Bus openings are available to join a contingent from the Diocese of Rochester — including Bishop Salvatore R. Matano — at the March for Life in Washington, D.C.
The 47th-annual march will take place Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, with a theme of “Life Empowers: Pro-Life is Pro-Woman.”
Chartered buses from the diocese will leave late Thursday night, Jan. 23, and return home late the following night. Departure locations, along with contact information for reservations, are as follows:
‚Ä¢ Chemung County/Southern Tier — email saspaul@ stny.rr.com or call 607-739-9282.
‚Ä¢ Greece/western Monroe County — email ghubbel@frontiernet.net or call 585-663-5432, ext. 18.
‚Ä¢ Webster/eastern Monroe County — email committeeforlife@yahoo.com or call 585-503-3256.
‚Ä¢ Youth buses leaving from St. Mary Church, Canandaigua, and Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women, Brighton — email dominic.salamida@dor.org or domabird@gmail.com, or call 585-586-5675.
In Washington, prior to the march, Bishop Matano will serve as the homilist as well as concelebrant for a 10 a.m. Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The bishop will then march with the Rochester pilgrims later in the day. Marchers will unite for a rally on the National Mall at noon, with the March for Life set to begin at 1 p.m. It will head up Constitution Avenue toward the U.S. Capitol and then the U.S. Supreme Court building.
Additional opportunities on Jan. 24 will include other Masses and prayer gatherings, visits with legislators, listening to speakers, a youth rally, and visiting the Supreme Court and Capitol buildings as well as museums and monuments.
A full listing of activities is available on the March for Life’s website. For those not traveling to the nation’s capital, there are still several local ways to support the March for Life and other respect-life-related initiatives. Click here for details.
The March for Life was instituted in opposition to the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Roe v Wade, that legalized abortion across the country. It is the largest pro-life event in the country.
