By Lois Rogers | Correspondent

While tens of thousands of their pro-life brothers and sisters were prayerfully marching in the nation's capital for an end to abortion Jan. 22, scores of this state's advocates for life were raising their own voices in prayer for the same cause in New Jersey's capital city.

To see photo gallery on State House Rally, click here

First in the annual State House Rally Mass for Life in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, and then at the rally itself on the steps of the state house just a half-mile down the street, clergy and laity of all generations including teens and tots, raised prayers and posters aloft in the abiding quest to end abortion on demand in the United States.

Before the rally, nearly 300 Catholic faithful including 80 seminarians from Seton Hall University's Immaculate Conception and St. Andrew seminaries joined together as Msgr. Joseph Roldan, the cathedral rector, celebrated the annual Mass.

In a homily that evoked both the sadness of the occasion and hope for the future, Msgr. Roldan spoke of how the Church in the United States remains in mourning for the millions of children that have perished since the U.S. Supreme Court declared abortion on demand legal 42 years ago to the day.

He asked them to consider the devastating reality of the loss. “This is real in America,” said Msgr. Roldan, describing a contemporary society where it has become commonplace to “throw away people, friends, family members and innocent babies.”

Acknowledging abortion is “not an easy subject to speak about” even in an age where information abounds, he exhorted his listeners to take up the challenge to share the message at every opportunity that abortion is deadly wrong.

“I know I'm speaking to choir here,” he said. “You wouldn't be here if it was otherwise.” But it's important, he said, to take each opportunity instead of worrying whether people will appreciate the sentiment.

“As Christians, as Catholics, we are called to action, not just in (church),” he said, but in the community at large,” urging all to gain strength from each other and from the Church that nurtures and carries them as they “go to support the babies because they are gifts from God.”

His poignant call would be echoed at the two-hour rally on the steps of the state house and its surrounds where about 400 participated.

The rally drew 24 speakers including pro-life legislators from around the state, leaders of pro-life groups and ministries, clergy from various faith traditions and representatives from the offices of U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-4) and Scott Garrett (NJ-5). The knights of Columbus were represented by Andy Lipenta, a state deputy.

Other speakers came from a wide range of advocates drawn from the medical community and the religious community. They also included Magdalena (Maggie) Sweet, regional coordinator in the Lehigh Valley for “Silent No More,” a campaign that seeks to expose and heal the secrecy and silence surrounding the emotional and physical pain of abortion.

The Rally for Life, organized by New Jersey Right to Life and held each year to mark the anniversary of the Jan. 22 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision, provides a local opportunity for those who wish to voice their support but are unable to make the trip to Washington for the National March for Life.

Father Stanley Krzyston, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Yardville, led the rally with an opening prayer with words in sync with those of Msgr. Roldan. “We've lost our way,” Father Krzyston prayed. “We're in the desert. Give us courage (Lord) and give us strength.”

Early in the proceedings, Sweet, a member of St. Isidore Parish, Quakertown, Pa., electrified the crowd by sharing her testimony on years of personal remorse for her own abortion. She cheered them when she told them that she'd received a telephone call just that morning from a young woman who, after much reflection, had decided to keep her child.

A trio of young women from Christian churches in the Freehold area attracted a lot of attention from people at the rally when they raised brightly colored, home made posters urging all who saw them to choose life.

One of the posters especially caught the attention of many. Held aloft by a Young woman named Kaycee English, Freehold, a member of Jackson Baptist Church, it announced: “Looking to Adopt – Please Chose Life.”

English said she brings the sign to demonstrations and rallies and finds that it “makes it easier for people to react better” to the quest she shares with her husband, John. “People that care offer help,” most often by way of prayer, said English,

She and her friends, Ellen Sortore, Grace Way Bible Church, Hamilton and Chantal Bailey, Bread of Life Fellowship, say its important for them as young women to show their support for the protection of life.

Donna and John Canvin, members of St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish, South Brunswick, regularly take Jan. 22 off to rally either in Washington, D.C. or in Trenton. The couple say its important for them to witness for life. “It saddens me that more people are not here,” John Canvin said.

While the crowd was neither as big as it has been in some years or as small as it has been in others, Deacon Patrick R. Brannigan, executive director of the New Jersey Catholic Conference, said he was heartened by the presence of so many young people at the rally.

“I think the number of young parents with toddlers is impressive,” Deacon Brannigan, St. James Parish, Pennington, said. “It was great to see so many seminarians. It's great to see that the pro-life movement is getting younger.”