A pro-life advocate carries a wooden crucifix as he marches through the streets of downtown Dallas during the annual North Texas March for Life and Rally on Jan. 14. (Ben Torres/Special Contributor)
Pro-life advocates gather in Dallas for annual Roe Memorial Mass and North Texas March for Life
By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
The faithful packed the pews of the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe before spilling into the streets of downtown Dallas for the annual North Texas March for Life on Jan. 14.
According to the Catholic Pro-Life Community, the Respect Life Ministry of the Diocese of Dallas, more than 1,100 people attended the annual Roe Memorial Mass while 6,000 participated in the North Texas March for Life and Rally.
Bishop Edward J. Burns celebrates the annual Roe Memorial Mass at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in downtown Dallas, on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. (Ben Torres/Special Contributor)
Bishop Edward J. Burns served as the main celebrant for the annual Roe Memorial Mass at the Cathedral, where he praised the local pro-life community for its commitment and determination.
“I am so pleased that the people of the Diocese of Dallas have done so much in advancing the Gospel of Life,” the bishop said. “It is only through prayer and service that we may truly build up the culture of life and the civilization of love as envisioned by St. John Paul II. We are blessed in this diocese to have a wonderful community to support the service of those who are in need.”
In his homily, Bishop Burns noted the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June 2022 to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision, however, he was quick to remind that the “work is not done.”
“I don’t think it is time for a victory march,” he said. “I think that it needs to be a march of determination — a march of determination to uphold the sanctity of life, now more than ever.”
While political debates and arguments continue, Bishop Burns implored the faithful to remember that, first and foremost, there is an inherent right to life.
“In that right to life, we uphold what is sacred,” he said. “It’s so important for us to continue to proclaim the Gospel of life.”
The bishop explained that the church continues to assist women who are pregnant who are in need of assistance through a variety of programs, including Walking with Moms in Need.
“We have a commitment to help mothers and babies victimized by the culture of death, paving a way to mercy for those who are traumatized by abortion, and laying a foundation of education for our young people so that they know without a doubt the sanctity of life and that life is stamped with the image of God,” Bishop Burns said. “Every life is sacred, and every child in the womb deserves the right to life.”
Such commitment from the pro-life community remained on display that day as the faithful readied to embark on the annual North Texas March for Life. In concluding his homily, Bishop
Burns praised and encouraged them for all their efforts.
“For all this, we pray. For all this, we work. And, for all this, we march with determination.”
