This month will mark the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in all 50 states. While this egregious decision was overturned this past June, here in New Jersey abortion remains legal through all nine months of pregnancy. And throughout 2022, our state government expanded access and funding for abortion even further.
By virtue of our Baptism, we are called to action to do what we can to end this horrific violence against babies and their mothers, and to help find real solutions to the difficulties that cause women to feel that abortion is their only choice. We can start by Standing Together for Life!
On Friday, Jan. 20, all are welcome to come together in prayer and solidarity to proclaim the sanctity of all human life in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. This is the same day as the March for Life in Washington, D.C. While we’re so very grateful for all who will travel to D.C. that day, and we do not mean to compete with these efforts in any way, we also know that many cannot make that trip and many others prefer to focus their efforts here in New Jersey, where abortion access and funding continue to grow.
A luncheon and speaker seminar will follow the Mass. Author and speaker Dr. Charles Camosy will be our keynote speaker. Dr. Camosy is a nationally recognized author, speaker, columnist, moral theologian and ethicist – and fellow New Jerseyean! He is also a professor of medical humanities at the Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Neb. His remarks and conversations that follow will focus on the complexities of the abortion issue here in New Jersey, and he will get us thinking about building a Culture of Life by avoiding the politics and divisions that often affect us, and by focusing on our common goals so that we can act as one Church to make abortion unthinkable.
Building a true Culture of Life is the work of the whole Church, not just certain ministry groups! Ministries that serve the poor, marginalized, abused and disabled, as well as those who are focused on prayer, formation and practical needs of the parish, help to build that Culture of Life. By standing together and collaborating, we can have a greater impact on the difficult circumstances that lead people to choose death out of a sense of desperation.
This is an important time to come together to help serve those women and families who feel so isolated and desperate that they think abortion is their only choice.
IF YOU PLAN TO GO:
- Registration for the luncheon and speaker event to follow the Mass has reached maximum capacity. But the presentation will be videotaped and made available on all diocesan digital media sites.
- All are welcome to attend the Mass at 11 a.m. in the Co-Cathedral. The Mass will be livestreamed at YouTube.com/trentondiocese