National Prayer Vigil for Life Scheduled for January 23

| 01/20/2025

By: Our Sunday Visitor

The vigil has always taken place on the eve of the March for Life, which marks the date of the historic 1973 Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court of the United States

Catholics across the country are invited to observe a nationwide prayer vigil from Thursday, January 23 to Friday, January 24, 2025, to pray for an end to abortion and a greater respect for all human life.

The National Prayer Vigil for Life is hosted each January by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Pro-Life Secretariat, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and The Catholic University of America’s Office of Campus Ministry. The vigil has always taken place on the eve of the March for Life, which marks the date of the historic 1973 Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court of the United States.

The Opening Mass will take place in the Great Upper Church at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, January 23. The principal celebrant and homilist for the Opening Mass will be Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

Immediately following the Opening Mass, a National Holy Hour for Life will take place with a Eucharistic Procession, Eucharistic Adoration, Recitation of the Rosary, and Benediction. The Opening Mass and Holy Hour of the National Prayer Vigil for Life will be broadcast on various Catholic networks and will be livestreamed on the Basilica’s website at www.nationalshrine.org/mass.

The vigil concludes at 8 a.m. on Friday, January 24 with the Closing Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert J. Brennan of Brooklyn.

The full schedule of the 2025 National Prayer Vigil for Life is listed below. (All times are in Eastern Time.)

Thursday, January 23:
4:45 p.m. Chaplet of Divine Mercy
5 p.m. Opening Mass with Bishop Thomas
7 p.m. Holy Hour for Life

Friday, January 24:
8 a.m. Closing Mass with Bishop Brennan

The live television broadcasts on January 23 from 5-8 p.m. and on January 24 from 8-9 a.m. will be provided by the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and will be available via live-stream on the Basilica’s website. For more information about on-site attendance at the Basilica for the National Prayer Vigil for Life, please visit the information page on the Basilica’s website.

A plenary indulgence is available this year for those participating in the Opening or Closing Mass and/or the Prayer Vigil (the other usual conditions for a plenary indulgence apply).

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