Archbishop José Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is encouraging locals to take part in the seventh annual OneLife LA procession and celebration on Jan. 22.

“My friends, 2022 is going to be a very important year in our long journey to be the culture of life in America,” Archbishop Gomez said in video posted to Twitter. "That is why I hope you will join me for our seventh annual OneLife LA procession and family festival on January 22nd, 2022. Your presence is so important. Now more than ever, we need to work together peacefully and joyfully.”

Gomez added that collectively they could all bear witness to the beautiful truth that we are all children of God, and that every human life is sacred. 

The Rhode Island Catholic reported that numerous parishes and dioceses hold pro-life events this month.

OneLife LA was established in 2015 as an annual display of love and mercy where tens of thousands of people walk through Downtown Los Angeles and attend a festival including live music, food trucks and speakers. 

“This is the vision of OneLife LA,” Gomez said. “We want to build God’s culture of life, to make this country a place where every human life is cherished and cared for. We want to build a society where it is easier for people to love and to be loved. By our love, by the way we serve our neighbors, by the way we care for one another, especially the weak and vulnerable, we can change the world, and we can renew the soul of our nation. This is what OneLife LA is all about. So, I hope to see you all there. God bless you and keep you in his peace.”

Affiliates of OneLife LA involve many state businesses that advocate on behalf of “pregnant women, refugees, homeless people, survivors of human trafficking, elderly and disabled people and foster children.”

The initial March for Life, according to the organization, started in January 1974 and was led by Nellie Gray, who believed that the march should take place annually until the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade was overturned.

The event usually brings out thousands of participants, including high school and college students, according to Heavy.

KFF reported that the Supreme Court heard Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on Dec. 1, 2021, in a case overturn legalized abortion that centers on a Mississippi law that prohibits abortions after 15 weeks except in the cases of medical emergencies and “severe fatal abnormality.”

Chief Justice John Roberts stated that America is among seven countries that allows abortion after 20 weeks into pregnancy, along with North Korea, China, Vietnam, Canada, Singapore and the Netherlands, according to the National Review.