Politics
Monday January 24, 2005
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Over 200 Priests, 16 Bishops, Five Cardinals and Papal Nuncio Celebrate National Mass for Life
WASHINGTON, January 24, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Thousands of Catholics from across the country packed the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception last night for the Vigil Mass for Life and National Prayer Vigil for Life, marking the 32nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion and the millions of unborn lives lost because of it.
Over 200 priests joined 16 bishops and five cardinals and the US Papal Nuncio, in concelebrating the Mass providing a visual spectacle which awed the overflow crowd cramming every corner of the massive Basilica.
Despite the biting cold, approximately 8,000 people filled the church. Pilgrims from all over the United States, including LifeSiteNews.com reporters with a Canadian contingent, were treated to a majestic choir and were welcomed by Washington's Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
The Vigil Mass for Life and National Prayer Vigil for Life are sponsored by the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), The Catholic University of America, and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Also assisting is the organization Seminarians for Life International.
Cardinal William Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore and Chairman of the USCCB Committee for Pro-Life Activities, was the principal celebrant and homilist at the Mass.
The Vigil Mass for Life was first celebrated in 1981. Today, the Vigil Mass and the Youth Mass are the largest annual Masses in the United States.
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