By CatholicVote | Created at 2024-11-28 19:51:27 | Updated at 2024-11-29 01:39:53
5 hours ago
CV NEWS FEED // The Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, is partnering with the Knights of Columbus and Sisters of Life to host an expanded pro-life celebration January 23 and 24, 2025, preceding the March for Life in Washington, D.C.
According to a press release from the Knights of Columbus, the event combines two existing gatherings: Life Fest, an event the Knights of Columbus and the Sisters of Life have held for young adults for the past three years , and Life is VERY Good, an event the Diocese of Arlington has held for teenagers for the past 12 years.
The new Life Fest “will bring together the best of both events,” the press release states, “while maintaining all three hosts’ focus on drawing people of all ages, faiths and backgrounds to encounter the truth of the goodness of each human person and the love of Jesus Christ.”
Life Fest will be held at the EagleBank Arena, which is on George Mason University’s campus. Organizers expect approximately 16,000 attendees.
The press release states that the event is a “response to an increasingly fragmented understanding of the human person among teenagers.”
“We’re living in a time where the goodness of the human person is questioned,” said Sister Marie Veritas of the Sisters of Life. “Every human heart needs to know: I am good; I am important; I am irreplaceable. Every woman who is pregnant needs to know that she is not alone.
“Every woman who has experienced one or more abortions needs to know that Jesus sees her, loves her and longs to forgive and heal her. Working with the Knights of Columbus, we’re excited to join forces this year with the Diocese of Arlington’s Life is VERY Good to offer an exciting, all-new Life Fest, where we can proclaim this truth all the more.”
Attendees will have the opportunity to venerate first-class relics of Pope St. John Paul II, Blessed Carlo Acutis, Blessed Michael McGivney, and the beatified Ulma family, an entire Polish family that was martyred for sheltering Jews during World War II.
Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge, who chairs the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said he is happy to work alongside the Sisters of Life and the Knights of Columbus to grow the event.
The March for Life itself will be held on January 24.
