Right to Life Events in January

By Amanda Jensen
Office of Family Ministry & Respect Life

This January 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, January 22, 1974, 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. Forty-nine years later, 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 and attendance grows every year. This year, multiple busloads of youth and adults will again be traveling to Washington D.C. to the National March for Life, from the diocese, schools and youth groups across the state.      

The exception to the annual tradition of the national pilgrimage was in January 2021. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, attendance at the national March for Life was very 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, which consisted of Mass celebrated with Bishop Kagan at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, a march to the N.D. State Capitol following Mass and then a rally featuring Senator Kevin Cramer and a moment of silence for the 60+ million babies lives lost. More than 1,500 people attended.     

Local March for Life on Jan. 21

On Friday, 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 North Dakota March for Life. It will begin with Mass at 10:30 a.m. at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit celebrated by Bishop Kagan, a march (or drive) to follow to the N.D. State Capitol steps with programing at 12:30 p.m. to include a keynote speaker and a period of silence for those silenced by abortion over the past 49 years. All are invited to participate and attend in any way possible. 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 the diocesan website).

N.D. Right to Life Rally Jan. 23

The North Dakota and Bismarck-Mandan chapters of Right to Life will host their annual pro-life event at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 23. They will gather at the capitol steps, followed by an open house at Zion Lutheran Church in Bismarck (use the south door). This event is open to the public. For more information, contact Virginia at [email protected].   

9 Days for Life Novena

Finally, you are invited to pray to protect human life in the 9 Days for Life novena, from January 19-27, 2022. 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.