The congregation at the 2021 Mass for Life Cleveland was smaller, socially distanced and masked, but those who gathered in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist on Jan. 22 were committed to life – from conception to natural death.
Father Don Oleksiak, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia, celebrated the Mass, which was livestreamed on the diocesan website. Concelebrants were Father Sean Ralph, cathedral rector, and Father Dennis Kristancic, senior priest-retired. Representatives from several schools throughout the eight-county Catholic Diocese of Cleveland were among those attending the liturgy.
Click here to view the Mass.
Jan. 22 is designated as the annual Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. It commemorates the anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which established that a woman’s right to choose an abortion throughout her pregnancy is protected by privacy rights guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
It is also a day of contrition, Father Oleksiak said. Being pro-life means caring not only for the unborn, but for those who at risk in our throwaway culture: the poor, sick, elderly and seriously handicapped, he said. “We pray for a culture where all life is revered as sacred. Without the right to life, there are no other rights,” Father Oleksiak added.
Each of us has a role to play in the mission to protect life including praying for the vulnerable and voting in order to protect them, he said, noting that God challenges us to respect life.
The readings for the Mass were chosen to remind us that “God brings forth life, life is good and you are good,” Father Oleksiak said, “You are made in the image and likeness of God.” Therefore, every aborted child, anyone unjustly condemned, the elderly – everyone – bears the face of Christ, he added.
We must ask ourselves if we are doing all we can to protect the culture of life, Father Oleksiak said, noting that we should “resemble Jesus in our words, actions and deeds. We rely on the Lord to give us the courage and wisdom to see God in all and to protect life in all,” he said.
In addition to the Mass at the cathedral, there were liturgies, prayer rallies and other events across the country on Jan. 22 and beyond, including in the Diocese of Columbus, where Cleveland Bishop Edward Malesic joined Columbus Bishop Robert Brennan to celebrate Mass and participate in the annual Roe Remembrance rally at the Ohio Statehouse.
In addition, the Diocesan Office for Youth Ministry, the Diocesan Social Action Office and the Diocesan Office for Young Adult Ministry are hosting A Week for Life Jan. 22-29. Click here to visit a resource page with a series of interactive and virtual life events.
The annual Rally for Life in Washington, D.C. will take place on Jan. 29. Although in-person events are canceled because of the ongoing pandemic, virtual events begin at 8:30 a.m. Visit youthrallyandmassforlife.org for more information.