Days until we Walk for Life on January 25, 2025

This is nice news, from a column by His Excellency Edward J. Burns, Bishop of the Diocese of Juneau, Alaska:

By God’s Grace, the Future is full of Hope

burns-article-logo2During the first full week of January I was honored to be invited to lead the annual retreat for the seminarians at Mount Angel Seminary in the Archdiocese of Portland, OR. It was a privilege for me to be in the presence of 153 dedicated and committed men seeking God’s will in their lives. These men come from various dioceses and represent various cultures. But they all have a singular focus, to serve the Lord as priests and to do his will – to reflect his love and mercy towards others through humble service. As the Bishop of the Diocese of Juneau, I am also pleased that two of them—James Wallace and Gerard Juan—are studying for our Diocese and seek to serve as priests in Southeast Alaska. All of these men are a source of hope for the future of the Church and are a fulfillment of God’s promise to provide us with future shepherds.

While I was with them, they spoke of the upcoming Walk for Life – West Coast, and their participation in this march that will take place in San Francisco, CA on Jan. 23rd. This reminder is an opportunity for me as the Bishop of the Diocese to invite all the faithful to remember to pray that we and this country will always value the sacredness of life from the moment of conception until natural death.

The Bishops of the country have said, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a ‘Gospel of Life.’ It invites all persons to live abundantly in respect for human dignity. We believe that this gospel is not only a complement to American principles, but also the cure for the spiritual sickness now infecting our society… We cannot simultaneously commit ourselves to human rights and progress while marginalizing the weakest among us. Nor can we practice the Gospel of Life only as a private piety. American Catholics must live it vigorously and publicly, as a matter of national leadership and witness, or we will not live it at all.” (Living the Gospel of Life, #20)

By keeping this important anniversary of Roe V. Wade alive in the work of the Church, we will tirelessly work for a future for innocent lives through the end of abortion.

Bless you, Excellency, and we look forward to welcoming your seminarians at the Walk!