To mark the 36th anniversary of the legalization of abortion, a national day of prayer and penance for life will be observed on Thursday, Jan. 22, with a rosary and Mass. Later during the day, there will be a silent anti-abortion march through the streets of Atlanta. All are invited to participate.

On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in America in their Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions. The decision is observed with prayer for the right to life and to protest the loss of innocent life in abortion.

“Every year as we observe this anniversary we realize that another one million or more lives have been lost to abortion, and the pain and sorrow of their mothers and family members continues to rise,” said Mary Boyert, the pro-life director of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta. “It becomes almost incomprehensible that our country continues to allow this tragedy to occur.”

Boyert said people will be encouraged to join in the postcard campaign to fight the Freedom of Choice Act, a legislative proposal that pro-life advocates believe would sweep away most of the restrictions on abortions. The campaign was approved by the U.S. Catholic bishops at their November meeting.

Starting at 9:30 a.m., a 30-minute prayer of the rosary will be held at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 48 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, SW, Atlanta. It is sponsored by the Pro-Life Office and coordinated by the Rosary Committee of the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta.

At 10 a.m., a Mass for the Unborn to commemorate the court decision will be celebrated.

Then at noon, following the service, Together for Life, the annual police-escorted silent memorial walk, begins. The memorial service is a well-attended event as citizens participate and stand together to mourn the loss of life from abortion. The event begins and ends on the steps of the state Capitol. The one-mile walk is sponsored by Georgia Right to Life.

Guest speakers include Dr. Alveda King, pastoral associate for Priests for Life, and Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory.