society “relegates abortion to a matter
of personal choice, often denying the integrity and even the
recognition of the personhood of unborn children.”
This tendency, he said, is reflected in the 55 million abortions
performed in the past 40 years and demonstrates what Pope Francis calls a
“throwaway culture.”
“However, we have great trust in God’s providence,” the cardinal reflected.
“By our participation in these 9 Days for Life, as we call upon the Lord
for the healing and conversion of our nation and those impacted by the
culture of death, we are also reminded – through the very act of prayer –
of our beautiful dependence on God and His deep love for each of us,”
he said.