Join Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney to pray peacefully for the unborn during the 2nd Annual N.J. Bishops’ Mass for Life at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25, at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Trenton, N.J.
Bishop Sweeney is scheduled to give the homily at the Mass, which will take place before the start of the 2nd Annual N.J. Rally and March for Life at the Statehouse Annex — a short walk from the cathedral.
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., of the Trenton Diocese, will be the principal celebrant of the Mass, which Trenton is hosting. All bishops and priests from around the Garden State are invited to concelebrate the Mass. Deacon Len Deo of St. Ann Parish in Parsippany will assist with the liturgy, which is expected to attract faithful from around the state.
Last year, Bishop Sweeney and a contingent from the Paterson Diocese joined pro-life advocates from around the state to voice their support for Respect for Life at the inaugural N.J. March for Life.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
After the Mass, marchers will head to the Statehouse Annex for the Rally at 11 a.m. The speakers will be Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs; Marie Tasy, executive director of N.J. Right to Life; State Sen. Anthony Bucco; State Assemblyman John DiMaio; Jennie Bradley Lichter, president of the N.J. March for Life; Bishop Joseph Williams of the Diocese of Camden, N.J.; and Pastor Brennan Coughlin of Fellowship Crosspoint Church in Chesterfield Township, N.J.
Then, participants will join the March for Life for the noon start. The march will follow a one-mile loop through Trenton before returning to the Statehouse Annex.
N.J. Right to Life is sponsoring the march with the support of the Newark Archdiocese; the dioceses of Trenton, Paterson, Camden, and Metuchen; and the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic.
“The N.J. March for Life enables us to stand up for life together and advocate for greater restrictions on abortion in the Garden State with the ultimate goal in mind: to end abortion,” said Alyssa Renovales, the Paterson Diocese’s Respect Life coordinator. “It will be inspiring to see students from many of our Catholic schools attend the march as anticipated.”
Renovales added, “Bishop Sweeney’s presence at the Mass and his homily at the Mass will be the perfect way to represent the Paterson Diocese in Trenton. He is an active witness to the Right to Life.”
Bus pick-up locations in the Paterson Diocese will be at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison, Morris County; the diocesan chancery in Clifton, Passaic County; and Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Sparta, Sussex County. The buses will be leaving at 7:15 a.m. and returning around 3:30 p.m.
Participants are asked to bring their own signs, a bag lunch, and a set of rosary beads if they wish to pray the rosary on the bus. Water and a snack will be provided. No signs will be permitted in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption to maintain the reverence of the Mass.
The cost for the roundtrip bus is $35 per person.
The last day to register for the bus is Sept 21. Click here to register.
Champion Right to Life at Mass, March in Trenton