Diocesan rosary to end abortion is Sunday

Intermountain Catholic

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The prayers of the rosary are based in Scripture; according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, "the repetition in the rosary is meant to lead one into restful and contemplative prayer related to each Mystery."

SALT LAKE CITY — The annual Bilingual Pro-Life Rosary sponsored by the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s Office of Marriage and Family Life will take place this year on Jan. 21, one of several pro-life events in the diocese.

Bishop Oscar A. Solis put an emphasis on local pro-life activities by instituting a diocesan-wide five-week Prayer for Life that began in Dec. 14 and ended on Jan. 18 with a Mass celebrated in the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

“He really wants to get the message that we need to give any- and everybody respect as a human person but also as a reflection of God in our world,” said Veola Burchett, director of the Office of Family Life.

Jan. 22, the day after the bilingual rosary at the cemetery, will mark the 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the federal Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal in the United States.

The rosary and other similar commemorative events are necessary because “it is important for us to give witness to the millions children who have died as a result of abortion,” Burchett said, adding that sometimes when speaking of abortion, people tend to forget that they are referring to human beings who are being killed –“tiny, but human nonetheless.”

 The Catholic Church has consistently stood for the rights of the unborn, she said, and “if we stop bearing witness, there will be silence.”

The Catholic Church also has always being consistent “that we must value life from the womb to natural death, in that timeline all lives needs to be taken care of, needs to be valued and appreciated,” Burchett added.

According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, “God loves each human life from the instant of his or her conception and entrusts this gift to the protection of a mother and father. Abortion ends the life of a child and offends God. It also deeply wounds the men and women involved.”

Everyone is welcome to attend the rosary that will be recited in Spanish and English because the Catholic Church “is inclusive, not exclusive,” Burchett said. “Spanish is spoken in many households in this diocese, so it only makes sense to pray in both languages.”

Other recent pro-life events in the diocese include a Jan. 19 prayer service at St. Mary Parish in West Haven and the Jan. 20 March for Life in Salt Lake City.

The diocesan Respect for the Dignity of Life workshop will be Jan. 27 at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in West Jordan. Register at https://www.dioslc.org/about-us/diocese-calendar/respect-life/40-respect-for-the-dignity-of-life.

WHAT: Respect for Life bilingual rosary

WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 21, 2 p.m.

WHERE: Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery, 275 U St., Salt Lake City

Enter through the entrance at T Street and 4th Avenue and meet at the Monument to the Unborn, which is located in front of the mausoleum.

In case of inclement weather, the rosary will take place at the mausoleum.