January 12, 2026

Annual Mass and March for Life to be held Jan. 22

REGIONAL
Staff report

People gathered on the steps of Springfield City Hall to pray for Life, Jan. 22, 2025. (IObserve file photo)

SPRINGFIELD – Springfield Bishop William D. Byrne will celebrate the annual Mass for Life at St. Michael’s Cathedral, Thursday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. The Mass will precede the March for Life to Springfield City Hall. Those unable to participate in the march are invited to pray the rosary in the cathedral.

Pope Francis Preparatory School in Springfield and Pro-Life of Pioneer Valley organize the event each year. Students from St. Mary High School in Westfield also attend the Mass and the national March for Life in Washington, D.C. the following day. Students from Catholic grammar schools, homeschool students and college students participate as well.

“The local Mass and March for Life is the largest gathering of pro-life supporters in our area,” said Father Daniel Pacholec, the director of Pro-Life Activities for the Diocese of Springfield.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for those who seek to be a visible witness in defense of life, here in this western part of Massachusetts. There is strength and support when we gather together,” he said.

Representatives from local pregnancy care centers will also be present. Bishop Byrne, along with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, have emphasized the Walking with Moms program, which assists women through pregnancy and beyond. Local pregnancy centers walk with moms providing practical support, such as diapers, wipes, baby clothes and car seats. Bethlehem House in Easthampton; Springfield Pregnancy Care; Clearway Clinic in Springfield; New Direction Women’s Center in Pittsfield and Pregnancy Support Services of Berkshire County are pregnancy care centers which assist women and children in the Diocese of Springfield.

The local and national March for Life are held each year to coincide with the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion on demand in 1973. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned that decision in 2022, giving the power back to the states to set their own abortion laws. Massachusetts has one of the most progressive abortion laws, allowing abortion in the ninth month of pregnancy, as a result of the Roe Act, which passed in 2020.

To learn more about pro-life ministry in the Diocese of Springfield, how to assist families in need, and to learn about post-abortive ministry, go to https://diospringfield.org/respect-life-office