WASHINGTON – Catholics across the country have been taking part in the "9 Days for Life" novena for the protection of human life.

Each day's intercession is accompanied by prayers, a short reflection and one or more suggested actions for novena participants to take to help build a culture of life, such as pledging to participate in a parish-based program called Walking With Moms in Need. The novena continues through Jan. 29

Participants can go to the website www.9daysforlife.com to sign up for emails or texts about each day's intercession, in English and Spanish. The site also has a link to materials for the novena as well as resources for parishes.

The pro-life novena is sponsored by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. It coincides with the annual March for Life usually held in Washington every January to mark the anniversary of the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.

This year's national rally and march is planned for Jan. 29, but it will be livestreamed, with pro-life advocates across the country asked to participate virtually.

Many of the bus caravans from across the nation, long a staple of the event, were canceled as a result of the pandemic, and the assault on the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 and threats of subsequent violence by domestic terrorist groups, as reported by the FBI, made security impossible.

On Jan. 15, Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Defense and Education Fund, announced the changes in the event. She said she and a small group of other pro-life advocates, including clergy, maybe some politicians and a handful of Knights of Columbus, will walk from the National Mall to the Supreme Court to carry out the march portion of the national March for Life.