The Archdiocese of Hartford will be participating in two upcoming marches that support the dignity of human life, one later this month and another in March.
From Jan. 18 to 19, the Respect Life Ministry will pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., to witness to the beauty and dignity of every human person. Three buses of pro-life supporters will leave Connecticut at 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 18 to participate in the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world on Capitol Hill.
Then on March 20 in Hartford, the third annual Connecticut March for Life, sponsored by the Connecticut Catholic Conference, will take place.
Sister Suzanne Gross, program coordinator, and Sister Amaris Salata, assistant coordinator of the Respect Life Ministry for the Archdiocese of Hartford and members of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, as well as fellow sisters will be attending both marches and will be participating in additional events during the National March for Life.
“The Respect Life Office of the Archdiocese of Hartford will be marching with thousands of prolife believers beginning at the Washington Monument and ending at the U.S. Supreme Court,” Sister Gross says. “On Thursday evening before the March, we will attend Mass in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception with thousands of people in attendance. Before the March for Life, there is a breakfast with keynote speaker, Father Anthony Giampietro, CSB, PhD, president, St. Anselm’s Abbey School, in Washington, D.C.”
Sister Gross, who also serves as administrator of the Franciscan Home Care and Hospice Care in Meriden, says it is important for the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist to be included in March for Life events.
“It is important for the sisters and people of the United States to take a stand publicly on such an important issue as the Right to Life,” she says. “The Catholic Church has always taken a leadership role in respecting life and protecting human life from the moment of conception to natural death.”
The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, laypersons and students from St. Paul Catholic High School will be among the participants in both March for Life events. Space is still available to travel on the bus from the Archdiocese of Hartford to the National March for Life. For more information, visit prolifeministry.org or call 203.213-5079.
To coincide with the National March for Life, parishioners of the archdiocese may join Archbishop Leonard P. Blair in a pro-life Mass on Jan. 20, 10:30 a.m., at St. Mary Church, part of Blessed Michael McGivney Parish in New Haven. The public is invited to attend.
CONNECTICUT MARCH FOR LIFE
The Connecticut March for Life will begin at noontime with a rally on the grounds of the State Capitol building, 210 Capitol Ave., Hartford. It will be followed by a March for Life around Bushnell Memorial Park at 1 p.m. For updated information about the event and to register, visit ctcatholic.org and ctmarchforlife.org. Check your church bulletin for information on bus transportation from local parishes.
The Knights of Columbus will be sponsoring at least 20 buses to the Connecticut March for Life. Anyone interested in hosting a bus at their parish can contact Drew Dillingham, director of Programs and Member Engagement for the Knights of Columbus, by calling 203.752.4078 or by emailing drew.dillingham@kofc.org.
More details about the Connecticut March for Life will be posted soon at archdioceseofhartford.org.
By Karen A. Avitabile
Catholic Transcript