WASHINGTON—More than 5,000 Catholic Americans gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception last week for an annual vigil Mass ahead of last Friday’s March for Life in the nation’s capital.
Featuring families, students, and pilgrim groups of all ages, the congregation spread out over two levels, numerous chapels, and a crypt, prefacing the Mass with prayer, receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and following it with a holy hour and rosary amid adoration of the Eucharist.
The reverent orchestra of prayer, incense, vestments, and music filled a 20th-century church of a scale and opulence to rival any European cathedral. It appeared to exemplify the home and guidance that religion offers to America’s pro-life movement as it strives to turn the national culture away from abortion….