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Sex, drugs and rock and roll are surefire ways to get teenagers’ attention, but it’s the repercussions of those activities that can have a lifelong impact. 

That’s what 300 Catholic teenagers and adult chaperones who packed the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Little Rock learned during the return of Weekend for Life Jan. 21–22.

The overnight "lock-in" event for high school students focuses on right-to-life issues through a teen perspective and includes icebreakers, praise and worship music by Team Jesus, a teen band based at Christ the King Church in Little Rock, keynote speech, prayer, skits and dance.

It was the first time since 2020 that the diocesan Youth Ministry Office was able to host the event after it was canceled because of COVID-19 pandemic precautions the past two years. 

This year’s featured speaker was Julia Holcomb Misley, who, in 1973, as a 16-year-old became a girlfriend and eventual ward of Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler, then 25, so that he could take her across state lines when his band was on tour. During their relationship, she became pregnant, but he convinced her to have an abortion. 

Once she did, she discovered Tyler was seeing other women and their relationship ended. Soon after, she met and married Bradley Misley, her husband of 40 years. She converted to Catholicism and became a mother of seven and a staunch pro-life activist. 

“I hope these teens are encouraged that life is a treasure and a gift that they should protect and guard and that the Church is a wonderful strength and a force for good,” the 65-year-old told Arkansas Catholic after her speech. “I also hope that they will never forget that in their weakest moments, when they need mercy the most and they're the most afraid to ask for it, that Jesus is there and he loves them and he forgives them. I want to encourage women and men who have committed serious sins to never fear to approach the sacraments or to return to Christ. He's merciful and loves us.”

Gillian Lachowsky, 18, co-chair of the diocese’s Youth Advisory Council and member of St. Mary Church in Altus, was inspired by Misley’s message.

“It’s insane that any of that even happened to her, and the fact that she was able to take all the bad things that have happened and use it for good in this kind of setting is just amazing,” she said. “It's awesome what God can do in such a bad situation. It just really helps to have these kinds of events that you can go to and have people praying with you and for you and have speakers that have really experienced issues in that area.”

Zachary Ellis, 16, a member of Our Lady of the Holy Souls Church in Little Rock, said he knows people who have gone through the struggles of whether or not to get an abortion. Being at Weekend for Life with like-minded teens is reassuring and comforting, he said.

“Each life is sacred from in the womb to on the deathbed, and I don't think it's right for any of us to take that away,” he said. “In normal day-to-day life, you don't see a lot of people that are really on fire for their faith, but just being able to come here and see just how many people there are just in your state alone who really love God and love life and just want to show that love, it's really great.”

On Jan. 22 the teens and chaperones attended the Eucharistic Procession and Mass for Life at the Statehouse Convention Center.

Liz Tingquist, director of the diocese’s youth and campus ministry offices, said at its peak Weekend for Life attracted 600 teens each year, but that number had slipped to about 400 before the pandemic. Because previous attendees have graduated, encouraging teens and their youth groups to attend was a challenge. 

“Now that they have experienced a wonderful Weekend for Life, they will go home and talk about it and more will want to participate in our statewide events in the future,” she said. “Some are already talking about how they just haven't had these experiences and they want to do this again. They’re ready to come to the annual Catholic Youth Convention in April.”

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A roar went up on the state Capitol grounds and echoed off of surrounding buildings Jan. 23, when Gianna Jessen, featured speaker for the 45th Annual March for Life, led the crowd in a shout of victory.

“We won! We won in his name! The people of God are here to shout victory! Shout as loud as you can,” Jessen implored on the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in the Roe v. Wade case to federally protect abortion access. 

On June 24, the Supreme Court reversed the ruling, ending a near half-century of federal protection and sending the issue to the states to determine legality. In 18 states, including Arkansas, abortion was outlawed or restricted while others have made or are making access to abortions codified. 

In the first Mass for Life since the court’s ruling, pro-life advocates from around the state gathered for the annual Eucharistic Procession and Mass for Life Jan. 22, sponsored by the Diocese of Little Rock’s Respect Life Office, and the March for Life, sponsored by Arkansas Right to Life, which started at Capitol Avenue and State Street and ended with a rally in front of the Capitol.  

“Roe is no more,” Arkansas Right to Life president Andy Mayberry said as he opened the rally, which featured Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge, U.S. Reps. French Hill and Bruce Westerman and several of the state’s constitutional officers. 

The sense that a major milestone was reached and should be acknowledged and celebrated permeated the weekend’s events, however there were several reminders that the right to life movement needs continued involvement to achieve all of its goals. 

While abortion “leaves a wound that just won’t heal,” Bishop Anthony B. Taylor reminded the more than 450 Catholics who attended the Mass for Life that the Church teaches that people should be cared for from “womb to tomb” and immigration, health care and the death penalty are pro-life issues worth fighting for. 

“We’re not just anti-abortion,” he said. “We’re pro-life on every matter that touches on our God-given dignity as human beings created in the image and likeness of God and redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ: in the womb and throughout life, all the way to natural death.”

The diversity within the diocese was on display at the Eucharistic Procession and Mass for Life. Knights and dames of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and Knights of Columbus processed in their regalia. Stops during the procession were manned by members of the Church’s Hispanic community as well as the Igbo Catholics from Nigeria. 

After the Mass, people raced to the corner of Capitol Avenue and State Street for the eight-block March for Life.

At the following rally, Gov. Sanders told the crowd that she first attended the March for Life with her parents 30 years ago and that she is “thankful for the lessons they taught that every life matters, every life has value, and we must do what we can to protect life at all stages.”

As the first woman and mother to serve as the state’s governor, she said, “We must do better to protect those who can’t protect themselves. Every life is a gift from God.” 

Just weeks after winning her first term, with a wink and a smile, she added, “As your governor for the next eight years, I’ll continue to ensure that Arkansas remains the most pro-life state in the country.” 

Jessen, the march’s keynote speaker, who has been lauded by Pope Benedict XVI and St. Teresa of Kolkata, gave a rousing speech marked with equal parts preaching and joking quips.

“I’m here to stomp on the devil’s face,” she exclaimed as she began. “Y’all thought you were going to a rally, but you’re going to church.”

Jessen was born April 6, 1977, at just 29.5 weeks and 2.5 pounds. When she was nearly eight months pregnant, her birth mom, then 17, had a saline abortion that was supposed to cause a miscarriage within 24 hours. It didn’t work and left the child with what she calls “the gift of cerebral palsy.” 

Jessen was put into foster care and became an anti-abortion advocate after her adoptive mom revealed her life experiences.

“What happened to me doesn’t define me. He defines me,” she said as she pointed to the sky.

Due to her condition, Jessen said growing up she was often told what she was never going to be able to be or do. 

“Disabled? Will not be able to get out of bed? Did that,” she said.

She compared those who said her quality of life would be impacted and lessened by her condition to Adolf Hitler.

“Who are you able-bodied person to determine my quality of life?” she asked. “In Jesus, we get the ultimate quality of life. 

“Pray and pray and never give up,” she said. “Nothing is impossible with God.”

Julie Jasper, director of the handbell choir at Mary Mother of God Church in Harrison, which provided music for the Eucharistic procession, said this was her first Mass for Life. 

“It's not always easy for us to get down to Little Rock, but we were just honored to be a part of it all,” she said. “This just gave me a whole new appreciation for the Blessed Sacrament. This is my first time coming to the Mass or the March for Life, and I’m like, ‘What have I been missing out on?’” 

Catherine Phillips, director of the Diocese of Little Rock’s Respect Life Office, said the weekend provided a great balance of recognizing accomplishments while outlining the work that still needs to be done.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that 20 states have outlawed abortion. This article has been updated.

Respect Life events in the Diocese of Little Rock and across the country will take on a different meaning this year. Participants will mournfully remember the millions of babies lost to abortion on this 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States in 1973, but they will also celebrate the court’s surprise overturning of Roe, last June, the fulfillment of a half-century of prayers to end federal legal protection for abortions. 

The court’s ruling pushed the issue back to the states, with 18, including Arkansas, banning or restricting the procedure while others have made or are making access to abortions codified. 

In 2019, Arkansas was the fifth state to pass a “trigger law,” which would put forth a total ban on abortion in the event Roe v. Wade was overturned. During a press conference June 24, the day of the court’s ruling, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge certified the law, making abortion illegal in Arkansas.

“There is this sense of, ‘Yay! We accomplished this change in legislation that we had been working for, praying for,’” said Catherine Phillips, director of the Diocese of Little Rock’s Respect Life Office. “We can give thanks to God for the fact that abortion is illegal in Arkansas, but also recognize what we need to do, how we need to support life in every stage, in every circumstance. 

“There's a renewed sense of call to action,” she said. “How can we better support people? This is the one opportunity that everyone in Arkansas, all Catholics and our guests, have to come together and give thanks to God for the gift of life, to celebrate life and to pray about how we can build a culture of life together.” 

Nine Days for Life

Thursday, Jan. 19 – Friday, Jan. 27

Nationwide

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities is sponsoring the Nine Days for Life campaign, a novena for the respect and protection of all human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. Participants can download the novena or sign up to receive the daily prayers, in English or Spanish, accompanied by a short reflection, suggested actions, and related information via email or text message at respectlife.org/9-days-signup.

“It's designed to call attention to a consistent ethic of life, that we believe that every single person's life should be respected, protected and cherished, across the lifespan in all circumstances,” Phillips said. “You can get the novena of prayers on the USCCB’s social media, directly to your email inbox, and of course, we promote them on our diocesan website.”

Hearts for Life Adult Pro-Life Conference

Saturday, Jan. 21, 5-8 p.m.  

St. John Center, Little Rock

The evening before the Mass for Life, a free, pro-life conference for adults will be held at St. John Center. It will include dinner and guest speaker Jennifer Briselden, a former campus minister at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith and director of youth ministry at Christ the King Church in Fort Smith who now lives in Atlanta. 

“It's a free event, and it includes a taco bar supper,” Phillips said. “We are really excited to talk about how we embrace the challenge of being pro-life post-Roe in Arkansas and how we can be more sensitive and responsive to the needs of others.”

Overnight accommodations, which include breakfast, are available for out-of-town guests at the St. John Center for $25 a person.

Weekend for Life 

Saturday, Jan. 21 – Sunday, Jan. 22

DoubleTree Hotel, Little Rock

The overnight "lock-in" event for high school students, sponsored by the diocesan Catholic Youth Ministry Office, focuses on right-to-life issues through a teen perspective and includes praise and worship music, prayer, skits and a dance. This year’s featured speaker is Julia Misley, who, in 1973, as a 16-year-old became a girlfriend and ward of Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler. During their relationship, she became pregnant, but he convinced her to have an abortion. Afterward, she converted to Catholicism and became an pro-life activist. Misley is currently suing the rockstar for alleged sexual assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. 

“We still have to keep young people aware of right to life issues,” said Liz Tingquist, director of the Catholic Youth Ministry Office. “I still think the right to life movement should be womb to tomb. It should be the seamless thread of what it is to be pro-life. So, in that regard, we have a whole heck of a lot of work to do.”

For more information on the Weekend for Life, call the Catholic Youth Ministry Office, at (501) 664-0340.

Eucharistic Procession for Life

Sunday, Jan. 22, 10 a.m.

DoubleTree Hotel, Little Rock

The Eucharistic Procession for Life will begin at 10 a.m. on the plaza in front of the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Little Rock, process through Riverfront Park and finish at the Statehouse Convention Center where the Mass for Life will be celebrated at noon. 

“All are invited to walk with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and give witness to the Real Presence of our Lord who brings light to the dark corners of our world,” Phillips said. “The Weekend for Life youth will be joining us for the Eucharistic procession. We come back to the convention center, we'll have time for adoration, some music, and we'll pray a rosary.” 

Mass for Life

Sunday, Jan. 22, noon

Statehouse Convention Center, Little Rock

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will celebrate the annual Mass for Life Sunday, Jan. 22 in the Wally Allen Ballroom at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. 

“We want to celebrate the gift of life and the human dignity of every person and remember the millions of babies lost to abortion on this 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision,” Phillips said. “Sadly, abortion still happens here in Arkansas with people leaving (the state) to have abortions elsewhere or obtaining abortion pills. We still have a lot of work to do to support people who find themselves in very challenging pregnancies or difficult circumstances. Even a child who's diagnosed in utero with a profound disability is still a gift. God still has a plan for that baby. There are other answers besides abortion.” 

March for Life

Sunday, Jan. 22, 2 p.m.

Downtown Little Rock

On the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States, Arkansas Right to Life is sponsoring the 45th annual March for Life in downtown Little Rock. This year the march will follow a longer route, beginning at Capitol Avenue and State Street and proceeding eight blocks to the state Capitol. Abortion survivor Gianna Jessen will be the keynote speaker.

Rose Mimms, executive director of Arkansas Right to Life, expects many of the state’s elected officials to join thousands of Arkansans in the peaceful and prayerful march dedicated to protecting all human beings threatened by abortion, infanticide and euthanasia.

“The demand for abortion has not changed in Arkansas or in any other state,” Mimms said. “Today it's illegal in Arkansas. What will be tomorrow? There's already plans in the General Assembly to weaken the law by adding exceptions, and then there's those forces out there that want to flip us completely back to abortion on demand. So, it's a constant battle. We're going to have to fight to keep our state abortion free.

“We're looking forward to it. We draw several thousand people from all over the state, and I expect our numbers will be higher this year just because everybody is very happy that we're not killing babies in Arkansas anymore.”

While there were some whispers that this might be the final March for Life in Little Rock, Mimms said that’s not the case.

“As long as the Arkansas Right to Life board wants a March for Life in January, there'll be a March for Life in January,” she said. 

For more information on the March for Life or to volunteer, call (501) 663-4237 or email artl@artl.org.

For more information on diocesan respect life events, contact the Respect Life Office at (501) 664-0340.

Kneeling on the stone-tiled floor of the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, 19-year-old April Conant’s hands were upturned in praise, as she, under her mask, mouthed the words to “Rest on Us,” while youth from Team Jesus performed. Next to her, donning a matching black mask, Darci Contreras, 18, also sang along.

The two did not know each other, but each came to the eucharistic procession and Mass for Life for the first time. 

“Just to pray over the pro-life movement in a way I haven’t done before,” said Conant, a University of Central Arkansas in Conway student and member of the Students for Life chapter. She said the last station of the procession was the most powerful, as that song had popped in her head that morning. “I think it’s also to show others this isn’t just a movement for older people, adults. This generation cares for life.” 

The annual Mass was celebrated by Bishop Anthony B. Taylor and concelebrated by Father Mark Stengel, OSB, Jan. 16. Seminarians and deacons Danny Hartnedy and Richard Papini assisted. It is hosted annually by the diocesan Respect Life Office.

Attendance at 100 people was slightly higher than last year, but much lower than the typical 800 people who attend the Mass. In the past, teens from the youth retreat Weekend for Life made up a large portion of attendees. The retreat was canceled this year due to the surge in the omicron variant of COVID-19. .

This year marked the 49th anniversary of the federal Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion. 

In Bishop Taylor’s homily, he invited the crowd to focus on two “overlooked truths” — life is still sacred after birth and no child in the womb will be safe “until we reject everything that threatens human life or degrades human dignity.” He emphasized the sacredness of immigrants, death row inmates, the poor, those with addictions, the elderly, as well as children in the womb, and to reject societal norms like contraceptives. 

“God’s gift of life is sacred, regardless of a person’s usefulness to society. It doesn’t become sacred once a mother chooses to carry her baby to term — and not if she doesn’t,” Bishop Taylor said. “It’s sacred already, regardless of what anybody thinks. If you cut away any part of the seamless garment of the Gospel of Life, it all begins to unravel.” 

Respect Life Office director Catherine Phillips described the Mass attendees and the roughly 50 people who processed before the Mass as “small, but mighty.” Ten people attended the Hearts for Life conference the night before, despite the winter weather. 

“God moved their hearts and they responded to his invitation to show up,” Phillips said. 

With temperatures in the 30s, the faithful processed for about an hour, praying as the Eucharist was carried in the monstrance. The route was less than a half-mile through Riverfront Park and began with music from Little Rock’s Cathedral of St. Andrew choir. 

Stations included prayer and music from the Igbo Mass community, Team Jesus from Christ the King Church in Little Rock, Filipina Community from Little Rock and St. Jude in Jacksonville, Knights of Columbus Council 812 and Students for Life. 

“We have to do what is right and pray for life,” said Contreras, a parishioner at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Glenwood, adding that for young people, “It’s a journey toward sainthood. We want to be saints and help them strengthen their faith toward God.” 

Tarah Verkamp, an intern for the Respect Life Office, organized this year’s procession. Verkamp, 22, said as society continues to be more sexualized, the pro-life movement promotes dignity. 

“It’s important for people to know there’s another side to the story and people to help,” she said. 

Congregants gathered for adoration and rosary before Mass, led by Matthew Phillips and Angela Owen. Music for the Mass was provided by the bilingual choir of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Little Rock, directed by Elizabeth Reha.

Friends Matthew Connolly, 40, and Emiliano Bell, 33, from New Jersey, attended the Hearts for Life Conference, the Mass and the annual March for Life in Little Rock, hosted by Arkansas Right to Life. They have been traveling for the past 10 months to pro-life events across the country. Bell, who has arthrogryposis, causing his joints to be locked, was abandoned as a newborn in a dumpster in Mexico. He was adopted by a U.S. family. 

“Because no child, no baby belongs in the garbage can. Also, one never knows if that child might become the future president, the future Pope or just change the world in in their own quiet way,” Bell said of why the pro-life message is close to his heart. “It was great to be here.”

In a time when the pro-life cause is vital for society’s survival in every stage of life with the continuous threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, abortion, death penalty and euthanasia, the Diocese of Little Rock will gather for the annual Mass for Life Jan. 16 to pray for change. 

“We hope that people have been vaccinated and boosted, but we realize that some people have not been able to do that. And we want to make it as safe an environment for everybody as possible,” said diocesan respect life director Catherine Phillips. 

The Mass will not be livestreamed. “But we also still want to have this Mass and Bishop Taylor’s very excited to preside at this Mass so we can all come together and celebrate the gift of life that we've been given and to pray for an end to everything that promotes a culture of death, all the evils in our world.” 

It is the 49th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the U.S. 

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will celebrate the Mass at noon at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock, where masks and social distancing will be encouraged. 

Phillips said chairs will be spaced more than usual between rows and seats, with people or families easily able to move chairs to space out more. Parking is accessible for a small fee at the DoubleTree Hotel and in the parking garage across and down the street from the convention center at 201 Main Street. Metered parking is free on Sunday. 

Because of the surge of the omicron variant, the annual youth Weekend for Life retreat was canceled. 

The annual eucharistic procession will start at 10 a.m., with the faithful processing for about an hour led by the bishop with the Eucharist. Music at the start will be provided by the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock led by Beau Baldwin.  

The route is less than a half-mile, starting in the front of the DoubleTree Hotel and winding through part of Riverfront Park. There are six stations along the procession that will include prayers and music, led by various groups and ministries. 

“Some choose to bring other elements into it. For example, the Igbo community is hosting a station, and they plan to have some of their lively music and cultural clothing which proclaim that we're one Church united in faith with proclaiming a consistent ethic of life that every life is valuable, at every stage, in every circumstance,” Phillips said. 

The procession will end at the Statehouse Convention Center where participants will gather for adoration before Mass and music from the Our Lady of Good Counsel bilingual choir. While the procession is handicap accessible, those that cannot participate in the whole procession can participate in the stations toward the end close to the center. There will also be music inside for those who wish to sit in praise and prayer during the procession. Extreme weather will move the procession inside. 

Youth group volunteers from St. Mary and Immaculate Heart of Mary churches in North Little Rock and students from North Little Rock Catholic Academy will lead the faithful in a rosary before Mass.

The 44th annual March for Life, hosted by Arkansas Right to Life, will take place in downtown Little Rock at 2 p.m. starting behind the State Capitol at West Capitol and Wolfe Streets. Father Taryn Whittington, associate pastor at Christ the King Church in Little Rock, will be a speaker. 

If a person is sick or immunocompromised, they are advised to stay home. 

“Cases are spiking, omicron is causing more anxiety and making us more aware that the pandemic is still real and with us, and we want people to guard their own health and take precautions to guard the health and safety of our brothers and sisters out there,” Phillips said, calling it “a pro-life issue.” 

If a person is unable to attend in-person, other activities like the livestreamed National Prayer Vigil for Life Jan. 20-21 in Washington, D.C., National Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children Jan. 22 and Nine Days for Life Novena Jan. 19-27 can be opportunities to pray for pro-life causes. 

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While the activities surrounding the annual Mass for Life at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock Jan. 17 were scaled back, the pro-life message came through just as strong as the value and brevity of life hits close to home during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor opened his homily with a quote from John F. Kennedy, the country’s first Catholic president, just days before the country’s second Catholic president, Joe Biden, is to be inaugurated. 

“Kennedy asserted one Catholic truth in his inaugural address when he said that the principles for which our founding fathers fought was the idea that our rights come not from the generosity of the state, but rather from the hand of God. And why do I bring up this higher call as we mark the 48th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade? Because our right to follow our conscience and live according to that higher law continues to be under attack in various sectors of life,” Bishop Taylor said. 

Hosted by the Diocese of Little Rock Respect Life Office, the Mass for Life was livestreamed on YouTube, with about 75 in attendance following mask and social distance protocols. It was the first Mass Bishop Taylor has celebrated at the Cathedral since contracting COVID-19 Dec. 10. Concelebrating Mass were Fathers Jack Vu, rector of the Cathedral, Aby Abraham, IMS, associate pastor, and Mark Stengel, pastor of St. Benedict Church at Subiaco Abbey.

The annual eucharistic procession, Hearts for Life Conference and the youth Weekend for Life retreat were canceled this year. The March for Life, hosted by nonprofit Arkansas Right to Life, was postponed. 

Respect life director Catherine Phillips told Arkansas Catholic Jan. 11, “We hope that even if people attend Mass at their own parish that day, they might watch the video later. Certainly we hope people read Bishop Taylor’s homily.”

Hollie Snowden, Cathedral parishioner and religious education coordinator at Holy Family Parish in Jacksonville, attended with her daughters Samantha, 16, and Melodie, 8. 

“I am an advocate for anything pro-life, I absolutely despise abortion,” Samatha Snowden said. “I feel like it’s more normalized now than it was before; it’s easier, it’s more accessible for young girls, especially teen moms because they push it on you.” 

In the January Respect Life Office newsletter, Phillips detailed a frantic call on New Year’s Eve from a mother of a 1-year-old daughter, who was kicked out of her home for refusing to have an abortion. 

“I don’t get a call every day,” she said of a woman in a crisis pregnancy, “but every day the abortion facility is open. Every day Planned Parenthood is open and women go there to access services. The main reason they tell us they do (have an abortion), they feel like that’s the best thing for their baby because they don’t feel like giving birth in the world and the challenging circumstances that are their daily reality is a good option.”

Bishop Taylor emphasized that even if the Supreme Court overturns Roe vs. Wade, abortion laws will fall to the states and women will travel out of state or have “back alley” abortions. 

“Merely changing laws will not put an end to abortion. The only lasting solution is to change hearts. And we will only change our hearts when we begin to embrace a consistent ethic of life,” Bishop Taylor said.

He pointed to the connection of all pro-life issues, including euthanasia, doctor-assisted suicide, capital punishment, access to universial health care, embryonic stem cell research and an economic system that kills. 

“If life is sacred, then immigration, when necessary, becomes a pro-life issue. This planet belongs to all of us, as is welcoming refugees and working to end gun violence and unemployment, and on this Martin Luther King weekend, racism. If life is sacred, then feeding the hungry and giving shelter to the homeless are pro-life issues,” Bishop Taylor said. 

Hollie Snowden said of the homily, “I feel like the anti-abortion message could have been stronger.” Cathedral parishioner John Fournier, who attended the Mass with his son Chip, a senior at Catholic High School, said, “All souls are important, especially the unborn. Like the bishop’s sermon reminded us, all life is important. I liked his quote from President Kennedy. I think that’s something we should be reminded of, that all rights come from God.”

Father Stengel, who recently recovered from COVID-19, said he attends annually, but this year, “I recognized the value of my own life, how precious it is, then in thanksgiving that I didn’t have a serious case of it.” 

Phillips said the responsibility of wearing a mask and doing our part to combat coronovirus is also a pro-life issue. 

“It’s important we give thanks for our lives and our blessings. It’s important we grieve the loss of those that have died. I read the statistics back in the summer that more people die per minute from COVID in the U.S. than from abortion, and that’s so sad,” Phillips said. “If we can’t think of this as a pro-life issue, I think we’re missing the point.”

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor delivered this homily Jan. 17 for the Mass for Life.

On Jan. 20, 1961 — almost exactly 60 years ago — John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the first and, until three days from now, only Catholic president of our country. At the time many people worried that he and other Catholic politicians would not be able to keep their religious faith from influencing the decisions they would make once in office. Subsequent history shows that they needn't have worried.

Even so, Kennedy asserted one Catholic truth in his inaugural address when he said that the principle for which our founding fathers fought was the idea that our rights "come not from the generosity of the State but rather from the hand of God."

Why do I bring up this higher law now as we mark the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade? Because our right to follow our conscience, to live according to that higher law, continues to be under attack and after five decades of effort, our efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade have proven futile. Maybe the newly constituted Supreme Court will do something here, but I wouldn’t bet on it. And even if, God willing, Roe v. Wade were overturned, it would only reduce the number of abortions, not put an end to them. The issue would devolve to the states and many women would travel to get abortions or resort to back alley abortions once again.

Merely changing laws will not put an end to abortion; the only lasting solution is to change hearts. And we will only change hearts when we begin to embrace a consistent ethic of life. Denying Communion to politicians who oppose us in matters of public policy on this or any other topic misses the mark, even in the preeminent matter of abortion. Who are we to judge the state of another person’s soul?

I'm sure most of you remember Pope Francis’ visit to the United States in 2015. I was there and I treasure the powerful pro-life witness that was at the heart of most of his talks and homilies. Over and over again he called for a consistent ethic of life rooted in the sacredness of human life from the first moment of conception to natural death and every stage in between. When speaking of specific pro-life issues, he insisted that everything is connected — thus bridging the American political divide between those are passionate about abortion but weak when it comes to social justice and those who are passionate about social justice but weak when it comes to abortion. 

Abortion is clearly the most depraved expression of what Pope Francis calls our “throw-away culture” and nowhere does he imply a false equivalence of all the myriad threats to life, but neither does abortion as an issue stand alone, as some would have us believe. In his homily to us bishops at St. Matthew Cathedral in Washington, he specifically linked “the innocent victims of abortion” to many other pro-life issues. 

Pope Francis said, “The innocent victim of abortion, children who die of hunger or from bombings, immigrants who drown in the search for a better tomorrow, the elderly or sick who are considered a burden, the victims of terrorism, wars, violence and drug trafficking, the environment devastated by man’s predatory relationship with nature — at stake in all of this is the gift of God, of which we are noble stewards but not masters. It is wrong to look the other way or to remain silent.” 

We are here today because we are not willing to look away or remain silent when it comes to abortion. Pope Francis is challenging us not to remain silent on any of these other areas either.

This teaching regarding a consistent ethic of life did not begin with Pope Francis. In 1995 Saint John Paul II issued a powerful encyclical titled “Evangelium Vitae” (abbreviated EV, The Gospel of Life) in which he emphasizes fostering a culture of life based on the teaching of Jesus in the New Testament and he insists that human life and human dignity must be protected from conception to natural death. This Gospel of Life that we proclaim places the sacredness of the human person at the center of our teaching and thus touches every aspect of life — in the womb, at the end of life and every stage in between (EV 37). 

If life is sacred, then there should be no euthanasia, no doctor-assisted suicide and no capital punishment in societies where criminals can be imprisoned and pose no further threat to public safety (EV 40). If life is sacred then we must find a way to provide universal access to medical care and compassionate care for the elderly and medical research that does not require the destruction of human embryos. If life is sacred, then immigration when necessary is a pro-life issue (this planet belongs to all of us), as is welcoming refugees and working to end gun violence and unemployment — and on this Martin Luther King weekend, racism. If life is sacred, then feeding the hungry and giving shelter to the homeless are pro-life issues. 

Popes Benedict and Francis then build on the teaching of St. John Paul II. Indeed, Pope Francis goes a step further and condemns economic inequality, what he calls “an economy that kills” (“Evangelii Gaudium,” 53). He reminds us once again that everything is connected. Abortion is part of an economy that kills — the abortion industry is driven by huge profits and many of the victims are poor and with few prospects in life. 

Hence the image often used of a seamless garment when referring to a consistent ethic of life. Seamless because all of the pro-life issues are interwoven to the point that if the garment is torn, the whole thing begins to come unraveled. Today we give witness to the sacredness of life in the womb, but that witness will lose credibility if we forget that this life remains sacred once it leaves the womb, all the way to natural death.

In today's Gospel Jesus begins his public ministry and not only does he continue John's work of calling people and society to repentance, he also calls his first four disciples and invites them to be "fishers of men," sharing his mission of condemning evil and calling people to repentance because the Kingdom of God was at hand. That Kingdom of God is still at hand, and we sure have our work cut out for us in our task of calling people — indeed our entire nation — to repentance today. And we have not only the God-given right, but more importantly, the God-given obligation, to do so.