Archdiocese of Washington to Host Annual Rally and Mass to Pray for End to Legalized Abortion
More than 26,000 Teens and Young Adults Expected to Attend
January 17, 2014
HYATTSVILLE, Md. – More than 26,000 Catholic teens and young adults from around the country will attend the annual Youth Rally and Mass for Life at two arenas in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22. They will pack the Verizon Center and the D.C. Armory to celebrate the gift of life and pray for an end to abortion.
Verizon Center
601 F St. N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
(Press entrance on 6th and G Streets Northwest)
7 a.m.: Doors open at Verizon Center
7:30 – 9 a.m.: Youth Rally and Concert
9 a.m.: Rosary
9:30 a.m.: Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wuerl and
bishops from around the United States
***Media are welcome at the Verizon Center but are required to be credentialed for this event. Please contact the archdiocese to RSVP.***
The rally marks the 41st anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States. It strives to encourage the youth participating in the national March for Life in their witness as disciples of Christ and promoters of the Gospel of Life. It is the largest annual archdiocesan event. Groups from 93 dioceses around the country will be represented at the two sites. The Archdiocese of Washington held its first Rally and Mass for Life 24 years ago.
Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, will be joined by cardinals, bishops and hundreds of priests from around the United States in celebrating Mass at the Verizon Center. Father Michael Paris, parochial vicar at St. Patrick parish in Rockville, Md., will deliver the homily. At the D.C. Armory, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston, will celebrate the Mass and the homily will be given by Father Adam Park, pastor at Epiphany parish in Washington, D.C.
Following the Mass, many of the bishops, priests and youth will participate in the National March for Life to the U.S. Supreme Court, which starts with a rally at noon on the National Mall. Following the rally, marchers will proceed along the customary route, walking along Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court.
Additionally, the annual National Prayer Vigil for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception will begin Jan. 21, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. with a solemn opening Mass in the Great Upper Church. Cardinal Sean O’Malley, archbishop of Boston, will be the principal celebrant and homilist. The National Prayer Vigil for Life is sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Pro-Life Secretariat, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and The Catholic University of America Office of Campus Ministry.
Groups from the Archdiocese of Washington are once again invited to the fourth annual Adult and Family Rally and Mass for Life on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, 1725 Rhode Island Ave. N.W. The rally will begin at 9 a.m. and feature Chad Judice, author of Waiting for Eli. Bishop Francisco González, S.F., auxiliary bishop of Washington, will celebrate Mass at 10 a.m.
Contact:
Office of Media & Public Relations
Secretariat for Communications
301-853-4516
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