Tens of thousands of pilgrims traveled to Washington, D.C., for the annual national March for Life on January 23, 2026, with a multitude from the Archdiocese of New York among them. 

First founded in January 1974 in response to the Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationally, the march continues even after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022, which struck down any federal mandate for abortion and returned the issue to be decided by state governments. 

According to pro-life organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser, “The clearest measure of whether the pro-life movement is winning or losing is the number of abortions occurring each year. According to the latest statistics, there are at least 1.1 million abortions occurring in America annually post-Roe. This compares to 874,000 abortions in 2016 — a 30% increase,” she said in a statement on January 23. About two-thirds of those are chemical abortions, facilitated by pharmaceuticals such as mifepristone, often obtained through telehealth services. 

Abortion is legal in New York state through 28 weeks of pregnancy, longer if deemed necessary by a physician. In late December 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation permitting physician-assisted suicide. 

A long day begins 

March events began on the evening of Thursday, January 22, with a kneeling-room-only Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church in North America, followed by the National Prayer Vigil for Life, which took place in the basilica’s Crypt Church and featured all-night adoration, ending at 8 a.m. on Friday. 

The New York contingent began to make its presence felt at LifeFest 2026 in Oxon Hill, Maryland, which kicked off at 6 a.m. on Friday. Sponsored by the Suffern-based Sisters of Life and the Knights of Columbus, the early-morning, pre-march rally featured performances by Father Isaiah and All The Living. Father Isaiah is a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, based in the Bronx, and the members of All The Living are Sisters of Life. 

Following Eucharistic Adoration led by Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, supreme chaplain of the Knights, the event concluded with a celebration of Mass at which Archbishop Lori was the principal celebrant, with Archdiocese of New York Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Espaillat presenting an impassioned homily in his customary charismatic style. 

“Being pro-life is not, N-O-T, a one-sided issue. And I’m going to prove it to you. Because too many times, we stand on one side of the fence when we say, ‘Well, I’m pro-life,’ but do we stand on the other side of the fence as well?” Bishop Espaillat pointed out that, besides murder, genocide, and abortion, other actions, such as euthanasia and self-mutilation, are also violations of the Church’s Doctrine of Life. 

The New York Pilgrims’ Mass 

About 10 miles away, marchers from New York, a large number of whom left various archdiocese sites in the early morning by bus, came together at St. Patrick’s Church for the New York Pilgrims’ Mass. Archdiocese of New York Auxiliary Bishop John S. Bonnici, now the bishop-designate of Rochester, was the Mass’ principal celebrant and homilist. He was joined by Auxiliary Bishop Edmund J. Whalen, vicar for clergy, and Auxiliary Bishop Peter Byrne, along with Father George Sears, Father Carlos Germosen, and other concelebrants from the archdiocese, along with more than 400 Mass attendees. 

In his homily, Bishop Bonnici referred to a time when he was head of the archdiocese’s Office of Family Life. While he found many of the family-related undertakings rewarding, those relating to pro-life activities, especially involving campaigning for limitations on abortion, were frustrating. Cardinal John O’Connor, who had ordained Bishop Bonnici and appointed him to the family life office, provided crucial guidance during this difficult period. “It was the advice of the person who ultimately founded the Sisters of Life, Cardinal John O’Connor, that allowed me to persevere and ultimately to realize that the job is not left to one person,” Bishop Bonnici recalled in his homily. 

“Cardinal O’Connor said to me, ‘Johnny, relax. Calm down. Take it easy. You are missing the mark by focusing only on your ability to change the law. Because that is important and worthy of our effort, but the reason you’re doing this — the reason we’re all doing this — is because now and always we must trust in Him first and foremost, to acknowledge that we are His instruments, with a childlike attitude,'” Bishop Bonnici said. He reminded the attendees to focus on changing hearts and minds to the issue, one person at a time. 

The pro-life generation 

Father George Sears, director of vocations for the Archdiocese of New York and pastor of Church of the Good Shepherd on the Upper West Side, was attending the march with a group of discerners. “I’m here with a dozen high school boys who are discerning the priesthood, and of course, they’re here because they want to learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Gospel of Life. We can’t speak about Jesus without speaking about taking care of the least of His brothers and sisters, including the unborn,” Father Sears explained. “I’ve been doing this for many years. I’m happy to just be around all the youth, be around all our people in support of life.” 

Outside St. Patrick’s Church, Father Vincent Druding, parochial vicar of Holy Cross Church in the Soundview section of the Bronx, and about 25 middle school students and chaperones sang songs and ate lunch before they started walking. For many of the young people, the trip represented more than just participation in the march. “The interest in the trip for them is that it’s kind of exciting to be able to get out of the Bronx. Some of them have never been to Washington, D.C., before. I think some maybe haven’t even been outside the state,” Father Druding noted. 

On the bus ride to Washington, Father Druding used the opportunity to teach the students about the pro-life message, leading them in praying the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary while weaving in a pro-life reflection with each mystery. He emphasized the Church’s role in defending the vulnerable: “We as the Church stand up for the marginalized and the ones who are voiceless. And there’s no community more voiceless today than the unborn.” Father Druding also informed the students about New York’s abortion laws and the recently passed physician-assisted suicide legislation, addressing these difficult topics directly with his young charges. 

On the march 

Stopping on the sidewalk between the U.S. Supreme Court and the United States Capitol, Sister Mary Gabriel of the Sisters of Life emphasized the ongoing nature of the pro-life work that extends far beyond the annual march. “When the march comes and the march goes, we are praying for pro-lifers every single day, day in and day out, because we know that so many of these marchers are on the front lines in their local areas,” she told The Good Newsroom. 

For Sister Mary Gabriel, the march represents both sorrow and hope. “This is still a big cloud over our whole country and in our hearts, a great time of sadness. But it’s also a time of being together and recognizing that God is with us and we are not going to leave this fight until every single child is held as sacred and every mother is taken care of.” 

Among the individual marchers was Stephanie Pinto of Congers in Rockland County, who traveled by bus from her parish, St. Francis of Assisi in West Nyack. “I love life. I love my Catholic faith, and we’re here to uphold the dignity of human life that God created. We were all created in His image,” Pinto told The Good Newsroom, noting that attendance appeared larger than the previous year. An estimated 150,000 marchers participated in the 2026 event.