ATLANTA—The inaugural Stand for Life will take place in two locations to highlight one powerful cause.

Stand for Life, designed to commemorate and focus attention on the 1973 Supreme Court decisions legalizing abortion in the United States, will have events in both Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

Nine major events will be held in both cities. Atlanta events will include the 25th annual Mass for the Unborn and the Stand for Life Public Witness for Life on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. The main event in the nation’s capital will be the March for Life on the same day.

The Mass for the Unborn will be held this year at the Cathedral of Christ the King at 2699 Peachtree Road in Atlanta, beginning at 10 a.m. A Rosary for Life precedes the Mass. Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory will be the main celebrant.

The Stand for Life public witness event will follow at noon. Participants are asked to pre-register at www.archatl.com/ministries/respectlife/stand/ in order to receive an assigned section of the sidewalk along Peachtree Road.

The archdiocese’s Respect Life Ministry director, Mary Boyert, said the new public witness event offers a “unique opportunity to witness to thousands of people driving on Peachtree Road.”

Individuals and groups will hold large signs reading, “Stand for Life—Atlanta,” on each of the 17 sidewalk blocks between the Cathedral and Lenox Square. Opportunities for optional small group evangelization will follow.

“If you cannot attend in person, please keep these intentions in your prayers,” asked Boyert.

In Washington, D.C., events will include the national March for Life, youth rally and Mass for Life. The ministry is encouraging parishes and groups to attend the March for Life in the nation’s capital and to join with those from across the country who will Stand for Life outside the U.S. Supreme Court.

According to Boyert, nearly 300 people from schools and parishes in the Atlanta Archdiocese have requested tickets for the Washington youth events. Schools sending delegations include Blessed Trinity High School, Roswell; Monsignor Donovan High School, Athens; Our Lady of Mercy High School, Fayetteville; Pinecrest Academy, Cumming; and St. Pius X High School, Atlanta. Churches participating with youth groups include St. Brendan the Navigator, Cumming; St. George, Newnan; St. James, Madison; and St. Mary, Rome. Other parishes have adult contingents traveling or are in the process of finalizing plans to travel to Washington.

There will be a blessing in Atlanta Jan. 19 for those traveling to Washington. The Atlanta schedule of events is as follows:

• Blessing of Pro-Life Pilgrims on Sunday, Jan. 19, 4 p.m., Cathedral of Christ the King. The blessing will take place after the 4 p.m. Life Teen Mass for those attending the March for Life in Washington, D.C. The public is invited to attend, especially the travelers and those praying for them.
• Rosary for Life on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 9:30 a.m., Cathedral of Christ the King. Before the annual Mass for the Unborn, join in prayer for the protection of the unborn and their mothers through the intercession of the Blessed Mother.
•  Mass for the Unborn on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 10 a.m., Cathedral of Christ the King. Everyone is invited to the 25th annual Mass. Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory will be the main celebrant. Priests of the archdiocese will concelebrate.
• Stand for Life Public Witness for Life on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 12-12:30 p.m., Peachtree Road, from the Cathedral of Christ the King to Lenox Square. Pre-registration via the archdiocesan website is requested to assure balanced spacing along the sidewalk. Go online to: http://www.archatl.com/ministries/respectlife/stand/.
• Individual Evangelization for Life on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 12:30 p.m., Peachtree Road. Following public witness, individuals may continue to Stand for Life in quiet evangelization, by eating a simple meal in observance of Jan. 22 as a day of Prayer and Penance for Life. The Stand for Life Resource Page online features a simple handout that can be distributed to anyone wishing more information about the program.