Students headed to Washington for 35th anniversary of landmark decision

ARCHDIOCESE — It has, unfortunately, become an annual tradition across the country: the trek to the steps of the United States Supreme Court to mark the anniversary of the court decision that legalized abortion. In the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, groups of students and teachers are preparing for that journey, and, in addition, the archdiocese is set to recognize pro-life leaders with important grants.

CNS FILE PHOTO

Pro-life activists brave freezing temperatures to join the March for Life in Washington in this file photograph.

Archbishop Pilarczyk will say the opening prayer for the service at 7:30 p.m. at the Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center in Norwood. He will also deliver a send-off blessing at the end.

After the service, about 150 students will board buses and travel through the night to Washington, where they will attend a youth rally and Mass for Life hosted by the Archdiocese of Washington on Jan. 22. After the Mass, they will join the March for Life, which ends at the Supreme Court Building.

The send-off of the high school students was planned by C-STAT — Catholic Social Teaching Action Team, a group of high-school campus ministers, service coordinators and parish youth ministers who collaboratively plan a variety of youth programs on peace, justice and service issues throughout the year.

Hundreds of other Catholics from throughout the Archdiocese also will be going to Washington, while still more will give pro-life witness in their own communities.

In Washington, a March for Life convention is scheduled for Jan. 20-21 at a Capitol Hill hotel. The evening of the march, after the walk to Capitol Hill to demonstrate in front of the Supreme Court building and the Capitol and to lobby lawmakers, the March for Life’s Education and Defense Fund plans to hold its 26th annual Rose Dinner.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception scheduled its annual march vigil Mass Jan. 21 for 7 p.m., with Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, as the principal celebrant and homilist. Confessions, rosaries, holy hours, the Liturgy of the Hours and litanies will fill the overnight hours until a 7:30 a.m. Mass Jan. 22 to be celebrated by Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.

Meanwhile, in Cincinnati, the archdiocesan Family Life Office has announced its 2008 Pro-Life Grant recipients. Most of this year’s recipients are pregnancy centers located throughout the archdiocese, along with other groups that are active in their support of respect life issues, according to Deacon Fred Merritt, director of the Family Life Office.

The fund dates back to 1973 when, on the recommendation of the archdiocesan Pastoral Council, an annual collection was established to provide financial support to more than 100 life giving and life sustaining organizations located within the counties of the archdiocese. The collection is held each October in area Catholic parishes. A portion of the funds assist in sustaining the Respect Life Programs of the archdiocese, while the balance is designated for Pro-Life grants. Applications are evaluated by the Pro-Life Committee, reviewed by the director of the Family Life Office and then recommendations are provided to the archbishop for his final approval.

In order to qualify for a Pro-Life grant, organizations must be non-profit, pro-life, not anti-Catholic and located within the area served by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The funds are available by application to provide seed money for new projects or programs, to support programs that will have a significant effect in the formation of pro-life attitudes, and to support programs which provide assistance in helping individuals make pro-life decisions.

The 2008 grants total more than $100,000, Merritt said, which is an increase over last year. Among the recipients are Birthright of Greater Cincinnati, Inc., who will use the funds for education, counseling and pregnancy testing, Healthy Moms and Babes for their outreach services, Suicide Prevention Center, Inc., for their suicide crisis hotline, and Xavier Students for Life for transportation to the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Merritt said the funds will be distributed this month.