Bishop J. Sweeney will join pro-life advocates from the Paterson Diocese and around New Jersey for a historic N.J. March for Life in Trenton on Thursday, Sept. 26, starting at noon. Participants will march to let State politicians know they stand in defense of life — from the unborn to the aged.
For the first time, all five Roman Catholic dioceses in the Garden State and the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Passaic will come together for a March for Life — an event that will include a Mass for Life and a rally.
Bishop Sweeney will join other bishops of New Jersey for a Mass for Life in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption at 151 N. Warren St. in Trenton at 9:30 a.m. Seating is first-come, first-served. No RSVP is required.
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., archbishop of Newark, will be the main celebrant of the Mass. Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., of the Trenton Diocese will be the homilist.
After the Mass, a rally will be held in front of the N.J. State-house Annex at 11 a.m. Speakers will be N.J. Sen. Anthony M. Bucco (R-25), N.J. Senate Republi-can leader; N.J. Rep. John DiMaio (R-23), N.J. General Assembly Minority Leader; and Felicia Pricenor, vice president of government affairs of the national March for Life.
At noon, the march will start in front of the Statehouse Annex, wend its way around the streets of Trenton nearby, and end in front of the annex.
Bishop Sweeney called the N.J. march “very much needed,” on episode 67 of his Beyond The Beacon podcast. Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, joined the episode by phone.
“Thank God many young people embrace the faith and live it. It’s great to see young people who realize we have to stand up for life and that life is a gift and that it begins at the moment of conception and that our country needs to have a greater respect for that gift,” Bishop Sweeney said.
The Paterson Diocese is coordinating buses at three locations that will be headed for the Mass, rally and march.
A bus for Morris County will depart the parking lot of St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison. A bus for Passaic County will leave the parking lot of the St. John Paul II Pastoral Center in Clifton. A bus for Sussex County will depart the commuter parking lot of the Shoprite in Newton. Arrive at these locations at 7:15 a.m. for departure by 7:30 a.m.
Many Catholic high schools and parishes in the diocese will participate in the march, including the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson.
Morris County Right to Life will depart Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Church in the Cedar Knolls neighborhood of Hanover Township at 8:15 a.m. Free-will donations will be accepted. The bus is for the rally and march. Contact Jean Capone at jeancapone@morriscountyrighttolife.org
Eni Honsberger, director of the diocesan Family Life Office, is coordinating transportation to and from the march with Father Michael Rodak, pastor of St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Hardyston and diocesan retreat director.
Honsberger called N.J.’s pro-abortion and pro-euthanasia laws “horrific and among the worst in the United States.”
“We need to step up for the most vulnerable in society in New Jersey,” Honsberger said. “It’s good for the faithful of Paterson to see Bishop Sweeney walking the walk and talking the talk in support of Respect Life.”
The cost of a seat on one of the three diocesan buses is $35. Registration is required. Sign-ups close on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Register for the march at https://insidethewalls.org/njmarchforlife
Catch Jeanne Mancini on episode 67 of Bishop Sweeney’s Beyond The Beacon podcast — as well as other episodes — on your favorite podcast service by searching “Beyond The Beacon” or visiting https://beyond.beaconnj.org
