US bishops announce nationwide Prayer Vigil for Life
Caroline MolloyCatholics across the country are invited to participate in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)’s National Prayer Vigil for Life, scheduled for January 23-24, 2025.
The vigil, organized by the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, involves praying for an end to abortion and the rebuilding of a culture of life in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, which overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed the states to decide their abortion policies.
“I enthusiastically invite Catholics from all around the country to join me in-person or virtually, in praying for an end to abortion and building up a culture of life,” Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, the committee’s chairman, said in a November 22 press release.
The National Prayer Vigil for Life is hosted by the USCCB’s Pro-Life Secretariat, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and The Catholic University of America’s Office of Campus Ministry in Washington, D.C.
“Together, we must pray to change hearts and build a culture of life as we advocate for the most vulnerable,” Bishop Thomas said. “I look forward to opening our Vigil with Holy Mass together with many other bishops, hundreds of priests, consecrated religious, seminarians, and many thousands of pilgrims.”
The Vigil begins on the eve of the March for Life, which marks the anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Bishop Thomas will celebrate the opening Mass at 5 p.m. January 23 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
