Published on the Diocese of New Hampshire Website
Dear Friends,
I am looking forward to joining several hundred Catholics and others from New Hampshire on Friday, January 22, 2010, who will make a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. to celebrate the sanctity of life. I hope some of you may also join me and other New Hampshire pilgrims in celebrating a Mass for Life, 8:00 a.m. on Friday in Washington at St. Joseph Church on Capitol Hill.
This annual pilgrimage marks the date of the infamous 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion. It has transformed the lives of those who participate and offers a powerful witness to the need for a culture of life in our society. Respect for innocent human life is at the foundation of all human rights. As I said in my homily for Respect Life Sunday last year, abortion strikes at the very root of morality, just as Abraham Lincoln recognized the same about slavery when he said, “If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.”
This day will be an important opportunity to give witness to not only the sacredness of innocent human life but also to the sacredness and dignity of all human life, including those who are sick, or poor, or immigrants, and those facing the death penalty. I hope New Hampshire Catholics will take time to reflect on the value of life on this day, and I look forward to meeting and praying with those who are able to come to Washington, D.C.
Yours in Christ,
+ John B. McCormack
Bishop of Manchester
