Bishop Gregory Parkes will celebrate the first-ever Diocesan Mass for Life with youth from around the Diocese of St. Petersburg on Friday, January 22 at 10:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle, St. Petersburg. January 22^nd is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the U.S. Our youth will not be attending the National March for Life this year due to COVID. All are invited to participate via livestream: 

dosp.org/livestream, facebook.com/diostpete and youtube.com/dioceseofstpete.

The organizers for the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. announced that the 2021 rally would take place in a virtual format. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities has issued a statement about the change and invited participation in the virtual format:

“As long-time participants in the annual March for Life, my brother bishops and I commend the march organizers for their concern for the lives and safety of all participants. The countless, peaceful, pro-life marchers who would normally gather each year should not be put at risk.

“Peaceful prayer and witness must and will continue this year—just in a different format. I have the honor this year of opening the March for Life Virtual Rally in prayer, so please join me at  https://marchforlife.org/2021-virtual-events.

“In preparation for the virtual March for Life, and in observance of the annual Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children on January 22, I invite you to join many thousands of Catholics praying a nationwide novena from Thursday, January 21 through Friday, January 29. You can receive daily intentions, brief reflections, and suggested actions by signing up for 9 Days for Life. As part of this novena, dioceses nationwide are live-streaming Masses, Rosaries, Holy Hours and more for the protection of human life. Please join us in prayer.”

In the Catholic Church, a ‘novena’ consists of prayers over nine successive days. This pro-life novena is an opportunity for recollection and reparation in observation of the anniversary of Roe v. Wade—the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal throughout the United States.

The overarching intention of the novena is the end to abortion. Each daily intention highlights a related topic and is accompanied by a reflection, educational information, and suggested daily actions. The novena encompasses the annual Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children on January 22.

All are invited to sign up. Participants can receive the novena in English or Spanish via email or text message, or access it online. Participants can share their pro-life witness and invite their social networks to pray on social media with the hashtag #9DaysforLife. A leader’s kit is available, and features the daily prayer intentions and reflections, among other resources. A press kit is also available.

Sponsored by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, 9 Days for Life began in 2013 in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.

For additional information and updates throughout the novena, please follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The Diocesan Mass for Life is made possible by generous donors of the Annual Pastoral Appeal.