Bishop urges prayer for conversion of hearts at annual Walk with Christ for Life

“We come together to pray today to give witness to the indisputable fact that life comes from God, and abortion ends the life of a child. We mourn that loss, and we pray that it will never happen again. That is what we strive for.”

These words from Bishop John Folda’s homily at the Cathedral of St. Mary on Oct. 4, proceeded the annual Walk with Christ for Life Eucharistic procession from the Cathedral to the Red River Clinic, North Dakota’s only abortion facility. This event occurs on Respect Life Sunday each year.

Those in the procession prayed the Rosary on the way to the abortion facility. Once there, they prayed for the victims of abortion, all who work at the Red River Clinic, and those suffering after an abortion experience. On the way back to the Cathedral, the faithful prayed the Litany to Jesus in Every Book of the Bible, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and the Litany of the Precious Blood. The event ended with Benediction at the Cathedral.

“God can bring light and life to the most hopeless of places,” said Bishop Folda. “I would urge that all of us pray earnestly for a conversion of hearts, starting with our own—always starting with our own. Let us pray the culture of death be banished from our midst and transformed into a culture of life. Let us pray every human life, especially the lives of the unborn, will be held sacred.”

Bishop continued, “Prayers and sacrifices have changed hearts and brought down walls and moved mountains many times before. With God’s grace, it can happen again. Our prayer here in this Mass, on the street, in our homes, is not only powerful, it’s essential to restore a culture of life in our midst.”