Pope Leo XIV strongly defended the family, marriage, and unborn life during his first-ever New Year’s address to the diplomatic corps Jan. 9, telling the diplomats accredited to the Holy See that abortion “cuts short a growing life and refuses to welcome the gift of life.”
Pro-life
In the Smyth Pastoral Center of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, diapers pile high, onesies crowd clothing racks, and car seats, feeding chairs, and strollers are parked nearby. The space, stocked with a cornucopia of baby items, is home to the St. Mark Baby Shop, a volunteer-led ministry at the Plano parish that provides an array of materials for families in need.
The upcoming annual observance of Respect Life Month by the nation’s Catholics takes on new meaning amid the Jubilee Year of Hope, said the chair of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee.
On March 29, several Diocese of Dallas priests and deacons will make their way beneath underpasses and alongside busy service roads for the inaugural Bella House Miles for Moms fundraiser walk. The 18-mile walk will begin at the Bella House in Dallas and end at the Bella House in Plano with stops at Dallas and Plano parishes along the way.
For Rosemary Tarangioli, the decision to become a Catholic Pro-Life Community Project Gabriel angel was inspired by a simple message from a Catholic podcaster: If you are pro-life, take action!
Bishop Edward J. Burns reminded the faithful gathered at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Jan. 18 for the Catholic Pro-Life Community’s annual Bilingual Pro-Life Mass and North Texas Rally for Life of the sacredness of life, from conception to natural death.
In a basilica “adorned with beautiful mosaic art,” the “most impressive” mosaic was “the gathering of people from so many different places coming together to stand for life and to be a light in our culture,” Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, said Jan. 23.
The 52nd annual March for Life will take place Jan. 24 in Washington. The theme of the 2025 event is “Life: Why We March.”
Catholic bishops in England have decried a vote for assisted suicide, with one saying it represented a “dark day” in the history of the country.
Pro-life organizers are hoping to augment that sense of togetherness with the merger of two pre-march youth events, announced Nov. 14. The Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, and host of Life is VERY Good since 2009, and the Knights of Columbus and the Sisters of Life, co-hosts of Life Fest since 2022, are joining forces to create one big pro-life rally called Life Fest ahead of the 2025 March for Life Jan. 24.