Pro-life marchers carry a banner reading “Every baby is somebody’s grandchild” at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2023. / Credit: Katie Yoder/CNA
Washington D.C., Jan 19, 2024 / 10:15 am (CNA).
The 51st annual March for Life kicks off today, Jan. 19, almost two years after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that legalized abortion across the nation.
Follow along here for live updates on the march. All times are in U.S. Eastern Standard Time:
Jan. 19, 8:50 a.m.
The first attendees arrive at the 51st annual March for Life despite the snow.
The first attendants have started to arrive at the March for Life. The snow will not stop this celebration. #ewtnprolife #whywemarch pic.twitter.com/sx7eu1c8Tw
— EWTN News (@EWTNews) January 19, 2024
Despite snow coming down in DC, pro-lifers are adding extra layers bundling up—nothing will stop the March for Life! #whywemarch #ewtnprolife pic.twitter.com/TFvn4VnBAW
— EWTN Pro-Life Weekly (@EWTNProLife) January 19, 2024
Jan. 19, 6 a.m.
The second annual Life Fest kicks off with musical group Damascus Worship hitting the stage at the D.C. Armory in our nation’s capital. Life Fest is hosted by the Sisters of Life and Knights of Columbus.
Damascus Worship takes the stage – kicking off the second annual Life Fest! This event, put together by the Sisters of Life and the Knights of Columbus, takes place right before the March for Life. #whywemarch #ewtnprolife 📹@imrosellereyes pic.twitter.com/oia8bH7RvK
— ChurchPOP (@Church_POP) January 19, 2024
Speakers at Life Fest include Sister Pia Jude and Sister Luca Benedict — Sisters of Life who also happen to be twin sisters — Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Sarah Kroger, Monsignor James Shea, and more.
Hundreds of people bask in the Real Presence attending Eucharistic adoration at the 2nd annual Life Fest #whywemarch #ewtnprolife pic.twitter.com/lbfwnsUtVH
— EWTN News (@EWTNews) January 19, 2024
The relics of the Ulma family are also available for veneration at the event. Polish couple Jozef and Wiktoria and their seven children, including an unborn baby, were killed by Nazis for sheltering Jews. The family was beatified on Sept.10, 2023.
Relics of the Ulma family, Jozef and Wiktoria and their seven children, including an unborn baby, who were killed by Nazis for sheltering Jews, were available to venerate at Life Fest. The family was beatified on September 10, 2023. #WhyWeMarch #ewtnprolife pic.twitter.com/sjLFir20dI
— EWTN Pro-Life Weekly (@EWTNProLife) January 19, 2024
Religious orders and seminarians are out in force this morning and first to arrive to Life Fest! “These are not summer soldiers” said Brother Athanasius, 24. #WhyWeMarch #MarchForLife #ewtnprolife @cnalive pic.twitter.com/xKYABcVA4h
— Peter Pinedo (@Pete_Pinedo) January 19, 2024
Jan. 18, 5 p.m.
Thousands of pilgrims from across the nation gather at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., for the opening Mass in the National Prayer Vigil for Life. The main celebrant of the Mass is Bishop Michael Burbidge of the nearby Arlington Diocese, head of the USCCB’s Pro-Life Activities Committee.
It was standing room only at the basilica as young people fill both the upper church and lower church as well as the side chapels.
At this year’s March for Life vigil Mass in Washington, D.C., Burbidge calls on those gathered in the packed basilica to “bring light to the darkest corners.”
It’s standing room only at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the national prayer vigil! The upper church and lower church, along with side chapels, are filled with pro-lifers who will be at the March for Life tomorrow! #whywemarch #ewtnprolife pic.twitter.com/lubx7U1xcX
— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) January 18, 2024
“Like Jesus, it is not enough to reserve our message for those who will readily receive it and to pursue victories only in those places where we are likely to win. We must persist in those places where our message is rejected. We must bring light to the darkest corners,” he says.
Bishop Michael Burbidge, head of the USCCB’s Pro-Life Activities Committee, leads a Eucharistic procession after celebrating Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the eve of the March for Life. #WhyWeMarch #ewtnprolife pic.twitter.com/EahwSBl7wR
— EWTN Pro-Life Weekly (@EWTNProLife) January 18, 2024