On a dark, soggy Manhattan morning, more than 200 clergy, religious brothers, religious sisters, and lay people gathered to bring some light to one of the Christmas season’s most somber observances.

The Feast of the Holy Innocents recalls the murder of all male children of Bethlehem aged two and under by King Herod, who was attempting to kill the newly born Christ child [Matthew 2:16-18]. The children are considered the first martyrs of the Church. In the United States, the Feast of the Holy Innocents is observed as a time for witness by the Church and members of the pro-life movement since at least 1972, the year of the Roe v. Wade ruling.

The morning began with Mass at the Shrine and Parish Church of the Holy Innocents on West 37^th Street in Manhattan, with Archdiocese of New York Auxiliary Bishop Peter Byrne, episcopal vicar of Staten Island, as the principal celebrant. The Mass was attended by about 30 Sisters of Life, along with approximately 20 Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, and Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal.

In his homily, Bishop Byrne noted the cruelty of Herod’s quest to kill the baby Jesus, before turning attention to “the many heroic people who in so many ways have sacrificed their lives” for the cause of life.

He referred to two people who died earlier this year, both of whom were dedicated to the cause: Monsignor Philip J. Reilly of the Diocese of Brooklyn and the founder of Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, and Nivene Young.

Monsignor Reilly saw the pro-life cause not as a legal battle, but as “a spiritual struggle. Our purpose is not only to save the physical life of the child but to save their souls and the souls of the mothers and others,” Bishop Byrne said.

Young, who died in November, immigrated from Jamaica as a teenager, then lost her sight during a surgical accident while a student at Cathedral High School in Manhattan. “Even though she walked in darkness, she walked in light,” he said, referring to her early and regular participation in Operation Rescue events.

“The witness you give today will be a great blessing for the city,” Bishop Byrne said.

After Mass, almost all of the Mass attendees then filed out into the street for the procession to an abortion clinic on Second Avenue, with some choosing to remain behind for Eucharistic adoration. Franciscan Friars of the Renewal led the group, carrying a portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Bishop Byrne began the recitation of the Rosary using a handheld microphone.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is not only the Patroness of the Americas but is also the Patroness of the Unborn, as the only Marian apparition in which Our Lady appears to be pregnant.

The procession, accompanied by a police escort, made its way up Sixth Avenue in the rain, before turning east on 42^nd Street to its Second Avenue destination just over a mile from the start. Marchers continued praying the Rosary, kneeling for its final decade, before going back along the same route to Holy Innocents. During the return journey, many participants sang Christmas carols.

Now soaking wet, the marchers took seats or knelt in the Holy Innocents pews for a final benediction before moving downstairs for refreshments.

“We live in a city that fails to acknowledge life in so many ways, and the value of life,” said Father Nicholas Callaghan, who attended the event and serves on the Metropolitan Tribunal, the Archdiocese of New York’s Ecclesiastical Court. He pointed out that along with the Feast of the Holy Innocents, those wishing to participate in similar activities may join the monthly Witness for Life events in Manhattan on the first Saturday of every month in Manhattan, the second Saturday in Brooklyn, and the third Saturday of the month in the Bronx.