Official Website of the
Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
Proclaim the Gospel of Life Jan. 16-24
Published: January 15, 2025
Catholics across the United States are asked to pray for and take action to protect human life in January each year. In the Diocese of Little Rock, there are several ways to pray for an end to abortion and legal protection for the unborn. These include the annual Mass for Life and March for Life and Weekend for Life for high school youth. And for those unable to attend in person, virtual events such as the Arkansas Knights of Columbus Novena for Life and national Nine Days for Life and Prayer Vigil for Life offer a variety of ways to be active in this effort.
Mass for Life
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will celebrate the annual Mass for Life, Sunday, Jan. 19, at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock. All are invited to attend. The day will begin with a Rosary for Life with exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 11:20 to 11:50 a.m., followed by the Mass at noon. A free, "grab-n-go" taco lunch will be offered after Mass. Donations welcome. This event is sponsored by the Respect Life Office. For more information, contact Courtney Menz, at (501) 664-0340, ext. 393.
March for Life
The 47th annual March for Life will begin at 2 p.m. at Capitol Avenue and State Street. A brief program will be held on the Capitol steps after the march, featuring abortion survivor Lauren Eden, keynote speaker Rev. Jim Lagrone and Father Mauricio Carrasco, director of spiritual formation for diocesan seminarians. For more information about the march, please contact Arkansas Right to Life at (501) 663-4237 or artl@artl.org.
Weekend for Life
To coincide with these events, high school youth participate in the annual Weekend for Life Jan. 18-19. This overnight event focuses on right-to-life issues from a youth perspective, and is sponsored by the diocesan Catholic Youth Ministry Office. Weekend for Life concludes with participation in the Mass for Life and March for Life.
Nine Days for Life
Pray the Nine Days for Life novena from Jan. 16-24. The U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities sponsors this annual event, which focuses on prayer to respect and protect every human life with a different prayer intention each day in English or Spanish. Each petition is accompanied by a short reflection, list of suggested actions and related information. Subscribe to have these sent to you automatically via email or text, or follow this campaign on Facebook.
National Prayer Vigil for Life
Watch the National Prayer Vigil for Life, Jan. 23-24, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. This event is an all-night, pro-life, prayer vigil held on the eve of the national March for Life. You can watch online or on television. It begins on Thursday, Jan. 23 with Mass at 5 p.m. followed by the Holy Hour for Life at 7 p.m., which will be livestreamed by the basilica and broadcast on EWTN.
From 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. the next morning, bishops in dioceses across the United States will be livestreaming holy hours. To see the full listing for the overnight hours, please click here. The prayer vigil concludes Friday, Jan. 24 with the closing Mass at 8 a.m., which will also be livestreamed and broadcast live.
Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children
Dioceses of the United States observe Jan. 22 as a day of prayer for the legal protection of unborn children and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion. We are called to observe this day through the penitential practices of prayer, fasting and/or giving alms.
Learn more by visiting the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops or see resources to observe the day. Since January 1973, when abortion became legal in all 50 states as a result of the Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision, more than 63 million children have died from abortion in the United States.
In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that decision and returned the question of legal protection for unborn children to each state. Since that time, abortion has been illegal in Arkansas and other states. Despite these abortion bans, thousands of babies still die from abortion each year reminding us that prayer and advocacy is still urgently needed.
