Bishop James D. Conley of the Diocese of the Diocese of Lincoln Nebraska, celebrates Mass at the National Prayer Vigil for Life at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Jan. 22. | Credit: EWTN
Jan 22, 2026 / 22:17 pm (CNA).
Thousands of young Catholics gathered at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Jan. 22 to worship at a vigil Mass on the eve of the March for Life.
“Our goal is not only to make abortion illegal,” Diocese of Lincoln Bishop James D. Conley said during the homily. “Our goal is to make abortion unthinkable.”
More than 5,000 people — many of whom are high school or college students — filled the upper church of the basilica to attend the Mass. Following Mass, many worshippers prayed at the National Holy Hour for Life, which was held in the crypt of the basilica during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which included praying the Luminous Mysteries of The Holy Rosary.
The Jan. 22 service marked the 47th straight National Prayer Vigil for Life held at the basilica, which it began hosting in 1979 — six years after the Supreme Court decided Roe V. Wade. The Thursday night event marks the fourth post-Roe vigil.
The first reading came from Isaiah 49, in which the prophet wrote: “Before birth the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.”
In his homily, Conley referred back to that reading a few times, and expressed joy at the number of young people who attended the vigil with the goal to “build a culture of life and a civilization of love, where babies are protected in their mothers’ wombs and women are loved, heard, and cared for when they find themselves faced with very difficult and life-changing decisions.”
The bishop noted that there are many threats to the dignity of the human person prevalent in society, including euthanasia, gun violence, the death penalty, the suffering of the poor and of migrants, racism, and a lack of access to health care and education.
“But our brothers and sisters in the womb are the most vulnerable and the most voiceless,” he said, noting that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has labeled the issue its preeminent priority in terms of political concerns.
Even after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Conley noted there are still over one million abortions annually. Yet, he expressed hope that the young people in front of him “are the pro-life generation” and will help bring an end to abortion in the United States.
“I firmly believe that 50 years from now when my generation will have gone to God, your grandchildren will ask you: ‘Is it true, that when you were my age, they put children to death in the womb?’” Conley said.
Conley was the main celebrant of the Mass, but it was concelebrated by Cardinal Robert McElroy of the Archdiocese of Washington; Cardinal Sean O’Malley, the archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Boston; Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States; and other archbishops, bishops, and priests.
Pierre, at the start of Mass, read aloud a note offered by Pope Leo XIV to attendees of the vigil, in which the pontiff assured participants of his “spiritual closeness” as they gather “for this eloquent public witness to affirm that the protection of the right to life [is the] … indispensable foundation of every other human right.”
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According to the note, Leo told participants that they are “fulfilling the Lord’s command to serve him in the least of our brothers and sisters” and bestowed an apostolic blessing on them.
Many attendees traveled from other parts of the country to worship at the Jan. 22 vigil and attend the Jan. 23 March for Life.
Miriam Ware, who is 16 years old, flew from Idaho with a local group called Teens for Life, and told EWTN that she has become “very interested in becoming a pro-life advocate.”
She said she has attended the Idaho March for Life, but this is the first time she has come to the national March for Life in Washington, D.C. and enjoys seeing “how united we are” as a pro-life movement: “Just to see everyone here is awesome.”
Gus Buell, a Catholic high school junior from Traverse City, Michigan, told EWTN that he arrived on Thursday after a 13-hour bus ride and will be attending the March for Life for the first time on Friday.
He said the march helps build up the Catholic and pro-life community, and commented on the large number of young people active in the faith and the movement, saying “kids are finally starting to be inspired” and many are “trusting God more than they trust themselves.”
The March for Life drew about 150,000 people last year. The 53rd March for Life is on Friday, Jan. 23. The March for Life rally will be held on the National Mall from 11 a.m. until about 1 p.m., after which attendees will march past the U.S. Capitol and conclude in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building.
