January 8, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Throughout the month of January we are provided with special opportunities to bear witness to our belief in the dignity and value of all human life, especially the lives of the unborn. The most public display of the Gospel of Life is the annual March for Life. In advance, I thank all of our parishes that are welcoming visitors from other dioceses and providing hospitality to March for Life participants.
We also remember that with God’s grace, prayer and fasting are effective means of changing hearts. I therefore encourage you to participate in the USCCB ‘s Nine Days of Prayer, Penance and Pilgrimage from January 18 to 26 (see www.usccb.org). In addition, please pray a Mass for a greater respect for the gift of human life.
I look forward to seeing many of our youth at the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax for our Diocese’s Life Is VERY Good Evening of Prayer (January 18, 7:30 pm) and Rally and Mass (January 19, 9:00 am). The annual March for Life rally begins on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., at noon on January 19.
This year, the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See has granted a plenary indulgence that may be obtained, under the usual conditions, by those who participate in the sacred celebrations carried out on January 18 and 19. The elderly, sick and homebound may also gain a plenary indulgence if they spiritually unite themselves to these events and make their prayer and penance an offering to God.
Thank you for your faithful witness to the dignity and value of all human life, and please be assured of my prayers for you.
Sincerely in Christ,
Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge
Bishop of Arlington
