by Antonina Zielinska
On the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision to legalize abortions, the faithful from throughout New York gathered at St. Patick’s Cathedral, Manhattan, for a Mass and procession.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan was the main celebrant Jan. 22 at the 7 a.m. Eucharistic celebration. During his homily, he said that the United States celebrated its greatness the day before, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Inauguration Day.
“But it is appropriate that we gather today for penance and prayer to restore the greatest civil liberty,” he said, referring to the right to life.
Cardinal Dolan said the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade has in a way become a holy day for Catholic families. It is a day during which they pray for healing and make their opposition to abortion known. The cardinal also expressed his hope that people on both sides of the abortion debate can come together to make abortion rare and to support pregnant women.
After the Mass, Msgr. Philip Reilly, founder and director of the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, led the congregation on a prayerful procession to an abortion clinic one mile away.
“We are going to where innocent blood is shed, the modern-day Calvary,” Msgr. Reilly told the congregation. He asked those who would be processing to keep in mind the gravity of the situation and to keep the spirit of prayer.
They walked through the streets of midtown during morning rush hour, rosaries in hand, praying and singing.
“(We are processing) to make our voices heard and to pray for the people who are pro-choice to change their hearts and for the innocent,” said Jill Limongi, a parishioner of Incarnation parish, Washington Heights.
When the procession reached its destination, its members stood outside the abortion clinic in prayer. They finished the Rosary just as snow began to fall and temperatures hovered in the lower 20s. They continued their prayer with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy during which a bell rang 50 times to commemorate the unborn children who died as a result of legalized abortion. Upon finishing the chaplet, they knelt on the freezing ground.
“Our main purpose of being here today on this tragic anniversary of Roe vs. Wade is prayer for healing and conversion,” said Sister Lucy Marie Vasilile, S.V. “This is the place where children are killed and mothers and fathers are wounded, so we come to pray here.”
“People who believe in the sanctity of life are required to act on that belief,” said Father Fidelis Moscinski, C.F.R. “The best way is to be present where killings happen in a spirit of prayer and charity.”
Among those who participated in the procession was Molly McDonald, the head of the New York City branch of Life Runners. She said she came to the procession because it supports the mission of Life Runners, to spread abortion awareness. She said the procession was successful in spreading its message because people stopped during their morning commute to notice it and appreciate it.
Msgr. Reilly said the pro-life movement in the United States has already seen much fruit. Abortion clinics have dropped to about 700 locations this year from an all-time high of around 2,000 locations 20 years ago, he said. Locally the largest abortions clinic, Brooklyn Ambulatory Surgery Center, Sunset Park, was converted to a medical facility that focuses on preserving life.