North Dakota March for Life leads Right to Life events in January

Jan. 22 will be the 49th anniversary of the 1973 United States’ Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in all 50 states. Since that tragic day, more than 62 million babies have lost their lives. One year later on the first anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, the first March for Life was organized to lobby Congress to find a legislative solution to protect the unborn with the intention to continue marching until the Roe v. Wade decision was overturned. It hasn’t happened yet, thus, there continues to be a March for Life in our nation’s capital. Here, tens of thousands of people peacefully gather to defend the unborn and proclaim every human being’s right to life.

The Diocese of Bismarck has had a strong and continuous representation at the National March for Life in Washington D.C. for many years with groups from across the diocese attending. This pilgrimage and commitment to defend life is now a tradition. Attendance grows every year. This year, multiple busloads of youth and adults from the diocese, schools, and youth groups will again be traveling to Washington D.C.   
   
The exception to the yearly tradition of the national pilgrimage was in January 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance at the National March for Life was limited. This presented a need for a local option. To encourage the pro-life movement, a group of diocesan and school leaders from across the state came together to create the first-ever North Dakota March for Life. It consisted of Mass celebrated with Bishop David D. Kagan at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, a march to the North Dakota State Capitol, a rally featuring Senator Kevin Cramer, and a moment of silence for the 60+ million babies lives lost. More than 1,500 people attended. 
   
On Jan. 21, the Diocese of Bismarck will co-sponsor, along with the University of Mary, Knights of Columbus, and a number of other pro-life people and organizations, the second-annual North Dakota March for Life. It begins with Mass at 10:30 am at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit with Bishop David D. Kagan celebrating, a march (or drive) to the North Dakota State Capital steps with programing at 12:30 p.m. to include a keynote speaker and a period of silence for those silenced by abortion.

All are invited to participate and attend. For more information on how to participate, to register, and to check for frequent updates, visit the Diocese of Bismarck website at bismarckdiocese.com/ndmfl. In the case of inclement weather, we will announce alternative plans via this website.

You are also invited to pray to protect human life in the 9 Days for Life novena, from Jan. 19-27. Each day contains prayers, intentions, a short reflection, and suggested actions to help build the culture of life. The novena can be viewed, downloaded, and printed at respectlife.org/9-days-for-life in both English and Spanish. You can also sign-up to receive daily emails or text messages at respectlife.org/9-days-signup.

Thank you for your continued prayerful protection of the invaluable gift of human life!