Annual “9 Days for Life” novena calls Catholics nationwide to prayer
Catholics across the United States are being called to participate in “9 Days for Life,” an annual novena for the protection of life, beginning on Friday, January 16. The event invites participants to pray and reflect over nine days, leading up to the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children on January 22.
The novena is open to all who wish to join. Prayers can be accessed or received daily by email or text message in English at 9daysforlife.com or in Spanish at respectlife.org/9-dias-por-la-vida.
Sponsored by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, “9 Days for Life” began in 2013 to mark the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Organizers note that while Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022 shifted decisions about abortion laws back to federal and state representatives, continued advocacy is needed.
“This is the fourteenth year the novena is taking place. Since the novena began, it has reached hundreds of thousands of people in over one hundred countries spanning six continents.”
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia serves more than 1.3 million Catholics across five Pennsylvania counties and provides a range of ministries focused on faith education, community support, and social services through more than 200 parishes. According to its official website, it centers activities around the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul and offers outreach through agencies like Nutritional Development Services and Catholic Social Services for community support (https://limpar.locallabs.com/organizations/206f6aa9-e15a-4020-8136-b893fc8aa1ce;https://archphila.org/). Archbishop Nelson Pérez has led as its tenth archbishop since his installation in 2020 (https://archphila.org/).
The Archdiocese operates as a metropolitan see within the Roman Catholic Church, overseeing suffragan dioceses in Pennsylvania and working to spread Gospel teachings while providing pastoral care and evangelization (https://archphila.org/).
