The evening of prayer for the unborn didn’t look like it has in past years, but it was still very good.
The annual Life Is VERY Good rally, usually held at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax for thousands of local teens and out-of-towners before the March for Life in Washington, was at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington Jan 28 due to pandemic restrictions. Some 200 young people and families attended in person, and more 6,500 people watched the livestream.
As they entered the church, attendees grabbed a Life Is VERY Good pin or red stress ball and a program. Confession was available in the parish hall.
Musician Steve Angrisano kicked off the evening, playing his guitar in a sanctuary filled with lit candles. A representative from the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, Father Dennis Kuruppassery, read a message of encouragement. Speaker Ennie Hickman asked the young people present to “be the miracle the world needs.” The serene atmosphere was upended briefly by incense triggering the fire alarm.
During his talk, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge asked listeners to pray that those considering abortion would know God’s love for them and that those who had participated in an abortion would experience God’s healing. Before he processed through the darkened cathedral with the monstrance in hand, he encouraged the audience to listen to God in the Eucharist.
“Fix your gaze on the Lord, the one who took on all the evil and suffering and the darkness of our world, and by his cross and resurrection proved victorious,” he said. “The one who gives us his body and blood as the source of our strength and our consolation. In him, we are always serene and at peace because we know his victory is ours and that there is no force, no evil greater than his love.”
